lans, and Diogenes, when visiting Rome, as [ing this, he began to teach it, and if it appe ambassadors from Athens, charmed the young" stark and staring," probably it proce men of the city by their philosophy and oratory, from the conviction that truth, like Socialis and through their ingenuous appreciation these elegant and useful arts were restored to Rome. In like manner, many a commonwealth has owed more to the warmth of youth than to the cold prudence of greybeards. or any other good thing, is most beauti when naked. Its fair proportions are bet seen, or its deformities more easily discover Atheism is not, it cannot be, " violent." pertains to reason, not to feeling, and phil thropy every body knows is cool and qu enough in our day. Owen in his young days with regard to Soc ism. He did not believe it, and it is well for world he did not. We do not believe it Atheism. We have more confidence in tr and reason, and it may be well for human we have. 'Inexperience" is not so much the creature of age as of opportunities, and no one can correctly affirm, at random, whether they have Mr. Owen indulges in a little pleasantry, been many or few. It is more a matter of calls the crusade in favour of Atheism, "Qu opinion, than a certain fact, that Mr. SOUTH-otic." The same thing was often told 1 WELL'S powers are either "wild or uncultivated." The earlier pages of this publication go far to induce a contrary belief. And, as the eulogy of an enemy has more weight than the conviction of a friend, Mr. Grace Smith may be cited as a confirmation that we are not wholly wrong in our views. "Violent and In another part of this address, Mr. On overbearing energy" is rather a desirable quali- says, "There must be a power to perform t fication, when employed in attacking error or which occurs throughout the universe; defending truth. No evidence is or can be what that power is, man has not yet discover adduced that Mr. SOUTHWELL ever manifested That power we call God; and there the ul impatience in any way. It is fashionable now matter ends." But there the whole matter d to ask, not what ought to be said, but what can not end, unless it be in a somewhat dogmati be AFFORDED to be said, and soldiers of truth manner. It may so end in Mr. Owen's mi "look as fair and smell as sweet as any waiting but Mr. Owen is not the world, and it is gentlewoman." Hence Mr. SOUTHWELL has world that is to be convinced. A Euclid mig been magnified into a Hotspur, when perhaps in his day, have turned to his pupils of Al the inference can only be arrived at by com-andria and said, "The 18th proposition in parison. Foreseeing, while he was a member 12th Book of my Elements of Geometry, of the social body, that his conduct would be forms you, that Spheres have to one anot ascribed to ambition, we took no little pains the triplicate ratio of that which their dian to ascertain if such was the case, and can un- ters have,' and there the whole matter end hesitatingly affirm that no man in the whole "That may be very correct, but not quite social body had ever a less desire, or greater conclusive. Permit us to see your axion disinclination to take the lead than CHARLES definitions, and postulates, and pass step SOUTHWELL. His real thoughts upon this sub-step through all your reasoning, and we m ject are honestly expressed in the following be of the same opinion," would have be words from his first Letter to the "Socialists their natural reply. So the world argues w of England:" Had principle not been vio-regard to the being of a god. We perfec lated; had the association been true to itself; agree with Mr. Owen, that nothing is know had its talented leaders repudiated instead of relative to the existence of a power governi imitated the vices of mere demagogues, I the universe. Men should learn this fact, wh would have fought in the van, in the rear, or would be the destruction of all religion. side by side, with them; aye, even to the last wish only to add, that our "stark stari gasp; my notion of these things having ever violent Atheism" is nothing more than been, that in the glorious warfare against attempt to explain as clearly as possible error and tyranny, to a mind not spotted by truth of that proposition which Mr. Owen vanity, it would be held far more honourable himself enunciated. For to require ass to be a corporal in a well-disciplined regi- before conviction, is by himself conceded ment, than a general among ragamuffins." being an error. It was a "cute" saying Aristotle, "that to be ignorant that you ignorant is the disease of the multitude," whi ignorance on the subject of religion, has co tinued their diseases to this day; not a n intermittent fever, but an epidemic, which c only be cured by direct application, medic prescribed for another disorder will fail. 66 He did not see only "stark staring, violent Atheism" in Socialism, but he saw, what Mr. Owen declared in the City of London Tavern, in the speech quoted by Mr. SoUTHWELL in his "Fifth Letter to the Socialists," that the errors of religion must not be there." And he has yet to learn, as indeed many others have, how the errors of religion can ever be annihilated except by the exposition of Atheism. Believ-"irritate," when we war with those who *See Trial, p. 16. It is a poor objection to affirm we sh press. Samuel Bailey, the most powerful! ing writer on the formation of character, Condemn Brahmins, Jews, and Thugs, and probably he will be the most opposed to them. The arguments must then be made to come home to him, which reduces the war to one. rewdly remarked, that "The religious opi- own. Hence it appears that it is only by judicious ad powerful attacks on popular beliefs and repossessions that we can hope to turn men's tention in the way of reason and common ense. This too appeared to be felt by Mr. wen, when he declared, that silence would ot retard, and opposition would only acceleate the progress of social truth. For this eason it seems to us that good must result rom such investigation as we institute, in ore respects than one. Perhaps no subject f human inquiry is so well calculated to waken attention and give a vigorous tone to he mind, as a discussion on the existence of a od, when the object is not to establish the orrectness and incorrectness of received noions, but to arrive at truth. No branch of nvestigation can be more useful to young persons as a mental exercise. It draws attenion to the primitive springs of all knowledge nd to the first principles of correct reasoning; stimulates careful thought; exercises patience; checks presumption; requires impartiality, and encourages candour. The nature of the human mind and the constitution of things are unfolded, while the relationship of one to the other is exhibited in new and useful lights. If, like the children of the old man in the fable, one party should fail in discovering the expected treasure, a gratifying, unexpected, and more permanent advantage is gained. When the soil of reason has been diligently turned up, the expected legacy of belief is searched for in vain, a rich harvest of truth is the reward of our industry. We once heard it well remarked, that " Angelo's greatness lay in searching for untried existence," an bservation very applicable to the subject of which we speak. Mr. Owen, in his Fifteenth Address to his disciples, says he has never been so "petty" in his notions as to contend against one religion, but has opposed all, so much the better. Still we do not see the criminality of warring With only one, unless upon the well known prmciple, that One murder makes a villain, It is overlooked that the war to be effective These observations are not made on the supposition that Atheism is a partial attack on religions. We think it as comprehensive and complete an opposition as can be desired. Warring not against forms and ceremonies, not against "fundamental errors" merely, but against the essence of ALL religions-on the ground that they displace morality, and are consequently inimical to human happiness. We merely contend that, let the notion be as general as it may, the practice, to be useful, must be "petty,' as it is styled. Turk and Pagan may be opposed till the grave of Moses is discovered, without a convert being made, where it is of the first importance they should be made at home. Christians are not particularly quick in their apprehension of the weight of an argument, nor very anxious to own that one relates to them; and while objections to their system are exported to Constantinople or the Indies, they grow rampant at home, coerce the press, and strangle heretics with impunity, in the name of their lord and their god. Mr. Bailey, whom we quoted a moment ago, defines "Theology to be a comprehensive examination into the course of action and condition of mind, which will please the being who has the fate of mankind in his hands." Now just prove, as you may do very easily, that there is no reason for believing there to be a "being" at all with "the fate of mankind in his hands"-and as Mrs. Leman Grimstone says, the whole buildings and cabinets of creeds are levelled at one fell swoop. It is a perfect gunpowder plot; the way of the Socialists, or any other reformer of abuses is clear before him. The elephant of the priesthood if fairly knocked from under the castle of oppression, and the incubus which for ages has sat upon the breast of mankind is driven to its den. As a species of wholesale work, nothing can be compared to Atheism. Superstitionists, under its visitation, are like the Assyrian hosts, when The Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, still. Not dreaming that originality and vigour are qualities in our way; not even pretending to imitation of those who have excelled in their exercise, we pretend only to an admiration of others who have rejoiced in their possession; we are content to wander like comets, in devious and eccentric paths, if they but lead us in an age to the light of such suns. If, Uranus like, we should be consigned to a distant orbit, we shall rejoice to revolve round the centre of truth, the smallest and palest of stars. If indeed we were nearer, the lead of our argument we confess would boil, as lead is said to do in Mercury. With these views we rejoice at the displays of warmth in the cause of right, and are glad when philosophy migrates from frigid to torrid zones. The pen of the great Paine was the warring of nature's elements in a world of corruption. If in his day the commotion of the waves purified the waters of iniquity, would not it do so now? Error lashed by him, felt very much as a man would in a thunder storm on a dark nightvery uneasy under the falling torrents, and continually startled by the flashes of lightning which seem to dart at him. He, may indeed escape with his life, but not without sundry misgivings that he has caught his death from the drenching he has received. We would that the doers of evil were so castigated in our day. We should have gladly passed by anything and everything coming from the individual to whose observations we have been replying, had not experience taught us, that whenever a great fish dives in any direction, rightly or wrongly, shoals of small fry are, from natural weakness and inability to take care of them selves, drawn along with him. And if otherwise, the articles we have alluded to, were calculated to foster and create prejudices neither creditable nor kind. We flatly deny that Mr. SOUTHWELL has ever gone too far" in his advocacy of truth, if measured by Mr. Owen's pristine standard, or perhaps by his present one. Take the following from his Eighteenth Address, issued last week. "Hitherto you have been made abject slaves, both in mind and body, by the priesthood of the world, who to their own deep injury and your misery, have ever been made the oppressive tyrants of the human race." After this, it would be difficult consistently to censure Mr. SOUTHWELL for any passage he has written upon the same subject, unless it is contended, That in a captain is only a choleric word, Which, in a corporal, is rank blasphemy. The quotation at the head of this article contains the only permission we ask, that of making inquiry in any direction, without limit; and it lays down our two cardinal principles of action " good faith" and "good humour." With this remembrancer we take our leave to wait on the Promethean, and if the vultures do not tear out our insides, we will climb the rock to it in our next number. 100 G. J. H. I To the Editor of the Oracle of Reason (MR. SOUTHWELL). INTEND to proceed from time to time wi friendly criticisms. Page 1, col. 2, No. 1, you say, "if men ha not yet known, they should now be taug that it is neither," &c., to "be an Atheist," & I have read this passage to, at the least, dozen who have been talking about liber and a free press, and Socialism, and Chartis but in no one case have I found a full a free, and manly-spoken acknowledgment the truth of your words. There was shyne or reluctance, a drawing back which show as is but too usual, a want of the habit correct thinking; yet these were all men wi put themselves forward to teach others; an so it must be until men's understandings sh be expanded. Page 2, column 2, you say, we see n solid REASON to believe-the eternity of any thing but MATTER." I put it to you solely consideration. Is it possible by REASON know the existence of matter? To me it seem quite clear, that it is not, and never can b Berkeley has shown the impossibility. Berkeley's Essay were deprived of every wor not "significant"-and of every word whic is not pertinent to the existence or non-ex istence of matter, it would be reduced about one third of its bulk and make a hand book of all but inestimable value. I hope see this done presently, accompanied by remark, that the abridgment has been mad for the purpose of showing that the existenc of matter cannot be proved by reason-an consequently not at all. This would humbl many, and probably set some to reason mor correctly than they have been accustomed do, not only on this but on other subjects. I "in my dark estate" am compelled admit or take for granted the existence two things-1. matter; 2. self; because I ca neither begin nor go on without them, though know nothing positively about matter or eve its existence, any more than I do of the se in which resides the power of comparing an deciding. This is not correct language, an yet I can do no better; we have not eve the power of correctly stating this subject. This is no "new view" of mine, but very old one, and I believe a correct one. Then, as to the word eternity. Give m leave to ask you to think again on this word To ask yourself this question: Has it any rea meaning; does it convey any clear idea? T me it seems to be used as an idle excuse, shuffle to hide ignorance, better is the hones confession of ignorance than any attempt to hide it. Only see what a hodge-podge lexi cographers and cyclopedists have made of it. Page 3, column 2. You quote Dr. Samue Clarke-" nothing is without a sufficient rea on," &c. "why it is." Dr. Clarke can I have existed from all eternity, and therefore hardly mean cause and effect, when as here uucaused?" be uses the word reason. If he does he puts is god out of existence. If he means the 'reason" of god, he either talks nonsense or endeavours to put a trick upon his reader. Of cause and effect we know nothing certain, we cannot even form a conception of "necessary connection." All we can know is an inference from reasoning by analogy. What necessary connection is there between any wish to raise my arm and my raising it? How is motion connected with, what from want of a better mode of expressing myself, I call my will? Here is a familiar answer to all the whys and wherefores of our opponent, and of our own; all may be referred to this motion of the arm. Could we once clearly understand this, all other whys and wherefores might come to be understood; but being as we are, everything is a miracle. We do not know, and never shall know, the why of anything; we always come and always must come to a dead stop when we travel backwards in our inquiries, and never approach the end. You will not, I hope, think these remarks superfluous, notwithstanding your own good reasoning on your quotation from Clarke. I think you made a mistake when you said, "Spinosa established clearly that something exists;" he seems to me to have misled you as it is probable he misled himself. Spinosa could only reason, and it is utterly impossible for him or any one by reasoning to prove that anything exists. Spinosa assumed, like you and me, because he could not avoid it, that something existed, and thus he attempted, as many other men have, to prove his something by reasoning; when he had written all he has written he was precisely where he was before he had written a word, not at all nearer to a rational conclusion. Emanuel Kant took a shorter way. He said this kind of knowledge is prior to all reasoning-" it is given," and under this term he took whatever suited his purpose, to enable him to build up his system of complications, with which he crazed himself and three of my friends, all men of learning and science, one of whom died insane of Kant's philosophy. You have adopted a theory which may, I fear, embarrass you, or even prevent your proceeding in right thinking, or may put a stop to any further thinking on the subject. You Page 4, column 2. We come to Lord speak of the "inherent properties of matter;" Shaftesbury, and chance. This word chance this might be admitted were we upon a has been of more use to our priests than any matter of science-but we are reasoning, par other word in the way of controversy. Chance excellence, we are philosophising. May I has been used as a sledge hammer, with which say, as free from giving as I intend not to give at one blow to knock down every opponent. offence, that you neither do nor ever can This is another of the mischievous words know anything about the inherent properties of which I discarded many years ago, together nature, neither can you have any precise ideas with hazard, accident, and all of the family. of what you mean when you use the words. Horne Tooke, in his "Diversions of Purley," commenting upon the words "it fell by chance," translates it into "it fell by falling" The word chance in relation to the matter in hand is altogether devoid of any rational meaning. Voltaire's definition of the word is a shuffle. You say "not ourselves believing," &c., "from the material universe." Do you not here concede too much-more than you are warranted by any information you possess? I see no reason for the concession. I take the existence of the universe, or some portion of it, as an inference from the admission forced upon me that matter exists; upon a close examination, I take the liberty to expect, that we shall agree in this particular. You are, evidently to me, not so old a dabbler AN INVESTIGATOR. But when you say, you "believe, that THE above strictures are worthy of attentive Komething must have been from all eternity, perusal; and the reader, unless a practised therefore uncaused," I am compelled to con- head, would do well to read them more than clude that even you are a little superstitious. once. This is the more necessary, as I intend Only try, as I am sure you must. You must, to offer some remarks upon them; in part by because you cannot, even if you would, way of apology or reply for myself, in part by which you will not desire to do-avoid, think- way of praise for him. These shall be brief, ng the matter over again, however you may plain, and goodhumoured, which latter article Cecide. Ask yourself: what ideas have II mention, because some of my correspondents when I use the words "something must have a notion that I am a man of fierce coun from the cannon's mouth, even gods them selves, could we conceive of superior beings, must, like all things else, bend to necessity. The Greeks understood this very well, for even tenance, who treats those who differ with him in an off-hand and unwarrantable manner. Now this, I protest, is not my temper, and correspondents who may think fit to favor me with their hints, reflections, or even castiga-Jupiter was ruled by fate. For my own part, tions, will be in no sort of danger. I will not I know not how any man of sense can be undertake to answer all that correspondents ought but a fatalist. It is of little conse may write, for as the philosophy of the Oracle quence whether we accept the fatum of the is somewhat novel in this country, at least Turks, the fatum of the Stoics, or the fatum novel to the novices, and the manner novel as of the Christians, if we grant that all human the matter, there will, doubtless, be a crowd of actions, and of course all human opinions, are objections; so that I should find it difficult to necessitated. To praise or blame is prime answer them all if I had the Times broad-sheet folly, for there can neither be merit nor demerit at my command. I have determined in future in opinions we are compelled to receive, or to select the most solid and weighty objections acts we are compelled to perform. There is of the whole mass, against either the theory of really no essential difference between the Atheism, or any other theories set forward in Turk, who says that all is fated, whether this paper. This is obviously the most useful, cause or consequence; the Stoics, who taught as it is the only practicable course. Every that divine providence regulates and directs man has what Daniel O'Connell calls a little all things; and the Christian, who refers effects cockboat of his own, and there are very few to god, working by second causes. But the indeed who do not carry too much sail or too subject is too complex to be reduced to simlittle ballast. Besides, nothing can be more plicity by a few dictums, with which, however, useful as well as enlivening to the general I must content myself at present. When reader, than objections well put by corres- Napoleon, at Austerlitz, was exposed to the pendents, and well answered by editors, or if hottest fire of the enemy, his troops wer they cannot be well answered, well acknow- alarmed for his safety. "Oh," said he, "fea ledged as objections which cannot be met. It nothing; the bullet that is to kill me is no is in this spirit I shall proceed to notice the yet cast;" which anecdote has been often re hints-criticisms is almost too harsh a name-lated, as a proof that Napoleon was a fatalist of "An Investigator," whose style of taking objections is modest as his title; which, by the way, contrasts somewhat advantageously with the more lofty one of the Oracle of Reason; but let that pass as a non-essential. his fatalism, I suspect, amounted to this that he was quite convinced, the thing to happen must happen. Fatalism is based o truisms, which all men acknowledge, and few men say they do. I agree with "An Investi He says, that he has read the passage in gator," that the philosophy of morals wil page one, column two, of the Oracle, "If men not be understood, and men will go o have not yet known, they should now be stupidly as heretofore, glorifying themselve taught that it is neither creditable nor dis- for being and thinking what they can in n creditable, to be an Atheist, a Christian, or wise avoid, "until men's understandings sha Mussulman;' to at the least a dozen, who be expanded;" should that happen before the have been talking about liberty and a free opening of the "seven seals," and Mr. Deat press, and Socialism and Chartism, but in no pays the world a visit on his pale horse, me case found a full and free, and manly spoken will see the gross absurdity of attaching credi acknowledgment of the truth of those words;" or discredit to any kind of action or opinion and yet, he adds, "These are men who put I agree with Luther, that "free will is a lie, themselves forward to teach others." I can for how can human will be free, which, in th readily believe this, but it is much to be re- language of Byron, "depends as much upo gretted that those who set about "teaching a straw as on a storm?" and how can there others" should be ignorant of so highly-merit or demerit, where there is no freedom important a truth. As well might a man give This opinion has nothing in common with th credit to the rose for emitting a delightful predestination, absurdity and vulgar notion odour, or praise the tulip for the beauty of its of fatalism. colors, as talk about the disgrace or the honor With regard to "An Investigator's" Quer of holding certain opinions. To a necessi- Is it possible by reason to know the existen tated being, there is nothing properly credit-of mutter? In a strictly philosophical sens able nor discreditable; and man is as clearly I should say not; but nothing ever can the creature of necessity, as the bee or known in that sense. Our very existence the butterfly. False opinions, as they give birth to vices, may be hateful, and those who hold them truly unfortunate; but to a philosopher, misfortune is not held a disgrace. Man is as much driven and forced to act, as the moon in its orbit, or the ball but a probability. Pyrrho doubted his ow existence. When asked why he did not k himself, he replied, that life and death bein equal, he had not the power to choose. H friends found it necessary to furnish him wi a guard of servants, lest he should, acti |