The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-12-31
HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

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To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL. Two
forces are constantly at work in the
world; one accelerates human happiness,
the other brings war and misery. Ac-
cording to modernl psychology these
forces are but the activity of matter.
The wise men of our age have seen tit
to abandon Webster's time hon0red DELI
milton of mind. Now, mind is nothing
but human experience considered as de-
pendent upon the experiencing person.
The experience has come to be accepted
as the person himself. Man has no ex-
istence aside from his actions. When q
man sleeps his mind ceases to exist and
if the mind, why not the body?
If man exists only in action or expert
ence, then why not steam engine cease
to exist when it stops action! why not
say electricity does not exist except In
| the charged wire? There is no such
thing as latent heat, as it ceases to ex-
ist when we cease to feel it. Heat ex-
lists only in action. There could be nc
experience without action. Action is
not the life of the universe, but the re-
suit of life. Doubtless wonderful changes
would take place if the earth should
cease to move, but we can hardly con-
clude that it would cease to exist.
This materialstic teaching IS produc-
ing thousands of vacant churches. True
science is the flower and fruit OF re-
ligion. The Bible and primitive Chris
tianity are but the buds. When the lib
eral Christian TELLS US that the only per-
feet man thus far evolved had any idea
OF establishing temporal kingdom, he
is doubtless mistaken. Even those who
have hitherto held to the infallibility of
the Bible have come to acknowledge
that Bible writer's were laboring under a
deiusion in regard to the second coming
of Christ.
All the social units from the family to
the nation are in very crude condition
now as witnessed in Europe. There has
been too great feeling of security all
along the line. There is criminal neg
lect of good teaching. Bad teaching is
even worse, as witnessed in Germany.
The sentiment of the literature which
has been circulated among the Germans
is poisonous. Here Is sample from
Gen. Bernhardi's book:
1.-THE aspirations for peace threaten to
poison the soul of the German people.
The right of conquest IS universally &C.
knowledged. Might becomes the su.
preme right, and the dispute as to what
is right is decided by the arbitrament of
war, which gives biologically just de-
cision. Arbitration treaties are detrl-
mental to an aspiring people which Is
bent on extending its power in order to
play it's part honorably in the civilized
world. Germans of every profession
are actively employed throughout tn e
world in the service of foreign masters.
But this is not enough. The issue pre-
scented to Germany is world power or
DOWNFALL The German Empire is hated
everywhere because of its political and
economic prosperity. France must be
so completely crushed that she can
never again come across our path. -
Commenting on the above teachings,
which have been extensively promul-
gated in Germany, The Outlook says:
''Such are the spirit and purpose of the
Prussian war party which has brought
on this European war. 1mbued with the
spirit of Frederick the Great, that party
calls on Germany to challenge the ma
lions to world conflict in order that
she may crush hated rival, dominate
Europe, and win for herself world
sovereignty, under which no small ma
ton will have a right to live, and no
great nation until it has proved its great
ness at the mouth of the cannon and the
point Of the bayonet.
By this form of teaching million war
Germans have dragged slxty-five million
peace loving citizens into this great
slaughter pen. The peace and happi-
ness of Europe has been destroyed by
this kind of teaching. The disaster is
| L IN, nIvy
for the want of suitable teaching. In a
happy and prosperous community you
| NAV say the statement is exaggerated.
But take statistics and see that in every
! State where divorce is allowable one
fifth the marriages are annulled In the
divorce courts and another fifth are lead
ing unhappy lives which would be better
divorced. Go among the crowds of float
ing population who know not the joys of
home life or any other form of life that
is desirable. Who dare challenge the
statement that our people are not taught
the arts of life and many of US have not
been taught any other art.
1t is interesting to the frontiersman to
visit class in the fine arts and watch
the facial expression or outward mani
| festation of the action of the mind as
| the students comment on the various
specimens of art. To the frontiersman
the picture of the beautiful woman dis
played before the class is nothing but a
Russian peasant. And the relics of an
ancient column remind him of the stone
wall his father built half century ago.
By the way, these students who are
evolving such brilliant thoughts have no
minds. The thoughts are Just a pro-
duct of the body. The nervous system
works to perfection and takes the vari-
GUS sensations to the central office of the
body, but if we enter we shall find the
occupant fled at the approach of the mod
ern psychologist. The experiences COM
ing in is all there is to life. There is no
such thing as real life or real electricity,
or real heat. Our Psychologist, in argu-
ing against the fact that the mind and
body are not one and the same thing,
says: "Where does the body end and the
mind begin?" We would ask him where
the metal ends and the electricity begins
in charged wire. He says: "Do the
senses belong to the mind or body?" We
would reply that they are physical i'm
plements used by the mind. He says:
''Do body and mind ever act independ
emily of each other?" Did the author
ever see body decay, or did his own
mind ever indulge in speculation, wan
dering to the uttermost parts of crea-
ton, or going back to the source of time
to view anew the successive creative