Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-07
PLEAS OF NECESSITY AND MODERN FATALISM-
WORST FORM OF INFIDELITY.

, OF convenience, but is itself a supreme
necessity of life, to which every sug-
gestion of comfort and consideration of
advantage must give place.
Our times are peculiarly infected with
| fatalism. This infection has arisen
from the prevalence of a materialistic
philosophy. About fifty years ago
Charles Darwin and others of his scnool
revived the ancient doctrine of evolution.
BY this dogma they undertook to ex-
plain the origin of species. the descent
of man, and the whole course and cur
rent of life in the universe. Following
| the lead of these scientists there naS
been a school of philosophers like Her
bert Spencer, who have applied the dog
ma OF evolution to personal character,
movements of history, and all social
progress,
Our periodical literature has teemed
with these fatalistic teachings, until
men have assumed that heredity and en-
vironment have quite set aside the free
dom of the human will. Hence the at
mosphere of our times is so loaded with
| fatalism.
This prevalent fatalism gives much
comfort and encouragement to people
who incline to plead necessity as the
cause of, and the excuse for, all their
misconduct Determinism is the plea in
| abatement which they offer for all sorts
of disorderliness.
This state of things is an added rea-
son for proclaiming afresh the majes-
ty Of the moral law and the freedom OF
human will Otherwise, society will
tester in all forms of moral ulcers and
diseases will destroy the social order.
Conscience can not speak with COM
manding voice to men who feel that
! charact is a product of evolution and
conduct the outcome of herdity and en-
vironment over which they have no re-
| sponsibility. Nor can society Justly
enforce laws over men who by herdity
and environment have been made help
less to obey the law. Civil govern
ment is an impossibility or an injus-
tice II modern fatalism is to be ac-
copied as the truth. Courts are cruel
when they punish human beings for
conduct that was made inevitable by
forefathers before them and by fore
ing facts around them. Religion Is
worse than useless with men who are
born without freedom and are borne
onward by fate. Under such a system
of philosophy one may not only despair
of righteousness, but despair of every
thing else. The worst pessimism Is
sues from IT, and this pessimism be-
comes a deadly narcotic to the moral
life. Hence in great degree our age
is an age of pessimism, and a famous
writer has recently said, "I believe men
have never been more universally sad
than in the present time" Men are
sad because they feel doomed If men
are to drink fatalism, it is thousand
pities that such a draught can not be
given them painlessly; but alas! their
souls are thrown into agonies while
they perish from drinking this deadly
drug.
Strange to say, however, there is on
the other hand a sort of gay optimism
among certain classes of modern fatal
lists They believe that in the final out
come everything will be good, and that
they will come to a safe destination
without effort upon their own part.
whether they be vicious or virtuous.
This sort of fatalistic optimism Is real
ly more degrading and demoralizing
than pessimism. Their conscious deg
radiation has become delightful to its
victims. In such a case virtue ceases
+ to be a matter of any concern whatso-
ever.
These hilarious and shameless optf-
mists are the worst elements in our
FAY They are ready to run to any ex-
cess, and then excuse themselves for
their misconduct by crying, "All is we'll
with the world"
Nothing is we'll with a world that rs
wrong. The more comfortable 1t be-
comes in its corruption, the greater is
the danger of it's destruction.
This generation needs to be violently
aroused from these pipe dreams TO
which modern fatalism has given rise,
The opium joints Of the materialistic
philosophers must be denounced and de-
stroyed. They are more dangerous than
any which any heather Chinese has ever
hroupht tO our shores