The herald., 1896-11-08

in advancing civilization. Nor does II
matter much how welded to a dogma
one may be II 1t makes him truer man
and q better neighbor. But such a man
would be. in q sense at least. Gnostic,
and our Agnostic friends would condemn
him for being so narrow minded as to
think he knew to be fact that which he
could not demonstrate as he would a
problem in mathematics! The II do
not know" Of the Agnostic finds its
other self" in the process of the mental
reasoning Of the boy who whis-
ties in the dark because he does not
know" whether there are hobgoblins
about or not. The fact is, the Agnostic
does not think at ALL or rather, he does
his thinking in a circle that is greatly
circumscribed by egotism which he mis-
takes for mental and moral expansion
and culture. He tries very hard to make
himself believe that he is free thinker,
whereas he is generally to Re found in
sufferably dogmatic and a slave to his
creedless creed.
1t is doubtful II there would be many
If any at all, Agnostics had not a certain
cult that is composed of restless spirits
made Agnosticism fashionable. AS we
have said. not very many of them have
ever taken the trouble to ascertain what
the true meaning of Agnosticim is. The
history of a man in his relation to exist
ence Is that he wants to feel that he
knows he will continue to live and retain
his personality, individuality, memory
and affections after the body dies. and
strange as 1t may appear, no society of
thinkers or non-thinkers has ever -four
ished for any very great length of time
that rejected belief in the personal i'm
mortality Of man. The doctrine of an
Inhalation or going back into the uni
versal whole is repulsive to every one
except to the one who has educated HIM
self away from nature. 1t Is as natural
for a man to want a religious dogma-a
satisfying faith-as 1t is for him to want
food and clothing Every one, except
the Agnostic, feels more comfortable
with a religious belief that is based upon
some scripture of some kind which car
ries with it sufficient evidence that 1t is
by divine authority. 1t is in evidence
upon every hand that the church that
breaks away from the mOOTlnSS OF cTeeu
and dogma is soon in financial distress
and the preacher talks to empty boxes.
1t does not seem natural for man to
maintain church organization that
does not have for its objective point of
endeavor the securing of desirable con-
ditions Of existence for the Individual
when he shall have passed beyond the
reach of material aids and helps, and,
moreover, 1t all must be based upon
something that so appeals to his better
judgment that he is satisfied that he
"knows"-that his belief that Il am l."
and that "T' was yesterday, am today
and will be forever, is rock-rooted in
Il do not know how know, but l know
that know" Gnosticism is the strength
Of the church. II know" Is necessarily
its material foundation, and in proper
ton as it drifts away from the positive
to the speculative will its power and in
f1uence for good in the field of the science
and the philosophy of ethics be weak
ened. The II am not certain" or II do
not know" of the Agnostic is quicksand
under the piers of the bridges over
which humanity travels to higher states
of moral and intellectual worth.