The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-02
Building Houses of Sand.
. HE distinguished agnostics in
London who are proposing to
- establish "a free thought in

|I HE distinguished agnostics in
London who are proposing to
- establish "a free-thought in
stitute" in that city and
who, according to the reports sent over
the cable. mean to address themselves
principally to women, since these make
UP the vast body of British Christians" /"
do thus vindicate their own right and
title to the name "agnostic." They
evidently know nothing" about the sex
last at the cross and earliest at the
tomb; not an atom more about 1t than
they do about christianity itself. That
they always represent, as Mr.. Leslie
stephen has Just once more been doing.
as baslng its entire ethical teaching
'on the expectation OF reward in n
future life They choose to represent
1T as having no foundation in divine
law or sense of duty. Then they won-
der That, to quote Mr.. Leslie Stephen
again: "All our their) ethical agita-
tion does not seem to come too much,
We APPEAR he says, ito hasten very
little the emancipation of the race from
superstition"-mean thereby from re-
ligion and religious ideas. Personally
he does not care mitch for the free
thought institute" ana il is with re-
luctance" that he has permitted the use
OF his name in connection with it. TO
that extent he is, personally. wise. He
says he shall dedicate his powers "to
constructive exposition of agnostic
principles" whatever that may mean.
The constructive exposition of at
tempts n. destruction may possibly
mean something in topsy- -turvy-tur-
vcydom.
The secretary of the movement re-
marks that it is going to start a Sun
day school 'where children will he
taught the necessity of fulfilling all
moral obligations apart from an eX-
pectation Of reward in a future life"
Moreover-and this is as clear as the
average swamp mud-"the service will
be of very much the same character
the supernatural will be eliminated"
After that the saying often quoted
about the play af Hamlet with the part
of Hamlet left out may be recalled as
dimly sshadowing the services" that
the distinguished agnostics" propose.
The women, "of whom" says the cmi-
ncnt secretary, the great bulk of
church congregations consists" are to
"bs attracted by means of concerts
and dramatic entertainments and their
allegiance then won by the force of
argument"
These people are evidently unaware
that trying TO build houses of sand,
folly. Their mere material building of
brick or stone they may erect on
London street if they can raise the 9TH
er $4,000 on which one mans pledge
of equal amount is conditioned For
the rest. they had better hearken to
Mr.. Leslie Stephens frank admission
of the failure of their attempts. Lady
Jeune speaks the word of truth and
Sobcrness when she says: In so far
as these free thinkers mean to destroy
the Christian faith of our women, they
will fail. British women are f,lnda-
mentally and prc-eminently religious.
They love the Christian system. They
have absolute confidence in the divine
nature of its authorship. They will
never trade their theory of God for the
unconvincing dicta of the agnostics.
1t will be "a sorry day for the British
empire when it women lose their devo-
tional natures and set the currents of
their influence flowing toward cynic-
ISM" \ day that can never come
Woman's devotional nature" is as God
made 1.-THE God whom the distin-
guished agnostlcs' refuse to know or