BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE WORK OF THE 

 OPEN COURT PUBLISHING COMPANY 



IF one asked for a brief description of the work 

 of the Open Court Company, one would probably 

 get the answer that the Company publishes books 

 and articles on Science, Religion, and Philosophy. 

 That is not quite exact; for that describes the ideal 

 to which the Open Court Company is continually striv- 

 ing rather than the actual work it is doing. The ideal 

 is Religion on a firm basis of Science, a Science of 

 Philosophy, and a Philosophy of Science: the only 

 path which can lead to this great ideal synthesis is the 

 detailed and careful study of sciences, religions, and 

 philosophies. 



It was this ideal that prompted the late Mr. Edward 

 Carl Hegeler of La Salle, Illinois, in the United States 

 of America, to found a Company to publish books with 

 the object of establishing ethics and religion upon a 

 scientific basis. Such ideals are as old as philosophy 

 itself. Among modern philosophies, that founded by 

 Comte tried, probably in the most explicit fashion of 

 all, to found a religion on the basis of positive science ; 

 and at one time it appeared likely to have a lasting 

 success. But it is now quite plain that no philosophy 

 which hopes to be permanent can neglect history or 

 put itself into uncritical opposition to the systems that 

 have for centuries expressed some of the dearest and 

 highest aspirations of mankind. It is unprejudiced 

 and fearless historical and critical investigation non- 

 sectarian in the widest sense in both religion, science, 

 and philosophy, that must go before any satisfactory 

 synthesis. This is a great part of the work of the 

 Open Court Company. 



Let us consider what non-sectarianism means. We 

 cannot, for example, isolate a single domain of science 

 in a particular country and at a particular time say, 



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