The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1909-08-05
mot BOUND BY
DOGMA OR CREED"
SAYS FORMER PRES. ELIOT
Bot He Should Learn the Hymn
"The Old Time Religion, It's
Good Enough for Me-"

Turning from the Five Foot Book
Shelf, on which he places all thatis
best in literature, eminently satisfied
with his work, DIR. Eliot, the former
president of Harvard, is now the
prophet of new religion and is pre-
pared to give it to US.
The old saw that I" An idle brain is
the DEVILS Workshop will be applied
to DR.. Eliot unless he is more careful
with his tongue When he retired from
active duties as president of Harvard,
he seemed to be one of the best balanc-
ed men of this country. He was al
ways in the advance of progressive ed
ucation, but he was never a faddist.
Since having no teaching to do, and
free from the responsibility of the con-
troll of Harvard, DIR. Eliot has been
wandering around loose. He came
south, and we are glad to see him. He
said few absurd things which courte-
Gus people overlooked, charging them
to his lack of familiarity with cOndi-
tions he discussed.
The doctor discussed his new religion
before the Harvard school of Theology.
He said it would be bound by neither
creed nor dogma, and then he proceed
ed to outline its creed. The last analy-
sis of his religion is that it is code
established by God Almighty, enlpha-
sized by Jesus Christ, with Christ out
of it, and with God nebulous nothing.
Why do men desire to establish a
new religion? There are about 5000
religions of all sorts on the face of the
earth new. Christians hold to sys.
TEN which they claim was established
by a supernatural agent. Dr. Eliot'S
religion will be a natural one, but in
this he enters crowded field. Pluto''
system was a natural religion. So was
that of Confucius,
There is no possibility of newness il
a religious system. The various cults
that have started up within the las
thirty years are mere "reminiscences o
systems that were practiced one thous
and, two thousand or five thousanC
years ago.
DR.. Eliot's prospectus is as follows:
cit will not be bound by dogma 0
creed. Its workings will be simple
but its field of action limitlesS. 1t
discipline will be the training in tn
development of cooperative good will
1t will attack all forms of evil. Their
will be no supernatural element; ii wi
place no reliance on anything but tn
laws of nature. Prevention will be th
5 watchword and a skilled surgeon on
: of its members.
1t will not deal chiefly with sorro'
and death, but with joy and life.
"God will be so imminent that no il
termediary will be needed. Its prizes
will strive to improve social and indu
e trial conditions. The new religion wi
j, not attempt to reconcile people to pr
! sent ills by the promise of future con
: pensation."
at will not be bound by dogma
creed," says DR.. Eliot. Then il wi
If not be religion.
/ "It's working will be simple, but
u field of action limitless,n The field
: action of christianity has been {
n around the world. In this the doct
2 has advanced nothing new.
! ats discipline will be the trainil
y in the development of cooperate
D good will.' Nothing new there. Chr
d manifested it in the Sermon on t
4 Mount. The angels called it out on {
4 morning the Savior of man was borr
. "lt will attack all forms of evil
q What is to be the doctors measure
q evil? People without creeds have '
n rying standards of good and of evil.
n "There will be no supernatural
Y ement.n If there will be no supern
e ural element, we do not see how tht
y will be any religion. 1t might bt
N Harvard ethical code which the doci
D could put in a book and place it on
sS Five Foot Shelf and sell at 81 V
q ume, n dollar down and ten cent:
s week.
u "It will place no reliance on al
ID thing but the laws of nature" III
4Y the laws of nature are ineXorable a
SY immutable has been the cry of hi
= = thinking men since before the study
y physics began. Many things in nat
u are the results of chance. The variatiC