The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-12
THE PHILOSOPHY or LIFE
As PrOpounded by a Freethinker I'm An
swer to Another Correspondent.

As PrOpOunded by q Freethinher In AM
swer TO Another Correspondent.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-tSr: The
| touching appeal addressed to you by the
Solid Grounders" of Brooklyn. following 80
closely that OF "A. J. w. to elaborate the
essential principles Of true philosophy Oh
life" for the fifteen or twenty millions OF THINK
ing American men and women who are not
affiliated with any religious organization,
suggests to me u plan which herewith SUD-
init to the colaborators and readers OF the
philosophic section OF The Sun, which GER
tainy contains within its columns more sub
| stantal food for deep thought than dozen
of so-Called philosophical" magazines ana
religious" weekles, with their high-sounding
titles and pompous phraseology.
IL il evident to him who closely studies
| the history of religion throughout the ages
| and il. to some degree acquainted with the
philosophic systems Of the worlds greatest
| philosophers from Thales and Lao Tsu down
to our own contemporaries. Herbert spencer
| and Eduard Won Hartman that the most stupid
| negro woman in Kentucky knows as much
about the three cardinal problems OF meta
physics, l. q. God. Immortality Of the Soul,
Destiny OF Man. as the 284 Popes, together
| with their thousands of Cardinals. Archbish-
| ops and Bishops as much AS all theological
| faculties of the world. in past and present,
| Buddhist, MOhammedan. Catholic and Prot
| estant, as much as all meta physicians OF all
| universities and colleges ever knew or could
| know. These wise men have delivered mill
| ions of sermons and addresses. written mill
| ions of dissertations and books about these
| questions. yet humanity is. in 1908 A. d.. as
| far from the solution of the world problem
| as was the prehistoric mother who stood at
| the open grave of her child and looking up to
| the eternal Why?
Caiph Omar is said to have burned t842
| A. d. the largest and most celebrated library
of antiquity. that of Alexandria, on the ground
| that if the books treasured therein agreed
with the Koran they We're Unnecessary II
| they differed they should be destroyed. The
| Koran Of progressive mankind of the TWEEN
| ticth century is Science III Andrew Car
negie could be prevailed upon. instead OF
| founding libraries. to spend his fortune in
buying up all theological books Of the world
and to be modern Caliph Omar, to make of
them gigantic bonfire. the ironmaster of
Pittsburg and Lord Of Skibo Castle would.
| by this noble act contribute, as none before
| him ever did to the final disappearance OF
religious prejudices and their concomitant
crimes and he would start new chapter In
| the mental and moral evolution Of humanity,
Is IL not really childish on the part of mill
| ions OF otherwise reasonable citizens OF this
| great republic to go through life marked with
| labels whose meanin they do not understand?
| How many Baptists, Methodists, Episcopa-
| lians and Roman Catholics have clear idea
| of the dogmatic contents OF their speChi
chose their vocation generally, at an age
which excludes ripe thought and experience
| of the world Lack of moral courage and the
pressure Of material considera tions prevent v'ra
| senting. as 1t does, their and their families
bread and butter" Conscious Of their meta
physical impotence. they gradually turn their
attention to the less dangerous physical do
| main Of ethics and sociology; the theologian,
| the servant Of God, transforms himself into
| a communal worker. servant OF his Fellow
man.
| And here we are: Religion" after thou
| sandfold failures. finally confesses its inability
10 prepare for mankind common wade mecnm
| of the essential principles OF true phllos-
Ophy Of life: its representatives necessarily
| consent to become the mere advisers and eX,
ecutive officers of our philanthropists. tould
philanthropic work by generously bestowing
mental and moral freedom upon those hun.
dreds Of thousands OF unfortunate victims or
the prejudices Of the past and the cowardice
of the present age? Could they not. at the
same time, transform the millions of houses
of God"--as il the Almighty Creator OF the
so many thousands Of dollars per acre. upon
this little earth OF ours-intO the patrmony
of our homeless widows and orphans? Gould
Religion not be, at least, made the unitier OF
mankind, instead OF continuing to be the in
voluntary caricature of the gre4t principle
of the "Fatherhood Of God" and its logical
To conclude. All those who fully agree with
the principles which have been laid down in
that splendid philosophical expose Of "A: D..
W, and with this modest sketch OF mine,
should Join their forces in organizing strong
body Of "freethinkers, or whatever desig1
nation they may choose, in order TO spread
The nations Of the world are artihcialy
kept together through the dim souvenir OF