The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-05-12
Mind and Matter
Editor Independent:

Dear Sir: Your review of my book,
The Specialization of Humanity, has
been received. While It Is my policy
not to answer what the press may see
At to say about my book, yet owing to
the fact that your paper is the organ Of
the populist party, which would be
friendly to my views II rightly under
stood, and owing to the fact that you
make Messrs. Charles H. Kerr & COM
pany responsible for the publication of
the book, even going SO far as to say
that the socialist party is trying to
change base because OF the publication
Of my book, 1t being different from
Marks great work, when in the notice
Of my book, copy OF which you GER
tainly received, Charles H. Kerr &
Company specially stated that the
book was presented not as an expo
sition Of economic determinism," but
OF the evolution theory in general, ow-
ing to all Of this, beg for bit of
your space to reply.
The Specialization OF Humanity has
nothing whatever to do with organized
socialism. Neither Messrs. Charles H.
Kerr & Company nor any one else is
responsible for its teachings except it's
author. The book is written from the
universal point of view and 1t was the
fond hope Of it's author that it would
be favorably' received by the great
body OF independent thinkers calling
themselves populists.
AS to the teachings Of the book
you say that its author found that
he could not have religion without
q god (which is exactly opposite to the
TRUTH, that he mate one out OF So
cialized humanity. reject the IDEA of
god completely, show that instead Of
Dasing religion on sacrifice, it should
be based on service, ,nat the great
idea God Is an allegory standing for
the race and that now that man has
become socially conscious the fact
should take the place OF the symbol.
show that religion is a social instinct,
that binds the race together, that its
object Is to protect the race, perpctu-
ate it and perfect it, That the idea God
Is but an allegory standing for the race
and will give way to the real race as
we become enlightened.
You say there can be nothing organ
lied except there be AN organizer" If
SO, what organized the organizer: The
First Cause. But what caused the First
Cause? This argument is suicidal The
conception of the Specialization of HUI
mainly is that nature is a process
which repeats itself forever and for
ever and that at each repetition some
time or other intelligent beings are
developed not only here on the earth
but throughout the Universe. show
that the ideas OF. good and bad are
due to the different ways of expend-
ing energy, that energy not controlled
by society is bad, while energy con-
trolled by society, the highest intelli-
gence and the highest morality. The
moral .sensce and the social sense is
good. / certainly did not try to Gre
ate socialist god or any Aother. l
distinctly try to explain what god is,
how the idea grew up. what are it's
real factors, and reject the idea and
the word and put in their places the
facts of Nature, Life, Mind and So
ciety themselves and teach that only a
religion based on the facts can achieve
the ultimate destiny of the race.
No doubt the physical greatly deter
mines the destiny of the race. deem
Marx a great thinker, but If he is
correctly inierpretei ne uIltiuiy min
imized the effect Of the heart and mind
of man upon his destiny. have done
the best could to get at the truth of
the human situation here on earth
and to contribute my quota towards its
amelioration.
You have completely neglected to