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A
VOLl.i :\1E
II
r
·1
CX)
MAGAZINE OF NEIGHBORLINESS
NUMBER 11
JANUARY 4, 1914
PRICE FIVE CENTS
CAN RELIGION BE MADE SCIENTIFIC?*
. By ALLYN K. FOSTER
NE "r-eat cause of all our evils is a
mis~nderstanding of each 0ther.
Th~ Mirtennium will come when
· me!l have patience enough _o try to
t
understand each other's point of view. (Ap11lause.)
.
.
h' d.
r do not wish for a moment m t 1s 1scussion
to
come to you
under
false
pretences.
I
am not a specialist,
even
in the field of
theology.
I
did not come
from the study'
to
make
a
speech to you,
but as a plain
man with a
fair education,
with · enough
ability in one
line to keep a
position
for
!our .rears in Worcester. (Laughter.\ But
l have a very .profound and unshakable
faith in a few things, and what I am going
to say to ::ou tonight is fundamental and
: entra; with· me. If I can only hope to say
e
It as I feel and think it, I -know it will be
! some use to you.
I believe that religion can be made scienltlc. I do not come as the representative
any Particular form of religion.
I do
come as an apologist for the Christian
1th as such : I am speaking in larger
11
I ".lo not come to discuss the specmatter of revelation. or to defend reon on a baRis of miracle. If eYery mir:fe declared to be true were proved to be
true. I maintain that from a purely scien'.' st.anupoint reliaion would not be inlidated in a large "'way.
Tben \\·hat am I aoina to do·? I do not
o_. th:n J ,h ,, 11 ..,. -~-- . ~
0
as a warfare between sciences. But there
is denominationalism in science just as in
religion,-carried on,· by people who can't
get high enough to climb over the fence
and see what the other fellow's doing. (Applause.)
Theory has an important place
in science ; it is not invalid.
You can' t
have a science unless you have a tiiBory
first. When science has generalized from
its facts it must stand upon them and draw
a conclusion. Exactly the same thing is
true of religion.
But religion is one thing, and theology is
another. If there is anything in the universe whici1 makes it possible that a power
not ourselves acts upon us, then · that power is there and we know it is there. You
may have a theory about it that is wholly
wron-g. ~o one can attack your facts, but
only your theory. All religions have given
to the human race, in some form or other,
in the course of their development, something that issued from the life of the person who told of it. We may reject their
theories, just as we do alchemism or astrology, but the facts remain, and when a
man believes in any religion there are certain things of which he is obliged to sa y,
"I know this thing is true, and it has
helped me in my life." Nine-tenths of the
skepticism of so-called Christian people
arises from the confusion of religion and
theology. And what is religion ? Religion
is an interpretation of reality ; it has to do
with things as they are.
That is big
enough to cover any religion that produces
upon the hearts of men any reaction wt.atsoe,•er.
There are three fundamental things in
every science.
1. Mystery-the ultimate
question beyond a ll facts-out of which de. velop those facts. You are out of date if
you say, ''I hope to see ever ything." There
are mysteries also in religion, but shall we
do a way with the reactions in religion beca use they come from an impenetrable
that it is creative, single, eternal .ana intelligent. ·why not call that a God? Second, there i,; personality, the question of a
personal Goe:. The Life F.orce has created .
that thing wh-ich differentiates us from
every other living thing, namely, our personality, which is composed· of self-consciousness and self-determination or will.
How can it create something greater than
itself-for out of nothing, nothing comes '?
Third, there is communion between God
and man. There are two departments to
our thinkin;; faculty, conscious and subconscious.
Much of our action is reflex.
If 90 % of the processes of my body and
my mind are working for me asleep or
awake, it isn't hard to believe that that
power working within us is a beneficent
God above us. Fourth·, there is immortality. Shall we live beyond death? I can't
prove that-I must leave it to your hearts.
But if the Life Force was strong enough
to interpose between pure force and matter. and between the highest animal and
man. I guess I will trust that personal God
to bridge over the chasm of death-" even
as ye are called , with one hop~ of your
calling."
NOTHING THIS WEEK FROM
COLEMAN.
MR.
I,
f
1
!
:.I\I
_
.,I
Owing to the great amount of left-over mat erial we had on hand. Mr. Coleman was
good enough to give up his department this
week and let us use his space for other
things. Next week we shall hear from our.
leader again.
IDEALISM
AND
PRACTICAL
EFFICIENCY.
"The state cannot
a ge man can take
Theodore Roosevelt
American speeches;
prosper unless the
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prosper unless the avercare of himself," said
in one of his South
"and neither can it
average man realizes
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"
with
enough
ability in one
line to keep a
position
for
four years in Worcester. (Laughter.) But
1 have a very profound and unshakable
faith in a few things, and what I am going
to say to you tonight is fundamental and
central with· me. If I can q_nly hope to say
it as I feel and think it, I know it will be
of some use to you.
J believe that religion can be made scientific. I do not come as the representative
of any" particular form of religion.
I do
not come as an apologist for the Christian
faith as such; I am speaking in larger
terms. I do not come to discuss the special matter of revelation, or to defend religion on a basis of miracle. If eYery miracle declared to be true were proved to be
untrue, I maintain that from a purely scienti[:" standpoint religion would .not be invalidated in a large way.
Tl)en what am I going to do? I do not
know that I shall prove to the entire satisfaction of anybody a single statement I
shall make. I do not know that I can take
any r ,ligiom, creed and prove that every
bit of. it, be~~nni1:g to end. is _
demonstrable
as a propos1t10n m geometry 1s demonstrable. All I am attempting to do is to enable
you to look upon the laws and phenomena
of religion a!' w e do uoon those of science.
If, in ott·e r· words, religion can be seen to
be as reasonable. as yielding to cause ana
effect, as other things are. with the same
~imitations that other sciences have, that
1s the utmost I hope to prove. If you say
to yourselves, "There is nothing essentialJy unreasonable about religion in its
relations to man." then I can leave it to
you to work out the .d etails for yourselves.
Now, what is a science? In my boyhood.
religion and science were assumed to be
at war with eich 'other. _ But the so-called
hostility ·9,(;t'lveen them is _over ; . the last
imn ha_
s--'been fired.
A science 1s an or1erly statement of the facts, and the natural conclusions from tho~e facts. in ~ny
field of knowledge. There 1s no such thmg
1
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•The spPePhPs and the Questions :rnd answers
""J'lorterl h :,- '.\Iiriam AllPn de Ford .
'~~tf;i:
t11111g tnat 1ssuea rrom i:.n e 111e 0 1 ui e verson · who. t old of it. We ma:y reje ct their
theories, just as we do alchemism or ast rology, but the facts remain, and when a
man believe5 in any :religion there are certain things of which he is obliged to say,
"I know this thing is true, and it has
helped me in my life." Nine-tenths of the
skepticism of so-called Christian people
arises from the confusion of religion and
theology. And what is religion? Religion
is an interpretati_ n of reality ; it has to do
o
with things as they are.
That is big
enough to cover any religion that produces
upon the hearts of men an;y reaction wLatsoever.
There are three fundamental things in
every science.
1. Mystery-the ultimate
question beyond all facts-out of which develop those facts. You are out of date if
you say, "I hope to see everything." There
are mysteries also in religion, but shall we
do away with the reactions in religion because they come from an impenetrable
mystery?
2. The fact, the phenomenon.
When I was a student at Jol:·ns Hopkins
we were tcld that everything was reduced
to a materialistic mechanism.
Now we
are beginning to study the mind, and the
facts of the mind that never issue in materialism. There are facts besides the ponderable fa cts ; there are psychological laboratories in which they are beginning to
t a bulate religious experiences. 3. Theorythe attempt to account for the fact.
The
prevalent theory now is evolution, but before it th·ere were others. Much of science
has become orthodox and circumscribed .
There is no warfare between science and
religion, but there will always be warfare
between the theorists in science and religion.
If science deals with these three things,
so with equal truth does religion.
There
are the mysteries about religion you and I
cannot grasp; there are facts of religion:
and there is the theory held by this creed
or ili€ other. v'\That are the data of religion? First, there is the fact of God. You
can't prove mathematically that God exists,
and yet pet1 ple keep on thinking that He
does. What do we know about the Life
Force that is behind everything? V'le know
to nnerpo se between pure rorce a na matt er. a nd be tween the highest animal and
man. I g ue ss I will trust that persona l God
t o bridge over th e chasm of death-"even
as ye a re called, ,vith one hope of your
calling. "
NOTHING THIS WEEK FROM
COLEMAN.
MR.
Owing to the great amount of left-over mat erial we had on hand , Mr. Coleman was
good enough to give up his department this
week and let us use his space for other
things. Next week ·we shall hear from our
leader again.
IDEALISM
AND
PRACTICAL
EFFICIENCY.
"The state cannot prosper unless the averag.e man can take care of himself," said
Theodore Roosevelt in one of his South
American speeches; " and neither can it
prosper unless the average man realizes
that, in addition to taking care of himsel!,
·b e must work with his fellows, with good
sense and honesty and practical acknowl_
_
edgment of obligation to the community as (
a whole, for the things that are vital to the
interests of the commuJlli.ty as a whole.
There must ·be idealism ; and there must also
be practical efficiency, or the idealism w111
be wasted. We need sound bodies, we need
~
sound minds in our bodies ; but more
-than either mind or - ody is characterb
character, into which many elements enter,
but three above all others--couq.ge, honesty
and common sense. If the ordinary men
and women of the republic have character,
the future of the republic is assured; and it
in its citizenship rugged strength and fealty
to the common welfare are lacking, then no
brilliancy of intellect and no piled-up material prosperity will avail to save the nation
from destrue;tion."
The fate of all the institutions rests upon
the brains and - odies of the babies of the
b
world . .- ,Upon the inheritance given to one
child by a man and woman may rest the
dest,i,ny of a nation. From the brain of one
of these children of men mav spring a faith
that will bathe in gore or glory the entire
globe.
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FORD HALL FOLKS
Yes, and so they did chemistry.
PUBLIC
Q (Mr. Bodfish): Is there any rooii.1 forentertaining a belief in freedom of theFollo:w:
human will in the scientific realm?
with us
A : Yes, i should say so.
ing,-the
Q: vVould men like Darwin, who beour Bost
Q: If you as a Baptist believe in the
lieved in the evolution of man from theQ: Science says the world goes round
which m
Bible as a revelation of God, how could any
,
the sun and the Bible says the reverse. animals, b.~ called irreligious?
School C
scientific truths affect your religion?
A: No-Darwin was very religious at
What about that?
ing diflicheart.
A: There are two ways of making a
A : The Bible tells the truth as it saw
tration 0 1
statement-with accurate scientific truth: it.
Q: Is not our theory of heaven a ·c hild's.
tery, the
and in terms of the knowledge of the
story? Ho-;v can we prove that we have
Q: What psychological tests can deterwill tell
speaker. The Bible is a veracious book,
mine the amount or quality of religious souls and animals have not·?
burg-ari.1
in the sense that it tells what the people feeling me::i have?
A: There is a universal hope for heav:
era! use
saw and believed honestly, even if they
en which would seem to prove that it
A: One is a questionnaire on prayer,
Susan W
were wrong.
which has been tabulated and correlated exists. The common opinion of scientists.
Citizens'
Q: Do you not think the study of geolis that below ourselves there _is no selfand conclusions made from it.
Fundame1
ogy in the high schools would influence
Q: Isn't there a fair answer to every consciousness.
Public Sc
young minds against the teaching of the honest question somewhere, whether it be
Q: Isn't it true that, although science
Old Testament?
and religion both: have mysteries, science
sacrilegious or not?
WHAT A
A: Yes, unless you had a sensible
has been proving facts out of its mysterie
A: Absolutely.
and religion has not ?
teacher.
Q : Science in time can work out of its
Q: Is every man's religion scientific?
A: They have both been
mysteries ; can religion ever do so?
DVJ
A: So far as it deals with actual realQ: What is your attitude
A: Science never has, so far.
Se!
tian Science?
ities.
Q: What is your personal opinion of
IDE
Q: If you subtract theology from religA: Extremely friendly.
reincarnation?
thi
ion, what is left? Does not religion merely
theology is bad. but they have evolved f
A: It is not unthinkable to me, but I
licity Assi
assume its mysteries to be facts?
set of ideas which enable them to live haP:"
cannot say definitively.
"I may .
A: No, there are actual religious phepily with ethers.
Q: From a religious standpoint, would
set. I Wi!
nomena-conversion, for instance.
Q: If the feminist movement keeps on.
thought . and belief be synonymous in conHall-a fc
Q: Has not religion been the greatest
will you not soon have to refer to God
trolling the religious consciousness?
broad, pr
obstacle in blocking humanity in its pathA: I should not say they were synony- "She" instead of "He" ?
might be •
way toward progress?
A : No t c.nJy that-for th ere is reason
mous.
mentally !
A: Religion never has, but theology
to believe that the female principle -~
Q: How could a belief in a personal
thousands.
has.
God- be a good example to us when the greater t han the male-but we shall ha,·e
gether for:
Q (Same): Has not the light of the
Mrs. Santa Claus in the bargain!
deity doesn 't show that personality in His
not by set
twentieth century eclipsed religion?
Q: Do y e,u believe that God predestin
dealings - wit.h society?
Into smai
A: I need only instance Herbert Spen· A: I think in some cases He does-the all events to occur?
and perha
cer, who was at heart deeply religious, and world is better now than it was a hundred
A: I am not a fatalist.
.
1ems.
men like Si, Oliver Lodge.
versus free will is one of the unsolved
years ago.
"Three
Q (Mr. Victorson) : Science is necesproblems of theology and philosophy.
Q: What do you think of a religion that
about the
sarily analytical. Religion defies analysis;
Q (Miss :.Worgan): What do you thi
will not allow science to be applied to it?
m:inJ· Wal
it is wholly synthetic.
Whv trv to make
of Sir Oliver Lodge·s statement th'.
A : I think - it will shrivel up and die.
ence and
religion scientific, or science . religious?
science will yet be a ble to prove immo
Q: Could it be proved scientifically that
\Vhy not leave each to its own field ? (Ap- the world was created in seven days?
tality?
plause.)
!: '
A: I don·t s ee why it may not
(Laughter.)
tenuon
A: Religion and science do not occupy
proved. The great fault of orthodox scien
A: It is my humble opinion it could not.
IIJ>eaker w·
different spheres. Besides, science is synis its refusat to admit new facts when
Q: How can people accept from miniscfa Uon or
thetic as well as analytical and religio:a t ers as scientific facts their views about has once formed its theory.
Third-th
analytical as well as synthetic.
Q (M'.. Fi_-eeman): If religion gr?ws ?~ Jlosses."ed
the invisible world when they have not
Q: How " ·ould you distinguish between
demonstrated their capacity to investigate of th·e ine vitab le facts of human life "
1· - , l •• • , "",1
c:: niri t?
the
.leJ
should we !lOt ha ve a human religion ?
we visible \VOrld? ( Applause.)
lions.aud
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A: Yon "·ould be ama zed to know
vlr Am'
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of the {v.
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teacher }-;:1.'·
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THE QUESTIONS
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A: Religion never has, but tlleoiu,,.,.
"<·
God be a good ex.ample tu u" .. ... .
has.
deity doesn 't show that personalit~· in His
Q (Same): Has not the light of the
dealings with society?
twentieth century eclipsed religion?
A: I thin}~ in scime cases He does-the
A: I need only instance Herbert Spen·
cer, who was at heart deeply religious, and world is better now th:m it was a hundred
years ago .
men like Si. Oliver Lodge.
Q: What do you think of a religion that
Q (Mr. Victorson): Science is neces·
sarily analytical. Religion defies analysis ; will not allow science to be applied to it?
A: I think - it will shrivel up and die.
it is wholly synthetic.
Why try to make
Q: Co uld it be proved scientifically that
religion scientific, or science religious?
VVhy not leave each to its own field? (Ap- the world was created in seven days?
(Laughter.)
plause.)
A: It is my bumble opinion it could not.
A: Religion and science do not occupy
Q: How can people accept from minisdifferent spheres. Besides, science is synthetic as ,veil as analytical and religion ters as scientific facts their views about
the invisible world when they have not
analytical a.s well as synthetic.
Q : ·How would you distinguish between
demonstrated their capacity to investigate
body and spirit?
th·e visible world ? (Applause.)
A: I never raised an acre of wheat in
A: That is hardly in my field, but I can
only say that when I am dead I am a very my life, and I eat bread every day.
Q: Does God, as the Life Force, de·
different person from what I was when .
mand ritual by threat of damnation?
I was alive.
Q : If there is a personal God, is not a
A: I do not believe any faith bas the
right to force any ceremonies on a man
petitionary prayer sinful?
A: No, we have not yet found out fully
who doesn.'t believe in them. (Applause.)
Q: When will man evolve to a plane
how far God communes with us.
Q: Why is it that the more society ad:where God's precepts can be obeyed withvances, the more it exempts itself from re· out dogmatic theory?
A: Dogma is only wrong when it is viligion?
A: A hundred years ago France abol- tiated.
.. ished God; now it has gone back to Him .
Q (Mrs. Hoffman): What do you think
There is never objection to religion, but to of two Christian nations arming themthe organized expression /Jf religion.
selves and hiring chaplains to shoot each
. Q: What do you think of Paine's "Age
other down with prayer?
A: I think they both ought to be
of Reason"?
A: I haven't read it for so many years
ashamed of themselves.
Q (Mr. Hogan) : If God isn't scientific .
that I shouldn't like to answer offhand.
Q : If religion is scientific, then oughtn't enough to prove His own existence, do you
we to say that people are becoming unsci- think a human being can do it? It is the
entific, because they are going away from demonstration of facts by proportion that
makes science. Can you do that with God?
religion?
A : No true scientist can afford not at
A: God has demonstrated Himself by
producing men with His qualities-Lincoln,
least to examine religion.
Mazzini, .Tesus.
Q: If GoC: is personal, and the sum of
all the virtues, why did He create the kind
Q: May each· ·person trust his own conof world we have?
·_:
clusions from the facts of religio·n, and
A: God isn't tbrough,;-with· us yet. Be- would it not be advisable to give children
sides, the primary entity is· our spirit, and instruction in the facts and let them
it is beyond question that much of our so- choose· their own religion when they are
called adve;-sity tries and proves th.e spirit. grown? ·
Q: Vi7ill your explain your position on
A: You would have to be verv careful
the human paternity ·of Jesus ?
about acquiring your facts.
·
A: I said I wasn't going to be examined
Q: Did ·they not in the olden days atfor my • ordination. (Laughter.) That is tribute all unknown things, like thunderone of the open questions in my mind.
storms, to God?
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all e,·ents to occur?
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nod perhaps pen
kms.
··Three thin~s
about the nieetin
man, walks of liJ
eore· and the m
ranging from the
,outh of both se~
tentlon with wl
speaker was follc
c-1.aUon of the fin
Th.lrd-the deep
possessed b~· eve:
the audience as
A : I am no t a fatalis t . Predestinatio
versus free will is one of the unso lv"
problems of theology an d philosophy.
Q (Miss :\1organ): What do you thin
of Sir Oliver Lo-dge·s statement tha
science will ~
·et be able to prove immo1,
tality?
A: I don' t see why it may not b
proved . The great fault of orthodox sciene
is its r efusal to admit new facts when ·
has once formed its theory.
Q (Mr. Freeman) : If religion grows o
of the inevitable facts of human life 'll'h
should we not have a human religion?
A: You would be amazed to know ho tlons.
. many minis1.ers would like to do away wi
"If America i,
ceremonies as necessaries.
nations of the "
Q (Same): If I wanted to
lngs as this re:
church and did not care to be
process of scatre1
could I do so? ·
into the finer m
A: I would let you.
ment an d citiz
tolerance and pi
Q : Do you not know that hundreds
men have been religious . in the deep ,ents of bigotr:
sense, but never have experienced come en re-the might
tion v:hich shou ·
sion?
nlty !or the big;
A: I never said that a man could not
religious ur.less he had experienced co finest possible e:
they receive sue
version.
forward as indiv
by so much as t
growth
be
n
Other Meetings
itself be obstruc
·'The address ,
School 0f Social Science, Lorimer H
:\'Ionday, Jan. 5. at 7.30 P . M., East Si the Scientific Ai
Types (Monologues). by Mary Agnes Bes only a most p
and Songs of the People, by Mrs. Ber abilities as a ·cor
thinker, but his
Cushing Child. 10c.
Sunday Cc.'mmons, Huntington Chambe Ing away from
be work
Hall, Sunda~·. -.Tan. 11, at 3.30 P . M.
brethren.
H
Charles Fleischer, leader.
J>Oint of conta t
Public Library, Thursday, Jan. 8,
ome a me!>sage
P . M. Picturesque Nuremberg, by Mar .Progressive the
A. S. Shannon . Sunday, .Tan. 11 , at 3.30 'bound to be an
M., The Sistine Chapel, by Harriette H treed themselvei
sey Winslo,,,.
xpect to find i
Lowell Im,titute, Huntingt_on. Hall, :If
"Knowle dge i::;
day, Jan . 5, at 5 P. M., America and Fran he people cont
in Contact in the Past, by Fernand B !'ending it broa
densperger.
Monday, Jan. 5, and Thu ng other people
day, Jan. 8. at. 8 P. M .. The ·rvran behind lzation of the r
Vote, by Graham Wallas.
ent easily wit:
ofi
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I
FORD HALL FOLKS
Yes, and so they did chemistry.
PUBLIC SCHOOL NIGHT AT FORD HALL
ls there any rooin forFollo:-ving what has come to be a custom
ertaining a belief in freedom of th
with us we will discuss next Sunday evennan will in the scientific realm?
ing,- the Sunday immediately preceding
• : Yes, I should say so.
our Boston city election, in the course of
i: Would men like Darwin, who b
which members are also chosen for the
red in the evolution of man from the
Sci1ool Committee--some of th·e outstandmals, b,, called irreligious'?
ing difficulties and defects in the adminis1..: No-Darwin was very religious at
tration of our schools. Miss iVIargaret Slat,rt.
tery, the well-known platform speaker,
i : Is not our theory of heaven a child'
will tell us what has been done in Fitchry? Ho-;v can we prove that we have
burg-and might be done here--by a libLls and animals have not ?
eral use of welfare teachers, and :.1:rs.
~: There is a universal hope for J:ieavSusan W. FitzGernld, a member of our
which would seem to prove that it
Citizens' Committee, will discuss "One
.sts. The common opinion of scientist
Fundamental Difficulty in :.1:aking Our
that belov.- ourselves there _is no self· Public Schools Successful."
1sciousness.
~: Isn't it true that, although science
d religion both: have mysteries, science WHAT AN ADVERTISING MAN THINKS
s been proving facts out of its mysteries
OF FORD HALL.
d religion has not ?
A: They have both been doing iL
DVERTISI);'G men have a keen
Q: What is your attitude toward Chris
sense of values. This is how our
meeting Sunday night impressed
.n Science ,
A: Extremely friendly.
I think" thei
the president of the Worcester PubeologY is bad, but they have evolved .~i licity Association:
t of ideas which enable them to live hap,
"I may as well say it frankly at the out.y with ethers.
·•
set. I wish every city might have its Ford
Q: If the feminist movement keeps o
Hall-a forum of the people where the big,
.11 you not soon have to refer to God a; broad, progressive thoughts of the day
,he" instead of " He" ?
·
• might be given free expression to those
i'
A : Not c.nly that-for there is reaso
mentally hungry, and there are countless
believe that the female principle :' thousands.
We progress by getting t o·eater than the male-but we_ shall ha,·e·J
·
gether for the honest interchange of ideas,
rs. Santa Claus in the bargain!
-,
not by se tting ourselves apart or gathering
Q: Do you believe that God predestin
into small groups and acquiring narrow·
and perhaps perver ted ideas of our probl events to occur ?
1ems.
A: I ::i.m not a fatalist. Predestinatio~I
~rsus free w ill is one of the. unsolv
"Three things impressed me strongly
·oblems of theology and philosophy.
about the nieeting· I attended. First-the
Q (Nliss :\1:organ ): What do you thi
many walks of life represented in the audiSir Oliver Lodge's statement th:
ence and the marked difference in ages
; ience will yet be abl.e to prove imroo
ranging from the venerable scholar to the
Youth of both sexes. Second-the close atLlity?
A: I don't see why it may not
tention with which every word of the
roved. The great fault of orthodox scien·
Sl)eaker was follo wed and the quick appre; its refusal to admit new facts when.
c iation of the finer points of his argument.
as once fo rmed its theory.
Third-the deep grasp of fundamentals
Q (M r . F,eeman): If religion grows o
:s3esse? by even some of the y• unger of
o
f the inevitable facts of hum.a n. life -w
- ~~udience as indicated by their quest
hould we no t have a human religion?
A: Yon would be amazed to know h?'
1
'lla~ t America is . the m elting pot of the
i.any ministers would like to do away "'
lnggons or ~he world, certa inly such meet:eremonies as necessaries .
'J)Tocegas this represent the actual fusing
Q (Same): If I wanted to
bito ~ of 5 t' attered. indiscriminate thought
hurch a ntl did not care to be
anent t e finer_ ~11 etal of individual developonld I do so ?
lolua 0 a nd citizensh ip generall y.
Vigor,
A:
I ,vonld let ·you .
~,nts ~; ~-~1~ _. Progr ess a re the three sol-
! (Mr. Bodfish):
A
1
1
3
DAGO AND SHEENY AND CHINK.
IS IT ALL "MOONSHINE"?
Not alone is Ford Hall in sending forth
thoughts of neighborliness.
At a recent
meeting of the Boston City Club, Dr. Francis Clark, the father of the Christian Endeavor movement, pleaded for greater appreciation of the worth of immigrants. His
tribute to the men and women who are enriching America with their wealth of physical and mental energy is one of the best
that has been offered to a Boston audience
in years. In addition to his own talk he
read Robert Haven Schauffllers "Scum o.f
the Earth," and t his poem by Bishop McIntyre :
/
Mr. Coleman's special article in the "Ford
Hall Folks·· for Nov. 30 is, it seems to me,
the result of a rather poor Politico-Economical method. He happens to know of one
large concern whose profit averages 3 ½ per
cent.
This leads him to think that the
same is apt to be the case with many-if
not all-business establishments.
All or
which is followed by t he inference that, 1!
knowledge of such and similar facts be
spread, a good deal of the " moonshine"
about the employee being robbed '-by the
employer would be done away with .
Now, friend Coleman's starting point is,
in my opinion, altogether wrong. This is
not the way to compute profits and ,vages.
A method of this kind has to be one-sided,
if only for the reason that it confines our ·
investigation to a given business enterprise,
and we inevitably overlook the fact that
members of given business concerns are
generally interested in other business enterprises, as ·well as in real estate, ba nks,
etc., all of which forms an endless chain
of profits a nd dividends. Such· things cannot be isolated ; you have to consider them
as constituting a complete and connected
unit and analyze them accordingly.
The way to do this is to compute th e entire amounr of wealth of any given nation ;
how muc-h of it is expended for running the
government, both local, state and na tio nal ;
how much remains and how it is distributed. This method, friend Coleman, would
lead you to altogether different conclusions;
as it did the greatest modern political economists, such as J. S. Mill, Karl Marx and
many others.
But this is not all. What about the
enormous amount of wealth which disappears in the form of waste? Much is done
now, or pro fessed to be done by efficiency
experts and others, to eliminate this . only
too pronounced evil. But what is commonly overlooked is the fact that that conattion is rendered necessary by the present
state of society-is. in solid fact, part of it.
Imagine :i. comparatively well-organized society, without unproductive labor, e very
human effort resulting into something really useful. and you imagine a society .i,ltogether different from the one prevailing at
present.
Now to co n clude: The endless chain of
profits and dividends. a s well as the enormous a mount of waste. consti tute but rorms
of surplus-value produced by hand and
brain ,vorke rs.
This hPin ,,- tho ~~~o .,.,~
Dago and Sheeny and Chink,
Greaser a nd Nigger and Jap,
The Devil invented these terms, I think,
To hurl at each hopeful chap
Who comes so -far o'er the foam
· To this la'i,.d of his heart's desire,
To rear his ~ ood. to build his home,
And to kindle his hearthstone fire.
While the eyes with joy are blurred,
Lo! we make the strong man shrink
And stab the soul with the hateful wordDago, and Sheeny, and Chink.
Dago and Sheeny and Ch·i nk,
These.' are the vipers that swarm
Up from the edge of Perdition's brink
To hurt, and dishearten, and harm.
0 shame! when their Roman forbears
walked
Where the first of the Caesars trod.
0 shame! when their Hebrew fathers
talked
With Moses and he with God.
These s warthy sons of Japhet ·and Shem
Gave the goblet of Life's sweet drink
To the thirsty world, which now gives them
Dago, and Sheeny, and Chink. ·
BECAUSE OF A
DIFFERENCE OF -UNIFORM .
In F ord Hall are represen tatives of many
parties and creeds. To t hem let us say
with Carl yle:
Are not all true men that Jive. or that
ever Jived, soldiers of the same army, enlisted under Hea ven's captaincy, to do battle against the same a rmy-,-the empire of
Darkness a nd Wrong? ·wh y s hould we misknow one another. fight not ai;ainst the
enemy but against ourselves, from mere
di fference of uniform?
I must a lways remember that whe n I
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fr ee will is one of the unsolved
s of theology a nd philosophy.
iss :\1organ ): W hat do you thint
! Oliver Lodge·,s · statement tha
i--will yet 'be abl.e · to prove immor.
I
don 't s ee v;"l1;- · it may not b
:The great fault of orthodox scienc
efusat to admit . new facts when i
~ formed its theory.
Freeman) : If religion grows OU
in evitable facts of human Ufe wh,
;,;e noi have a human religion?
·
tou would be amazed to know ho
linis ters would like to do away wit
h es as necessaries.
tm e) : If I wanted to join yo
:and did not care to be immerse
ldo so?
l would let you.
I
•
)o you not know that hundreds o
:
l.ve been religious . in the deepe
rn t never have experienced conn
r.
l
.
\ never said . that a man could not b
unless he had experienced co
s
I
~ Other Meetings
il 0f Social Science, Lorimer Ha
!, Jan. 5, at 7.30 P . M., East Si 1
(Monologues) , by Mary Agnes Bes
ngs of the People, by Mrs. Bert'
~ Child . 1 Oc.
1y cc.'mmons, Huntington Chambe
unday, Jan. 11, at 3.30 P . M.
t Fleischer, leader.
c Library, Thursday, Jan. 8, at
.Picturesque N uremberg, by Mart
'hannon . Sunday, Jan. 11, at 3.30
:i Sistine Chapel, by Harriette H
nslov:.
11 ln$titute, Hunt4J.gton. Hall, :Mo
ri . 5, at 5 P. M., America and Fran
tact in the Past, by Fernand B
:ger.
Monday, Jan. 5, and Tl1U
n. 8. at S P. M .. The Man behind t
,y Graham Wallas.
a 11u
1, ..... . .. u ,• -'
.. - -
·
1ems.
"Three thin;s jmpressed me _ ron gl y
st
bout the ni eeting I attended . First-th e
~ :i.ny wa lks of life repres~nted in t)1e audi1
ence and t he marked differen ce rn ages
rano-in"' from the venerable scholar to th e
,·ou~h ~f both sexes. Second-the close attention with which every wor~ of the
speaker was follo wed and th e qmck apJ)reciation of the finer points of his argument.
Third-the deep grasp of fundamentals
J>05Sessed by even. so:ne of the yo~nger of
the audience as rnd1cated by their questions.
" If America is the melting pot of the
nations of the world, · cert ainly such meetings as this -represent the actual fusing
process of scatter ed, indiscriminate thought
into the finer metal of individual development and citizenship generally.
Vigor,
tolerance and progress are the three sol,ents of bigotry, ignorance and indifference--the mighty forces back of civilization v.hich should be given every opportunity for the biggest, the strongest and the
finest possible expression. By so much as
they receive such expression shall we ·gu
forward as individuals and as a nation, and
,. by so much as they are hindered shall our
growth
be
retarded-shall
civilizat ion
itself be obstructed in its courses.
"The address of Rev. Allyn K. Foster on
the Scientific Aspects of Religion, was not
only a most practical expression of his
abilities as a ·convincing s peaker and a deep
thinker, but his courage as a man in breaking away from the trammels which limit
.the work of many of his professional
brethren.
He quickly established the
point -of contact with his hearers a~ sent
home a ?1essage of toleran ce, sym ~y and
progressive thought generall y that is
ound to be an uplift to those who have
. reed themselves from the limitations they
,e xpect to find in others.
"Knowledge is power. May this forum of
he people continue to create that power
, ending it broadcast over the land brino-'.
ng _other peoples and other cities to' a realzat1on of the possibilities for self-developen t easily within their reach."
omists. su ch as J. S. ~!ill, Karl Marx and
man y others.
But this is not a ll. ·w hat abou t the
enormous amoun t of wealth whi ch d isappears in the form of waste ? Much is done
now, or pr ofessed to be done by effi ciency
experts and others, to eliminate this . only
too pronouI!ced evil. But what is commonly overlooked is the fact that that conallion is rendered necessary by the present
state of s cc iety-is, in solid fact, part of it.
Imagine a comparatively well-organized so ciety, without unproductive labor, every
human effort resulting into somethin g really useful. and you imagine a society altogether different from the one prevailing at
present.
Now to conclude: The endless chain of
profits a nd dividends, as well as the enormous amount of waste, constitute but rorms
of surplus-value produced by hand and
brain workers.
This being the case, the
former-profits and dividends-are s imply
received by peo ple who did not earn them.
I wouldn't us e the t erm " rob bed."
That's
a harsh word ; and firmness of purpose and
_
clearness of view don 't necessitate vulgar- /
ity of expression. "Unea rned possessions'>/
is just as good a term as any other and
in conformity with the rules of politeness
and amiability_ That's my name fo f it. But
what's in a name, after all? It's the thing,
and not the name, that counts. -··
H . S. VICTORSON.
With Moses a nd h e wi th God.
These s warthy sons of Japhet ·and Shem
Gave t he goblet of Life's swee t drink
To the thirsty world, which no w gives them
Dago, and Sheeny, and Chink.
BECAUSE OF A
DIFFERENCE OF -UNIFORM.
In Ford Hall are representa tives of many
parties and creeds. To them let us say
with Carl yle :
Are not all true men that live. or that
ever lived, soldiers of t h e same army, enlisted under Heaven 's captaincy_ to do battle against the same army-the empire of
Darkness and Wrong? Wh y should we misknow one ano ther, figh t not a~ainst the
enemy but against oursel ves, from mere
difference of uniform ?
I must always remember tha t when I
sneak to my neighbor I am conversing with
divinity.
Ford Hall Folks
is
Edit ed by Thomas Dreier.
UBLISHED weekly by the Ford
Hall Associates, whose work
is to create, assemble, and
'listribute ideas that will help
men and institutions grow more
helpful in serving society, and which
will promote " peace on earth, good
will toward men ." It is the official
publication of the Ford Hall Meetings, which are h eld, under the direction of George W. Coleman, every
Sundi1a GYening during- the months of
Octob~ to Ma~-. in Ford Hall, Ashburt on Place, Boston, Massachusetts.
All budness communications should
be sent to Miss l\Iar:v C. Crawford,
Treasurer Ford Building, Boston,
and all comm uni ~ations intended for
the editor to The Thomas Dreier Service, University Press, Cambridge,
Mass. Subscription Price: $1.50 for
26 numbers.
P
0
A man has traveled quite a distance
toward Wisdom when he is able to see that
his associates have quite as much right to
t heir opinion as h e has to his .
*
*
:,:
We get what we need when we need it.
Which is not the same as saying that we
get what we want when we want it.
ADVERTISING
A space of this size-one inch high and
two and one-half inches wide-can be had
for advertising purposes for one dollar per
issue. For information regarding advertising apply to Jacob London, Room 707, Ford
Tiui:ding, Boston, Mass.
I
i
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FORD HALL FOLKS
THE STORY OF MR. AND MRS. SULLIVAN.
:My 1-i
>f the 7;_
A
By Mary C .. Crawford.
-
~
)
Occasionally, even in these days, one
meets a
couple who seem perfectly
matched. When such a couple are no longer young people, !J.ave indeed grown children of whom they are justly proud. they
help the sceptical among us back to renewed faith in marriage as an institution.
But this is the story of Mr. and Mrs. John
J . Sullivan-not a dissertation on the Ethics of Marriage and Divorce. To Dr. Stanton H. Coit of London has been assigned
that topic in our Ford Hall schedule.
Mr. Sullivan is a gentle gray-haired man
with kindly blue eyes behind his gold-bow·e d
spectacles. His tastes are those of a scholar though he is no less enthusiastic over
the joys of raising stra wherries, peaches.
gooseberries and plums on the half acre or
land at his West ·Roxbury home than over
Thomas Buckle's " History of English Civ!lization," Spencerian philosophy and the rascinating literary style of our own John
l<~iske. Alfred Russel Wallace is another
of his book-friends, the optimistic note in
this man's work and the way in which he
reconciles religion and science particularly
recommending itself to one of Mr. Sullivan's temperament.
For John J . Sullivan is cne of our "incurably religious '' people; he declares indeed that it is the constant emphasis put at
Ford Hall on the spiritual side of life wt-ich
chiefly attracts him to our meetings.
A
Roman Catholic by birth ~nd training, he
had been wandering about for many years
outside the Church, searching everywhere
· for something he could not find until, on
tlie night when -Charles Sprague Smith gave
his wonderful talk on "The Brotc.·erhood of
Man''-back in our first season-he happentd in at Ford Hall and found a new
heave n a nd a new earth opening to his
hungry soul. Ever since he and his wife
ha,·e been among our most enthusiastic attendants. Mrs. Sullivan had never ceased
to be a good Catholic. Mr. Sullivan con · •--• "'~ ,~ nnw nretty nearly ready
LETTER FROM PANAMA.
what few white men seem to unde\tand
-that the land and the richness thereoi
belong to all God's children, and he who
would eat must work. In the tropical forest there is neither master nor servant,
capitalist nor prcletarian. No "class conflict" here to embitter the hearts of men.
In the jungle there is enough for all, and
contentment is the rule of life. Peace and,
good-will reign supreme in the junglelan
of the San Blas Indians.
MAURICE GERTLIN.
Dear Ford Hall Folks:
"Away down south in . the Torrid Zone.
North latitude nearly nine,
Where the eight months' pour once past
o'er,
The sun fou r months doth shine;
Where 'tis eighty-six the year around.
And people rarely agree,
Where the plantain grows and the hot wind
blows.
Lies the Land of the Cocoanut-Tree:•
Mr . Coleman has asked me to write you MARY ANTIN'S FATHER AT FORD HAL
a few lines about the i'ife in the Panama
The fine face of Israel Antin reveals ori. ,
Canal Zone, and I am very glad to have source of the strength of his gifted daug:
the opportunity to send you my greetings ter. He ha;; been an interested visitor
from this distant jungleland of the .:ropics. our meetings. " What do I think of Fo
The life of the Americans in the Canal Hall?" he repeated. "I come every tim• Zone differs so materially from that of the I can and urge my friends to come.
people in the "States" that one can easily
"There are so many fine th·ings abo,
imagine one's self living ·in an inctepenctent Ford Hall that I cannot tell them all. B
,
nation of vastly different interests and pur- one thing impresses me every · time I com<
suits. For all practical purposes the gov- Jews, Italians. Greeks. Americans. men
ernment 01' the Canal Zone is indeed inde- every country and of every economic
pendent of the United States, it having a religious creed enter the hall but lea
e;hief executive,-the Governor of the Canal their peculiar a ngles of vision-at least
Zone,-a judiciary, public school system, sharp points-at · the • door. The moD
fire and police departments. a penal insti- they settle in their seats, they are sim
tution. an independent postal service, etc .. Ford Hall Folks , earnest seekers after·:f
and a subsistence department, which em- truth, of course with t heir own convicti
braces .the Canal Commission hotels and but toleranc each of the other's faith·."
Commissary, the latter supplying the Canal
workers with food and general supplies at
THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION .
prices slightly above the figures at which
"Labor," wrote Henry Demarest·Lloy!U
the government secures it. It would be of ·
1
particular interest to our co-operative socie- · the universal religion, but no less religi
ties and other organizations, looking to tc.:e are the daily recurring hours of dru~
reduction of the high cost of living in the and routine." vVe are religious "in our
joy z.nd in our great grief. in our sple
United States, to find how efficientl:Y the
job of feeding over 35,000 people, represent- successes and in our heart-brealdng· fail
ing about 40 nationalities, is performed by Wherever man aspires to something ·.
and higher and richer, there -is true rel!
Uncle Sam.
I
In the Zcne there is no place for the priThere was once a bo_v in a print-shoP
vate · dealer, hence. the unscrupulousness
so common in the business world, is here used to pretend that he was the superiD
b
unknown. The Isthmian Canal Commission ent. Whenever he did a - it of work.
supplies all necessary things to its em- was only to clean the rollers on tbe
employees with no lust fo r profits. a nd there he did it as he imagined he would
seems to be no clamor on the part of the done if he were superintendent. He
neople for the ·' blessings of competition.'' superintendent.
•
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:able " · ·
You
·a nd
-remf
recommending itself to uu., ..,, __ _
_
van·s temperament.
For John J. Sullivan is _ ne of our "inc
curably religious" people; he declares indeed that it is the constant emphasis put at
Ford Hall on the spiritual side of life wl:-ich
chiefly attracts him to our meetings.A
Roman Catholic by birth and training, he
had been wandering about for many years
outside the Church, searching everywhere
for something he could not find un ti!, on
the night when Charles Sprague Smith gave
his wonderful talk on "The Brott·erhood of
Man"-back in our first season-he happentd in at Ford Hall and found a new
heaven and a new earth opening to his
hungry soul. Ever since he and his wife
have been among our most enthusiastic ate
tendants. Mrs. Sullivan had never ceased
to be a good Catholic. Mr. Sullivan confesses that he is now pretty nearly ready
to return io the Church of his fathers.
Through Radicalism and Revolt he has
come back, with our help, to Religion.
The Sullivans have four boys. The old·est of the ,four, now tv.lenty-five, his father
whimsically pronounces a "sad reactionary." Graduated from the High School at
the early age of twelve, this lad was sent
by his father, at considerable sacrifice, to
Bowdoin College.
There, however, ne
worked very hard and so was ab7e to complete his four years' course with honors in
three years. Young Sullivan, now twentyfive. is doing exceedingly well for himself
. in the world-so well that he thinks there
·is no reason every other youth may not attain just as great success as he has done.
Those of us who are older and can see
fart.her feel that his contention might be
sust_ ined-if all th·e other young fellows
a
,.-. had been blessed with parents like his:
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•. Xat- re has a way of giving to each of us
u
the thing we need most for our development.
The wise physician doesn't always prescribe
sweet-tasting medicine.
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or charwritten:
to · touch
Him and
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It is well to efiiect much of :iour fjjends,
·but not too · mu·ch. Do not ask -tli.e ·lf.unch·back to stand upright, and do · nof'.· too
;harshly condemn the fish which for reasons
.of i,t s own refuses to fly.
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acter is one of whom it may be
"And all the multitude sought
Him ; for power. came ·Jorth from
:healed them all:'. .r
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braces the Gau.,_, ~ -Commissary, the latter supplying tut: ~-- workers with food and general supplies at
THE UNrv"-,.~· .
prices slighily above the figures at which
"Labor," wrote Henry Demarest Llovct
the government secures it. It would be of
particular interest to our co-operative socie- the universal religion, but no less reii ""i
ties and other organizations, looking to tt·e are the daily recurring hours of dru(!,
and routine." \Ve are religious ·1n our 1
reduction of the high cost of living in the
joy and in our great grief. in our splen
United States, to find how efficiently the
job of feeding over 35,000 people, represent- successes and in our heart-breaking failu
ing about 40 nationalities, is performed by Wherever man aspires to something
and higher and richer, there -is true reJi~
Uncle Sam.
In the Zcne there is no place for the priThere was once a bo~• in a print-shop
vate · dealer, hence, the unscrupulousness
so common in the business world, is here used to pretend that he was the superint
b
unknown. The Isthmian Canal Commission · ent. Whenever he did a - it of work
supplies all necessary things to its em- was only to clean the rollers on the 'P
employees with no lust for profits, and- there he did it as he imagined he would wa
seems to be no clamor on the part of the done if he were superintendent. He be
people for the •'blessings of competition," superintendent.
as enjoyed in the "States."
\Vith a wage scale considerably higher
than that which prevails elsewhere, living
Friends Who Are Co~ning
quarters furnished free of rent, food and fl
I
clothing supplied at moderate cost, entertainments and social diversion furnished by
Jan. ll-Sy1nposiu1n, "What Is the,.
the government, the Canal Zone worker is With Our Public Schools?" Miss Mar:
comparatively free from the economic pres- Slattery of Fitchburg and others to b
sure which bears so heavily on his breth- nounced.
ren in the " States." Here no fashion creJan. 18-Bishop Charles Williams of
ators or advertising spellbinders hold sway igan, "Why I Work for the Single Tax,
to stimulate an ·artificial desire for needJan. 25-Dr. Albion Woodbury S
less things, and so folks are not concerned Chicago University.
with being "in style," but dress in conFeb. 1-Alexander Irvine of New Yo
formity ,vith comfort and unrestricted perFeb. 8-Prof. Edward A. Steiner,
Inter-National Mind and the Intersonal taste.
Close by, in the solitude of the brooding Heart."
Feb. 15-Syniposium, "Breeding
jungle, dwells a ·primitive people, living the
daily life in all ancient simplicity-San Blas Speakers to be announced.
Feb. 22-Charles Brandon Booth,
Indians they are called. In their huts of
bamboo and thatch they have dozed away -Case for the Prisoner."
March 1-Leslie Willis Sprague ofl
these many centuries, neither knowing nor
seemingly caring to know of the great ca.go.
March 8-Sy1nposiu1n, on "Journ
work of the big ditch just beyond, nor, yet
again, of the bus,· world of education, poli- A. J . Philpott of the Boston Globe and
tics and business that throbs all around to be announced.
March 15-Rev. Harry Ward, "The
them. Not a sound do they hear. Of the
white man 's life of toil and anxiety they lenge of Socialism to Christianity."
March 22-Rev. Frank O. Hall or
know nothing, for the river has its fish, the
\
jungle, iguanas, wild pigs and birds, the York, "The Moral Law."
March 29-John Cowper Powys o
garden patch, yams. papaya, bananas, man. goes and other fruit. A few pieces of linen land, "The Economic Aspects of
_'
and calico supply sufficient clothing, for Suffrage."
April 5-Mary Church Terrell, ,
summer-. is perpetual and the climate never
Sam and the Sons of Ham."
·-,changes; No landlord has been enthroned
April 12-Dr. Thomas C. Hall o
··.:to exac( tribute from all who would have York.
·. :access to· the land, and they appear to know
April 19-Prof. Walter
g;
·', _ E.~• Grimes Comp~ny, Printers. ~ ~
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A
VOLl.i :\1E
II
r
·1
CX)
MAGAZINE OF NEIGHBORLINESS
NUMBER 11
JANUARY 4, 1914
PRICE FIVE CENTS
CAN RELIGION BE MADE SCIENTIFIC?*
. By ALLYN K. FOSTER
NE "r-eat cause of all our evils is a
mis~nderstanding of each 0ther.
Th~ Mirtennium will come when
· me!l have patience enough _o try to
t
understand each other's point of view. (Ap11lause.)
.
.
h' d.
r do not wish for a moment m t 1s 1scussion
to
come to you
under
false
pretences.
I
am not a specialist,
even
in the field of
theology.
I
did not come
from the study'
to
make
a
speech to you,
but as a plain
man with a
fair education,
with · enough
ability in one
line to keep a
position
for
!our .rears in Worcester. (Laughter.\ But
l have a very .profound and unshakable
faith in a few things, and what I am going
to say to ::ou tonight is fundamental and
: entra; with· me. If I can only hope to say
e
It as I feel and think it, I -know it will be
! some use to you.
I believe that religion can be made scienltlc. I do not come as the representative
any Particular form of religion.
I do
come as an apologist for the Christian
1th as such : I am speaking in larger
11
I ".lo not come to discuss the specmatter of revelation. or to defend reon on a baRis of miracle. If eYery mir:fe declared to be true were proved to be
true. I maintain that from a purely scien'.' st.anupoint reliaion would not be inlidated in a large "'way.
Tben \\·hat am I aoina to do·? I do not
o_. th:n J ,h ,, 11 ..,. -~-- . ~
0
as a warfare between sciences. But there
is denominationalism in science just as in
religion,-carried on,· by people who can't
get high enough to climb over the fence
and see what the other fellow's doing. (Applause.)
Theory has an important place
in science ; it is not invalid.
You can' t
have a science unless you have a tiiBory
first. When science has generalized from
its facts it must stand upon them and draw
a conclusion. Exactly the same thing is
true of religion.
But religion is one thing, and theology is
another. If there is anything in the universe whici1 makes it possible that a power
not ourselves acts upon us, then · that power is there and we know it is there. You
may have a theory about it that is wholly
wron-g. ~o one can attack your facts, but
only your theory. All religions have given
to the human race, in some form or other,
in the course of their development, something that issued from the life of the person who told of it. We may reject their
theories, just as we do alchemism or astrology, but the facts remain, and when a
man believes in any religion there are certain things of which he is obliged to sa y,
"I know this thing is true, and it has
helped me in my life." Nine-tenths of the
skepticism of so-called Christian people
arises from the confusion of religion and
theology. And what is religion ? Religion
is an interpretation of reality ; it has to do
with things as they are.
That is big
enough to cover any religion that produces
upon the hearts of men any reaction wt.atsoe,•er.
There are three fundamental things in
every science.
1. Mystery-the ultimate
question beyond a ll facts-out of which de. velop those facts. You are out of date if
you say, ''I hope to see ever ything." There
are mysteries also in religion, but shall we
do a way with the reactions in religion beca use they come from an impenetrable
that it is creative, single, eternal .ana intelligent. ·why not call that a God? Second, there i,; personality, the question of a
personal Goe:. The Life F.orce has created .
that thing wh-ich differentiates us from
every other living thing, namely, our personality, which is composed· of self-consciousness and self-determination or will.
How can it create something greater than
itself-for out of nothing, nothing comes '?
Third, there is communion between God
and man. There are two departments to
our thinkin;; faculty, conscious and subconscious.
Much of our action is reflex.
If 90 % of the processes of my body and
my mind are working for me asleep or
awake, it isn't hard to believe that that
power working within us is a beneficent
God above us. Fourth·, there is immortality. Shall we live beyond death? I can't
prove that-I must leave it to your hearts.
But if the Life Force was strong enough
to interpose between pure force and matter. and between the highest animal and
man. I guess I will trust that personal God
to bridge over the chasm of death-" even
as ye are called , with one hop~ of your
calling."
NOTHING THIS WEEK FROM
COLEMAN.
MR.
I,
f
1
!
:.I\I
_
.,I
Owing to the great amount of left-over mat erial we had on hand. Mr. Coleman was
good enough to give up his department this
week and let us use his space for other
things. Next week we shall hear from our.
leader again.
IDEALISM
AND
PRACTICAL
EFFICIENCY.
"The state cannot
a ge man can take
Theodore Roosevelt
American speeches;
prosper unless the
•\..,-.►
;....,
-,,-1,-litinr,
tn
prosper unless the avercare of himself," said
in one of his South
"and neither can it
average man realizes
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,;
"
with
enough
ability in one
line to keep a
position
for
four years in Worcester. (Laughter.) But
1 have a very profound and unshakable
faith in a few things, and what I am going
to say to you tonight is fundamental and
central with· me. If I can q_nly hope to say
it as I feel and think it, I know it will be
of some use to you.
J believe that religion can be made scientific. I do not come as the representative
of any" particular form of religion.
I do
not come as an apologist for the Christian
faith as such; I am speaking in larger
terms. I do not come to discuss the special matter of revelation, or to defend religion on a basis of miracle. If eYery miracle declared to be true were proved to be
untrue, I maintain that from a purely scienti[:" standpoint religion would .not be invalidated in a large way.
Tl)en what am I going to do? I do not
know that I shall prove to the entire satisfaction of anybody a single statement I
shall make. I do not know that I can take
any r ,ligiom, creed and prove that every
bit of. it, be~~nni1:g to end. is _
demonstrable
as a propos1t10n m geometry 1s demonstrable. All I am attempting to do is to enable
you to look upon the laws and phenomena
of religion a!' w e do uoon those of science.
If, in ott·e r· words, religion can be seen to
be as reasonable. as yielding to cause ana
effect, as other things are. with the same
~imitations that other sciences have, that
1s the utmost I hope to prove. If you say
to yourselves, "There is nothing essentialJy unreasonable about religion in its
relations to man." then I can leave it to
you to work out the .d etails for yourselves.
Now, what is a science? In my boyhood.
religion and science were assumed to be
at war with eich 'other. _ But the so-called
hostility ·9,(;t'lveen them is _over ; . the last
imn ha_
s--'been fired.
A science 1s an or1erly statement of the facts, and the natural conclusions from tho~e facts. in ~ny
field of knowledge. There 1s no such thmg
1
. , -_, ." ~·• ~-. - .:. . ....- .·--.
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,,
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•The spPePhPs and the Questions :rnd answers
""J'lorterl h :,- '.\Iiriam AllPn de Ford .
'~~tf;i:
t11111g tnat 1ssuea rrom i:.n e 111e 0 1 ui e verson · who. t old of it. We ma:y reje ct their
theories, just as we do alchemism or ast rology, but the facts remain, and when a
man believe5 in any :religion there are certain things of which he is obliged to say,
"I know this thing is true, and it has
helped me in my life." Nine-tenths of the
skepticism of so-called Christian people
arises from the confusion of religion and
theology. And what is religion? Religion
is an interpretati_ n of reality ; it has to do
o
with things as they are.
That is big
enough to cover any religion that produces
upon the hearts of men an;y reaction wLatsoever.
There are three fundamental things in
every science.
1. Mystery-the ultimate
question beyond all facts-out of which develop those facts. You are out of date if
you say, "I hope to see everything." There
are mysteries also in religion, but shall we
do away with the reactions in religion because they come from an impenetrable
mystery?
2. The fact, the phenomenon.
When I was a student at Jol:·ns Hopkins
we were tcld that everything was reduced
to a materialistic mechanism.
Now we
are beginning to study the mind, and the
facts of the mind that never issue in materialism. There are facts besides the ponderable fa cts ; there are psychological laboratories in which they are beginning to
t a bulate religious experiences. 3. Theorythe attempt to account for the fact.
The
prevalent theory now is evolution, but before it th·ere were others. Much of science
has become orthodox and circumscribed .
There is no warfare between science and
religion, but there will always be warfare
between the theorists in science and religion.
If science deals with these three things,
so with equal truth does religion.
There
are the mysteries about religion you and I
cannot grasp; there are facts of religion:
and there is the theory held by this creed
or ili€ other. v'\That are the data of religion? First, there is the fact of God. You
can't prove mathematically that God exists,
and yet pet1 ple keep on thinking that He
does. What do we know about the Life
Force that is behind everything? V'le know
to nnerpo se between pure rorce a na matt er. a nd be tween the highest animal and
man. I g ue ss I will trust that persona l God
t o bridge over th e chasm of death-"even
as ye a re called, ,vith one hope of your
calling. "
NOTHING THIS WEEK FROM
COLEMAN.
MR.
Owing to the great amount of left-over mat erial we had on hand , Mr. Coleman was
good enough to give up his department this
week and let us use his space for other
things. Next week ·we shall hear from our
leader again.
IDEALISM
AND
PRACTICAL
EFFICIENCY.
"The state cannot prosper unless the averag.e man can take care of himself," said
Theodore Roosevelt in one of his South
American speeches; " and neither can it
prosper unless the average man realizes
that, in addition to taking care of himsel!,
·b e must work with his fellows, with good
sense and honesty and practical acknowl_
_
edgment of obligation to the community as (
a whole, for the things that are vital to the
interests of the commuJlli.ty as a whole.
There must ·be idealism ; and there must also
be practical efficiency, or the idealism w111
be wasted. We need sound bodies, we need
~
sound minds in our bodies ; but more
-than either mind or - ody is characterb
character, into which many elements enter,
but three above all others--couq.ge, honesty
and common sense. If the ordinary men
and women of the republic have character,
the future of the republic is assured; and it
in its citizenship rugged strength and fealty
to the common welfare are lacking, then no
brilliancy of intellect and no piled-up material prosperity will avail to save the nation
from destrue;tion."
The fate of all the institutions rests upon
the brains and - odies of the babies of the
b
world . .- ,Upon the inheritance given to one
child by a man and woman may rest the
dest,i,ny of a nation. From the brain of one
of these children of men mav spring a faith
that will bathe in gore or glory the entire
globe.
~-
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up my· -:_ n / '"
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FORD HALL FOLKS
Yes, and so they did chemistry.
PUBLIC
Q (Mr. Bodfish): Is there any rooii.1 forentertaining a belief in freedom of theFollo:w:
human will in the scientific realm?
with us
A : Yes, i should say so.
ing,-the
Q: vVould men like Darwin, who beour Bost
Q: If you as a Baptist believe in the
lieved in the evolution of man from theQ: Science says the world goes round
which m
Bible as a revelation of God, how could any
,
the sun and the Bible says the reverse. animals, b.~ called irreligious?
School C
scientific truths affect your religion?
A: No-Darwin was very religious at
What about that?
ing diflicheart.
A: There are two ways of making a
A : The Bible tells the truth as it saw
tration 0 1
statement-with accurate scientific truth: it.
Q: Is not our theory of heaven a ·c hild's.
tery, the
and in terms of the knowledge of the
story? Ho-;v can we prove that we have
Q: What psychological tests can deterwill tell
speaker. The Bible is a veracious book,
mine the amount or quality of religious souls and animals have not·?
burg-ari.1
in the sense that it tells what the people feeling me::i have?
A: There is a universal hope for heav:
era! use
saw and believed honestly, even if they
en which would seem to prove that it
A: One is a questionnaire on prayer,
Susan W
were wrong.
which has been tabulated and correlated exists. The common opinion of scientists.
Citizens'
Q: Do you not think the study of geolis that below ourselves there _is no selfand conclusions made from it.
Fundame1
ogy in the high schools would influence
Q: Isn't there a fair answer to every consciousness.
Public Sc
young minds against the teaching of the honest question somewhere, whether it be
Q: Isn't it true that, although science
Old Testament?
and religion both: have mysteries, science
sacrilegious or not?
WHAT A
A: Yes, unless you had a sensible
has been proving facts out of its mysterie
A: Absolutely.
and religion has not ?
teacher.
Q : Science in time can work out of its
Q: Is every man's religion scientific?
A: They have both been
mysteries ; can religion ever do so?
DVJ
A: So far as it deals with actual realQ: What is your attitude
A: Science never has, so far.
Se!
tian Science?
ities.
Q: What is your personal opinion of
IDE
Q: If you subtract theology from religA: Extremely friendly.
reincarnation?
thi
ion, what is left? Does not religion merely
theology is bad. but they have evolved f
A: It is not unthinkable to me, but I
licity Assi
assume its mysteries to be facts?
set of ideas which enable them to live haP:"
cannot say definitively.
"I may .
A: No, there are actual religious phepily with ethers.
Q: From a religious standpoint, would
set. I Wi!
nomena-conversion, for instance.
Q: If the feminist movement keeps on.
thought . and belief be synonymous in conHall-a fc
Q: Has not religion been the greatest
will you not soon have to refer to God
trolling the religious consciousness?
broad, pr
obstacle in blocking humanity in its pathA: I should not say they were synony- "She" instead of "He" ?
might be •
way toward progress?
A : No t c.nJy that-for th ere is reason
mous.
mentally !
A: Religion never has, but theology
to believe that the female principle -~
Q: How could a belief in a personal
thousands.
has.
God- be a good example to us when the greater t han the male-but we shall ha,·e
gether for:
Q (Same): Has not the light of the
Mrs. Santa Claus in the bargain!
deity doesn 't show that personality in His
not by set
twentieth century eclipsed religion?
Q: Do y e,u believe that God predestin
dealings - wit.h society?
Into smai
A: I need only instance Herbert Spen· A: I think in some cases He does-the all events to occur?
and perha
cer, who was at heart deeply religious, and world is better now than it was a hundred
A: I am not a fatalist.
.
1ems.
men like Si, Oliver Lodge.
versus free will is one of the unsolved
years ago.
"Three
Q (Mr. Victorson) : Science is necesproblems of theology and philosophy.
Q: What do you think of a religion that
about the
sarily analytical. Religion defies analysis;
Q (Miss :.Worgan): What do you thi
will not allow science to be applied to it?
m:inJ· Wal
it is wholly synthetic.
Whv trv to make
of Sir Oliver Lodge·s statement th'.
A : I think - it will shrivel up and die.
ence and
religion scientific, or science . religious?
science will yet be a ble to prove immo
Q: Could it be proved scientifically that
\Vhy not leave each to its own field ? (Ap- the world was created in seven days?
tality?
plause.)
!: '
A: I don·t s ee why it may not
(Laughter.)
tenuon
A: Religion and science do not occupy
proved. The great fault of orthodox scien
A: It is my humble opinion it could not.
IIJ>eaker w·
different spheres. Besides, science is synis its refusat to admit new facts when
Q: How can people accept from miniscfa Uon or
thetic as well as analytical and religio:a t ers as scientific facts their views about has once formed its theory.
Third-th
analytical as well as synthetic.
Q (M'.. Fi_-eeman): If religion gr?ws ?~ Jlosses."ed
the invisible world when they have not
Q: How " ·ould you distinguish between
demonstrated their capacity to investigate of th·e ine vitab le facts of human life "
1· - , l •• • , "",1
c:: niri t?
the
.leJ
should we !lOt ha ve a human religion ?
we visible \VOrld? ( Applause.)
lions.aud
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A: Yon "·ould be ama zed to know
vlr Am'
_ - ,. . ..,.,,,:• ,;,.·i
,
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)Iv r:}J
of the {v.
pire. :·-:, ,
half YE.,:;::~ 1
I acqui \ -7 ·.
cal infc ;,/,
,of Gerl!'(,.·,.
teacher }-;:1.'·
:Struct •;;·:;:
this co{··t• I
-departi ?.);;
tion tci;;·'" · if
noble,
': . _cs•
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.
. ,,_. .'··
--
i,_
THE QUESTIONS
A
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A: Religion never has, but tlleoiu,,.,.
"<·
God be a good ex.ample tu u" .. ... .
has.
deity doesn 't show that personalit~· in His
Q (Same): Has not the light of the
dealings with society?
twentieth century eclipsed religion?
A: I thin}~ in scime cases He does-the
A: I need only instance Herbert Spen·
cer, who was at heart deeply religious, and world is better now th:m it was a hundred
years ago .
men like Si. Oliver Lodge.
Q: What do you think of a religion that
Q (Mr. Victorson): Science is neces·
sarily analytical. Religion defies analysis ; will not allow science to be applied to it?
A: I think - it will shrivel up and die.
it is wholly synthetic.
Why try to make
Q: Co uld it be proved scientifically that
religion scientific, or science religious?
VVhy not leave each to its own field? (Ap- the world was created in seven days?
(Laughter.)
plause.)
A: It is my bumble opinion it could not.
A: Religion and science do not occupy
Q: How can people accept from minisdifferent spheres. Besides, science is synthetic as ,veil as analytical and religion ters as scientific facts their views about
the invisible world when they have not
analytical a.s well as synthetic.
Q : ·How would you distinguish between
demonstrated their capacity to investigate
body and spirit?
th·e visible world ? (Applause.)
A: I never raised an acre of wheat in
A: That is hardly in my field, but I can
only say that when I am dead I am a very my life, and I eat bread every day.
Q: Does God, as the Life Force, de·
different person from what I was when .
mand ritual by threat of damnation?
I was alive.
Q : If there is a personal God, is not a
A: I do not believe any faith bas the
right to force any ceremonies on a man
petitionary prayer sinful?
A: No, we have not yet found out fully
who doesn.'t believe in them. (Applause.)
Q: When will man evolve to a plane
how far God communes with us.
Q: Why is it that the more society ad:where God's precepts can be obeyed withvances, the more it exempts itself from re· out dogmatic theory?
A: Dogma is only wrong when it is viligion?
A: A hundred years ago France abol- tiated.
.. ished God; now it has gone back to Him .
Q (Mrs. Hoffman): What do you think
There is never objection to religion, but to of two Christian nations arming themthe organized expression /Jf religion.
selves and hiring chaplains to shoot each
. Q: What do you think of Paine's "Age
other down with prayer?
A: I think they both ought to be
of Reason"?
A: I haven't read it for so many years
ashamed of themselves.
Q (Mr. Hogan) : If God isn't scientific .
that I shouldn't like to answer offhand.
Q : If religion is scientific, then oughtn't enough to prove His own existence, do you
we to say that people are becoming unsci- think a human being can do it? It is the
entific, because they are going away from demonstration of facts by proportion that
makes science. Can you do that with God?
religion?
A : No true scientist can afford not at
A: God has demonstrated Himself by
producing men with His qualities-Lincoln,
least to examine religion.
Mazzini, .Tesus.
Q: If GoC: is personal, and the sum of
all the virtues, why did He create the kind
Q: May each· ·person trust his own conof world we have?
·_:
clusions from the facts of religio·n, and
A: God isn't tbrough,;-with· us yet. Be- would it not be advisable to give children
sides, the primary entity is· our spirit, and instruction in the facts and let them
it is beyond question that much of our so- choose· their own religion when they are
called adve;-sity tries and proves th.e spirit. grown? ·
Q: Vi7ill your explain your position on
A: You would have to be verv careful
the human paternity ·of Jesus ?
about acquiring your facts.
·
A: I said I wasn't going to be examined
Q: Did ·they not in the olden days atfor my • ordination. (Laughter.) That is tribute all unknown things, like thunderone of the open questions in my mind.
storms, to God?
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Q: Do ye,u believe that Liou vn,u"~--.. ~~
all e,·ents to occur?
llU~
......
into sma lt i::-ron1
nod perhaps pen
kms.
··Three thin~s
about the nieetin
man, walks of liJ
eore· and the m
ranging from the
,outh of both se~
tentlon with wl
speaker was follc
c-1.aUon of the fin
Th.lrd-the deep
possessed b~· eve:
the audience as
A : I am no t a fatalis t . Predestinatio
versus free will is one of the unso lv"
problems of theology an d philosophy.
Q (Miss :\1organ): What do you thin
of Sir Oliver Lo-dge·s statement tha
science will ~
·et be able to prove immo1,
tality?
A: I don' t see why it may not b
proved . The great fault of orthodox sciene
is its r efusal to admit new facts when ·
has once formed its theory.
Q (Mr. Freeman) : If religion grows o
of the inevitable facts of human life 'll'h
should we not have a human religion?
A: You would be amazed to know ho tlons.
. many minis1.ers would like to do away wi
"If America i,
ceremonies as necessaries.
nations of the "
Q (Same): If I wanted to
lngs as this re:
church and did not care to be
process of scatre1
could I do so? ·
into the finer m
A: I would let you.
ment an d citiz
tolerance and pi
Q : Do you not know that hundreds
men have been religious . in the deep ,ents of bigotr:
sense, but never have experienced come en re-the might
tion v:hich shou ·
sion?
nlty !or the big;
A: I never said that a man could not
religious ur.less he had experienced co finest possible e:
they receive sue
version.
forward as indiv
by so much as t
growth
be
n
Other Meetings
itself be obstruc
·'The address ,
School 0f Social Science, Lorimer H
:\'Ionday, Jan. 5. at 7.30 P . M., East Si the Scientific Ai
Types (Monologues). by Mary Agnes Bes only a most p
and Songs of the People, by Mrs. Ber abilities as a ·cor
thinker, but his
Cushing Child. 10c.
Sunday Cc.'mmons, Huntington Chambe Ing away from
be work
Hall, Sunda~·. -.Tan. 11, at 3.30 P . M.
brethren.
H
Charles Fleischer, leader.
J>Oint of conta t
Public Library, Thursday, Jan. 8,
ome a me!>sage
P . M. Picturesque Nuremberg, by Mar .Progressive the
A. S. Shannon . Sunday, .Tan. 11 , at 3.30 'bound to be an
M., The Sistine Chapel, by Harriette H treed themselvei
sey Winslo,,,.
xpect to find i
Lowell Im,titute, Huntingt_on. Hall, :If
"Knowle dge i::;
day, Jan . 5, at 5 P. M., America and Fran he people cont
in Contact in the Past, by Fernand B !'ending it broa
densperger.
Monday, Jan. 5, and Thu ng other people
day, Jan. 8. at. 8 P. M .. The ·rvran behind lzation of the r
Vote, by Graham Wallas.
ent easily wit:
ofi
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I
FORD HALL FOLKS
Yes, and so they did chemistry.
PUBLIC SCHOOL NIGHT AT FORD HALL
ls there any rooin forFollo:-ving what has come to be a custom
ertaining a belief in freedom of th
with us we will discuss next Sunday evennan will in the scientific realm?
ing,- the Sunday immediately preceding
• : Yes, I should say so.
our Boston city election, in the course of
i: Would men like Darwin, who b
which members are also chosen for the
red in the evolution of man from the
Sci1ool Committee--some of th·e outstandmals, b,, called irreligious'?
ing difficulties and defects in the adminis1..: No-Darwin was very religious at
tration of our schools. Miss iVIargaret Slat,rt.
tery, the well-known platform speaker,
i : Is not our theory of heaven a child'
will tell us what has been done in Fitchry? Ho-;v can we prove that we have
burg-and might be done here--by a libLls and animals have not ?
eral use of welfare teachers, and :.1:rs.
~: There is a universal hope for J:ieavSusan W. FitzGernld, a member of our
which would seem to prove that it
Citizens' Committee, will discuss "One
.sts. The common opinion of scientist
Fundamental Difficulty in :.1:aking Our
that belov.- ourselves there _is no self· Public Schools Successful."
1sciousness.
~: Isn't it true that, although science
d religion both: have mysteries, science WHAT AN ADVERTISING MAN THINKS
s been proving facts out of its mysteries
OF FORD HALL.
d religion has not ?
A: They have both been doing iL
DVERTISI);'G men have a keen
Q: What is your attitude toward Chris
sense of values. This is how our
meeting Sunday night impressed
.n Science ,
A: Extremely friendly.
I think" thei
the president of the Worcester PubeologY is bad, but they have evolved .~i licity Association:
t of ideas which enable them to live hap,
"I may as well say it frankly at the out.y with ethers.
·•
set. I wish every city might have its Ford
Q: If the feminist movement keeps o
Hall-a forum of the people where the big,
.11 you not soon have to refer to God a; broad, progressive thoughts of the day
,he" instead of " He" ?
·
• might be given free expression to those
i'
A : Not c.nly that-for there is reaso
mentally hungry, and there are countless
believe that the female principle :' thousands.
We progress by getting t o·eater than the male-but we_ shall ha,·e·J
·
gether for the honest interchange of ideas,
rs. Santa Claus in the bargain!
-,
not by se tting ourselves apart or gathering
Q: Do you believe that God predestin
into small groups and acquiring narrow·
and perhaps perver ted ideas of our probl events to occur ?
1ems.
A: I ::i.m not a fatalist. Predestinatio~I
~rsus free w ill is one of the. unsolv
"Three things impressed me strongly
·oblems of theology and philosophy.
about the nieeting· I attended. First-the
Q (Nliss :\1:organ ): What do you thi
many walks of life represented in the audiSir Oliver Lodge's statement th:
ence and the marked difference in ages
; ience will yet be abl.e to prove imroo
ranging from the venerable scholar to the
Youth of both sexes. Second-the close atLlity?
A: I don't see why it may not
tention with which every word of the
roved. The great fault of orthodox scien·
Sl)eaker was follo wed and the quick appre; its refusal to admit new facts when.
c iation of the finer points of his argument.
as once fo rmed its theory.
Third-the deep grasp of fundamentals
Q (M r . F,eeman): If religion grows o
:s3esse? by even some of the y• unger of
o
f the inevitable facts of hum.a n. life -w
- ~~udience as indicated by their quest
hould we no t have a human religion?
A: Yon would be amazed to know h?'
1
'lla~ t America is . the m elting pot of the
i.any ministers would like to do away "'
lnggons or ~he world, certa inly such meet:eremonies as necessaries .
'J)Tocegas this represent the actual fusing
Q (Same): If I wanted to
bito ~ of 5 t' attered. indiscriminate thought
hurch a ntl did not care to be
anent t e finer_ ~11 etal of individual developonld I do so ?
lolua 0 a nd citizensh ip generall y.
Vigor,
A:
I ,vonld let ·you .
~,nts ~; ~-~1~ _. Progr ess a re the three sol-
! (Mr. Bodfish):
A
1
1
3
DAGO AND SHEENY AND CHINK.
IS IT ALL "MOONSHINE"?
Not alone is Ford Hall in sending forth
thoughts of neighborliness.
At a recent
meeting of the Boston City Club, Dr. Francis Clark, the father of the Christian Endeavor movement, pleaded for greater appreciation of the worth of immigrants. His
tribute to the men and women who are enriching America with their wealth of physical and mental energy is one of the best
that has been offered to a Boston audience
in years. In addition to his own talk he
read Robert Haven Schauffllers "Scum o.f
the Earth," and t his poem by Bishop McIntyre :
/
Mr. Coleman's special article in the "Ford
Hall Folks·· for Nov. 30 is, it seems to me,
the result of a rather poor Politico-Economical method. He happens to know of one
large concern whose profit averages 3 ½ per
cent.
This leads him to think that the
same is apt to be the case with many-if
not all-business establishments.
All or
which is followed by t he inference that, 1!
knowledge of such and similar facts be
spread, a good deal of the " moonshine"
about the employee being robbed '-by the
employer would be done away with .
Now, friend Coleman's starting point is,
in my opinion, altogether wrong. This is
not the way to compute profits and ,vages.
A method of this kind has to be one-sided,
if only for the reason that it confines our ·
investigation to a given business enterprise,
and we inevitably overlook the fact that
members of given business concerns are
generally interested in other business enterprises, as ·well as in real estate, ba nks,
etc., all of which forms an endless chain
of profits a nd dividends. Such· things cannot be isolated ; you have to consider them
as constituting a complete and connected
unit and analyze them accordingly.
The way to do this is to compute th e entire amounr of wealth of any given nation ;
how muc-h of it is expended for running the
government, both local, state and na tio nal ;
how much remains and how it is distributed. This method, friend Coleman, would
lead you to altogether different conclusions;
as it did the greatest modern political economists, such as J. S. Mill, Karl Marx and
many others.
But this is not all. What about the
enormous amount of wealth which disappears in the form of waste? Much is done
now, or pro fessed to be done by efficiency
experts and others, to eliminate this . only
too pronounced evil. But what is commonly overlooked is the fact that that conattion is rendered necessary by the present
state of society-is. in solid fact, part of it.
Imagine :i. comparatively well-organized society, without unproductive labor, e very
human effort resulting into something really useful. and you imagine a society .i,ltogether different from the one prevailing at
present.
Now to co n clude: The endless chain of
profits and dividends. a s well as the enormous a mount of waste. consti tute but rorms
of surplus-value produced by hand and
brain ,vorke rs.
This hPin ,,- tho ~~~o .,.,~
Dago and Sheeny and Chink,
Greaser a nd Nigger and Jap,
The Devil invented these terms, I think,
To hurl at each hopeful chap
Who comes so -far o'er the foam
· To this la'i,.d of his heart's desire,
To rear his ~ ood. to build his home,
And to kindle his hearthstone fire.
While the eyes with joy are blurred,
Lo! we make the strong man shrink
And stab the soul with the hateful wordDago, and Sheeny, and Chink.
Dago and Sheeny and Ch·i nk,
These.' are the vipers that swarm
Up from the edge of Perdition's brink
To hurt, and dishearten, and harm.
0 shame! when their Roman forbears
walked
Where the first of the Caesars trod.
0 shame! when their Hebrew fathers
talked
With Moses and he with God.
These s warthy sons of Japhet ·and Shem
Gave the goblet of Life's sweet drink
To the thirsty world, which now gives them
Dago, and Sheeny, and Chink. ·
BECAUSE OF A
DIFFERENCE OF -UNIFORM .
In F ord Hall are represen tatives of many
parties and creeds. To t hem let us say
with Carl yle:
Are not all true men that Jive. or that
ever Jived, soldiers of the same army, enlisted under Hea ven's captaincy, to do battle against the same a rmy-,-the empire of
Darkness a nd Wrong? ·wh y s hould we misknow one another. fight not ai;ainst the
enemy but against ourselves, from mere
di fference of uniform?
I must a lways remember that whe n I
.J
,.,,
.
.,
1
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-•
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110 l
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v ll
fr ee will is one of the unsolved
s of theology a nd philosophy.
iss :\1organ ): W hat do you thint
! Oliver Lodge·,s · statement tha
i--will yet 'be abl.e · to prove immor.
I
don 't s ee v;"l1;- · it may not b
:The great fault of orthodox scienc
efusat to admit . new facts when i
~ formed its theory.
Freeman) : If religion grows OU
in evitable facts of human Ufe wh,
;,;e noi have a human religion?
·
tou would be amazed to know ho
linis ters would like to do away wit
h es as necessaries.
tm e) : If I wanted to join yo
:and did not care to be immerse
ldo so?
l would let you.
I
•
)o you not know that hundreds o
:
l.ve been religious . in the deepe
rn t never have experienced conn
r.
l
.
\ never said . that a man could not b
unless he had experienced co
s
I
~ Other Meetings
il 0f Social Science, Lorimer Ha
!, Jan. 5, at 7.30 P . M., East Si 1
(Monologues) , by Mary Agnes Bes
ngs of the People, by Mrs. Bert'
~ Child . 1 Oc.
1y cc.'mmons, Huntington Chambe
unday, Jan. 11, at 3.30 P . M.
t Fleischer, leader.
c Library, Thursday, Jan. 8, at
.Picturesque N uremberg, by Mart
'hannon . Sunday, Jan. 11, at 3.30
:i Sistine Chapel, by Harriette H
nslov:.
11 ln$titute, Hunt4J.gton. Hall, :Mo
ri . 5, at 5 P. M., America and Fran
tact in the Past, by Fernand B
:ger.
Monday, Jan. 5, and Tl1U
n. 8. at S P. M .. The Man behind t
,y Graham Wallas.
a 11u
1, ..... . .. u ,• -'
.. - -
·
1ems.
"Three thin;s jmpressed me _ ron gl y
st
bout the ni eeting I attended . First-th e
~ :i.ny wa lks of life repres~nted in t)1e audi1
ence and t he marked differen ce rn ages
rano-in"' from the venerable scholar to th e
,·ou~h ~f both sexes. Second-the close attention with which every wor~ of the
speaker was follo wed and th e qmck apJ)reciation of the finer points of his argument.
Third-the deep grasp of fundamentals
J>05Sessed by even. so:ne of the yo~nger of
the audience as rnd1cated by their questions.
" If America is the melting pot of the
nations of the world, · cert ainly such meetings as this -represent the actual fusing
process of scatter ed, indiscriminate thought
into the finer metal of individual development and citizenship generally.
Vigor,
tolerance and progress are the three sol,ents of bigotry, ignorance and indifference--the mighty forces back of civilization v.hich should be given every opportunity for the biggest, the strongest and the
finest possible expression. By so much as
they receive such expression shall we ·gu
forward as individuals and as a nation, and
,. by so much as they are hindered shall our
growth
be
retarded-shall
civilizat ion
itself be obstructed in its courses.
"The address of Rev. Allyn K. Foster on
the Scientific Aspects of Religion, was not
only a most practical expression of his
abilities as a ·convincing s peaker and a deep
thinker, but his courage as a man in breaking away from the trammels which limit
.the work of many of his professional
brethren.
He quickly established the
point -of contact with his hearers a~ sent
home a ?1essage of toleran ce, sym ~y and
progressive thought generall y that is
ound to be an uplift to those who have
. reed themselves from the limitations they
,e xpect to find in others.
"Knowledge is power. May this forum of
he people continue to create that power
, ending it broadcast over the land brino-'.
ng _other peoples and other cities to' a realzat1on of the possibilities for self-developen t easily within their reach."
omists. su ch as J. S. ~!ill, Karl Marx and
man y others.
But this is not a ll. ·w hat abou t the
enormous amoun t of wealth whi ch d isappears in the form of waste ? Much is done
now, or pr ofessed to be done by effi ciency
experts and others, to eliminate this . only
too pronouI!ced evil. But what is commonly overlooked is the fact that that conallion is rendered necessary by the present
state of s cc iety-is, in solid fact, part of it.
Imagine a comparatively well-organized so ciety, without unproductive labor, every
human effort resulting into somethin g really useful. and you imagine a society altogether different from the one prevailing at
present.
Now to conclude: The endless chain of
profits a nd dividends, as well as the enormous amount of waste, constitute but rorms
of surplus-value produced by hand and
brain workers.
This being the case, the
former-profits and dividends-are s imply
received by peo ple who did not earn them.
I wouldn't us e the t erm " rob bed."
That's
a harsh word ; and firmness of purpose and
_
clearness of view don 't necessitate vulgar- /
ity of expression. "Unea rned possessions'>/
is just as good a term as any other and
in conformity with the rules of politeness
and amiability_ That's my name fo f it. But
what's in a name, after all? It's the thing,
and not the name, that counts. -··
H . S. VICTORSON.
With Moses a nd h e wi th God.
These s warthy sons of Japhet ·and Shem
Gave t he goblet of Life's swee t drink
To the thirsty world, which no w gives them
Dago, and Sheeny, and Chink.
BECAUSE OF A
DIFFERENCE OF -UNIFORM.
In Ford Hall are representa tives of many
parties and creeds. To them let us say
with Carl yle :
Are not all true men that live. or that
ever lived, soldiers of t h e same army, enlisted under Heaven 's captaincy_ to do battle against the same army-the empire of
Darkness and Wrong? Wh y should we misknow one ano ther, figh t not a~ainst the
enemy but against oursel ves, from mere
difference of uniform ?
I must always remember tha t when I
sneak to my neighbor I am conversing with
divinity.
Ford Hall Folks
is
Edit ed by Thomas Dreier.
UBLISHED weekly by the Ford
Hall Associates, whose work
is to create, assemble, and
'listribute ideas that will help
men and institutions grow more
helpful in serving society, and which
will promote " peace on earth, good
will toward men ." It is the official
publication of the Ford Hall Meetings, which are h eld, under the direction of George W. Coleman, every
Sundi1a GYening during- the months of
Octob~ to Ma~-. in Ford Hall, Ashburt on Place, Boston, Massachusetts.
All budness communications should
be sent to Miss l\Iar:v C. Crawford,
Treasurer Ford Building, Boston,
and all comm uni ~ations intended for
the editor to The Thomas Dreier Service, University Press, Cambridge,
Mass. Subscription Price: $1.50 for
26 numbers.
P
0
A man has traveled quite a distance
toward Wisdom when he is able to see that
his associates have quite as much right to
t heir opinion as h e has to his .
*
*
:,:
We get what we need when we need it.
Which is not the same as saying that we
get what we want when we want it.
ADVERTISING
A space of this size-one inch high and
two and one-half inches wide-can be had
for advertising purposes for one dollar per
issue. For information regarding advertising apply to Jacob London, Room 707, Ford
Tiui:ding, Boston, Mass.
I
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FORD HALL FOLKS
THE STORY OF MR. AND MRS. SULLIVAN.
:My 1-i
>f the 7;_
A
By Mary C .. Crawford.
-
~
)
Occasionally, even in these days, one
meets a
couple who seem perfectly
matched. When such a couple are no longer young people, !J.ave indeed grown children of whom they are justly proud. they
help the sceptical among us back to renewed faith in marriage as an institution.
But this is the story of Mr. and Mrs. John
J . Sullivan-not a dissertation on the Ethics of Marriage and Divorce. To Dr. Stanton H. Coit of London has been assigned
that topic in our Ford Hall schedule.
Mr. Sullivan is a gentle gray-haired man
with kindly blue eyes behind his gold-bow·e d
spectacles. His tastes are those of a scholar though he is no less enthusiastic over
the joys of raising stra wherries, peaches.
gooseberries and plums on the half acre or
land at his West ·Roxbury home than over
Thomas Buckle's " History of English Civ!lization," Spencerian philosophy and the rascinating literary style of our own John
l<~iske. Alfred Russel Wallace is another
of his book-friends, the optimistic note in
this man's work and the way in which he
reconciles religion and science particularly
recommending itself to one of Mr. Sullivan's temperament.
For John J . Sullivan is cne of our "incurably religious '' people; he declares indeed that it is the constant emphasis put at
Ford Hall on the spiritual side of life wt-ich
chiefly attracts him to our meetings.
A
Roman Catholic by birth ~nd training, he
had been wandering about for many years
outside the Church, searching everywhere
· for something he could not find until, on
tlie night when -Charles Sprague Smith gave
his wonderful talk on "The Brotc.·erhood of
Man''-back in our first season-he happentd in at Ford Hall and found a new
heave n a nd a new earth opening to his
hungry soul. Ever since he and his wife
ha,·e been among our most enthusiastic attendants. Mrs. Sullivan had never ceased
to be a good Catholic. Mr. Sullivan con · •--• "'~ ,~ nnw nretty nearly ready
LETTER FROM PANAMA.
what few white men seem to unde\tand
-that the land and the richness thereoi
belong to all God's children, and he who
would eat must work. In the tropical forest there is neither master nor servant,
capitalist nor prcletarian. No "class conflict" here to embitter the hearts of men.
In the jungle there is enough for all, and
contentment is the rule of life. Peace and,
good-will reign supreme in the junglelan
of the San Blas Indians.
MAURICE GERTLIN.
Dear Ford Hall Folks:
"Away down south in . the Torrid Zone.
North latitude nearly nine,
Where the eight months' pour once past
o'er,
The sun fou r months doth shine;
Where 'tis eighty-six the year around.
And people rarely agree,
Where the plantain grows and the hot wind
blows.
Lies the Land of the Cocoanut-Tree:•
Mr . Coleman has asked me to write you MARY ANTIN'S FATHER AT FORD HAL
a few lines about the i'ife in the Panama
The fine face of Israel Antin reveals ori. ,
Canal Zone, and I am very glad to have source of the strength of his gifted daug:
the opportunity to send you my greetings ter. He ha;; been an interested visitor
from this distant jungleland of the .:ropics. our meetings. " What do I think of Fo
The life of the Americans in the Canal Hall?" he repeated. "I come every tim• Zone differs so materially from that of the I can and urge my friends to come.
people in the "States" that one can easily
"There are so many fine th·ings abo,
imagine one's self living ·in an inctepenctent Ford Hall that I cannot tell them all. B
,
nation of vastly different interests and pur- one thing impresses me every · time I com<
suits. For all practical purposes the gov- Jews, Italians. Greeks. Americans. men
ernment 01' the Canal Zone is indeed inde- every country and of every economic
pendent of the United States, it having a religious creed enter the hall but lea
e;hief executive,-the Governor of the Canal their peculiar a ngles of vision-at least
Zone,-a judiciary, public school system, sharp points-at · the • door. The moD
fire and police departments. a penal insti- they settle in their seats, they are sim
tution. an independent postal service, etc .. Ford Hall Folks , earnest seekers after·:f
and a subsistence department, which em- truth, of course with t heir own convicti
braces .the Canal Commission hotels and but toleranc each of the other's faith·."
Commissary, the latter supplying the Canal
workers with food and general supplies at
THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION .
prices slightly above the figures at which
"Labor," wrote Henry Demarest·Lloy!U
the government secures it. It would be of ·
1
particular interest to our co-operative socie- · the universal religion, but no less religi
ties and other organizations, looking to tc.:e are the daily recurring hours of dru~
reduction of the high cost of living in the and routine." vVe are religious "in our
joy z.nd in our great grief. in our sple
United States, to find how efficientl:Y the
job of feeding over 35,000 people, represent- successes and in our heart-brealdng· fail
ing about 40 nationalities, is performed by Wherever man aspires to something ·.
and higher and richer, there -is true rel!
Uncle Sam.
I
In the Zcne there is no place for the priThere was once a bo_v in a print-shoP
vate · dealer, hence. the unscrupulousness
so common in the business world, is here used to pretend that he was the superiD
b
unknown. The Isthmian Canal Commission ent. Whenever he did a - it of work.
supplies all necessary things to its em- was only to clean the rollers on tbe
employees with no lust fo r profits. a nd there he did it as he imagined he would
seems to be no clamor on the part of the done if he were superintendent. He
neople for the ·' blessings of competition.'' superintendent.
•
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·a nd
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recommending itself to uu., ..,, __ _
_
van·s temperament.
For John J. Sullivan is _ ne of our "inc
curably religious" people; he declares indeed that it is the constant emphasis put at
Ford Hall on the spiritual side of life wl:-ich
chiefly attracts him to our meetings.A
Roman Catholic by birth and training, he
had been wandering about for many years
outside the Church, searching everywhere
for something he could not find un ti!, on
the night when Charles Sprague Smith gave
his wonderful talk on "The Brott·erhood of
Man"-back in our first season-he happentd in at Ford Hall and found a new
heaven and a new earth opening to his
hungry soul. Ever since he and his wife
have been among our most enthusiastic ate
tendants. Mrs. Sullivan had never ceased
to be a good Catholic. Mr. Sullivan confesses that he is now pretty nearly ready
to return io the Church of his fathers.
Through Radicalism and Revolt he has
come back, with our help, to Religion.
The Sullivans have four boys. The old·est of the ,four, now tv.lenty-five, his father
whimsically pronounces a "sad reactionary." Graduated from the High School at
the early age of twelve, this lad was sent
by his father, at considerable sacrifice, to
Bowdoin College.
There, however, ne
worked very hard and so was ab7e to complete his four years' course with honors in
three years. Young Sullivan, now twentyfive. is doing exceedingly well for himself
. in the world-so well that he thinks there
·is no reason every other youth may not attain just as great success as he has done.
Those of us who are older and can see
fart.her feel that his contention might be
sust_ ined-if all th·e other young fellows
a
,.-. had been blessed with parents like his:
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•. Xat- re has a way of giving to each of us
u
the thing we need most for our development.
The wise physician doesn't always prescribe
sweet-tasting medicine.
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It is well to efiiect much of :iour fjjends,
·but not too · mu·ch. Do not ask -tli.e ·lf.unch·back to stand upright, and do · nof'.· too
;harshly condemn the fish which for reasons
.of i,t s own refuses to fly.
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The man of s~rong personality
acter is one of whom it may be
"And all the multitude sought
Him ; for power. came ·Jorth from
:healed them all:'. .r
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braces the Gau.,_, ~ -Commissary, the latter supplying tut: ~-- workers with food and general supplies at
THE UNrv"-,.~· .
prices slighily above the figures at which
"Labor," wrote Henry Demarest Llovct
the government secures it. It would be of
particular interest to our co-operative socie- the universal religion, but no less reii ""i
ties and other organizations, looking to tt·e are the daily recurring hours of dru(!,
and routine." \Ve are religious ·1n our 1
reduction of the high cost of living in the
joy and in our great grief. in our splen
United States, to find how efficiently the
job of feeding over 35,000 people, represent- successes and in our heart-breaking failu
ing about 40 nationalities, is performed by Wherever man aspires to something
and higher and richer, there -is true reJi~
Uncle Sam.
In the Zcne there is no place for the priThere was once a bo~• in a print-shop
vate · dealer, hence, the unscrupulousness
so common in the business world, is here used to pretend that he was the superint
b
unknown. The Isthmian Canal Commission · ent. Whenever he did a - it of work
supplies all necessary things to its em- was only to clean the rollers on the 'P
employees with no lust for profits, and- there he did it as he imagined he would wa
seems to be no clamor on the part of the done if he were superintendent. He be
people for the •'blessings of competition," superintendent.
as enjoyed in the "States."
\Vith a wage scale considerably higher
than that which prevails elsewhere, living
Friends Who Are Co~ning
quarters furnished free of rent, food and fl
I
clothing supplied at moderate cost, entertainments and social diversion furnished by
Jan. ll-Sy1nposiu1n, "What Is the,.
the government, the Canal Zone worker is With Our Public Schools?" Miss Mar:
comparatively free from the economic pres- Slattery of Fitchburg and others to b
sure which bears so heavily on his breth- nounced.
ren in the " States." Here no fashion creJan. 18-Bishop Charles Williams of
ators or advertising spellbinders hold sway igan, "Why I Work for the Single Tax,
to stimulate an ·artificial desire for needJan. 25-Dr. Albion Woodbury S
less things, and so folks are not concerned Chicago University.
with being "in style," but dress in conFeb. 1-Alexander Irvine of New Yo
formity ,vith comfort and unrestricted perFeb. 8-Prof. Edward A. Steiner,
Inter-National Mind and the Intersonal taste.
Close by, in the solitude of the brooding Heart."
Feb. 15-Syniposium, "Breeding
jungle, dwells a ·primitive people, living the
daily life in all ancient simplicity-San Blas Speakers to be announced.
Feb. 22-Charles Brandon Booth,
Indians they are called. In their huts of
bamboo and thatch they have dozed away -Case for the Prisoner."
March 1-Leslie Willis Sprague ofl
these many centuries, neither knowing nor
seemingly caring to know of the great ca.go.
March 8-Sy1nposiu1n, on "Journ
work of the big ditch just beyond, nor, yet
again, of the bus,· world of education, poli- A. J . Philpott of the Boston Globe and
tics and business that throbs all around to be announced.
March 15-Rev. Harry Ward, "The
them. Not a sound do they hear. Of the
white man 's life of toil and anxiety they lenge of Socialism to Christianity."
March 22-Rev. Frank O. Hall or
know nothing, for the river has its fish, the
\
jungle, iguanas, wild pigs and birds, the York, "The Moral Law."
March 29-John Cowper Powys o
garden patch, yams. papaya, bananas, man. goes and other fruit. A few pieces of linen land, "The Economic Aspects of
_'
and calico supply sufficient clothing, for Suffrage."
April 5-Mary Church Terrell, ,
summer-. is perpetual and the climate never
Sam and the Sons of Ham."
·-,changes; No landlord has been enthroned
April 12-Dr. Thomas C. Hall o
··.:to exac( tribute from all who would have York.
·. :access to· the land, and they appear to know
April 19-Prof. Walter
g;
·', _ E.~• Grimes Comp~ny, Printers. ~ ~
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Pearl Street. Boston, Mass .