The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-02-04

you ask him for definite, tangible
statements, he finds himself somewhat
of discoveries. These dis
coveries form his data for his theory,
and just when his theory is about to
BECOME an established fact some some one me
theories topsy turvy, and the profes;,,
left: The bioloEist has collected
data OF ea1a am he he
things He doesn't know" He is in
the discovering business yet: The ey-
a progressive method; but ask him,
What is the goal?" and he replies:
There ~ her, Is a directive tendency" John
and Lyman Abbott say this Corrective
tendency" is toward Immortality. But
the scientist is still using his theory
as working basis" wondering
where it will land him.
Society Has Lost Her Bearings.
do not think I am raising a cry Of
her bearings temporarily. She is pull
ing for an ideal, but Is not quite as
sure of her ideal as she was in the
haven. but is not quite as sure where
that haven is as was Jonathan Ed
wards.
What is the ideal? Where is the
me, and mine to Him? What is socie-
tvs relation to me, and mine to socie-
ty: What is the true relation between
cially especially? Why are the masses
poor. and only few rich? Why SO
much m pain and SO little Joy? If there
what kind of a world has he made?
Society is clamoring for the privi-
lege Of walking by sight rather than
faith. The past century has shown
She wants to see it all. And in her
frantic struggles to climb to the yet
unreachable, and peer into the yet un-
seeable, and to know the yet unknowa-
Die, she has wound herself up in web
Of complexity which cool-headedness
alone can ravel.
Within century society has moved
from a comparatively simple life to a
plexities, and her mettle is being tried
as never before in the history Of man.
From Egoism to Altruism.
When society had dipped to its low
est depths, Jesus was born. At this
time eg9ism held full sway. Self was
and philosophy. This had been the
primitive principle. The author of the
thou by searching find out God?" His
philosophy Of suffering. But his suffer-
ing was egoistic only.
The 1onian, the Italian, the Eclec-
tic, and the Grecian PHILOSOPHERS all
was the acme, and that God when
found would be, like men, Self was
the base from {vh4eh' all. lines a.
yerged, and. the sfocat point into which
conception Of deity, high as it was,
| was anthropomorphic. Egoism was the
fundamenta1 principle in their social
NIT Of Hebrew phi a o' could e%i SG mot
would lit Him was to the "Golden
Rule" But in this the ego" is still
one another as I have loved YOU" was
Jesus final measure of life, and the
standard of altruism.
Early Philosophy was Egoistic.
said the Hebrew conception of
deity was anthropomorphic: The Sc
epS2 %as eSoy is 6at ha ner r 60 81
Genesis or editor of the Hexateuch Ito
be up to date) God was a great man
like being, only greater and stronger
! heaVed up the mountains and dug Out
! the beds for the oceans. He was the
Creator who could make and manipu-
late sun, moon, and stars, who could
populate a world. Yet he was like
| unto themselves, capricious, revenge
ful. repentirng, changing, working by
S SPAS h,n ana IN moY wed by Impulses one
| and was surprised at what had hap
pened, punished because he was Of
Tended, was delighted with the smell
just as men loved and hated. This
was the early Hebrew conception and
continued to be the conception down tc
less than century ago. John Fiske
necessarily anthropomorphic. Former
ly men were measuring deity by what
they knew Of humanity. To-day we
are measuring humanity by what We
ITO Augustine God was an omnipo'
tent autocrat commandig and dispens
ing for his own selfish pleasure. tt
Calvin he was the intractable sover
them 'for his own glory" To thu
Whiteields he was the merciles.
judge, crushing the sinner in his aw
ful grip until the squirting blood be-
trines made God raging tyrant, am
man a helpless subject upon whom
God vented his spleen at will. Tn,
theologians Numbered and their hear
ated such doctrines and demanded O
deity, If there was such being, hu
a1S tSd ne2 ert the Of SeS ss Of tn
J
be preached and believed, the churc]
mmediately became a Transportation
society. Religion was the heaven
bound railroad and the subscriber t.
the creed was the passenger, tickete,
through without change to the actua
city with golden Streets
The World Wilderness of Woe,
Mans chief aim was to escape pun
wilderness of woe" and spent his en-
ergy in figuring how he could get GU
of it. He fought himself and the devi
viciously in the attempt to stay piou
and orthodox until his last breath wa
drawn, in order that he might get OF
this earth, keep out of hell, and ge
into heaven. In the last analysis o
his motive, his desire to get to HEAVIER
was not to glorify God nor help hi
fellow man, but to make himself com
Portable. Jesus death was considered
not vicarious but substitutionary
Therefore to be saved meant to escap,
eternal torture and everlasting with
ings in literal sulphurous flames. Thu
thought of salvation suggested thre,
persons only: I, God-offended Omnip
otence, whose wrath must be appeaset
by blood-either his own or some on
eise's; 2, Jesus, whom God had sent
foreordained to die instead of man
and 8, man himself, who was glad t,
| ir% l,o1 CT T.