_Question_. Colonel, what is your opinion of Secularism? Do you
regard it as a religion?
_Answer_. I understand that the word Secularism embraces everything
that is of any real interest or value to the human race. I take
it for granted that everybody will admit that well-being is the
only good; that is to say, that it is impossible to conceive of
anything of real value that does not tend either to preserve or to
increase the happiness of some sentient being. Secularism, therefore,
covers the entire territory. It fills the circumference of human
knowledge and of human effort. It is, you may say, the religion
of this world; but if there is another world, it is necessarily
the religion of that, as well.
Man finds himself in this world naked and hungry. He needs food,
raiment, shelter. He finds himself filled with almost innumerable
wants. To gratify these wants is the principal business of life.
To gratify them without interfering with other people is the course
pursued by all honest men.
Secularism teaches us to be good here and now. I know nothing
better than goodness. Secularism teaches us to be just here and
now. It is impossible to be juster than just.
Man can be as just in this world as in any other, and justice must
be the same in all worlds. Secularism teaches a man to be generous,
and generosity is certainly as good here as it can be anywhere
else. Secularism teaches a man to be charitable, and certainly
charity is as beautiful in this world and in this short life as it
could be were man immortal.
But orthodox people insist that there is something higher than
Secularism; but, as a matter of fact, the mind of man can conceive
of nothing better, nothing higher, nothing more spiritual, than
goodness, justice, generosity, charity. Neither has the mind of
men been capable of finding a nobler incentive to action than human
love. Secularism has to do with every possible relation. It says
to the young man and to the young woman: "Don't marry unless you
can take care of yourselves and your children." It says to the
parents: "Live for your children; put forth every effort to the
end that your children may know more than you--that they may be
better and grander than you." It says: "You have no right to
bring children into the world that you are not able to educate and
feed and clothe." It says to those who have diseases that can be
transmitted to children: "Do not marry; do not become parents; do
not perpetuate suffering, deformity, agony, imbecility, insanity,
poverty, wretchedness."
Secularism tells all children to do the best they can for their
parents--to discharge every duty and every obligation. It defines
the relation that should exist between husband and wife; between
parent and child; between the citizen and the Nation. And not only
that, but between nations.
Secularism is a religion that is to be used everywhere, and at all
times--that is to be taught everywhere and practiced at all times.
It is not a religion that is so dangerous that it must be kept out
of the schools; it is not a religion that is so dangerous that it
must be kept out of politics. It belongs in the schools; it belongs
at the polls. It is the business of Secularism to teach every
child; to teach every voter. It is its business to discuss all
political problems, and to decide all questions that affect the
rights or the happiness of a human being.
Orthodox religion is a firebrand; it must be kept out of the schools;
it must be kept out of politics. All the churches unite in saying
that orthodox religion is not for every day use. The Catholics
object to any Protestant religion being taught to children.
Protestants object to any Catholic religion being taught to
children. But the Secularist wants his religion taught to all;
and his religion can produce no feeling, for the reason that it
consists of facts--of truths. And all of it is important; important
for the child, important for the parent, important for the politician
--for the President--for all in power; important to every legislator,
to every professional man, to every laborer and every farmer--that
is to say, to every human being.
The great benefit of Secularism is that is appeals to the reason
of every man. It asks every man to think for himself. It does
not threaten punishment if a man thinks, but it offers a reward,
for fear that he will not think. It does not say, "You will be
damned in another world if you think." But it says, "You will be
damned in this world if you do not think."
Secularism preserves the manhood and the womanhood of all. It says
to each human being: "Stand upon your own feet. Count one!
Examine for yourself. Investigate, observe, think. Express your
opinion. Stand by your judgment, unless you are convinced you are
wrong, and when you are convinced, you can maintain and preserve
your manhood or womanhood only by admitting that you were wrong."
It is impossible that the whole world should agree on one creed.
It may be impossible that any two human beings can agree exactly
in religious belief. Secularism teaches that each one must take
care of himself, that the first duty of man is to himself, to the
end that he may be not only useful to himself, but to others. He
who fails to take care of himself becomes a burden; the first duty
of man is not to be a burden.
Every Secularist can give a reason for his creed. First of all,
he believes in work--taking care of himself. He believes in the
cultivation of the intellect, to the end that he may take advantage
of the forces of nature--to the end that he may be clothed and fed
and sheltered.
He also believes in giving to every other human being every right
that he claims for himself. He does not depend on prayer. He has
no confidence in ghosts or phantoms. He knows nothing of another
world, and knows just as little of a First Cause. But what little
he does know, he endeavors to use, and to use for the benefit of
himself and others.
He knows that he sustains certain relations to other sentient
beings, and he endeavors to add to the aggregate of human joy. He
is his own church, his own priest, his own clergyman and his own
pope. He decides for himself; in other words, he is a free man.
He also has a Bible, and this Bible embraces all the good and true
things that have been written, no matter by whom, or in what
language, or in what time. He accepts everything that he believes
to be true, and rejects all that he thinks is false. He knows that
nothing is added to the probability of an event, because there has
been an account of it written and printed.
All that has been said that is true is part of his Bible. Every
splendid and noble thought, every good word, every kind action--
all these you will find in his Bible. And, in addition to these,
all that is absolutely known--that has been demonstrated--belongs
to the Secularist. All the inventions, machines--everything that
has been of assistance to the human race--belongs to his religion.
The Secularist is in possession of everything that man has. He is
deprived only of that which man never had. The orthodox world
believes in ghosts and phantoms, in dreams and prayers, in miracles
and monstrosities; that is to say, in modern theology. But these
things do not exist, or if they do exist, it is impossible for a
human being to ascertain the fact. Secularism has no "castles in
Spain." It has no glorified fog. It depends upon realities, upon
demonstrations; and its end and aim is to make this world better
every day--to do away with poverty and crime, and to cover the
world with happy and contended homes.
Let me say, right here, that a few years ago the Secular Hall at
Leicester, England, was opened by a speech from George Jacob
Holyoake, entitled, "Secularism as a Religion." I have never read
anything better on the subject of Secularism than this address.
It is so clear and so manly that I do not see how any human being
can read it without becoming convinced, and almost enraptured.