THE NATURAL PROVIDENCE 



v 

 The term "religion" is an equivocal and much- 

 abused word, but I am convinced that no man's life 

 is complete without some kind of an emotional ex- 

 perience that may be called religious. Not necessa- 

 rily so much a definite creed or belief as an attraction 

 and aspiration toward the Infinite, or a feeling of 

 awe and reverence inspired by the contemplation of 

 this wonderful and mysterious universe, something 

 to lift a man above purely selfish and material ends, 

 and open his soul to influences from the highest 

 heavens of thought. 



Religion in some form is as natural to man as are 

 eating and sleeping. The mysteries of life and the 

 wonder and terror of the world in which he finds 

 himself, arouse emotions of awe and fear and wor- 

 ship in him as soon as his powers of reflection are 

 born. In man's early history religion, philosophy, 

 and literature are one. He worships before he in- 

 vestigates; he builds temples before he builds 

 schoolhouses or civic halls. He is, of course, super- 

 stitious long before he is scientific; he trembles be- 

 fore the supernatural long before he has mastered 

 the natural. The mind of early man was synthetic as 

 our emotions always are; it lumped things, it did 

 not differentiate and classify. The material progress 

 of the race has kept pace with man's power of analy- 

 sis — the power to separate one thing from another, 



107 



