,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,secularism    
,by ,george ,jacob ,holyoake  ,do the   
duty nearest hand1--,goethe4  third     
edition1 revised4  ,,london3 ,,book     
,,store1 #bhb1 ,,strand2  ,austin4      
,co41 #ag1 ,johnson's court1 ,fleet     
,street4 #ahga4     ,,chapter ,i4       
,,introductory       ,if you think it   
right to differ from the times1 and to  
make      a stand for any valuable point
 of morals1 do it1 however      rustic1 
however antiquated1 however pedantic it 
may appear2      do it1 not for         
insolence1 but seriously--as a man who  
wore a      soul of his own in his      
bosom1 and did not wait till it was     
breathed into him by the breath of      
fashion4--,the ,rev4 ,sidney            
,smith1 ,canon of ,st ,paul's4  ,,in a  
passage of characteristic sagacity1 ,dr4
 ,j4 ,h4 ,newman has depicted the       
partisan aimlessness more descriptive of
 the period when this little book first 
appeared1 sixteen years ago1 than it is 
now4 ,but it will be long before its    

relevance and instruction have passed   
away4 ,i therefore take the liberty of  
still quoting his words3--  ,when       
persons for the first time look upon the
 world of politics or religion1 all that
 they find there meets their mind's eye1
 as a landscape addresses itself for the
 first time to a person who has just    
gained his bodily sight4 ,one thing is  
as far off as another2 there is no      
perspective4 ,the connection of fact    
with fact1 truth with truth1 the bearing
 of fact upon truth1 and truth upon     
fact1 what leads to what1 what are      
points primary and what secondary1 all  
this they have yet to learn4 ,it is all 
a new science to them1 and they do not  
even know their ignorance of it4        
,moreover1 the world of to-day has no   
connection in their minds with the world
 of yesterday2 time is not a stream1 but
 stands before them round and full1 like
 the moon4 ,they do not know what       
happened ten years ago1 much less the   
annals of a century3 the past does not  

live to them in the present2 they do not
 understand the worth of contested      
points2 names have no associations for  
them1 and persons kindle no             
recollections4 ,they hear of men1 and   
things1 and projects1 and struggles1 and
 principles2 but everything comes and   
goes like the wind2 nothing makes an    
impression1 nothing penetrates1 nothing 
has its place in their minds4 ,they     
locate nothing3 they have no system4    
,they hear and they forget2 or they just
 recollect what they have once heard1   
they cannot tell where4 ,thus they have 
no consistency in their arguments2 that 
is1 they argue one way to-day1 and not  
exactly the other way to-morrow1 but    
indirectly the other way at random4     
,their lines of argument diverge2       
nothing comes to a point2 there is no   
one centre in which their mind sits1 on 
which their judgment of men and things  
proceeds4 ,this is the state of many men
 all through life2 and miserable        
politicians or ,churchmen they make1    

unless by good luck they are in safe    
hands1 and ruled by others1 or are      
pledged to a course4 ,else they are at  
the mercy of the wind and waves2 and    
without being ,radical1 ,whig1 ,tory1 or
 ,conservative1 ,high ,church or ,low   
,church1 they do ,whig acts1 ,tory acts1
 ,catholic acts1 and ,heretical acts1 as
 the fit takes them1 or as events or    
parties drive them4 ,and sometimes when 
their self importance is hurt1 they take
 refuge in the idea that all this is a  
proof that they are unfettered1         
moderate1 dispassionate1 that they      
observe the mean1 that they are no      
'party men2' when they are1 in fact1 the
 most helpless of slaves2 for our       
strength in this world is1 to be the    
subjects of the reason and our liberty1 
to be captives of the truth499  ,how the
 organization of ideas has fared with   
higher class societies others can tell3 
the working class have been left so much
 in want of initiative direction that   
almost everything has to be done among  

them1 and an imperfect and brief attempt
 to direct those interested in          
,freethought may meet with some         
acceptance4 ,to clamour for objects     
without being able to connect them with 
principles2 to smart under contumely    
without knowing how to protect          
themselves2 to bear some lofty name     
without understanding the manner in     
which character should correspond to    
profession--this is the amount of the   
popular attainment4      99 ,loss and   
,gain4 ascribed to the ,rev4 ,father    
,newman4  ,in this new ,edition ,i find 
little to alter and less to add4 ,in a  
passage on page #bg1 the distinction    
between ,secular instruction and        
,secularism is explained1 in these      
words3--,secular education is by some   
confounded with ,secularism1 whereas the
 distinction between them is very wide4 
,secular education simply means         
imparting ,secular knowledge            
separately--by itself1 without admixture
 of ,theology with it4 ,the advocate of 

,secular education may be1 and generally
 is1 also an advocate of religion2 but  
he would teach religion at another time 
and treat it as a distinct subject1 too 
sacred for coercive admixture into the  
hard and vexatious routine of a school4 
,he would confine the inculcation of    
religion to fitting seasons and chosen  
instruments4 ,he holds also that one    
subject at a time is mental economy in  
learning4 ,secular education is the     
policy of a school--,secularism is the  
policy of life to those who do not      
accept ,theology4  ,very few persons    
admitted that these distinctions existed
 when this passage was written in #ahed4
 ,this year1 #ahgj1 they have been      
substantially admitted by the           
,legislature in concession made in the  
,national ,education4 ,bill4 ,it only   
remains to add that the whole text has  
been revised and re-arranged in an order
 which seems more consecutive4 ,the     
portion on ,secular ,organizations has  
been abridged1 in part re-written1      

explaining particulars as to the        
,secular ,guild4  ,a distinctive summary
 of ,secular principles may be read     
under the article ,secularism1 in       
,chambers's ,cyclopaedia4     ,,chapter 
,,ii4 ,,the ,,term ,,secularism4        
,the adoption of the term ,secularism is
 justified by its      including a large
 number of persons who are not          
,atheists1      and uniting them for    
action which has ,secularism for its    
object1 and not ,atheism4 ,on this      
ground1 and because1 by the             
adoption of a new term1 a vast amount of
 impediment from      prejudice is got  
rid of1 the use of the name ,secularism 
is      found advantageous4--,harriet   
,martineau4 ,boston                     
,liberator4--,letter to ,lloyd          
,garrison1 ,november1 #ahec4  ,,every   
one observant of public controversy in  
,england1 is aware of its improved tone 
of late years4 ,this improved tone is   
part of a wider progress1 ',increase of 
wealth has led to improvement of taste1 

and the diffusion of knowledge to       
refinement of sentiment4 ,the mass are  
better dressed1 better mannered1 better 
spoken than formerly4 ,a coffee-room    
discussion1 conducted by mechanics1 is  
now a more decorous exhibition than a   
debate in ,parliament was in the days of
 ,canning499 ,boisterousness at the     
tables of the rich1 and insolence in the
 language of the poor1 are fast         
disappearing4 ,good society is now that 
society in which people practise the art
 of being genial1 without being         
familiar1 and in which an evincible     
courtesey of speech is no longer        
regarded as timidity or effeminacy1 but 
rather as proof of a disciplined spirit1
 which chooses to avoid all offence1 the
 better to maintain the right           
peremptorily punishing wanton insult4   
,theologians1 more inveterate in speech 
than politicians1 now observe a         
respectfulness to opponents before      
unknown4 ,that diversity of opinion once
 ascribed to badness of heart is now1   

with more discrimination1 referred to   
defect or diversity of understanding--a 
change which1 discarding invective1     
recognizes instruction as the agent of  
uniformity4       99 ,from whose lips   
the ,house of ,commons cheered a        
reference      to a political adversary 
as the revered and ruptured      ,ogden4
  ,amid all this newness of conception  
it must be obvious that many old terms  
of theological controversy are obsolete4
 ,the idea of an ,atheist as one warring
 against moral restraints--of an        
,infidel as one treacherous to the      
truth--of a ,freethinker as a loose     
thinker199 arose in the darkness of past
 times1 when men fought by the          
flickering light of their hatreds--times
 which tradition has peopled with       
monsters of divinity as well as of      
nature4 ,but the glaring colours in     
which the party names invented by past  
priests were dyed1 no longer harmonize  
with the quieter taste of the present   
day4 ,the more sober spirit of modern   

controversy has1 therefore1 need of new 
terms1 and if the term ,secularism was  
merely a neutral substitute for         
,freethinking1 there would be reason for
 its adoption4 ,dissenters might as well
 continue the designation of            
,schismatics1 or ,political ,reformers  
that of ,anarchists1 as that the        
students of ,positive ,philosophy should
 continue the designation ,atheism1     
,infidelism1 or any similar term by     
which their opponents have contrived to 
brand their opinions4 ,it is as though a
 merchant vessel should consent to carry
 a pirate flag4 ,freethinker is1        
however1 getting an acceptable term4    
,upon the platform1 ,christian          
disputants frequently claim it1 and     
resent the exclusive assumption of it by
 others4 ,these new claimants say1 ,we  
are as much ,freethinkers as yourselves1
 so that it is necessary to define      
,freethinking4 ,it is fearless thinking1
 based upon impartial inquiry1 searching
 on both sides1 not regarding doubt as a

 crime1 or opposite conclusions as a    
species of moral poison4 ,those who     
inquire with sinister1 pre-possessions  
will never inquire fairly4 ,the         
,freethinker fears not to follow a      
conclusion to the utmost limits of      
truth1 whether it coincides with the    
,bible or contradicts it4 ,if therefore 
any pronounce the term ,secularism a    
concealment or a disguise1 they can do  
so legitimately only after detecting    
some false meaning it is intended to    
convey1 and not on the mere ground of   
its being a change of name1 since       
nothing can more completely conceal and 
disguise the purposes of ,freethought   
than the old names imposed upon it by   
its adversaries1 which associate with   
guilt its conscientious conclusions and 
impute to it as outrages1 its acts of   
self-defence4       99 ,as the ,reverend
 ,canon ,kingsley has perversely        
rendered it4  ,besides the term         
,secularism1 there was another term     
which seemed to promise also            

distinctiveness of meaning--namely1     
,cosmism1 under which adherents would   
have taken the designation of ,cosmists4
 ,rut this name scientific men would    
have understood in a purely physical    
sense1 after the great example of       
,humboldt1 and the public would not all 
have understood it--besides1 it was open
 to easy perversion in one of its       
declinations4 ,next to this1 as a name1 
stands that of ,realism--intrinsically  
good4 ,a ,society of ,realists would    
have been intelligible1 but many would  
have supposed it to be some revival of  
the old ,realists4 ,moralism1 a sound   
name in itself1 is under ,evangelical   
condemnation as mere morality4          
,naturalism would seem an obvious name1 
were it not that we should be confounded
 with ,naturalists1 to say no more4     
,some name must be taken1 as was the    
case with the ,theophilan-thropists of  
,paris4 ,many of them would rather not  
have assumed any denomination1 but they 
yielded to the reasonable argument1 that

 if they did not choose one for         
themselves1 the public would bestow upon
 them one which would be less to their  
liking4 ,those who took the name of     
,philantropes found it exposed them to a
 pun1 which greatly damaged them3       
,philantropes was turned into filoux en 
troupe4  ,historical characteristics1   
however1 seemed to point to a term which
 expressed the ,secular element in life2
 a term deeply engrafted in literature2 
of irreproachable associations2 a term  
found and respected in the dictionaries 
of opponents1 and to which1 therefore1  
they might dispute our right1 but which 
they could not damage4 ,instead1        
therefore1 of finding ourselves         
self-branded or caricatured by this     
designation1 we have found opponents    
claiming it1 and disputing with us for  
its possession4     ,,chapter ,,iii4    
,,principles ,,of ,,secularism ,,defined
   ,i4  ,,secularism is the study of    
promoting human welfare by material     
means2 measuring human welfare by the   

utilitarian rule1 and making the service
 of others a duty of life4 ,secularism  
relates to the present existence of man1
 and to action1 the issues of which can 
be tested by the experience of this     
life--having for its objects the        
development of the physical1 moral1 and 
intellectual nature of man to the       
highest perceivable point1 as the       
immediate duty of society3 inculcating  
the practical sufficiency of natural    
morality apart from ,atheism1 ,theism1  
or ,christianity3 engaging its adherents
 in the promotion of human improvement  
by material means1 and making these     
agreements the ground of common unity   
for all who would regulate life by      
reason and ennoble it by service4 ,the  
,secular is sacred in its influence on  
life1 for by purity of material         
conditions the loftiest natures are best
 sustained1 and the lower the most      
surely elevated4 ,secularism is a series
 of principles intended for the guidance
 of those who find ,theology indefinite1

 or inadequate1 or deem it unreliable4  
,it replaces theology1 which mainly     
regards life as a sinful necessity1 as a
 scene of tribulation through which we  
pass to a better world4 ,secularism     
rejoices in this life1 and regards it as
 the sphere of those duties which       
educate men to fitness for any future   
and better life1 should such transpire4 
,,ii4  ,a ,secularist guides himself by 
maxims of ,positivism1 seeking to       
discern what is in ,nature--what ought  
to be in morals--selecting the          
affirmative in exposition1 concerning   
himself with the real1 the right1 and   
the constructive4 ,positive principles  
are principles which are provable4 ,a   
positive precept1 says ,bishop ,butler1 
is a precept the reason of which we see4
 ,positivism is policy of material      
progress4   ,,iii4  ,science is the     
available ,providence of life4 ,the     
problem to be solved by a science of    
,society1 is to find that situation in  
which it shall be impossible for a man  

to be depraved or poor4 ,mankind are    
saved by being served4 ,spiritual       
sympathy is a lesser mercy than that    
forethought which anticipates and       
extirpates the causes of suffering4     
,deliverance from sorrow or injustice is
 before consolation--doing well is      
higher than meaning well--work is       
worship to those who accept ,theism1 and
 duty to those who do not4   ,,iv4      
,sincerity1 though not errorless1       
involves the least chance of error1 and 
is without moral guilt4 ,sincerity is   
well-informed1 conscientious conviction1
 arrived at by intelligent examination1 
animating those who possess that        
conviction to carry it into practice    
from a sense of duty4 ,virtue in        
relation to opinion consists neither in 
conformity nor non-conformity1 but in   
sincere beliefs1 and in living up to    
them4   ,v4  ,conscience is higher than 
,consequence499       99,vide ,mr4      
,holdreth's ,papers4   ,,vi4  ,all      
pursuit of good objects with pure intent

 is religiousness in the best sense in  
which this term appears to be used4 ,a  
good object is an object consistent with
 truth1 honour1 justice1 love4 ,a pure  
intent is the intent of serving         
humanity4 ,immediate service of humanity
 is not intended to mean instant        
gratification1 but immediate in         
contradistinction to the interest of    
another life4 ,the distinctive          
peculiarity of the ,secularist is1 that 
he seeks that good which is dictated by 
,nature1 which is attainable by material
 means1 and which is of immediate       
service to humanity--a religiousness to 
which the idea of ,god is not essential1
 nor the denial of the idea necessary4  
,,vii4  ,nearly all inferior natures are
 susceptible of moral and physical      
improvability2 this improvability can be
 indefinitely secured by supplying      
proper material conditions2 these       
conditions may one day be supplied by a 
system of wise and fraternal            
co-operation1 which primarily entrenches

 itself in common prudence1 which enacts
 service according to industrial        
capacity1 and distributes wealth        
according to rational needs4 ,secular   
principles involve for mankind a future1
 where there shall exist unity of       
condition with infinite diversity of    
intellect1 where the subsistence of     
ignorance and selfishness shall leave   
men equal1 and universal purity enable  
all things--noble society1 the treasures
 of art1 and the riches of the          
world--rto be had in common4   ,,viii4  
,since it is not capable of             
demonstration whether the inequalties of
 human condition will be compensated for
 in another life--it is the business of 
intelligence to rectify them in this    
world4 ,the speculative worship of      
superior beings1 who cannot need it1    
seems a lesser duty than the patient    
service of known inferior natures1 and  
the mitigation of harsh destiny1 so that
 the ignorant may be enlightened and the
 low elevated4     ,,chapter ,,iv4      

,,laws ,,of ,,secular ,,controversy     
,i4 ,rights of ,reason4  ,as a means of 
developing and establishing ,secular    
principles1 and as security that the    
principles of ,nature and the habit of  
reason may prevail1 ,secularism uses    
itself1 and maintains for others1 as    
rights of reason3--  ,the ,free ,search 
for ,truth1 without which its full      
attainment is impossible4  ,the ,free   
,utterance of the result1 without which 
the increase of ,truth is limited4  ,the
 ,free ,criticism of alleged ,truth1    
without which its identity must remain  
uncertain4  ,the ,fair ,action of       
,conviction thus attained1 without which
 conscience will be impotent on         
practice4   ,,ii4 ,standard of ,appeal4 
,secularism accepts no authority but    
that of ,nature1 adopts no methods but  
those of science and philosophy1 and    
respects in practice no rule but that of
 the conscience1 illustrated by the     
common sense of mankind4 ,it values the 
lessons of the past1 and looks to       

tradition as presenting a storehouse of 
raw materials to thought1 and in many   
cases results of high wisdom for our    
reverence2 but it utterly disowns       
tradition as a ground of belief1 whether
 miracles and supernaturalism be claimed
 or not claimed on its side4 ,no sacred 
scripture or ancient church can be made 
a basis of belief1 for the obvious      
reason that their claims always need to 
be proved1 and cannot without absurdity 
be assumed4 ,the association leaves to  
its individual members to yield whatever
 respect their own good sense judges to 
be due to the opinions of great men1    
living or dead1 spoken or written1 as   
also to the practice of ancient         
communities1 national or ecclesiastical4
 ,but it disowns all appeal to such     
authorities as final tests of truth499  
99 ,programme   of ,freethought         
,societies1   by   ,f4   ,w4            
,newman4 7,reasoner1 ,no4 #chh47        
,,iii4 ,sphere of ,controversy4  ,since 
the principles of ,secularism rest on   

grounds apart from ,theism1 ,atheism1 or
 ,chris-tianism1 it is not logically    
necessary for ,secularists to debate the
 truth of these subjects4 ,in           
controversy1 ,secularism concerns itself
 with the assertion and maintenance of  
its own affirmative propositions1       
combating only views of ,theology and   
,christianity so far as they interfere  
with1 discourage1 or disparage ,secular 
action1 which may be done without       
digressing into the discussion of the   
truth of ,theism or divine origin of the
 ,bible4   ,,iv4 ,personal ,controversy4
  ,a ,secularist will avoid             
indiscriminate disparagement of bodies  
or antagonism of persons1 and will place
 before himself simply the instruction  
and service of an opponent1 whose       
sincerity he will not question1 whose   
motives he will not impugn1 always      
holding that a man whom it is not worth 
while confuting courteously1 is not     
worth while confuting at all4 ,such     
disparagements as are included in the   

explicit condemnation of erroneous      
principles are1 we believe1 all that the
 public defence of opinion requires1 and
 are the only kind of disparagement a   
,secularist proposes to employ4   ,v4   
,justification of ,controversy4  ,the   
universal fair and open discussion of   
opinion is the highest guarantee of     
public truth--only that theory which is 
submitted to that ordeal is to be       
regarded1 since only that which endures 
it can be trusted4 ,secularism          
encourages men to trust reason          
throughout1 and to trust nothing that   
reason does not establish--to examine   
all things hopeful1 respect all things  
probable1 but rely upon nothing without 
precaution which does not come within   
the range of science and experience4    
,,chapter ,v4 ,,maxims ,,of             
,,association   ,i4  ,,it is the duty of
 every man to regulate his personal and 
family interests so as to admit of some 
exertions for the improvement of        
society4 ,it is only by serving those   

beyond ourselves that we can secure for 
ourselves protection1 sympathy1 or      
honour4 ,the neglect of home for public 
affairs endangers philanthropy1 by      
making it the enemy of the household4   
,to suffer1 on the other hand1 the      
interests of the family to degenerate   
into mere selfism1 is a dangerous       
example to rulers4   ,,ii4  ,no man or  
woman is accountable to others for any  
conduct by which others are not injured 
or damaged499       99 ,d4   in the     
,,leader1  #ahej1 who1 as a             
correspondent1 first      expressed this
 aphorism thus4   ,,iii4  ,social       
freedom consists in being subject to    
just rule and to none other4   ,,iv4    
,service and endurance are the chief    
personal duties of man4   ,v4           
,secularism holds it to be the duty of  
every man to reserve a portion of his   
means and energies for the public       
service1 and so to cultivate and cherish
 his powers1 mental and physical1 as to 
have them ever ready to perform service1

 as efficient as possible1 to the       
well-being of humanity4 ,no weakness1 no
 passion1 no wavering1 should be found  
among those who are battling for the    
cause of human welfare1 which such      
errors may fatally injure4              
,self-control1 self-culture1            
self-sacrifice1 are all essential to    
those who would serve that cause1 and   
would not bring discredit upon their    
comrades in that service499       99    
,mr4 ,l4 ,h4 ,holdreth1 ,religion of    
,duty4   ,,vi4  ,to promote in good     
faith and good temper the immediate and 
material welfare of humanity1 in        
accordance with the laws of ,nature1 is 
the study and duty of a ,secularist1 and
 this is the unity of principle which   
prevails amid whatever diversity of     
opinion may subsist in a ,secular       
,society1 the bond of union being the   
common convictions of the duty of       
advancing the ,secular good of this     
life1 of the authority of natural       
morality1 and of the utility of material

 effort in the work of human            
improvement4 ,in other words1           
,secularist union implies the concerted 
action of all who believe it right to   
promote the ,secular good of this life1 
to teach morality1 founded upon the laws
 of ,nature1 and to seek human          
improvement by material methods1        
irrespective of any other opinions held1
 and irrespective of any diversity of   
reasons for holding these4     ,,chapter
 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,secular ,,guild          
,,several expositors of ,secular        
principles1 able to act together1 have  
for many years endeavoured by counsel1  
by aid1 and by publication to promote   
,secular organization4 ,at one time they
 conducted a ,secular ,institute in     
,fleet ,street1 ,london--in #ahed4 ,the 
object was to form ,secular ,societies  
for teaching the positive results of    
,freethought4 ,in the first edition of  
this work it was held to be desirable   
that there should be a centre of        
reference for all inquirers upon        

,secular principles at home and abroad4 
,attention should be guaranteed to      
distant correspondents and visitors1 so 
that means of communication and         
publication of all advanced opinions in 
sociology1 theology1 and politics might 
exist1 and be able to command publicity1
 when expressed dispassionately1        
impersonally1 and with ordinary good    
taste4  ,it has been generally admitted 
that the operations at that time        
conducted1 helped to impart a new       
character to ,free-thought advocacy1 and
 many of its recommendations have since 
been copied by associations subsequently
 formed4 ,the promoters of ,secularism  
alluded to1 have not ceased in the      
,reasoner and other publications1 by    
lectures1 by statements1 by articles1 by
 pamphlets to urge a definite and       
consistent representation of ,secular   
and ,freethought principles3 as many    
mistake merely mechanical association   
for the organization of ideas4  ,the    
promoters in question have since adopted

 the form of action of a ,secular       
,guild1 and continue the ,reasoner 7of  
which there is now issued a ,review     
,series7 as their organ4 ,the objects of
 a ,council of the ,guild is to promote1
 as far as means may permit1 or counsel 
prevail1 organization of ideas3--       
#a4--,to train ,advocates of ,secular   
principles1  #b4--,to advise an         
impersonal policy of advocacy1 which    
seeking to carry its ends by force of   
exposition1 rather than of denunciation1
 shall command the attention and respect
 of those who influence public affairs4 
#c4--,to promote solution of political1 
social1 and educational questions on    
,secular and unsectarian grounds4       
#d4--,to point out new ,books of        
,secular relevance1 and where possible1 
to accredit ,advocates of ,secularism   
that the public may have some guidance1 
and the party be no longer liable to be 
judged by whoever may appear to write or
 speak on the subject4  #e4--,to assist 
in the protection and defence of those  

injured1 or attempted to be injured on  
account of ,freethought or ,secularist  
opinion4   #f4--,to provide for the     
administration of property bequeathed   
for ,secular purposes1 of which so much 
has been lost through the injustice of  
the law1 and machinations of persons    
opposed to ,liberal views4  #g4--,when a
 member has been honourably counted on  
the side of ,secularism1 has been a     
,subscriber or a ,worker for a term of  
years1 the ,guild1 keeping a record of  
such ,service1 proposes to give a       
,certificate of it which among ,friends 
of ,freethought may be a passport to    
recognition and esteem4 ,to constitute  
some such ,freemasonry in ,freethought1 
may elevate association in ,england4 ,a 
certificate of ,illuminism or of        
,carbonarism in ,italy was once handed  
down from father to son as an heirloom  
of honour1 while in ,england you have to
 supplicate men to join a society of    
progression1 instead of membership being
 a distinction which men shall covet ,at

 present a man who has given the best   
years of his life to the public service 
is liable 7if from any necessity he     
ceases to act7 to be counted a renegade 
by men who have never rendered twelve   
months99 consecutive or costly service  
themselves4 ,there ought to be a fixed  
term of ,service1 which1 if honourably  
and effectively rendered1 should entitle
 a man to be considered free1 as a      
soldier after leaving the army1 and his 
certificate of having belonged to the   
,order of ,secularism should entitle him
 to distinction and to authority when   
his opinion was sought1 and to exemption
 from all but voluntary service4 ,at    
present the soldiers of ,progress1 when 
no longer able to serve1 are dismissed  
from the public eye1 like the race-horse
 to the cab stand1 to obscurity and     
neglect4 ,this needs correction before  
men can be counted upon in the battle of
 ,truth4 ,a man is to be estimated      
according to the aims of the party to   
which he is allied4 ,he is to be        

esteemed in consequence of sacrifices of
 time1 and discipline of conduct1 which 
he contributes to the service and       
reputation of his cause4       99 ,this 
has been done to some extent in the     
discussion of the      ,national        
,education question4 ,the ,proposer of  
the ,guild      contributed what ,ije   
could to this end by reading the paper  
published in the proceedings of the     
,conference of the      ,birmingham     
,education ,league1 by letters like that
 to the      ,daily ,news1 commented    
upon by the ,bishop of ,peterborough1   
at ,leicester see official publications 
of the ,manchester      ,national       
,education ,union1 by discussions as    
those with the      ,revs4 ,pringle and 
,baldwin1 at ,norwich1 and with ,mr4    
,chas4      ,bradlaugh1 at the ,old     
,street ,hall of ,science1 ,london2 and 
by      ,lectures during the time the   
question of ,national ,education        
has been before ,parliament  ,in foreign
 countries many persons reside          

interested in ,secularism2 in ,great    
,britain indeed many friends reside     
where no ,secular ,society is formed2   
and in these cases membership of the    
,guild would be advantageous to them1   
affording means of introduction to      
publicists of similar views3 and even in
 instances of towns where ,secular      
,societies do exist1 persons in direct  
relation to the ,secular ,guild would be
 able to furnish ,secular direction     
where the tradition and usage of a      
,secular ,society are unknown1 or       
unfamiliar4     ,,chapter ,,vii4        
,,organization ,,indicated4  ,as the aim
 of the ,guild is not to fetter         
independent thought1 but to concert     
practical action1 it is mainly required 
of each member that he undertakes to    
perform1 in good faith1 the duties which
 he shall consent to have assigned to   
him2 and generally so to comport himself
 that his principles shall not be likely
 to suffer1 if judged by his conduct4   
,he will be expected to treat every     

colleague as equal with himself in      
veracity1 in honour1 and in loyalty to  
his cause4 ,and every form of speech    
which casts a doubt upon the truth1 or  
imputes1 or assumes a want of honour on 
the part of any member1 will be deemed a
 breach of order4 ,if any member intends
 such an accusation of another1 it must 
be made the matter of a formal charge1  
after leave obtained to prefer it4      
,what it is desirable to know about new 
members is this3--  ,do they1 in their  
conception of ,secularism1 see in it    
that which seeks not the sensual but the
 good1 and a good which the conscience  
can be engaged in pursuing and          
promoting2 a ,moralism in accordance    
with the laws of ,nature and capable of 
intrinsic proof3 a ,materialism which is
 definite without dogmatism or          
grossness2 and a unity on the ground of 
these common agreements1 for convictions
 which imply no apostolate are neither  
earnest nor generous4 ,no one ought to  
be encouraged to take sides with        

,secularism1 unless his conscience is   
satisfied of the moral rightfulness of  
its principles and duties both for life 
and death4  ,it is not desirable to     
accept persons of that class who decry  
parties--who boast of being of no       
party--who preach up isolation1 and     
lament the want of unity--who think     
party the madness of the many1 for the  
gain of the few4 ,seek rather the       
partisan who is wise enough to know that
 the disparagement of party is the      
madness of the few1 leading to the utter
 impotence of the many4 ,a party1 in an 
associative and defensible sense1 is a  
class of persons taking sides upon some 
definite question1 and acting together  
for necessary ends1 having principles1  
aims1 policy1 authority1 and            
discipline499       99 ,in a school     
there is usually teaching1 training1    
discipline1 science1 system1            
authorities1 tradition1 and             
development4--,times1 #ahdf4  ,with     
respect to proposed members1 it may be  

well to ascertain whether neglect1 or   
rudeness1 or insult1 or unfairness from 
colleagues1 or overwork being imposed   
upon him1 or incapacity of others1 would
 divert him from his duty4 ,these       
accidents or necessities might occur3   
but if a society is to be strong it must
 be able to count upon its members1 and 
to be able to count upon them it must be
 known what they will bear without      
insubordination2 and what they will bear
 will depend upon the frankness and     
completeness of information they receive
 as to the social risks all run who     
unite to carry out any course of duty or
 public service4  ,always assuming that 
a candidate cares for the objects for   
which he proposes to associate1 and that
 it is worth while knowing whom it is   
with whom you propose to work them out2 
answers to such inquiries as the        
following would tend to impart a working
 knowledge and quality to the society3--
  ,is he a person previously or recently
 acquainted with the principles he is   

about to profess8  ,does he understand  
what is meant by taking sides with a    
public party8 ,would he be faithful to  
the special ideas of ,secularism so long
 as he felt them to be true8 ,would he  
make sacrifices to spread them and      
vindicate them1 or enable others to do  
so8 ,would he conceive of ,secularism as
 a cause to be served loyally1 which he 
would support as well as he was able1 if
 unable to support it as well as he     
could wish8  ,is he of decent1 moral    
character1 and tolerably reliable as to 
his future conduct8  ,in presenting his 
views to others1 would he be likely to  
render them in an attractive spirit1 or 
to make them disagreeable to others8    
,is he of an impulsive nature1 ardent   
for a time1 and then apathetic or       
reactionary--likely to antagonize       
to-morrow the persons he applauds       
to-day8  ,is he a person who would      
commit the fault of provoking           
persecution8 ,would ridicule or         
persecution chill him if it occurred8   

,is he a man to stand by an obscure and 
friendless cause--or are notoriety1     
success1 applause1 and the company of   
others1 indispensable to his fidelity8  
,is he a man of any mark of esteem among
 his friends--a man whose promise is    
sure1 whose word has weight8  ,is his   
idea of obedience1 obedience simply to  
his own will8 ,would he acquiesce in the
 authority of the laws of the ,society1 
or the decision of the ,society where   
the laws were silent8 ,would he         
acknowledge in democracy the despotism  
of principles self-consented to--or as  
an arena for the assertion of           
,individualism before winning the       
consent of colleagues to the discussion 
of special views8  ,the membership      
sought may be granted1 provided the     
actual knowledge of ,secular principles 
be satisfactory1 and evident earnestness
 to practise them be apparent4 ,the     
purport of the whole of the questions is
 to enable a clear opinion to be formed 
as to what is to be expected of the new 

member--how far he is likely to be      
reliable--how long he is likely to      
remain with us--under what circumstances
 he is likely to fail us--what work may 
be assigned him--what confidences he may
 be entrusted with1 and in what terms he
 should be introduced to colleagues1 and
 spoken of to others4  ,the ,membership 
here described would and should be no   
restricted and exclusive society1 where 
only one pattern of efficiency prevails2
 but a society where all diversities of 
capacity1 energy1 and worth1 may be     
found1 so far as it is honest and       
trustworthy4 ,a ,society1 like the      
,state1 requires the existence of the   
people1 as well as public officers--men 
who99 can act1 as well as men who can   
think and direct ,many men who lack     
refinement1 and even discretion1 possess
 courage and energy1 and will go out on 
the inevitable forlorn hopes of         
progress2 which the merely prudent      
avoid1 and from which the cultivated too
 often shrink4 ,our work requires all   

orders of men1 but efficiency requires  
that we know which is which that none   
may be employed in the dark4  ,in every 
public organization there are persons   
who promote and aid unconnected with the
 ,society4  ,active members are those   
who engage to perform specific duties2  
such as reporting lectures1 sermons1 and
 public meetings1 so far as they refer  
to ,secularism499       99 ,in          
reporting1 each member should be careful
 to understate      rather than         
overstate facts1 distinguishing         
carefully what      is matter of        
knowledge from rumour1 conjecture1 or   
opinion4  ,to give notice of meetings   
and sermons about to be held or         
delivered for or against ,secularism4   
,to note and report passages in books1  
newspapers1 magazines1 and reviews      
referring to ,secularism4  ,each active 
member should possess some working      
efficiency1 or be willing to acquire it4
 ,to be able to explain his views by    
tongue or pen with simple directness1 to

 observe carefully1 to report           
judiciously1 to reason dispassionately1 
to put the best construction on every   
act that needs interpretation1 are      
desirable accomplishments in a          
,propagandist4  ,in all public          
proceedings of the ,society1 written    
speeches should be preferred from the   
young1 because such speeches admit of   
preconsidered brevity1 consecutiveness1 
and purpose1 and exist for reference4   
,in the deliberations and discussions of
 any ,society1 it might usefully be     
deemed a qualification to make a        
contribution to the subject in speeches 
brief and direct4  ,non-reliableness in 
discharge of duties1 or moral           
disqualification1 shall be a ground of  
annulling membership1 which may be done 
after the member objected to has had a  
fair opportunity of defending himself   
from the specific disqualifications     
alleged against him and communicated to 
him1 and has failed therein4  ,the      
duties assigned to each member should be

 such as are within his means1 as       
respects power and opportunity2 such1   
indeed1 as interfere neither with his   
social nor civil obligations2 the       
intention being that the membership of  
the ,society shall not as a rule be     
incompatible with the preservation of   
health1 and the primary service due to  
family and the ,state499       99 ,as a 
general rule1 it will be found that any 
one who      sacrifices more than       
one-fifth of his time and means will    
become before long reactionary1 and not 
only do nothing      himself1 but       
discourage others4  ,any persons        
acquainted with the ,principles of      
,secularism here given1 who shall       
generally agree therein1 and associate  
under any name to promote such objects1 
and to act in concert with all who seek 
similar objects1 and will receive and   
take into official consideration the    
instructions of the ,guild1 and to make 
one subscription yearly among its       
members and friends on behalf of its    

,propagandist ,funds1 shall be          
recognized as a ,branch of it4          
,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,place ,,of    
,,secularism       ,we do not1 however1 
deny that1 false as the whole theory    
of ,secularism appears to us1 it is     
capable of attracting      the belief of
 large numbers of people1 and of        
exercising      considerable influence  
over their conduct2 and we should       
admit that the influence so exercised is
 considerably better      than no       
influence at all4--,saturday ,review1   
,july #b1 #ahei4  ,,this first step is  
to win1 from public opinion1 a standing 
place for ,secularism4 ,so long as      
people believe ,secularism not to be    
wanted1 indeed impossible to be         
wanted--that it is error1 wickedness1   
and unmitigated evil1 it will receive no
 attention1 no respect1 and make no way4
 ,but show that it occupies a vacant    
place1 supplies a want1 is a direction  
where no other party supplies any--and  
it at once appears indispensable4 ,it is

 proved to be a service to somebody1 and
 from that moment it is tolerated if not
 respected4 ,it may be like war1 or     
medicine1 or work1 or law1 disagreeable 
or unpalatable1 but when seen to be     
necessary1 it will have recognition and 
support4 ,we are sure this case can be  
made out for ,secularism4 ,it is not    
only true1 but it is known2 it is not   
only known1 but it is notorious1 that   
there are thousands and tens of         
thousands of persons in every district  
of this and most ,european countries1   
who are without the pale of             
,christianity4 ,they reject it1 they    
disprove it1 they dislike it1 or they do
 not understand it4 ,some have vices and
 passions which ,christianity1 as       
preached around them1 condemns4 ,as     
,devils are said to do1 they believe and
 tremble1 and so disown what they have  
not the virtue to practise4 ,faith does 
not touch them1 and reason is not       
tried--indeed reason is decried by the  
evangelically religious1 so that not    

being converted in one way1 no other way
 is open to them4 ,others are absorbed  
or insensate2 they are busy1 or stupid1 
or defiant1 and regard ,christianity as 
a waste of time1 or as monotonous or    
offensive4 ,it bores them or threatens  
them4 ,they are already dull1 therefore 
it does not attract them--they have some
 rude sense of independence and some    
feeling of courage1 and they object     
either to be snubbed into conformity or 
kicked into heaven4 ,another and a      
yearly increasing portion of the people 
have1 after patiently and painfully     
thinking over ,christianity1 come to    
believe it to be untrue2 unfounded      
historically2 wrong morally1 and a      
discreditable imputation upon ,god4 ,it 
outrages their affections1 it baffles   
their understandings4 ,it is double     
tongued4 ,its expounders are always     
multiplying1 and the more they increase 
the less they agree1 and hence sceptics 
the more abound4 ,disbelievers therefore
 exist2 they augment3 they can neither  

be convinced1 converted1 nor            
conciliated1 because they will yield no 
allegiance to a system which has no hold
 on their conscience4 ,it is1 we repeat1
 more than known1 it is notorious that  
these persons live and die in           
scepticism4 ,these facts are the cry of 
the pulpit1 the theme of the platform1  
the burden of the religious tract4 ,now1
 is nothing to be done with these       
people8 ,you cannot exterminate them1   
the ,church cannot direct them4 ,the    
,bible is no authority to them--the will
 of ,god1 as the clergy call it1 in     
their eyes is mere arbitrary1           
capricious1 dog-matical assumption2     
sometimes1 indeed1 wise precept1 but    
oftener a cloak for knavery or a pretext
 for despotism4 ,to open the eyes of    
such persons to the omnipresent         
teachings of ,nature1 to make reason an 
authority with them1 to inspire them    
with precepts which experience can      
verify--to connect conscience with      
intelligence1 right with interest1 duty 

with self-respect1 and goodness with    
love1 must surely be useful4 ,if        
,secularism accomplishes some such work1
 where ,christianity confessedly        
accomplishes nothing1 it certainly has a
 place of its own4 ,it is no answer to  
it to claim that ,christianity is       
higher1 vnore complete1 better4 ,the    
advocates of every old religion1 say the
 same4 ,christianity may be higher1 more
 complete1 better--for somebody else4   
,but nothing can be high1 complete1 or  
good1 for those who do not see it1      
accept it1 want it1 or act upon it4     
,that is first which is fit--that is    
supreme which is most productive of     
practical virtue4 ,no comparison 7which 
would be as irrelevant as offensive7    
between ,secularism and ,christianity is
 set up here4 ,the question is--is      
,secularism useful1 or may it be useful 
to anybody8 ,the question is not--does  
it contain all truth8 but does it       
contain as much as may be serviceable to
 many minds1 otherwise uninfluenced for 

good8 ,arithmetic is useful though      
,algebra is more compendious4           
,mensuration performs good offices in   
hands ignorant of ,euclid4 ,there may be
 logic without ,whately1 and melody     
without ,beethoven2 and there may be    
,secular ethics which shall be useful   
without the pretension of ,christianity4
     ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,characteristics  
,,of ,,secularism4   ,i4  ,,secularism  
means the moral duty of man in this life
 deduced from considerations which      
pertain to this life alone4 ,secular    
education is by some confounded with    
,secularism1 whereas the distinction    
between them is very wide4 ,secular     
education simply means imparting        
,secular knowledge separately--by       
itself1 without admixture of ,theology  
with it4 ,the advocate of ,secular      
education may be1 and generally is1 also
 an advocate of religion2 but he would  
teach religion at another time and treat
 it as a distinct subject1 too sacred   
for coercive admixture into the hard and

 vexatious routine of a school4 ,he     
would confine the inculcation of        
religion to fitting seasons and chosen  
instruments4 ,he holds also that one    
subject at a time is mental economy in  
learning4 ,secular education is the     
policy of a school--,secularism is a    
policy of life to those who do not      
accept ,theology4 ,secularity draws the 
line of separation between the things of
 time and the things of eternity4 ,that 
is ,secular which pertains to this      
world4 ,the distinction may be seen in  
the fact that the cardinal propositions 
of ,theology are provable only in the   
next life1 and not in this4 ,if ,i      
believe in a given creed it may turn out
 to be the true one2 but one must die to
 find that out4 ,on this side of the    
grave all is doubt2 the truth of        
,biblical creeds is an affair of hope   
and anxiety1 while the truth of things  
,secular becomes apparent in time4 ,the 
advantages arising from the practice of 
veracity1 justice1 and temperance can be

 ascertained from human experience4 ,if 
we are told to fear ,god and keep ,his  
commandments1 lest ,his judgments       
overtake us1 the indirect action of this
 doctrine on human character may make a 
vicious timid man better in this life1  
supposing the interpretation of the will
 of ,god1 and the commandments selected 
to be enforced1 are moral2 but such     
teaching is not ,secular1 because its   
main object is to fit men for eternity4 
,pure ,secular principles have for their
 object to fit men for time1 making the 
fulfilment of human duty here the       
standard of fitness for any accruing    
future4 ,secularism purposes to regulate
 human affairs by considerations purely 
human4 ,its principles are founded upon 
,nature1 and its object is to render man
 as perfect as possible in this life4   
,its problem is this3 ,supposing no     
other life to be before us1 what is the 
wisest use of this8 ,as the ,rev4       
,thomas ,binney puts it1 ,i believe 99  
99 that even 99 99 if there were really 

no ,god over him1 no heaven above1 or   
eternity in prospect1 things are so     
constituted that man may turn the       
materials of his little life poem1 if   
not always into a grand epic1 mostly    
into something of interest and beauty2  
and it is worth his while doing so1 even
 if there should be no sequel to the    
piece4 ,chalmers1 ,archbishop ,whately1 
and earlier distinguished divines of the
 ,church of ,england1 the most          
conspicuous of whom is ,bishop ,butler1 
have admitted the independent existence 
of morality1 but we here cite ,mr4      
,binney's words because among           
,dissenters this truth is less readily  
admitted4 ,a true ,secular life does not
 exclude any from supplementary         
speculations4 ,not until we have        
fulfilled our duty to man1 as far as we 
can ascertain that duty1 can we         
consistently pretend to comprehend the  
more difficult relations of man to ,god4
 ,our duties to humanity1 understood and
 discharged to the best of our ability1 

will in no way unfit us to reverently   
meditate on things far beyond us1 on    
,power unlimited1 on space unfathomed1  
on time uncounted1 on 'whence' we came1 
and 'whither' we go49999 ,the leading   
ideas of ,secularism are humanism1      
moralism1 materialism1 utilitarian      
unity2 ,humanism1 the physical          
perfection of this life--,moralism1     
founded on the laws of ,nature1 as the  
guidance of this life--,materialism1 as 
the means of ,nature for the ,secular   
improvement of this life--,unity of     
thought and action upon these practical 
grounds4 ,secularism teaches that the   
good of the present life is the         
immediate concern of man1 and that it   
should be his first endeavour to raise  
it4 ,secularism inculcates a ,morality  
founded independently upon the laws of  
,nature4 ,it seeks human improvement    
through purity and suitableness of      
material conditions as being a method at
 once moral1 practical1 universal1 and  
sure4       99 ,how to make the best of 

both worlds1 p4 #aa4       9999  ,f4 ,w4
 ,newman4   ,,ii4  ,the province of     
,positivism is not speculation upon the 
origin1 but study of the laws of        
,nature--its policy is to destroy error 
by superseding it4 ,auguste ,comte      
quotes1 as a cardinal maxim of          
scientific progress1 the words nothing  
is destroyed until it is replaced1 a    
proverbial form of a wise saying of ,m4 
,necker that in political progress      
nothing is destroyed for which we do not
 find a substitute4 ,negations1 useful  
in their place1 are iconoclastic--not   
constructive4 ,unless substitution      
succeeds destruction--there can be no   
sustained progress4 ,the ,secularist is 
known by setting up and maintaining     
affirmative propositions4 ,he replaces  
negations by affirmations1 and          
substitutes demonstration for           
denunciation4 ,he asserts truths of     
,nature and humanity1 and reverses the  
position of the priest who appears as   
the sceptic1 the denier1 the disbeliever

 in ,nature and humanity4 ,statesmen1   
not otherwise eager for improvement1    
will regard affirmative proposals4 ,lord
 ,palmerston could say--,show me a good 
and ,i will realize it--not an abuse to 
correct4   ,,iii4  ,all science1 says   
,m4 ,comte1 has prevision for its end1  
an axiom which separates science from   
erudition1 which relates to events of   
the past without any regard to the      
future4 ,no accumulation of facts can   
effect prevision until the facts are    
made the basis of reasonings4 ,a        
knowledge of phenomena leads to         
prevision1 and prevision to action2 or1 
in other words1 when we can foresee what
 will happen under given circumstances1 
we can provide against it4 ,it by no    
means follows that every ,secularist    
will be scientific1 but to discern the  
value of science1 to appreciate and     
promote it1 may be possible to most4    
,science requires high qualities of     
accurate observation1 close attention1  
careful experiment1 caution1 patience1  

labour4 ,its value to mankind is        
inestimable4 ,one physician will do more
 to alleviate human suffering than ten  
priests4 ,one physical discovery will do
 more to advance civilization than a    
generation of prayer-makers4 ,to get    
acquaintance with the usual course of   
,nature 7which ,science alone can teach 
us71 is a kind of knowledge which pays  
very good interest499       99          
,athenaeum1 ,no4 #a1fcg1 ,march #ab1    
#ahej4  ,the value of this knowledge    
becomes more apparent the longer we     
live4 ,there may be a general           
superintending ,providence--there may be
 a ,special ,providence1 but the first  
does not interfere in human affairs1 and
 the interpositions of the second are no
 longer to be counted upon4 ,the age of 
,prayer for temporal deliverance has    
confessedly passed away4 ,but without   
disputing these points1 it is clear that
 the only help available to man1 the    
sole dependence upon which he can       
calculate1 is that of ,science4 ,nothing

 can be more impotent than the fate of  
that man who seeks social elevation by  
mere ,faith4 ,all human affairs are a   
process1 and he alone who acts upon this
 knowledge can hope to control results4 
,loyola foresaw the necessity of men    
acting for human purposes1 as though    
there were no ,god4 ,let us pray1 said  
he1 as if we had no help in ourselves2  
let us labour as if there was no help   
for us in heaven4 ,society is a blunder1
 not a science1 until it ensures good   
sense and competence for the many4 ,why 
this process is tardy1 is that creedists
 get credit for hoping and meaning well4
 ,creedists of good intent1 who make no 
improvement and attempt none1 are very  
much in the way of human betterance4    
,the spiritualist regards the world     
theoretically as a gross element1 which 
he is rather to struggle against than to
 work with4 ,this makes human service a 
mortification instead of pure passion4  
,we would not deify the world1 that is1 
set up the sensualism of the body1 as   

spiritualism is set up as the sensualism
 of the soul4 ,secularism seeks the     
material purity of the present life1    
which is at once the means and end of   
,secular endeavour4 ,the most reliable  
means of progress is the improvement of 
material condition1 and purity implies  
improvement1 for there can be no        
improvement without it4 ,the aim of all 
improvement is higher purity4 ,all      
power1 art1 civilization and progress   
are summed up in the result--purer life4
 ,strength1 intellect1 love are measured
 by it4 ,duty1 study1 temperance1       
patience are but ministers to this4     
,there is that1 says ,ruskin1 to be seen
 in every street and lane of every city1
 that to be found and felt in every     
human heart and countenance1 that to be 
loved in every road-side weed and       
moss-grown wall1 which1 in the hands of 
faithful men1 may convey emotions of    
glory and sublimity continual and       
exalted4   ,,iv4  ,it is necessary to   
point out that ,sincerity does not imply

 infallibility4 ,there is a truth1 which
 could it be stamped on every human     
mind1 would exterminate all bigotry and 
persecution4 ,i mean the truth1 that    
worth of character and true integrity1  
and1 consequently1 ,god's acceptance1   
are not necessarily connected with any  
particular set of opinions499 ,if you   
admit that ,mark and ,paul were honest1 
most ,christians take that to be an     
admission of the truth of all related   
under their names4 ,yet if a man in     
defending his opinions1 affirm his own  
sincerity1 ,christians quickly see that 
is no proof of their truth1 and proceed 
to disprove them4 ,sincerity may account
 for a man holding his opinions1 but it 
does not account for the opinions       
themselves4 ,nothing is more common than
 uninformed1 misinformed1 mistaken1 or  
self-deluded honesty4 ,but sincere      
error1 though dangerous enough1 has not 
the attribute of crime about            
it--personal intention of mischief4     
,because human nature is frail and      

fallible1 the ground of our acceptance  
with ,god1 under the ,gospel1 is        
sincerity4 ,a sincere desire to know and
 do the will of ,god1 is the only       
condition of obtaining the ,christian   
salvation4 ,every honest man will be    
saved49999 ,but ,sincerity1 if the      
reader recurs to our definition of it1  
includes a short intellectual and moral 
education with respect to it4 ,those    
worthy of the high descriptive sincere1 
are those who have thought1 inquired1   
examined1 are in earnest1 have a sense  
of duty with regard to their conviction1
 which is only satisfied by acting upon 
it4 ,these processes may not bring a man
 to the truth1 but they bring him near  
to it4 ,the chances of error are reduced
 hereby as far as human care can reduce 
them4 ,secularism holds that the        
,protestant right of private judgment   
includes the moral innocency of that    
judgment1 when conscientiously formed1  
whether for or against received opinion2
 that though all sincere opinion is not 

equally true1 nor equally useful1 it is 
yet equally without sin2 that it is not 
sameness of belief but sincerity of     
belief which justifies conduct1 whether 
regard be had to the esteem of men or   
the approval of ,god4 ,sincerity1 we    
repeat1 is not infallibility4 ,the      
conscientious are often as mischievous  
as the false1 but he who acts according 
to the best of his belief is free from  
criminal intention4 ,the sincerity      
commended by the fortuitous1 insipid1   
apathetic1 inherited consent1 which so  
often passes for honesty1 because too   
indolent or too cowardly to inquire1 and
 too stupid to doubt4 ,the man who holds
 merely ready-made opinions is not to be
 placed on the same level with him whose
 convictions are derived from           
experience4 ,true sincerity is an       
educated and earnest sentiment4         
,secularist is an active sentiment      
seeking the truth and acting upon it4   
99 ,dr4 ,price4       9999 ,john        
,foster's ,tracts on ,heresy1   ,v4  ,in

 the formation and judgment of opinions 
we must take into account the           
consequences to mankind involved in     
their adoption4 ,but when an opinion    
seems true in itself and beneficial to  
society1 the consequences in the way of 
inconvenience to ourselves is not       
sufficient reason for refusing to act   
upon it4 ,if a particular time of       
enforcing it seem to be one when it will
 be disregarded1 or misunderstood1 or   
put back1 and the sacrifice of ourselves
 on its behalf produce no adequate      
advantage to society1 it may be lawful  
to seek a better opportunity4 ,we must1 
however1 take care that this view of the
 matter is not made a pretext of        
cowardice or evasion of duty4 ,and in no
 case is it justifiable to belie        
conscience or profess a belief the      
contrary of that which we believe to be 
true4 ,there may in extreme cases be    
neutrality with regard to truth1 but in 
no case should there be complicity in   
falsehood4 ,so much with respect to this

 life4 ,with respect to ,deity or       
another life1 we may in all cases rely  
upon this1 that in truth alone is       
safety4 ,with ,god1 conscience can have 
no penal consequences4 ,conscience is   
the voice of honesty1 and honesty1 with 
all its errors1 a ,god of ,truth will   
regard4 ,we have1 says ,blanco ,white1  
no revealed rule which will ascertain1  
with moral certainty1 which doctrines   
are right and which are wrong--that is1 
as they are known to ,god4--,salvation1 
therefore1 cannot depend on orthodoxy2  
it cannot consist in abstract doctrines1
 about which men of equal abilities1    
virtue1 and sincerity are1 and always   
have been1 divided4--,no error on       
abstract doctrines can be heresy1 in the
 sense of a wrong belief which endangers
 the soul4 ,the ,father of the ,universe
 accommodates not ,his judgments to the 
wretched wranglings of pedantic         
theologians1 but every one who seeks    
truth1 whether he findeth it or not1 and
 worketh righteousness1 will be accepted

 of ,him499       99 ,bishop ,watson's  
,theological ,tracts4   ,introductory4  
,thomas ,carlyle was the first ,english 
writer1 having the ear of the public1   
who declared in ,england that sincere   
doubt is as much entitled to respect as 
sincere belief4   ,,vi4  ,going to a    
distant town to mitigate some calamity  
there1 will illustrate the principle of 
action prescribed by ,secularism4 ,one  
man will go on this errand from pure    
sympathy with the unfortunate2 this is  
goodness4 ,another goes because his     
priest bids him2 this is obedience4     
,another goes because the twenty-fifth  
chapter of ,matthew tells him that all  
such persons will pass to the right hand
 of the ,father2 this is calculation4   
,another goes because he believes ,god  
commands him2 this is piety4 ,another   
goes because he believes that the       
neglect of suffering will not answer2   
this is utilitarianism4 ,but another    
goes on the errand of mercy1 because it 
is an errand of mercy1 because it is an 

immediate service to humanity2 and he   
goes to attempt material amelioration   
rather than spiritual consolation2 this 
is ,secularism1 which teaches that      
goodness is sanctity1 that ,nature is   
guidance1 that reason is authority1 that
 service is duty1 and that ,materialism 
is help4   ,,vii4  ,the policy of       
,secular controversy is to distinguish  
and assert its own affirmative          
propositions4 ,it is the policy of      
,secularism not so much to say to error 
,it is false1 as to say of truth ,this  
is true4 ,thus1 instead of leaving to   
the popular theology the prestige of    
exclusive affirmation accorded to it by 
the world1 although it is solely        
employed in the incessant re-assertion  
of error1 ,secularism causes it to own  
and publish its denial of positive      
principle2 when the popular theology    
proves itself to be but an organized    
negation of the moral guidance of nature
 and its tendencies to progress4 ,a     
,secularist sees clearly upon what he   

relies as a ,secularist4 ,to him the    
teaching of ,nature is as clear as the  
teaching of the ,bible3 and since1 if   
,god exists1 ,nature is certainly ,his  
work1 ,while it is not so clear that the
 ,bible is--the teaching of ,nature will
 be preferred and followed where the    
teaching of the ,bible appears to       
conflict with it4 ,a ,secular ,society1 
contemplating intellectual and moral    
progress1 must provide for the freest   
expression of opinion on all subjects   
which its members may deem conducive to 
their common objects4 ,christianism1    
,theism1 ,materialism1 and ,atheism will
 be regarded as open questions1 subject 
to unreserved discussion4 ,but these    
occasions will be the opportunity of the
 members1 not the business of the       
society4 ,all public proceedings        
accredited by the society should relate 
to topics consistent with the common    
principles of ,secularism4 ,in necessary
 things1 unity3 in doubtful things1     
liberty3 in all things1 charity499 ,the 

destruction of religious servitude may  
be attempted in two ways4 ,it may be    
denounced1 which will irritate it1 or it
 may be superseded by the servitude of  
humanity4 ,attacking it by denunciation1
 generally inflames and precipitates the
 persecution of the many upon the few2  
when the weak are liable to be          
scattered1 the cowardly to recant1 and  
the brave to perish4   ,,viii4  ,the    
essential rule upon which personal      
association can be permanent1 or        
controversy be maintained in the spirit 
in which truth can be evolved1 is that  
of never imputing evil motives nor      
putting the worst construction on any   
act4 ,free ,inquiry has no limits but   
truth1 ,free ,speech no limits but      
exactness1 ,policy 7here the law of     
speech7 no limits but usefulness4       
,unfettered and uncompromising are they 
who pursue free inquiry                 
throughout--measured and impassable may 
those become1 who hold to a generous    
veracity4 ,far both from outrage or     

servility--too proud to court and too   
strong to hate--are those who learn to  
discard all arts but that of the austere
 service of others1 exacting no thanks  
and pausing at no curse4 ,wise words of 
counsel to ,theological                 
controversialists have been addressed in
 a powerful quarter of public opinion3  
,religious controversy has already lost 
much of its bitterness4 ,open abuse and 
exchange of foul names are exploded1 and
 even the indirect imputation of        
unworthy motives is falling-into disuse4
 ,another step will be made when        
theologians have learnt to extend their 
intellectual as well as their moral     
sympathies1 to feel that most truths are
 double edged1 and not to wage an       
unnecessary war against opinion which1  
strange1 incongruous1 and unlovely as   
they may at first appear1 are built1    
perhaps1 on as firm a foundation1 and   
are held with equal sincerity and good  
faith1 as their own49999 ,this is advice
 which both sides should remember4      

99 ,maxim 7much unused7 of the ,roman   
,catholic ,church4       9999 ,times    
,leader of ,november #h1 #ahee4   ,,ix4 
,no society can be in a healthy state in
 which eccentricity is a matter of      
reproach4 ,conventionality is the       
tyranny of the average man1 and a       
despicable tyranny it is4 ,the tyranny  
of genius is hard to be borne--that of  
mediocrity is humiliating4 ,that idea of
 freedom which consists in the absence  
of all government is either mere        
lawlessness1 or refers to the distant   
period when each man having attained    
perfection will be a law unto himself4  
,just rule is indispensable rule1 and   
none other4 ,the fewer laws consistent  
with the public preservation the        
better--there is1 then1 as ,mr4 ,mill   
has shown in his ,liberty1 the more room
 for that ever-recurring originality    
which keeps intellect alive in the      
world4 ,towards law kept within the     
limits of reason1 obedience is the first
 of virtues4 ,order and ,progress1 says 

,comte1 which we should express         
thus3--,order1 without which ,progress  
is impossible2 ,progress1 without which 
,order1 is ,tyranny4 ,the world is      
clogged with men of dead principles4    
,principles that cannot be acted upon   
are probably either obsolete or false4  
,one certain way to improvement is to   
exact consistency between profession and
 practice2 and the way to bring this    
about is to teach that the highest merit
 consists in having earnest views and in
 endeavouring to realize them--and this 
whether the convictions be contained    
within or without accredited creeds4    
,there will be no progress except within
 the stereotyped limits of creeds1      
unless means are found to justify       
independent convictions to the          
conscience4 ,to the philosopher you have
 merely to show that a thing is true1 to
 the statesman1 that it is useful1 but  
to a ,christian1 that it is safe4 ,the  
grace of service lies in its patience4  
,to promote the welfare of others1      

irrespective of their gratitude or      
claims1 is to reach the nature of the   
,gods4 ,it is a higher sentiment than is
 ascribed to the ,deity of the ,bible4  
,the abiding disposition to serve others
 is the end of all philosophy4 ,the vow 
of principle is always one of poverty   
and obedience1 and few are they who take
 it--and fewer who keep it4 ,if hate    
obscure for a period the path of duty1  
let us remember nothing should shake our
 attachment to that supreme thought1    
which at once stills human anger and    
educates human endeavour--the perception
 that the sufferings and errors of      
mankind arise out of want of knowledge  
rather than defect of goodness4   ,x4   
,a leading object of ,secularism is the 
promotion of the material purity of the 
present life--material purity1 which    
includes personal as well as external   
condition4 ,the question of             
,spiritualism 7without employing it and 
without disparaging it7 it regards as a 
distinct question1 and hence the methods

 by which ,secularists attempt          
improvement will be material as being   
the most reliable4 ,the tacit or        
expressed aim of all ,freethinking1 has 
ever been true thinking and pure        
thinking4 ,it has been a continued      
protest against the errors ,theology has
 introduced1 and the vicious relations  
it has conserved and sanctified4 ,it is 
necessary to mark this1 and it can be   
done by insisting and keeping distinctly
 evident that the aim of ,secularism is 
the purity of material influences4 ,this
 precludes the possibility of           
,secularism being charged either with   
conscious grossness or intentional sin4 
,secularism concerns itself with the    
work of to-day4 ,it is always yesterday 
or to-morrow1 and never to-day199 is a  
fair description of life according to   
theologies4 ,secularism1 on the         
contrary1 concerns itself with the      
things of to-day4       ,to  know       
,that which before us lies in daily life
      ,is the prime wisdom4             

99 ,story of ,boots1 by ,dickens4  ,the 
cardinal idea of the popular ,theology  
is the necessity of ,revelation4 ,it    
believes that the light of ,nature is   
darkness1 that ,reason affords no       
guidance1 that the ,scriptures are the  
true chart1 the sole chart1 and the     
sufficient chart of man1 and it regards 
all attempts to delineate a chart of    
,nature as impious1 as impracticable1   
and as a covert attack upon the         
,biblical chart in possession of the    
churches4 ,knowing no other guidance    
than that of the ,bible1 and            
disbelieving the possibility of any     
other1 theology denounces ,doubt1 which 
inspires it with a sense of             
insecurity--it fears ,inquiry1 which may
 invalidate its trust--and deprecates   
,criticism1 which may expose it1 if     
deficient4 ,having nothing to gain1 it  
is reluctant to incur risk--having all  
to lose1 it dreads to be                
disturbed-having no strength but in     
,faith1 it fears those who ,reason--and 

less from ill-will than from the        
tenderness of its position1 it          
persecutes in self-defence4 ,such are   
the restrictions and the logic of       
,theology4   ,,xi4  ,on the other hand1 
,rationalism 7which is the logic of     
,nature7 is in attitude and spirit quite
 the reverse4 ,it observes that numbers 
are unconvinced of the fact of          
,revelation1 and feel the insufficiency1
 for their guidance1 of that offered to 
them4 ,to them the pages of ,nature seem
 clearer than those of the ,apostles4   
,reason1 which existed before all       
,religions and decides upon all--else   
the false can never be distinguished    
from the true--seems self-dependent and 
capable of furnishing personal          
direction4 ,hence ,rationalism          
instructed by facts1 winning secrets by 
experiments1 establishing principles by 
reflection1 is assured of a morality    
founded upon the laws of ,nature4       
,without the advantage of inductive     
science to assist discoveries1 or the   

printing press to record corroborations 
of them1 the ,pre-,christian world      
created ethics1 and ,socrates and       
,epictetus1 and ,zoroaster and          
,confucius1 delivered precepts1 to which
 this age accords a high place4 ,modern 
,rationalists therefore sought1 with    
their new advantages1 to augment and    
systematize these conquests4 ,they      
tested the claims of the ,church by the 
truths of ,nature4 ,that ,freethought   
which had won these truths applied them 
to creeds1 and criticism became its     
weapon of ,propagandism4 ,its           
consciousness of new truth stimulated   
its aggression on old error4 ,the       
pretensions of reason being denied as   
false1 and rationalists themselves      
persecuted as dangerous1 they had no    
alternative but to criticise in order to
 vindicate their own principles1 and    
weaken the credit and power of their    
opponents4 ,to attack the misleading    
dogmas of ,theology was to the early    
,freethinkers well understood           

self-defence4 ,in some hands and under  
the provocations of vindictive bigotry1 
this work1 no doubt1 became wholly      
antagonistic1 but the main aspiration of
 the majority was the determination of  
teaching the people to be a law unto    
themselves4 ,they found prevailing a    
religion of unreasoning faith4 ,they    
sought to create a religion of          
intelligent conviction1 whose uniformity
 consisted in sincerity4 ,its believers 
did not all hold the same tenets1 but   
they all sought the same truth and      
pursued it with the same earnestness4   
,it was this inspiration which sustained
 ,vanini1 ,hamont1 ,lewes1 ,kett1       
,legate1 and ,wightman at the stake1 and
 which armed ,servetus to prefer the    
fires of ,calvin to the creed of        
,calvin1 which supported ,annet in the  
pillory1 and ,woolston and ,carlile in  
their imprisonments4 ,it was no         
capricious taste for negations which    
dictated these deliberate sacrifices1   
but a sentiment purer than interest and 

stronger than self-love--it was the     
generous passion for unfriended truth4  
,,xii4  ,the intellectual1 no less than 
the heroic characteristics of           
,freethought have presented features of 
obvious unity4 ,tindal1 ,shaftesbury1   
,voltaire1 ,paine1 aad ,bentham1 all    
vindicated principles of ,natural       
,morality4 ,shelley struggled that a    
pure and lofty ideal of life should     
prevail1 and ,byron had passionate words
 of reverence for the human character of
 ,christ499       99 ,thus we read1     
,canto xv4 stanza xviii41 of ,don       
,juan3--            ,was it not so1     
great ,locke8 and greater ,bacon8       
,great ,socrates8 ,and thou ,diviner    
still           ,whose lot it is by man 
to be mistaken1           ,and thy pure 
creed made sanctions of all ill8        
,redeeming world to be by bigots shaken1
           ,how was thy toil rewarded8  
,to this stanza ,lord ,byron adds this  
note3--            ,as it is necessary  
in these times to avoid ambiguity1      

,i say that ,i mean by ,diviner still   
,christ4           ,if ever ,god was    
man--or man ,god--he was both4          
,i never arraigned his creed1 but the   
use--or abuse--made of it4  ,the        
distrust of ,prayer for temporal help   
was accompanied by trust in ,science1   
and all saw in material effort an       
available deliverance from countless    
ills which the ,church can merely       
deplore4 ,those who held that a future  
life was unproven1 taught that attention
 to this life was of primary importance1
 at least highly serviceable to         
humanity1 even if a future sphere be    
certain4 ,all strove for ,free          
,inquiry--,rationalism owed its         
existence to it2 all required ,free     
,speech--,rationalism was diffused by   
it2 all vindicated ,free                
,criticism--,rationalism established    
itself with it2 all demanded to act out 
their opinions--,rationalism was denuded
 of conscience without this right4 ,in  
all its mutations1 and aberrations1 and 

conquests1 ,freethought has uniformly   
sought the truth1 and shown the courage 
to trust the truth4 ,freethought uses no
 persecution1 for it fears no           
opposition1 for opposition is its       
opportunity4 ,it is the cause of        
,enterprise and ,progress1 of ,reason   
and ,duty--and now seeking the definite 
and the practical1 it selects for its   
guidance the principle that human       
affairs should be regulated by          
considerations purely human49999        
,these--the characteristics which the   
term ,secularism was designed to        
express--are therefore not inventions1  
not assumptions1 but the general        
agreements of the ,freethought party1   
inherent1 traditional1 and historic4    
,that which is new1 and of the nature of
 a development1 is the perception that  
the positivism of ,freethought          
principles should be extended1 should be
 clearly distinguished and made the     
subject of energetic assertion--that the
 ,freethought party which has so loudly 

demanded toleration for itself1 should  
be able to exercise it towards all      
earnest thinkers1 and especially towards
 all coworkers--that those who have     
protested against the isolation of human
 effort by sectarian exclusiveness1     
should themselves set the example of    
offering1 in good faith1 practical      
conditions of unity1 not for the glory  
of sects1 or coteries1 or schools1 but  
for the immediate service of humanity4  
9999 ,l4 ,h4 ,holdreth4   ,,xiii4  ,the 
,relation of ,secularism to the future  
demands a few words4 ,to seek after the 
purity and perfection of the ,present   
,life neither disproves another ,life   
beyond this1 nor disqualifies man for   
it4 ,nor is ,secularism opposed to the  
,future so far as that ,future belongs  
to the present world--to determine which
 we have definite science susceptible of
 trial and verification4 ,the conditions
 of a future life being unknown1 and    
there being no imaginable means of      
benefiting ourselves and others in it   

except by aiming after present goodness1
 we shall confessedly gain less towards 
the happiness of a future life by       
speculation than by simply devoting     
ourselves to the energetic improvement  
of this life499 ,men have a right to    
look beyond this world1 but not to      
overlook it4 ,men1 if they can1 may     
connect themselves with eternity1 but   
they cannot disconnect themselves from  
humanity without sacrificing duty4      
,secular knowledge relates to this life4
 ,religious knowledge to another life4  
,secular instruction teaches the duties 
to man4 ,religious instruction the      
duties to ,god apart from man4          
,religious knowledge relates to         
celestial creeds4 ,secular knowr-ledge  
relates to human duties to be performed4
 ,the religious teacher instructs us how
 to please ,god by creeds4 ,the ,secular
 teacher how to serve man by sympathy   
and science4       99 ,f4 ,w4 ,newman   
,archbishop ,whately tells the story of 
a lady at ,bath1 who1 being afraid to   

cross a tottering bridge lest it should 
ghre way under her1 fortunately         
bethought herself of the expedient of   
calling for a sedan chair1 and was      
carried over in that conveyance4 ,some  
of our critics think that we shall      
resemble this ingenious lady4 ,but those
 who fear to trust themselves to the    
ancient and tottering ,biblical bridge1 
will hardly get into the sedan chair of 
obsolete orthodoxy1 and add the weight  
of that to the danger4 ,they prefer     
going round by the way of reason and    
fearless private judgment4   ,,xiv4     
,secularism1 we have said1 concerns     
itself with four rights3--  #a4 ,the    
right to ,think for one's self1 which   
most ,christians now admit1 at least in 
theory4  #b4 ,the right to ,differ1     
without which the right to think is     
nothing worth4  #c4 ,the right to       
,assert difference of opinion1 without  
which the right to differ is of no      
practical use4  #d4 ,the right to       
,debate all vital opinion1 without which

 there is no intellectual equality--no  
defence against the errors of the state 
or the pulpit4  ,it is of no use that   
the ,protestant concedes the right to   
think unless he concedes the right to   
differ4 ,we may as well be ,catholic    
unless we are free to dissent4 ,rome    
will concede our right to think for     
ourselves1 provided we agree with the   
,church when we have done2 and when     
,protestantism affects to award us the  
right of private judgment1 and requires 
us to agree with the thirty-nine        
,articles in the end--or when           
,evangelical ,ministers tell us we are  
free to think for ourselves1 but must   
believe in the ,bible nevertheless1 both
 parties reason on the ,papist          
principle2 both mock us with a show of  
freedom1 and impose the reality of      
mental slavery upon us4 ,it is mere     
irony to say ,search the ,scriptures1   
when the meaning is--you must accept the
 ,scriptures whether they seem true or  
not4 ,of the temper in which theological

 opinions ought to be formed1 we have   
the instruction of one as eminent as he 
was capable4 ,jefferson remarks1 ,in    
considering this subject1 divest        
yourself of all bias1 shake off all     
fears and servile prejudices1 under     
which weak minds crouch3 fix reason in  
her seat firmly2 question with boldness1
 even the existence of ,god2 because1 if
 there be one1 he must approve the      
homage of reason more than that of      
blindfolded fear4 ,read the ,bible as   
you would ,tacitus or ,livy4 ,those     
facts in the ,bible which contradict the
 laws of ,nature must be examined with  
care4 ,the ,new ,testament is the       
history of a person called ,jesus4 ,keep
 in your eye what is related4 ,they say 
he was begotten by ,god1 but born of a  
virgin 7how reconcile this872 that he   
was crucified to death1 and buried2 that
 he rose and ascended bodily into       
heaven3 thus reversing the laws of      
,nature4 ,do not be frightened from this
 inquiry by any fear1 and if it ends in 

a belief that the story is not true1 or 
that there is not a ,god1 you will find 
other incitements to virtue and         
goodness4 ,in fine1 lay aside all       
prejudices on both sides1 neither       
believe nor reject anything because     
others have rejected or disbelieved it  
,your reason is the only oracle given   
you by heaven1 and you are answerable1  
not for the rightness1 but for the      
uprightness of your opinion2 and never  
mind evangelists1 or pseudo-evangelists1
 who pretend to inspiration499 ,it is in
 vain the ,christian quotes the ,pauline
 injunction1 ,prove all things2 hold    
fast that which is good1 if we are to   
hold fast to his good1 which may be evil
 to us4 ,for a man to prove all things  
needful1 and hold fast to that which he 
considers good1 is the true maxim of    
freedom and progress4 ,secularism1      
therefore1 proclaims and justifies the  
right to ,differ1 and the right to      
assert conscientious difference on the  
platform1 through the press1 in civil   

institutions1 in ,parliament1 in courts 
of law1 where it demands that the       
affirmation of those who reject         
,christianity shall be as valid as the  
oath of those who accept it4       99   
,jefferson3 ,memoirs4 ,vol4 ,,ii4       
,quoted by ,sir ,g4 ,cockburn1      in  
his ,confessions of ,faith1 by a        
,philosopher1 pages #d and      #e4     
,,xv4  ,yet some opponents have         
professed that ,secular cannot be       
distinguished from ,christian rights4   
,is this so8 ,the right to think for    
ourselves has been emphatically and     
reiteratedly declared to be a ,christian
 right399 it belongs essentially to     
,christianity4 ,now ,christianity has no
 such right4 ,it has the right to think 
the ,bible true1 and nothing else4      
99 ,six ,chapters on ,secularism1 by    
,dr4 ,parker1 ,cavendish      ,pulpit1  
,manchester4  ,the ,christian has no    
right to think ,christianity untrue1    
however untrue it may appear4 ,he dare  
not think it false4 ,he dare no more    

think it false than the ,catholic dare  
differ from the dictum of the ,church1  
or the ,mahomedan differ from the text  
of the ,koran1 or the ,hindoo differ    
from the precepts of the ,brahmin4      
,therefore1 the ,christian's right to   
think for himself is simply a compulsion
 to believe4 ,a right implies relative  
freedom of action2 but the ,christian   
has no freedom4 ,he has no choice but to
 believe1 or perish everlastingly4 ,the 
,christian right to think for himself   
is1 therefore1 not the same as the      
,secular right4 ,we mean by the right to
 think1 what the term right always      
implies--freedom and independence1 and  
absence of all crime1 or danger of      
penalty through the honest exercise of  
thought and maintenance of honest       
conclusions1 whether in favour of or    
against ,christianity4 ,our assertion is
 that ,private judgment is free and     
guiltless4 ,the ,christian is good      
enough to say1 we have a right to think1
 provided we think rightly4 ,but what   

does he mean by rightly8 ,he means that 
we should think as he thinks4 ,this is  
his interpretation of rightly4 ,whoever 
does not fall in with his views1 is     
generally1 in his vocabulary1 a         
dishonest perverter of scripture4 ,now1 
if we really have the right to differ1  
we have the right to differ from the    
,minister or from the ,bible1 if we see 
good reason to do so1 without being     
exposed to the censure of our           
neighbours1 or disapprobation of ,god4  
,the question is not--does man give us  
the right to think for ourselves8 but1  
does ,god give it to us8 ,if we must    
come to a given opinion1 our private    
judgment is unnecessary4 ,let us know at
 once what we are to believe1 that we   
may believe it at once1 and secure      
safety4 ,if possible disbelief in       
,christianity will lead to eternal      
perdition1 the right of private judgment
 is a snare4 ,we had better be without  
that perilous privilege1 and we come to 
regard the ,roman ,catholic as          

penetrative when he paints private      
judgment as the suggestion of ,satan1   
and the ,roman ,catholic no less        
merciful than consistent when he        
proscribes it altogether4 ,we must feel 
astonishment at him who declares the    
,secular right to be essentially a      
,christian right1 when it is quite a    
different thing1 is understood in an    
entirely different sense1 and has an    
application unknown and unadmitted by   
,christianity4 ,this is not merely loose
 thinking1 it is reckless thinking4     
,,xvi4  ,it has been asserted that the  
second right1 the right to differ1 is   
also a ,christian right4 ,christianity  
recognizes the claim to difference of   
opinion4 ,christians are not careful to 
maintain uniformity at the expense of   
private judgment4 ,this is omitting a   
part of the truth4 ,christians often    
permit difference of opinion upon       
details1 but not upon essentials1 and   
this is the suppression made4 ,the      
,christian may differ on points of      

church discipline1 but if he differ upon
 the essential articles of his creed1   
the minister at once warns him that he  
is in danger of the judgment4 ,let any  
minister try it himself1 and his        
congregation will soon warn him to      
depart1 and also warn him of that higher
 ,power1 who will bid him depart into   
outer darkness1 where there will be     
wailing and gnashing of teeth4 ,with    
respect to the third right1 the right of
 asserting difference of opinion1 this  
is declared to be not peculiar to       
,secularism2 that ,christian churches1  
chapels1 literature and services1 are so
 many confirmations of the statement    
that ,christians claim the right of     
speaking what they think1 whether it be 
affirmative or negative4 ,yes1 so long  
as what they speak agrees with the      
,bible4 ,this is the ,christian limit2  
yet this is the limit which ,secularism 
expressly passes and discards4 ,it is   
the unfettered right which makes        
,secularism to differ from              

,christianity1 and to excel it4         
,,xvii4  ,the right of private judgment1
 always in set terms conceded to us1    
means nothing1 unless it leads to a new 
understanding as to the terms in which  
we are to be addressed4 ,in the ,bible  
and the ,people1 it is described as an  
insolence to ignore ,christianity499 ,we
 do not understand this language4 ,it   
would be insolence to ,deity to ignore a
 message which we can recognize as      
coming from ,him1 but it may rather     
imply reverence for ,god to reject the  
reports of many who speak in ,his name4 
,were we to require ,christians to read 
our books or think as we think1 they    
would resent the requirement as an      
impertinence2 and we have yet to learn  
that it is less an impertinence when    
,christians make these demands of us4   
,if ,christians are under no obligation 
to hold our opinions1 neither are we    
under obligation to hold theirs4        
99 ,no4 ,i4 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #h4 ,edited by
 the ,rev4 ,brewin ,grant4  ,by our own 

act1 or at their solicitation1 we may   
study sacred writings1 but at dictation1
 never6 ,so long as ,secularists obey   
the laws enacted for the common         
security1 so long as they perform the   
duties of good citizens1 it is nothing  
to ,christians what opinions they hold4 
,we neither seek their counsel nor      
desire their sentiments--except they    
concede them on terms of equality4 ,the 
light by which we walk is sufficient for
 us2 and as at the last day1 of which   
,christians speak1 we shall there have1 
according to their own showing1 to      
answer for ourselves1 we prefer to think
 for ourselves2 and since they do not   
propose to take our responsibility1 we  
decline to take their doctrines4 ,where 
we are to be responsible1 we will be    
free2 and no man shall dictate to us the
 opinions we shall hold4 ,we shall      
probably know as well as any ,christian 
how to live with freedom and to die     
without fear4 ,it is in vain for        
,christians to tell us that ,newton and 

,locke differed from us4 ,what is that  
to us unless ,newton and ,locke will    
answer for us8 ,the world may differ    
from a man1 but what is the world to    
him1 unless it will take his place at   
the judgment-day8 ,who is ,paul or      
,apollos1 or ,matthew or ,mark1 that we 
should venture our eternal salvation on 
his word1 any more than on that of a    
,mahomedan prophet1 or a ,buddhist      
priest8 ,where the danger is our own1   
the faith shall be our own4 ,secularism 
is not an act conceived in the spirit of
 pride1 or vanity1 or self-will1 or     
eccentricity1 or singularity1 or        
stiff-neckedness4 ,it is simply         
well-understood self-defence4 ,if men   
have the right of private judgment1 that
 right has set them free2 and we own no 
law but reason1 no limits but the truth1
 and have no fear but that of guilt4 ,we
 may say we believe in honour1 which is 
respecting the truth--in morality1 which
 is acting the truth--in love1 which is 
serving the truth--and in independence1 

which is defending the truth4   ,,xviii4
    ,confucius declared that the        
foundation of all religion was reverence
 and obedience499 ,the ,religious       
sentiment is the intentional reverence  
of ,god4 ,the ,christian is ever        
persuaded that there is only one way of 
doing this1 and he arrogantly assumes   
that he has that way4 ,whereas the ways 
are as diverse as human genius4 ,let    
those who deny that ,secular ,truth     
meets the emotional part of their       
nature1 settle what is the nature of the
 emotions they desiderate4 ,the miser   
wants money--the sensualist wants the   
cook--the scholar wants knowledge--and  
the mother desires the life1 growth1 and
 happiness of her child4 ,but what can  
man want in a rational sense which      
,nature and humanity may not supply8 ,do
 we not meet the demand of the many when
 we show that ,secularism is sufficient 
for progress2 that it is moral1 and     
therefore sufficient for trust2 that it 
builds only upon the known1 and is      

therefore reliable8 ,it is the highest  
and most unpresumptuous form of         
unconscious worship4 ,it is practical   
reverence without the arrogance of      
theoretical homage4 ,we at least feel   
confident of this1 that the future1 if  
it come1 will not be miserable4 ,there  
may be a future--this remains to awaken 
interest and perennial curiosity4 ,if   
,nature be conscious1 it will still     
design the happiness of man1 which it   
now permits--this assurance remains1    
stilling fear and teaching trust4       
99 ,sir ,john ,bowring4   ,,xix4  ,in   
surveying the position of ,christianism 
in ,great ,britain there is found to    
exist a large outlying class1 daily     
increasing1 who for conscientious       
reasons reject its cardinal tenets4     
,hence arises the question3--,are good  
citizenship and virtuous life on        
,secular principles1 possible to these  
persons8 ,secularism answers1 ,yes4 ,to 
these1 excluded by the letter of        
scripture1 by the narrowness of         

churches1 by the intrinsic error and    
moral repulsiveness of doctrine1        
,secularism addresses itself2 to these  
it is the word of ,recognition1 of      
,concert and ,morality4 ,it points them 
to an educated conscience as a security 
of morals1 to the study of ,nature as a 
source of help1 and seeks to win the    
indifferent by appeals to the inherent  
goodness of human ,nature and the       
authority of reason1 which ,christianism
 cannot use and dare not trust4 ,if1    
however1 the ,secularist elects to walk 
by the light of ,nature1 will he be able
 to see8 ,is the light of ,nature a     
fitful lamp1 or a brief torch1 which    
accident may upset1 or a gust           
extinguish8 ,on the contrary1 the light 
of ,nature may burn steady1 clear1 and  
full1 over the entire field of human    
life4 ,on this point we have the        
testimony of an adversary1 who was      
understood to address us1 a testimony as
 remarkable for its quality as for its  
felicity of expression3--,there is the  

ethical mind1 calm1 level1 and clear2   
chiefly intent on the good ordering of  
this life2 judging all things by their  
tendency to this end1 and impatient of  
every oscillation of our nature that    
swings beyond it4 ,there is nothing low 
or unworthy in the attachment which     
keeps this spirit close to the present  
world1 and watchful for99its affairs4   
,it is not a selfish feeling1 but often 
one intensely social and humane1 not any
 mean fascination with mere material    
interests1 but a devotion to justice and
 right1 and an assertion of the sacred  
authority of human duties and           
affections4 ,a man thus tempered deals  
chiefly with this visible life and his  
comrades in it1 because1 as nearest to  
him1 they are better known4 ,he plants  
his standard on the present1 as on a    
vantage ground1 where he can survey his 
field1 and manoeuvre all his force1 and 
compute the battle he is to fight4      
,whatever his bearings fervours towards 
beyond his range1 he has no             

insensibility to the claims that fall   
within his acknowledged province1 and   
that appeal to him in the native speech 
of his humanity4 ,he so reverences      
veracity1 honour1 and good faith1 as to 
expect them like the daylight1 and hears
 of their violation with a flush of     
scorn4 ,his word is a rock1 and he      
expects that yours will not be a        
quicksand4 ,if you are lax1 you cannot  
hope for his trust2 but if you are in   
trouble1 you easily move his pity4 ,and 
the sight of a real oppression1 though  
the sufferer be no ornamental hero1 but 
black1 unsightly1 and disreputable1     
suffices perhaps to set him to work for 
life1 that he may expunge the disgrace  
from the records of mankind4 ,such men  
as he constitute for our world its moral
 centre of gravity2 and whoever would   
compute the path of improvement that has
 brought it thus far on its way1 or     
trace its sweep into a brighter future1 
must take account of their steady mass4 
,the effect of this style of thought and

 taste on the religion of its possessor1
 is not difficult to trace4 ,it may1 no 
doubt1 stop short of avowed and         
conscious religion altogether2 its basis
 being simply moral1 and its scene      
temporal1 its conditions may be imagined
 as complete1 without any acknowledgment
 of higher relations499       99        
,professor ,martineau1 in ,octagon      
,chapel1 ,norwich1 #ahef4   ,,xx4       
,nature is4 ,that which is1 is the      
primary subject of study4 ,the study of 
,nature reveals the laws of ,nature4    
,the laws of ,nature furnish safe       
guidance to humanity4 ,safe guidance is 
to help available in daily life--to     
happiness1 self-contained--to service1  
which knows how to labour and to wait4  
,for authority1 ,nature refers us to    
,experience and to ,reason4 ,for help1  
to ,science1 the nearest available help 
of man4 ,science implies disciplined    
powers on the part of the people1 and   
concert in their use1 to realize the    
security and sufficiency necessary to   

happiness4 ,happiness depends on moral1 
no less than on physical conditions4    
,the moral condition is the full and    
fearless discharge of ,duty4 ,duty is   
devotion to the ,right4 ,right is that  
which is morally expedient4 ,that is    
morally expedient which is conducive to 
the happiness of the greatest numbers4  
,the service of others is the practical 
form of duty2 and endurance in the      
service of others1 the highest form of  
happiness4 ,it is pleasure1 peace1      
security1 and desert4   ,,xxi4  ,we     
believe there is sufficient soundness in
 ,secular principles to make way in the 
world4 ,all that is wanted is that      
advocates of them shall have clear      
notions of the value of method in their 
work4 ,to the novice in advocacy policy 
seems a crime--at least1 many so        
describe it4 ,unable himself to see his 
way1 the tyro fights at everything and  
everybody equally2 and too vain to own  
his failure1 he declares that the right 
way4 ,not knowing that progress is an   

art1 and an art requiring the union of  
many qualities1 he denies all art1 cries
 down policy1 and erects blundering into
 a virtue4 ,compare the way which       
,havelock reached ,lucknow1 and the way 
in which ,sir ,colin ,campbell performed
 the same feat1 and you see the         
difference between courage without1 and 
courage with strategy4 ,it was because  
magnitudes existed1 which were          
inaccessible and incapable of direct    
measurement1 that mathematics arose4    
,finding direct measurement so often    
impossible1 men were compelled to find  
means of ascertaining magnitude and     
distance indirectly4 ,hence mathematics 
became a scientific policy4 ,mathematics
 is but policy of measurement--grammar  
but the policy of speech--logic but the 
policy of reason--arithmetic but the    
policy of calculation--temperance but   
the policy of health--trigonometry but  
the policy of navigation--roads but the 
policy of transit--music but the policy 
of controlling sound--art but the policy

 of beauty--law but the policy of       
protection--discipline but the policy of
 strength--love but the policy of       
affection4 ,an enemy may object to our  
having a policy1 because it suits his   
purpose that we should be without one2  
but that a friend should object to our  
having a policy is one of those         
incredible infatuations which converts  
partisans into unconscious traitors4    
,the policy adopted may be a bad policy1
 and no policy at all is idiotcy4 ,if a 
policy be bad1 criticise and amend it2  
but to denounce all policy is to commit 
your cause to the providence of ,bedlam4
 ,if1 therefore1 throughout all         
intelligent control of ,nature and      
humanity1 policy is the one supreme mark
 of wisdom1 why should it be            
dishonourable to study the policy of    
opinion8 ,he who consistently objects to
 policy1 would build railway engines    
without safety valves1 and dismiss them 
from stations without drivers2 he would 
abolish turnpike roads and streets1 and 

leave us to find our way at random2 he  
would recommend that vessels be made    
without helms1 and sail without         
captains1 that armies fight without     
discipline1 and artillery-men should    
fire before loading1 and when pointing  
their guns1 should aim at nothing4 ,in  
fine1 a man without policy1 honestly and
 intelligently opposed to policy1 would 
build his house with the roof downwards1
 and plant his trees with their roots in
 the air2 he would kick his friend and  
hug his enemy2 he would pay wages to    
servants who would not work1 govern     
without rule1 speak without thought1    
think without reason1 act without       
purpose1 be a knave by accident1 and a  
fool by design4