Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-09-25

ia the Outlook for September there Is
given under heading "Op-u the Doors
a communication signed isabel Ander-
son, which is fully endorsed 10y the
editor in equally interesting supple
mentary remarks. la the first para
graph of the communication We fluid
the following extraneOus aud debatable
| point: "Sume Of us are slowly becoming
atheists" This is one example OF
bad habit in writing aud speaking
For such haphazard opinions reflect
upon the great number of the people
Who for reasons known only to them
selves are not allied with any one of the
many sects which exist through the
difference of OF inion among protesting
Christians. In no other instance is
mere circumstantial evidence SO apt to
be misleading. The more one thinks
over the matter the greater grows the
doubt as to whether atheism exists at
all. Learned men have been Justly ac-
counted agnostics. But it has happen
-d-as in the case of the distinguished
scholar Tolstoi-that methodical specu-
lation has resulted in an intensely relig-
ious state of mind. But it is not the
position of eminent men that prompted
the statement already quoted, aud the
many othais of the kind. 1t is of ANY
number of busy people that the often
sive thing is said. lit is probably true
that the interest in religious ceremonies
! on the part of 'some of us" is to a con
= siderable extent yielding to keen III
terest in the remarkable events OF tn,
times. The sciences and politics are per
Y haps getting an undue share of the atten
n of "some of us; but when We take int,
!, consideration the benfits, the alienation
of Suffering and misery due to such at
q tention We can hardly take a pessimis
tic view of the trend of thought, so YER
far away from uChristian fanaticisn
and the eneryating fatalism of less ad
; vanced peoples.
Earnest effort to make Christianity
comfort to the less Fortunate grea
:. power for good through a sensible broat
Interpretation of sacred sayings, is no
. bic vocation; and hearty seconding {
such leadership in church work genera
ly denotes n gracious, generous and 81
ciable disposition. But it is all wron
1 to think that different course is du
$ to that most hopeless state of mine
al atheism aud kindred isms; nor shoul
we suppose that it is due to contempt {
the Judgment of the many dltterin
" congregations. Separation within tt
Le fold is a sign of earnestness and is +
'N spected as such. Probably the conspi
u" nous neglect OF public worship, as all
neglect of political privileges on the pa
'' of many of the 'some of u.s. is from ii
''o belief that the status of Church al
he State is not dependent upon our intere
10 in the work necessary to their supper
OF course if such conclusion of hasI
an thinking became general among the C
he pahle members of each community Il
standing of the people as who
number would be greatly lowere
as for we would then be third or four
ke rate or any rate people, instead of lea
,r- ers.
1d Many will be of the opinion that /
"a thing could be more ridiculous than
/. assumption of intellectual SUPERIOR
when regarding conformity to beantif
time hOnored customs of uprig
people and cynical attitude as to t
~, whole question of the principles of O
u" national religion on the part of the {
lp- linquent "some of u.s.. Essex.
1T,
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