New-York tribune., 1901-03-10
POSITiVISM.
THE CULT REPRESENTED BY FREDERIC
HARRISON APPEARS To HAVE
FEW MEMBERS HERE


try and the still more recent appearance in The
North American Review of an article on the
Positivist doctrine, of which he has long been
the most distinguished exponent in England
have called public attention form Of belief
to which comparatively few persons in New
York at least. had given a thought That
there are Positivists in Chicago seems to H.. i'm
piled in the news which appeared in the papers
few days ago that Mr. Harrison had per-
formed something in the nature of an initiatory
rite upon baby in that city. As a result Of in
quiry it also appears that cOnsdera BILE. body
Of Positivists are to be found performing their
equivalent for worship iii New York. This is
the more unfortunate because the Comtist cult
Is peculiarly interesting to outsiders as an ex-
ample of purely phiIosophc creed not in the
least postulating the existence of any personal
deity, and yet generally supposed to affect GER
tam congregational acts having the outward
semblance of common prayer Attentive read
ers of George Eliot will remember how grace
fully that writer could employ here and there
fragments of liturgical forms with the inter-
pretations most aptly harmonized to purely
Positivst or humanitarian theories of life: the
tendency of Positivist public worship is gener-
ally in this direction.
MOncure D. Conway, who lived and ministered
for many years in London, though far from be-
ing a Positivist himself, personally aC-
quanted with several Of the leaders of the move
ment and can probably tell more of its outward
manifestations than any other man now in New
York Without pretending to report verbatim
Mr. Conway's account the drift of it, as it was
given to a reporter for The Tribune is that for
many years there have heen two meeting places
/ OF the Positivists in London. The veteran
founder of London Positivisrn Richard Con-
GreVe, had his churchill it may be So called
/ in the quiet and interesting neishhorhooj of
Mecklenburg Square not far from tn, famous
Founding Hospital Here Mr. Conway thinks
| there was some attempt at reproducing; Iitur.,i-
! cal forms resembling those of the Catholic
Church Mr.. Consrcv. had over his reading
desk, or pulpit, picture Of the Virgin and child
the symbol OF Humanity favored by Corat.
himself Many Of the younger disciples of Comte
In London were not in sympathy with this sym
bolstic procedure and while keeping in perfect
amity with the already existing body they
formed a separate CONGREGATION at Newton Hall
The fositivist meetings are held on Sundays
| because those are the days in which the largest
gatherings can be hoped for. Newton Hall IS
not a brilliant place of meeting. nor is it in 4
fashionable quarter Of London thu approach TO
II Doing little passage leading from Chancery
Lane, the haunt on week days Of thu. legal pro-
fession. But what is lacking in material snI,n
/ u"r or prosperity in both thos, places is made
up by the intellectual elevation and culture of
! those who attend. The policy of the Comtists
! Is not propaganda of the usual kind; they
make ii their aim rather to attract the leaders
/ in every walk of life. including the more
thoughtful and aspiring artisans of the great
metropolis Mr.. Conway says that the Positivist
body in London is particularly happy in having
connected with it a number of Intellectual and
socially attractive women who do much for the
cause. Henry Crompton, formerly Mr. Con-
greVe's assistant and his successor for some
years past, himself of high ability and
attachments, is materially helped by his wife.
Personal attractions such these operate TO
swell the numbers of those who attend the
Comtist assemblies far beyond the numbers Of
those who adhere to the Positivist doctrines.
For himself Mr.. Conway says that the Posi-
twists, apart from their philosophy. have al
ways attracted him by their sympathy with
humanity and their infallible instinct to take
the right side
When it is remembered that the speaker is the
same Moncure ID. Conway who did and sufG red
SO much for negro emancipation more than half
a century ago, the full force of this conimenda-
ton will be better appreciated.