The new age. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1896-1905, 1905-12-23

There is close relation between be-
lief and reasoning, but there could be
no greater error than to suppose that
reasoning is the only thing that can
produce beliefs and that all of our be-
liefs are the result of reasoning. Most
people would feel insulted if told that
they believe anything whatever with
out reason, and yet the truth is that
of all the beliefs that exist in any
human mind not one In thousand has
been produced by reasoning and not
one in a million by investigation, re-
Election and easoning The greater part
of our most cherished convictions are
inserted In us ready made, just as
cartridge is inserted in a gun or box
put into a wagon. This is easily prov
ed by asking people why they believe
certain things. In most cases 1t will
be surprising to see how they are en-
barrassed by the question and what
trit1ing and inconsequential replies
they make. Sometimes they become
Impatient and indignant and intimate
that what they believe Is self-eyident,
or they say: Amy fool knows that"
They drop the subject as soon as they
can, but not until they have made it
evident that they believe without rea-
son and without ever attempting to
reason. How, then, do we come to be-
lieve certain things? Evidently by
mere imitation or by a sort of hypnotic
suggestion. In childhood and youth
we believe everything we hear. What
ever Is constantly said in our homes
or by our associates we install among
our settled convictions and retain
them long after we have forgotten
heard them. We are as passive in re-
ceiving these impressions as a colt Is
in getting used to harness. We would
naturally suppose that convictions that
were acquired so easily would be just
as easily upset and abandoned, but 1t
Is just the reverse The beliefs which
we have acquired we know not how
and which we are at loss to defend
are exactly those that are most irwin
cIDle. We would at least expect them
to melt away before strong argument,
but argument has no effect on them.
Argument will often overthrow and re-
verse beliefs which were acquired by
argument, but these beliefs which are
fOisted upon us hypnotically do not
yield to reasoning. These traditional
beliefs cannot be said to be an evil.
The fact Is our very life is founded
on them and governed by them and
we could not live without them. Life
is too short for everything to be rea
soned out. We must BE set up in bust
ness with an immense stock Of ready
made convictions or else we would be
more helpless than the brute creation.
They are valuable also for the very
reason that they cannot be over
thrown, for without this quality there
would be absolutely no stability in hui
man character. On the other hand, it
is obviously absurd to reason that GER
tain opinions and beliefs are well
founded because they are widespread
and of great antiquity. A belief may
be perpetuated from generation to gen
GRAFTON in an widening circle for
thousands of years and even become
universal without ever having a parti-
Gle of fact or logic for its basis. That
we can never entirely free ourselves
from involuntary beliefs is certain,
and that we would perish if we were
deprived of them is certain also, and
yet our safety depends on keeping
them in check by reasoning and inves-
tigation. We must be continually
sloughing off our groundless beliefs or
we shall be completely swamped by
them. This is not an attractive pic
ture Of human nature, but it is a faith
full hneness.