“Yes; but remember the hunter after Truth took from his breast the shuttle of Imagination and wound on it the thread of his wishes, and so wove his net to entrap Truth. What we must do is to hunt for Truth with a different net, one in which credulity and desire have no place.�
“But, Doctor, who shall determine when we have complied with the requirements? May each generation pass away, holding but a feather from Truth’s wing in his hand? Shall we believe in nothing of which a shadow of doubt remains in our minds? What creed—what ism can bear the test?�
“We read, ‘By their fruits ye shall know them.’ We are also told that Truth is the work of God, falsehood the work of man. If any belief bear evil fruit, shall we not reject it? According to Froude, ‘The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its soundness.’ Let us apply that test to modern beliefs. Wherever we find misery, wretchedness, or demoralization concomitant or subsequent, let us reject the creed or belief as false and dangerous.�
We have been told to learn of the philosophers always to look for natural causes in all extraordinary events; and when such natural causes are wanting, recur to God.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
- Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling.
- Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.