The herald., 1896-11-08
THE AGNOSTIC
ute fashionable fad these days

1t Is quite a fashionable fad these days
for one who has no very clearly de-
fined religious opinion to call himself an
Agnostic. 1t is to be lamented that such
persons do not announce themselves to
be Atheists so that one might respect
them for candor at least Agnosticism
is, generally speaking, attractive to silly
and superficial persons because the
word "Agnostic" has cult" ring, and
to the shallow mind 1t has a deep and
significant meaning fringed about with
some kind of a mysterious philosophy
but in fact, the literal meaning Of Ag-
nostic, or rather, Agnostikos, is a per-
son incapable Of knowledge. However
the word is employed nowadays to des-
ignate a class of thinkers, or rather, a
class Of persons who do not really think
at all, who decline to accept the doc
trine of the Immortality of the soul be-
cause they cannot see. feel and handle
the soul as they would a bar of iron.
but on the other hand they do not deny
anything. They simply say. with an air
of condescension. but which Is. in fact,
an exhibition of boundless egotism, II
do not know"
In communities where there are
enough Agnostics to Justify 1t, they are
wont to organize themselves into "ethic-
al culture" societies, and the order Of
exercises consists for the most part in
discussing the science of morals. When
a proposition is under discussion no one
would suspect that they were Agnostics.
They talk go learnedly, and are so posi-
tive that what they say Is rooted and
grounded in demons trable truth that
one is amazed to hear them say II do
not know" But they are not Agnostics
when they talk about ethics, nor are
they religionists. Contradictionists is
a name that would do them more justice
than any other 1t may be said that
Agnostics are highly Intellectual and
cultured so far as knowing what books
say goes, but as thinkers. reasoners or
logicians they are very far from being
the equal of the average believer In re-
ligious dogma.
1t is difficult to understand how any
process of rational reasoning could lead
one to accept the theory.of moral growth
and moral decay--a theory the Agnostic
accepts without question-witkout in
Guiding in the belief the existence Of the
substructure of morals, which Is the In
dividuality and personality of spirit
when manifested in man. But, as. we
have already intimatsd,, there is vast
difference between intellectual excite
ment which is but another name for In
tellectual superficiality, and logical rea-
soning. Polished rhetoric and eloquent
oratory can at best only please for the
moment unless the speaker is inspired
by something higher than mere culture
of the mind. All people, except Agnos-
tics, know. and they know because they
feel it to be so, that ethical culture has
to do with that which is within and
which tells them that death is door
opening into another sphere of existence,
and that moral excellence bears good
fruit now and hereafter. The trouble
with the average Agnostic is he spends
too much time in devising ways and
means to bring mankind into harmony
with his own ideal system of morals.
which is kind of an intellectual mirage.
Were he to take the trouble to analyze
his own proposition he would see that
right conduct is contingent upon right
mood, and that it could not be systema-
tized any more than feeling could be
nodded into system. Morality is not
a thing to be measured and judged by
intellectually, but by a standard of con-
duct of life whose base sinks deep into
mans spiritual nature.
Upon every page of the history Of the
race will be found abundant evidence
that belief in religious dogma, that was
more or less yelled in mysticism and ira
dition. has been the most powerful and
influential of the enlightening agencies
which the Divine Purpose has employed