Sir Henry Wrixon
The Argus (Melbourne), Saturday 20 February 1909, Page 6:
"RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN."
SIR HENRY WRIXON'S NEW BOOK.
How the plain man of average intellect and no wide knowledge of philosophy may arrive at belief in a God who ought to be worshipped is what Sir Henry Wrixon, President of the Legislative Council, endeavours to explain in his latest book, The Religion of the Common Man (London: Macmillan).
It is undoubtedly a book for the many. There is practically none of it beyond the comprehension of any person of ordinary educational attainments. The language is generally simple — the technical jargon of the schools being carefully eschewed — the reasoning is clear enough to leave no doubt of the points the writer intends to make, and the whole subject is treated in a thoroughly popular manner.
Another quality which will be appreciated by the everyday reader is what we may describe as the lay standpoint of the author. His attitude is that of the inquiring layman. He displays no trace of that clerical tone, that ex cathedra priestly polemic, which so often repels the “common man” in the treatises of trained theologians.
Yet to the making of the little work, it runs to no more than 187 small octavo pages of large print, have evidently gone many years of thought and study in metaphysics, ethics, and theology, besides the special labour of sifting and condensing ideas for the book itself.
In fact, the chief merit of the book lies in the skill with which Sir Henry Wrixon has translated into the language and thoughts of ordinary educated men the conceptions and the arguments of experts in philosophy and religious lore. Though the reasoning is not novel, the presentment is not only fresh but laudable.
The “common man” for whom the book is written will find it both interesting and suggestive. Even though he may not agree wholly with the author’s views, he must at least acquire as he reads a better understanding of, and a greater respect for, the religious faith of the worshipping deist or theist of every creed.
The book is not an apology for any particular form of religion, but a defence of the fundamental religious postulate, axiom, premise or conclusion — call it what you will — that there is a supreme moral Deity, the creative and informing intelligence upon which both the physical and moral universes ultimately depend.
Sir Henry Wrixon contends, in spite of the apparent domination at the moment of “the materialistic hypothesis of science,” with its chain of purely mechanical causes, that “man remains the religious animal that he ever was, and the moral and spiritual principle in his nature imperatively demands relations with his Maker.” He wishes to find an answer to the all-important question whether all these religious aspirations are really but vain illusions.
The question is a vital one to him, because he regards the outlook for both our civilisation and the individual man as dreary and unsatisfying if religion is to lose its hold upon men.
“Civilizations,” he contends, “cannot start afresh in matters of faith any more than in other conditions of national life. As for the individual man, his needs remain as much as ever a part of his nature, the want of some support on which to stay himself in this life, and also the rest for his soul demanded by his spiritual aspirations. These cannot be satisfied by a philosophy of negation or incredulity, which proposes to wave aside the claims of the human soul and the needs of man in the stress of life by telling him not to mind them.”
Sir Henry Wrixon makes much of the new and large idea of “design” in the universe — not the old, narrow idea, which was pitted against natural selection and other established generalisations of science, but an idea of intelligent purpose operating through such laws to the fulfilment of some divine, far-off event. He insists that this idea of an intelligent, purposive being, presiding over the whole universe of human experience, is also in harmony with the needs of individual human nature.
That the fundamental tenet of religion cannot be fully explained or demonstrated Sir Henry Wrixon frankly admits, but he asks, does it make any greater demand upon faith than the ultimate assumptions and theories of science?
A passage bearing upon this point may be quoted: —
“The common man admits that the ultimate postulate upon which his faith rests is insoluble by mere reason. And if the other mysteries of Nature, if the problems of science were capable of clear intellectual definition the common man confesses that it would be an argument against his faith, that it alone was, in the last resort, faced by an enigma. But in every science, as well as in religion, you come to a point where you can only stop and wonder. …
In secular science man can only do his best with his mental faculties, and go as far as they will carry him, groping a little further, perhaps, where speculation may give him a helping but uncertain lead.
But in regard to religious faith when the reasoning powers of man direct him towards Deity, he finds his nature gifted with natural impulses, inherent instincts, all ready to catch up and respond to the conclusion which his intellect was pointing to.
While the spiritual power would be imperfect without the intellectual basis, the intellectual process is completed, and made effective by the spiritual capacity with which man is naturally gifted, and which he finds ready, and adapted to follow the lead which his intellect gives.
We have a better justification for the conclusions of our intellect in religion, and more reason to trust them than we have in general science.”
Generally speaking, Sir Henry Wrixon is cautious in his statements and in the illustrations which he adduces to fortify his arguments, but we note on page 125 a passage which presumes telepathy as a fact of experience.
“It is a matter of experience,” he says, “that mind communicates with mind, owing to some mysterious influence, when the two minds are apart from one another, and notwithstanding any material obstacles which may intervene.” We doubt whether the majority of men of science would admit that this is “a matter of experience.”
Again, we question whether it can be shown, as stated on page 82, that the teaching of the Buddha seems “to assume the existence of the Deity, though not to enforce it.” Yet again we hardly think modern scholars in Hebrew history would endorse the assertion on page 90 that the Jews of to-day “worship the God of Israel in just the same fashion, so far as principles and belief go, as did their remote ancestors 3,000 years ago.” These statements, however, do not, it must be admitted, materially affect the arguments of the book.
👇
Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954) Sat 27 Feb 1909 "THE RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN."
"The Religion of the Common Man," by Sir Henry Wrixon, is a small volume of less than two hundred pages. It treats an engrossing subject and is certainly written in an engaging manner.
Sir Henry, like Lord Avebury and men of that type, takes a serious view of mortal life; not necessarily gloomy, but deliberately and thoughtfully serious. Already Sir Henry has several volumes to his credit, all of which have received considerable attention, and one, "The Pattern Nation", much criticism of varied shades of opinion.
It would indeed be well for mankind if the reflections which the author attributes to the "Common Man" were more widely diffused than is quite apparent at present.The first three chapters are of rather a discursive nature, though it is difficult to see how that could be avoided in dealing with a theme like this. In these chapters Creation, as it appears to man, and matter, force, and motion are reviewed, and the cogitations of the Common Man are interpreted by the author. He is said to see purpose and design in everything.
In Chapter IV. the reader is called upon to contemplate "mind," "instinct," "moral sense" and "conscience." Scientists, philosophers, and theologians, from Confucius to Darwin, are quoted in support of a moral law, or inward indicator, pointing out the right and the wrong. This has been attested in nations great and small in every state of civilisation.
This Sir Henry thinks points to the conclusion "that there is an Intelligence behind it, animating and directing the whole." Such conclusion, he says, does not prove "religion," but it lays a foundation for it.
In his appeal to history he refers to Assyria, Egypt, India, Persia, in regard to their conceptions of the "Great Spirit," and to the Jewish and Christian religions with their concepts of God. All this cannot be a figment of the imagination or a mere fancy come among men to mislead them.
It is interesting to note Sir Henry's deductions from a contemplation of astronomy. The Common Man accepts at the hands of the astronomer what he can never comprehend. The astronomer tells him that the light of a certain star requires two thousand years to reach this planet. The scientist tells him of "generating impacts that should follow each other a hundred million times a second." It is possible to believe, but never to adequately comprehend, such problems.
The line of argument here is akin to that of Professor Henry Drummond, in his "Natural Law in the Spiritual World."
After stating the difficulties of human existence, showing how necessary they are, and how they may be considered as a partial explanation of the mystery of life, the author says: — "If we knew certainly about God and a future existence, it would be impossible to retain interest in the little affairs of this life." Absolute knowledge is not possible; faith and hope are.
In a recent address the Rev. R. J. Campbell, in reply to the oft-repeated demand, "Why does God permit so much evil?" said "Why do we?" Sir Henry takes the same ground, pointing to the evils of mankind, and saying they are mostly of man's making.
The deliberate use of that great God-given implement, free will, could quickly end much of the misery and crime so apparent in human society.
This little book is no theological treatise; it is an honest, earnest endeavour to induce the Common Man to scrutinise the ways of life, to see a great, loving Father behind it all, rather than blind unfeeling force; and in Faith and Hope to await the issue lying beyond the boundary line.The publishers are Macmillan and Co., London.
👇
The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947)Sat 27 Feb 1909Books.
"The Religion of the Common Man," by Sir Henry Wrixon, Macmillan and Co.
By the “Common Man” the author means “a man of average intellect and ordinary information, as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny; and seeks to discover if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.”
This definition is intended, on the one hand, to exclude “philosophers and theologians”; and on the other hand to exclude “speakers at Sunday gatherings in parks.” Very fairly the author might have said of himself: “I am a specimen of the Common Man.” He writes without the vulgarity of the Sunday park speaker; and also without the exactness and polish of the philosopher and the scientist.
He writes in the spirit of one who cherishes a sincere faith; and therefore the tone of the book throughout is most excellent. Indeed it is a remarkable book, the reading of which perchance would be of more benefit to the Sunday park speaker on the one hand and to the philosopher, scientist, or theologian on the other hand, than to the “Common Man” whose thoughts are admirably herein written down.
It is because the author writes as a “Common Man” that we should spare him in criticism for the indefinite use of terms. He speaks of “the revelations of science,” whereas science never reveals anything; “the truth of religion,” “the truths upon which religion rests,” “the truth of religion,” “the foundation facts of any science,” “authority in matters of faith,” “revealed religion,” “moral sense,” “moral faculty,” “the existence of evil,” and “spiritual principle,” as if we all very well know the meaning of these terms when not one of them has any meaning at all.
Some notably faulty examples of interpretation might be given. If it is a fact that “the heart has a natural instinct for communion with its Creator” — a statement more than once repeated — that should go a long way towards answering the question, here discussed — namely, “Is there a God whom men ought to worship?” But that really is not the question. The dispute is not as to whether there is a sovereign power in the universe, but whether there is a God at all answering to what is so called orthodox teaching.
It is not correct to say that we owe the idea of “the unity of Deity” to the proclamation made on Mount Sinai. This proclamation did not extend to the “oneness” of God; it was intended to point out to the Israelite that only Yahweh was to be his God. Nor is it right to say that unless we accept this or that theory about God “a life devoted to virtue and self-sacrifice would be the most meaningless and unaccountable thing in God’s creation.” It would be nearer the truth to say that without an elevating theory of God, a life of virtue and self-sacrifice is impossible.
These faults are almost inseparable from the thinking and writing of the “Common Man”; but such inaccuracies not infrequently confuse the uncommon man of the lower grade, leading him to reject all because some things are in error. Some parts of the little book are very good indeed. On pages 8, 9, 10, and 11 may be found some telling observations on the religious education of children.
The pages devoted to the task of pointing out signs of the superhuman in nature, and the mysteries of organised life, are equal to the best work of the uncommon man of the higher grade. We should like to give a column of comment; meanwhile we heartily commend the little book; it will bear reading more than once; it is a book to be studied.
👇The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Sat 6 Mar 1909 THEOLOGY OF TO-DAY.THROUGH NATURE TO GOD.
"The Religion of the Common Man." By Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C. London: Macmillan & Co.
Matters affecting theology are now freely discussed by laymen of all classes; and their interest is of such large moment that it is not surprising that there should be a continually growing literature on the subject from the pens of men who are neither ministers of the Gospel nor lecturers in theological academies.
The present author states the object of his work as being to record “the reflections and conclusions of a man of average intellect and ordinary information as he muses upon and wrestles with the problems of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.”
The problem is faced in a broad spirit, and the pages betoken a sincere desire to present the thoughts which are influencing many a “common man.” Religion, it is stated, has reality behind it, and is indestructible in the heart of man. It is because of this that “it survives the attacks of foes and the mistakes of friends, and also the revelations of science” … It remains to-day still a living force among us, responding to a natural instinct of the heart for communion with its Creator, and supplying a needful support to mankind in the stress of life.
The author, however, believes that the days of prophets lie in the past, and that the world has reached a stage of development in which each man is his own prophet. “If the masses are to be inspired they must get the inspiration from themselves.” Although this is the case, it is contended that the problems which lie at the base of religious beliefs are not less difficult now than they were found to be by the philosophers of every age.
From self-observation and the study of nature the common man finds himself continually brought to the conclusion of the reality of Deity. A moral sense, an ideal of what ought to be done simply because it is right, the feeling of self-condemnation if the wrong course is chosen, these are factors in general experience which have to be accounted for.
“Our common man thus from these lines of observation and reflection, the abounding evidence of purpose and arrangement, denoting intelligence behind the screen of creation; the mind of man, circumscribed though it be, yet so amply fitted to his needs in this life, together with the marvel of instinct and the moral sense, with its sublime inspirations in the heart of man, demanding some source from on High — from these lines of thought our common man, we say, is led to believe that there is a God.”
The book is written in a pleasing style and treats the subject thoughtfully and reverently.
👇
Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935) Sat 6 Mar 1909
👇
Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) Wed 10 Mar 1909
THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.
What is “The Religion of the Common Man”? Sir Henry Wrixon, of Victoria, discusses this subject in a volume of nearly two hundred pages just published by Macmillan, London. Sir Henry lays it down that religion has reality behind it and is indestructible in the heart of man; hence it survives the attacks of its foes, and is still a living force.
He then sets out to record the reflections and conclusions of “a man of average intellect and ordinary information” as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, “if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.
”This “common man,” not conversant with the lore or the metaphysics of the subject, and having no aid from revelation, meditates and reasons very lucidly, and with great acuteness, and arrives at the conclusion, from the history of belief, from Nature, and from conscience that there is a conscious, intelligent and beneficent Ruler of the Universe.
Sir Henry Wrixon does not shirk difficulties; on the other hand, he frankly recognises them in order that he may be able to conquer them as far as finite human knowledge can do. On some points, however, such as the problem of evil, he lands the “common man” in that hopeless perplexity which besets all who seek to find a solution. The book is full of references to the works of philosophers, and is an exceedingly thoughtful contribution to that speculative religious literature fascinating to so many men.
👇
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918) Sat 13 Mar 1909
"RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN."WORK BY SIR HENRY WRIXON.
We have received through Melville and Mullen a book entitled The Religion of the Common Man, by Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C.
This is a book dealing with the foundation principle of religion, namely, the fact of God. It is written in plain language for plain men. It does not profess to deal with anything new, but rather to “record the reflections and the conclusions of a man of average intellect.”
It affords the ordinary reader an opportunity of studying these “reflections and conclusions” in words easily understood. The book is reverent and able, and indicates a wide range of reading, and a familiarity with the literature of the subject. In the ten chapters, covering 187 pages, the interest is maintained throughout.
The average man may here read the discussion of a subject which has engaged the mind of man through ages, but which is usually clothed in abstruse and metaphysical language. It is a book for the people, and should prove of much interest, being the conclusions of an Australian publicist and statesman, who, having wrestled with the problems of his own existence and his future destiny, holds to the belief in God as the great reality behind religion.
SIR HENRY WRIXON'S NEW BOOK.
How the plain man of average intellect and no wide knowledge of philosophy may arrive at belief in a God who ought to be worshipped is what Sir Henry Wrixon, President of the Legislative Council, endeavours to explain in his latest book, The Religion of the Common Man (London: Macmillan).
It is undoubtedly a book for the many. There is practically none of it beyond the comprehension of any person of ordinary educational attainments. The language is generally simple — the technical jargon of the schools being carefully eschewed — the reasoning is clear enough to leave no doubt of the points the writer intends to make, and the whole subject is treated in a thoroughly popular manner.
Another quality which will be appreciated by the everyday reader is what we may describe as the lay standpoint of the author. His attitude is that of the inquiring layman. He displays no trace of that clerical tone, that ex cathedra priestly polemic, which so often repels the “common man” in the treatises of trained theologians.
Yet to the making of the little work, it runs to no more than 187 small octavo pages of large print, have evidently gone many years of thought and study in metaphysics, ethics, and theology, besides the special labour of sifting and condensing ideas for the book itself.
In fact, the chief merit of the book lies in the skill with which Sir Henry Wrixon has translated into the language and thoughts of ordinary educated men the conceptions and the arguments of experts in philosophy and religious lore. Though the reasoning is not novel, the presentment is not only fresh but laudable.
The “common man” for whom the book is written will find it both interesting and suggestive. Even though he may not agree wholly with the author’s views, he must at least acquire as he reads a better understanding of, and a greater respect for, the religious faith of the worshipping deist or theist of every creed.
The book is not an apology for any particular form of religion, but a defence of the fundamental religious postulate, axiom, premise or conclusion — call it what you will — that there is a supreme moral Deity, the creative and informing intelligence upon which both the physical and moral universes ultimately depend.
Sir Henry Wrixon contends, in spite of the apparent domination at the moment of “the materialistic hypothesis of science,” with its chain of purely mechanical causes, that “man remains the religious animal that he ever was, and the moral and spiritual principle in his nature imperatively demands relations with his Maker.” He wishes to find an answer to the all-important question whether all these religious aspirations are really but vain illusions.
The question is a vital one to him, because he regards the outlook for both our civilisation and the individual man as dreary and unsatisfying if religion is to lose its hold upon men.
“Civilizations,” he contends, “cannot start afresh in matters of faith any more than in other conditions of national life. As for the individual man, his needs remain as much as ever a part of his nature, the want of some support on which to stay himself in this life, and also the rest for his soul demanded by his spiritual aspirations. These cannot be satisfied by a philosophy of negation or incredulity, which proposes to wave aside the claims of the human soul and the needs of man in the stress of life by telling him not to mind them.”
Sir Henry Wrixon makes much of the new and large idea of “design” in the universe — not the old, narrow idea, which was pitted against natural selection and other established generalisations of science, but an idea of intelligent purpose operating through such laws to the fulfilment of some divine, far-off event. He insists that this idea of an intelligent, purposive being, presiding over the whole universe of human experience, is also in harmony with the needs of individual human nature.
That the fundamental tenet of religion cannot be fully explained or demonstrated Sir Henry Wrixon frankly admits, but he asks, does it make any greater demand upon faith than the ultimate assumptions and theories of science?
A passage bearing upon this point may be quoted: —
“The common man admits that the ultimate postulate upon which his faith rests is insoluble by mere reason. And if the other mysteries of Nature, if the problems of science were capable of clear intellectual definition the common man confesses that it would be an argument against his faith, that it alone was, in the last resort, faced by an enigma. But in every science, as well as in religion, you come to a point where you can only stop and wonder. …
In secular science man can only do his best with his mental faculties, and go as far as they will carry him, groping a little further, perhaps, where speculation may give him a helping but uncertain lead.
But in regard to religious faith when the reasoning powers of man direct him towards Deity, he finds his nature gifted with natural impulses, inherent instincts, all ready to catch up and respond to the conclusion which his intellect was pointing to.
While the spiritual power would be imperfect without the intellectual basis, the intellectual process is completed, and made effective by the spiritual capacity with which man is naturally gifted, and which he finds ready, and adapted to follow the lead which his intellect gives.
We have a better justification for the conclusions of our intellect in religion, and more reason to trust them than we have in general science.”
Generally speaking, Sir Henry Wrixon is cautious in his statements and in the illustrations which he adduces to fortify his arguments, but we note on page 125 a passage which presumes telepathy as a fact of experience.
“It is a matter of experience,” he says, “that mind communicates with mind, owing to some mysterious influence, when the two minds are apart from one another, and notwithstanding any material obstacles which may intervene.” We doubt whether the majority of men of science would admit that this is “a matter of experience.”
Again, we question whether it can be shown, as stated on page 82, that the teaching of the Buddha seems “to assume the existence of the Deity, though not to enforce it.” Yet again we hardly think modern scholars in Hebrew history would endorse the assertion on page 90 that the Jews of to-day “worship the God of Israel in just the same fashion, so far as principles and belief go, as did their remote ancestors 3,000 years ago.” These statements, however, do not, it must be admitted, materially affect the arguments of the book.
👇
Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954) Sat 27 Feb 1909 "THE RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN."
"The Religion of the Common Man," by Sir Henry Wrixon, is a small volume of less than two hundred pages. It treats an engrossing subject and is certainly written in an engaging manner.
Sir Henry, like Lord Avebury and men of that type, takes a serious view of mortal life; not necessarily gloomy, but deliberately and thoughtfully serious. Already Sir Henry has several volumes to his credit, all of which have received considerable attention, and one, "The Pattern Nation", much criticism of varied shades of opinion.
It would indeed be well for mankind if the reflections which the author attributes to the "Common Man" were more widely diffused than is quite apparent at present.The first three chapters are of rather a discursive nature, though it is difficult to see how that could be avoided in dealing with a theme like this. In these chapters Creation, as it appears to man, and matter, force, and motion are reviewed, and the cogitations of the Common Man are interpreted by the author. He is said to see purpose and design in everything.
In Chapter IV. the reader is called upon to contemplate "mind," "instinct," "moral sense" and "conscience." Scientists, philosophers, and theologians, from Confucius to Darwin, are quoted in support of a moral law, or inward indicator, pointing out the right and the wrong. This has been attested in nations great and small in every state of civilisation.
This Sir Henry thinks points to the conclusion "that there is an Intelligence behind it, animating and directing the whole." Such conclusion, he says, does not prove "religion," but it lays a foundation for it.
In his appeal to history he refers to Assyria, Egypt, India, Persia, in regard to their conceptions of the "Great Spirit," and to the Jewish and Christian religions with their concepts of God. All this cannot be a figment of the imagination or a mere fancy come among men to mislead them.
It is interesting to note Sir Henry's deductions from a contemplation of astronomy. The Common Man accepts at the hands of the astronomer what he can never comprehend. The astronomer tells him that the light of a certain star requires two thousand years to reach this planet. The scientist tells him of "generating impacts that should follow each other a hundred million times a second." It is possible to believe, but never to adequately comprehend, such problems.
The line of argument here is akin to that of Professor Henry Drummond, in his "Natural Law in the Spiritual World."
After stating the difficulties of human existence, showing how necessary they are, and how they may be considered as a partial explanation of the mystery of life, the author says: — "If we knew certainly about God and a future existence, it would be impossible to retain interest in the little affairs of this life." Absolute knowledge is not possible; faith and hope are.
In a recent address the Rev. R. J. Campbell, in reply to the oft-repeated demand, "Why does God permit so much evil?" said "Why do we?" Sir Henry takes the same ground, pointing to the evils of mankind, and saying they are mostly of man's making.
The deliberate use of that great God-given implement, free will, could quickly end much of the misery and crime so apparent in human society.
This little book is no theological treatise; it is an honest, earnest endeavour to induce the Common Man to scrutinise the ways of life, to see a great, loving Father behind it all, rather than blind unfeeling force; and in Faith and Hope to await the issue lying beyond the boundary line.The publishers are Macmillan and Co., London.
👇
The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947)Sat 27 Feb 1909Books.
"The Religion of the Common Man," by Sir Henry Wrixon, Macmillan and Co.
By the “Common Man” the author means “a man of average intellect and ordinary information, as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny; and seeks to discover if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.”
This definition is intended, on the one hand, to exclude “philosophers and theologians”; and on the other hand to exclude “speakers at Sunday gatherings in parks.” Very fairly the author might have said of himself: “I am a specimen of the Common Man.” He writes without the vulgarity of the Sunday park speaker; and also without the exactness and polish of the philosopher and the scientist.
He writes in the spirit of one who cherishes a sincere faith; and therefore the tone of the book throughout is most excellent. Indeed it is a remarkable book, the reading of which perchance would be of more benefit to the Sunday park speaker on the one hand and to the philosopher, scientist, or theologian on the other hand, than to the “Common Man” whose thoughts are admirably herein written down.
It is because the author writes as a “Common Man” that we should spare him in criticism for the indefinite use of terms. He speaks of “the revelations of science,” whereas science never reveals anything; “the truth of religion,” “the truths upon which religion rests,” “the truth of religion,” “the foundation facts of any science,” “authority in matters of faith,” “revealed religion,” “moral sense,” “moral faculty,” “the existence of evil,” and “spiritual principle,” as if we all very well know the meaning of these terms when not one of them has any meaning at all.
Some notably faulty examples of interpretation might be given. If it is a fact that “the heart has a natural instinct for communion with its Creator” — a statement more than once repeated — that should go a long way towards answering the question, here discussed — namely, “Is there a God whom men ought to worship?” But that really is not the question. The dispute is not as to whether there is a sovereign power in the universe, but whether there is a God at all answering to what is so called orthodox teaching.
It is not correct to say that we owe the idea of “the unity of Deity” to the proclamation made on Mount Sinai. This proclamation did not extend to the “oneness” of God; it was intended to point out to the Israelite that only Yahweh was to be his God. Nor is it right to say that unless we accept this or that theory about God “a life devoted to virtue and self-sacrifice would be the most meaningless and unaccountable thing in God’s creation.” It would be nearer the truth to say that without an elevating theory of God, a life of virtue and self-sacrifice is impossible.
These faults are almost inseparable from the thinking and writing of the “Common Man”; but such inaccuracies not infrequently confuse the uncommon man of the lower grade, leading him to reject all because some things are in error. Some parts of the little book are very good indeed. On pages 8, 9, 10, and 11 may be found some telling observations on the religious education of children.
The pages devoted to the task of pointing out signs of the superhuman in nature, and the mysteries of organised life, are equal to the best work of the uncommon man of the higher grade. We should like to give a column of comment; meanwhile we heartily commend the little book; it will bear reading more than once; it is a book to be studied.
👇The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Sat 6 Mar 1909 THEOLOGY OF TO-DAY.THROUGH NATURE TO GOD.
"The Religion of the Common Man." By Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C. London: Macmillan & Co.
Matters affecting theology are now freely discussed by laymen of all classes; and their interest is of such large moment that it is not surprising that there should be a continually growing literature on the subject from the pens of men who are neither ministers of the Gospel nor lecturers in theological academies.
The present author states the object of his work as being to record “the reflections and conclusions of a man of average intellect and ordinary information as he muses upon and wrestles with the problems of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.”
The problem is faced in a broad spirit, and the pages betoken a sincere desire to present the thoughts which are influencing many a “common man.” Religion, it is stated, has reality behind it, and is indestructible in the heart of man. It is because of this that “it survives the attacks of foes and the mistakes of friends, and also the revelations of science” … It remains to-day still a living force among us, responding to a natural instinct of the heart for communion with its Creator, and supplying a needful support to mankind in the stress of life.
The author, however, believes that the days of prophets lie in the past, and that the world has reached a stage of development in which each man is his own prophet. “If the masses are to be inspired they must get the inspiration from themselves.” Although this is the case, it is contended that the problems which lie at the base of religious beliefs are not less difficult now than they were found to be by the philosophers of every age.
From self-observation and the study of nature the common man finds himself continually brought to the conclusion of the reality of Deity. A moral sense, an ideal of what ought to be done simply because it is right, the feeling of self-condemnation if the wrong course is chosen, these are factors in general experience which have to be accounted for.
“Our common man thus from these lines of observation and reflection, the abounding evidence of purpose and arrangement, denoting intelligence behind the screen of creation; the mind of man, circumscribed though it be, yet so amply fitted to his needs in this life, together with the marvel of instinct and the moral sense, with its sublime inspirations in the heart of man, demanding some source from on High — from these lines of thought our common man, we say, is led to believe that there is a God.”
The book is written in a pleasing style and treats the subject thoughtfully and reverently.
👇
Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935) Sat 6 Mar 1909
Literature.
THE RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN.If it be true that there are times of ebb and flow in the religious faith of civilised humanity, that periods of fervid spiritual belief and of shallow apathetic scepticism alternate in the public mind, religion at the present time, judging by the loosened hold of the churches upon the mass of the people, would seem to be at the ebb.
Sir Henry Wrixon's book, "The Religion of the Common Man", dealing as it does with the foundations of religion and with problems that have engaged the minds of thinking men ever since we have any record of human thought, and treating them with a plainness and lucidity that will make it easily understood by the average intellect, is therefore a timely contribution to the subject.
This is especially so in view of the fact that topics of inquiry which were once confined to the study of the theologian and the philosopher are now debated in the street and the market place.The author states that his object is "to record the reflections and the conclusions of a man of average intellect and ordinary information, as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him in his earthly journey."
What the author has done is really to marshal in logical sequence, and with an understanding sympathy, the thoughts and conclusions of an ordinary man who starts out with an unbiased mind and a clear intellect on an investigation as to the bases of his religious belief, and who in the process makes himself familiar with what the great minds of the race have said on the subject. For, as the author himself remarks, "in the last resort all philosophy and all metaphysics must justify itself to the plain mind of mankind."
Sir Henry Wrixon touches on a pertinent point when he says that the difficulties of religion have been increased by the false positions which its friends have taken up in the past, and which have, one after another, to be abandoned before the onward sweep of knowledge. "It cannot be wondered at if this leaves the impression that the rest of what was taught in the name of religion will in time be as readily refuted as have been the false positions which have now been abandoned."
And in this connection he puts in a protest against the methods, too often employed now in the teaching of the young — the presentation of a series of narratives as actual facts, surrounded by all the authority of religion — which, when they are out of the schoolroom and begin to read and think for themselves, they find are generally regarded as mythical and legendary stories, embodying, no doubt, living truths, but in the garb of symbol, and not of fact.
The natural, though mistaken, conclusion of the young people is to settle down to the conviction, not only that the narratives are myths or mere legends, but that all they were taught as connected with them is equally illusory. There have been very good people who have maintained that if the obviously pictorial and symbolical narrative of the creation in Genesis were not literally true the whole fabric of Biblical truth must totter to ruin.
Our author says: — "No thinking person now holds that the Bible is literally inspired, or believes in the reality, as facts, of all the narratives which it contains." Yet there are a few belated survivals of a past age who still hold that belief, as witness the recent fulminations in a Collins-street meeting hall of a militant controversialist of the "old orthodoxy."
But man remains the religious animal that he ever was, and the moral and spiritual principle in his nature imperatively demands relations with his Maker. From the infancy of the race man has been ever seeking for light upon his own destiny — on the "whence and whither" — and ever struggling to wrest a response from the heavens to the promptings of that moral faculty which is a part of his nature.
"Are all those aspirations vain? Are these longings delusions?" he asks. "If so, then our existence here must be declared to be not merely perplexing, but unmeaning and futile. The problem of human life would become more inexplicable than ever, and the spectacle of a noble man devoting his life to virtue and self-sacrifice would be the most meaningless and unaccountable thing in God's creation."
The outlook of our civilisation, then, is dreary if its religion is going to lose its hold upon men. It has no newer development of Christianity to look to. It has not yet lived up to the standard which Christ set before mankind. It possesses the foremost religion of the world, and the alternative of casting it off is not some new faith, but a delusive Pantheism or a dreary Materialism.
Civilisations cannot start afresh in matters of faith any more than in other conditions of national life. As for the individual man, his needs remain as much as ever a part of his nature; the want of some support on which to stay himself in this life, and also the rest for his soul demanded by his spiritual aspirations. These cannot be satisfied by a philosophy of negation or of incredulity, which proposes to waive aside the claims of the human soul and the needs of man in the stress of life, by telling him not to mind them.
It is with earnestness, therefore, that the thinking man asks himself the question, "Is it indeed true that there is no God?"This is the problem which Sir Henry Wrixon sets before his common man, whose reasonings and momentous conclusions he follows and unfolds in the course of his investigations: — Whether it is a true conclusion that there is one stupendous power and intelligence, an infinite and independent essence, the source and preserver of all things; or whether the Universe is the product of, and is impelled by, the unconscious force of material powers, streams of blind impulse generating we know not how and tending we know not whither.
He recognises that the incomprehensible faces him as the ultimate phase of the existence of Deity, but experience has taught him that he must at times "believe" in things he cannot understand, only it must be something which his intellect recommends to him as a proper subject for faith.
Starting with the philosophic basis of his own existence, "I think therefore I exist," the investigator after a study of his own nature, and the observation of the world outside him, concludes that there is some Causing Power, some Intelligence, behind the manifold phenomena of life and nature. The mind, instinct, the moral sense, and conscience are made to complete the conviction.
Our common man thus, from these lines of observation and reflection — the abounding evidences of purpose and arrangement denoting intelligence behind the screen of creation — the mind of man, circumscribed though it be, yet so amply fitted to the needs of this life, together with the marvel of instinct, and the moral sense, with its sublime inspirations in the heart of man, demanding some source from on high — from these lines of thought our common man, we say, is led to believe that there is a God.
This conclusion certainly by no means involves all the postulates of religion, but it lays the foundation for them. The superstructure, as the author points out, is raised partly by deductions which naturally follow from the great fact, and partly by the spiritual instincts which are a portion of the nature of the common man.
In arriving at this conclusion Sir Henry Wrixon shows that the common man is acting in unison with the general belief of the great family of mankind in all its branches, and in every period of the world's history, and that this belief in a superior power has been acknowledged by the greatest intellects of the race.
The world's great religions, its imperial thinkers, its wisest philosophers, its most renowned teachers, are all brought forward to testify to the universal belief in the existence of God, in the reality of the unseen, and in the immortality of the soul. And finally the Christian revelation about the Deity is adduced as the greatest fact in the spiritual history of mankind.
It is admitted that while the common man may find the central fact, he could not, as an intellectual process, define and prove all that is involved in the nature of the Deity. The idea is surrounded with much that passes his comprehension and by much that is quite inexplicable to him. But this is only what happens to him in regard to many other problems on mental and physical matters. The greatest thinkers have to confess that with them, as with the smaller men, knowledge begins and ends in wonder.
The weight of testimony may make a belief in the existence of Deity an irresistible conclusion. But the thinking man cannot stop short at this belief. There are other postulates arising from it which face the investigator, and about which there may be many perplexities. Under the heading of "Difficulties" some of these are discussed.The comparative insignificance of man in the material universe is met by the argument that in the mental and spiritual world vastness assumes a different aspect.
Space and time, as far as we can grasp them, depend on conditions within our own minds. The operations of the spirit world are extant throughout all creation, and are not affected by the immensity of material nature nor the illimitableness of space itself. Distance and time and size have no longer to be contended with.
Connected with the triviality of mankind is another difficulty: "Why are we left in such obscurity about the unseen God and our future destiny?" It is admitted that this perplexity is not fully explainable, at least by the light of human reason.Yet there is not wanting a partial explanation, at least derived from the conditions of human life here, which suggests itself to the common man.
It is obvious that it is the intention of the Creator that all forms of life in this planet (and probably wherever in His universe forms of life exist) should take the deepest interest in their present state of existence and should be devoted to the claims of that life in which they find themselves placed. This is shown by the instinct of living being one of the strongest planted in our nature. ... We have such an inherent love of and interest in life that we cling to it through all trials, and when of itself it would not seem worth living.
It being then the obvious purpose of the Creator that we should be devoted to the claims upon us of our life here, it would be inconsistent with this purpose if there was placed before men in the blaze of actual knowledge the view of God Himself, and of a further state of being to which men were hurrying through this short stage of existence. For then all interest in the affairs of this present world would be gone. Who would have energy to struggle on at his work here if he had direct knowledge of a wonderful future state immediately at hand?
Napoleon, as a young man, was absorbed in the politics of Corsica, and had there been no revolution in France, possibly might have remained so all his life. But while busied in writing that eager philippic, which, as a youth, he composed on the condition of his native island, if his future career had been revealed to him, would he have cared to finish his letter, or to further nurse his enthusiasm for Paoli?
Providence, in short, accords us only such knowledge of Himself, and such grounds of expectation as to our future destiny as is sufficient for the purpose of development and guidance here. Thus, it is that scope is given for the cultivation of faith and hope, the foundation principles of all religions.
And with regard to the still greater and more inexplicable problem of evil, whether it be the evil which men do, or the evil which men suffer, how is it reconcilable with the rule of a just and merciful God? While the difficulty is in no way shirked, it is dealt with in a way which, so far from destroying a belief in a righteous Providence, is made to support such a belief, to incline the investigator, not to atheism, but to religion.
To give to our present life a meaning intelligible to the moral sense there must be a life beyond. Notwithstanding the baffling problem of evil the purpose of the world points to just judgment and a beneficent Creator.
After all, the problems of the common man of the 20th century are those which exercised the mind of some of the master spirits of the race 2000 years ago and more, and which were resolved by them much in the same way as sincere thinkers resolve them to-day. But there are always thoughtless people, with no intellectual or religious anchorage, and who are blown about by every wind of doctrine, and for their benefit it is desirable to restate those ancient truths which are the heritage of the race, especially when they can be set forth in the light of any new thought or any fresh way of regarding an old thought.
It is this useful purpose which Sir Henry Wrixon has served in the sane and suggestive treatise under notice.
The Religion of the Common Man, by Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C., author of The Pattern Nation, &c., London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd.; Melbourne: Melville and Mullen.
THE RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN.If it be true that there are times of ebb and flow in the religious faith of civilised humanity, that periods of fervid spiritual belief and of shallow apathetic scepticism alternate in the public mind, religion at the present time, judging by the loosened hold of the churches upon the mass of the people, would seem to be at the ebb.
Sir Henry Wrixon's book, "The Religion of the Common Man", dealing as it does with the foundations of religion and with problems that have engaged the minds of thinking men ever since we have any record of human thought, and treating them with a plainness and lucidity that will make it easily understood by the average intellect, is therefore a timely contribution to the subject.
This is especially so in view of the fact that topics of inquiry which were once confined to the study of the theologian and the philosopher are now debated in the street and the market place.The author states that his object is "to record the reflections and the conclusions of a man of average intellect and ordinary information, as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him in his earthly journey."
What the author has done is really to marshal in logical sequence, and with an understanding sympathy, the thoughts and conclusions of an ordinary man who starts out with an unbiased mind and a clear intellect on an investigation as to the bases of his religious belief, and who in the process makes himself familiar with what the great minds of the race have said on the subject. For, as the author himself remarks, "in the last resort all philosophy and all metaphysics must justify itself to the plain mind of mankind."
Sir Henry Wrixon touches on a pertinent point when he says that the difficulties of religion have been increased by the false positions which its friends have taken up in the past, and which have, one after another, to be abandoned before the onward sweep of knowledge. "It cannot be wondered at if this leaves the impression that the rest of what was taught in the name of religion will in time be as readily refuted as have been the false positions which have now been abandoned."
And in this connection he puts in a protest against the methods, too often employed now in the teaching of the young — the presentation of a series of narratives as actual facts, surrounded by all the authority of religion — which, when they are out of the schoolroom and begin to read and think for themselves, they find are generally regarded as mythical and legendary stories, embodying, no doubt, living truths, but in the garb of symbol, and not of fact.
The natural, though mistaken, conclusion of the young people is to settle down to the conviction, not only that the narratives are myths or mere legends, but that all they were taught as connected with them is equally illusory. There have been very good people who have maintained that if the obviously pictorial and symbolical narrative of the creation in Genesis were not literally true the whole fabric of Biblical truth must totter to ruin.
Our author says: — "No thinking person now holds that the Bible is literally inspired, or believes in the reality, as facts, of all the narratives which it contains." Yet there are a few belated survivals of a past age who still hold that belief, as witness the recent fulminations in a Collins-street meeting hall of a militant controversialist of the "old orthodoxy."
But man remains the religious animal that he ever was, and the moral and spiritual principle in his nature imperatively demands relations with his Maker. From the infancy of the race man has been ever seeking for light upon his own destiny — on the "whence and whither" — and ever struggling to wrest a response from the heavens to the promptings of that moral faculty which is a part of his nature.
"Are all those aspirations vain? Are these longings delusions?" he asks. "If so, then our existence here must be declared to be not merely perplexing, but unmeaning and futile. The problem of human life would become more inexplicable than ever, and the spectacle of a noble man devoting his life to virtue and self-sacrifice would be the most meaningless and unaccountable thing in God's creation."
The outlook of our civilisation, then, is dreary if its religion is going to lose its hold upon men. It has no newer development of Christianity to look to. It has not yet lived up to the standard which Christ set before mankind. It possesses the foremost religion of the world, and the alternative of casting it off is not some new faith, but a delusive Pantheism or a dreary Materialism.
Civilisations cannot start afresh in matters of faith any more than in other conditions of national life. As for the individual man, his needs remain as much as ever a part of his nature; the want of some support on which to stay himself in this life, and also the rest for his soul demanded by his spiritual aspirations. These cannot be satisfied by a philosophy of negation or of incredulity, which proposes to waive aside the claims of the human soul and the needs of man in the stress of life, by telling him not to mind them.
It is with earnestness, therefore, that the thinking man asks himself the question, "Is it indeed true that there is no God?"This is the problem which Sir Henry Wrixon sets before his common man, whose reasonings and momentous conclusions he follows and unfolds in the course of his investigations: — Whether it is a true conclusion that there is one stupendous power and intelligence, an infinite and independent essence, the source and preserver of all things; or whether the Universe is the product of, and is impelled by, the unconscious force of material powers, streams of blind impulse generating we know not how and tending we know not whither.
He recognises that the incomprehensible faces him as the ultimate phase of the existence of Deity, but experience has taught him that he must at times "believe" in things he cannot understand, only it must be something which his intellect recommends to him as a proper subject for faith.
Starting with the philosophic basis of his own existence, "I think therefore I exist," the investigator after a study of his own nature, and the observation of the world outside him, concludes that there is some Causing Power, some Intelligence, behind the manifold phenomena of life and nature. The mind, instinct, the moral sense, and conscience are made to complete the conviction.
Our common man thus, from these lines of observation and reflection — the abounding evidences of purpose and arrangement denoting intelligence behind the screen of creation — the mind of man, circumscribed though it be, yet so amply fitted to the needs of this life, together with the marvel of instinct, and the moral sense, with its sublime inspirations in the heart of man, demanding some source from on high — from these lines of thought our common man, we say, is led to believe that there is a God.
This conclusion certainly by no means involves all the postulates of religion, but it lays the foundation for them. The superstructure, as the author points out, is raised partly by deductions which naturally follow from the great fact, and partly by the spiritual instincts which are a portion of the nature of the common man.
In arriving at this conclusion Sir Henry Wrixon shows that the common man is acting in unison with the general belief of the great family of mankind in all its branches, and in every period of the world's history, and that this belief in a superior power has been acknowledged by the greatest intellects of the race.
The world's great religions, its imperial thinkers, its wisest philosophers, its most renowned teachers, are all brought forward to testify to the universal belief in the existence of God, in the reality of the unseen, and in the immortality of the soul. And finally the Christian revelation about the Deity is adduced as the greatest fact in the spiritual history of mankind.
It is admitted that while the common man may find the central fact, he could not, as an intellectual process, define and prove all that is involved in the nature of the Deity. The idea is surrounded with much that passes his comprehension and by much that is quite inexplicable to him. But this is only what happens to him in regard to many other problems on mental and physical matters. The greatest thinkers have to confess that with them, as with the smaller men, knowledge begins and ends in wonder.
The weight of testimony may make a belief in the existence of Deity an irresistible conclusion. But the thinking man cannot stop short at this belief. There are other postulates arising from it which face the investigator, and about which there may be many perplexities. Under the heading of "Difficulties" some of these are discussed.The comparative insignificance of man in the material universe is met by the argument that in the mental and spiritual world vastness assumes a different aspect.
Space and time, as far as we can grasp them, depend on conditions within our own minds. The operations of the spirit world are extant throughout all creation, and are not affected by the immensity of material nature nor the illimitableness of space itself. Distance and time and size have no longer to be contended with.
Connected with the triviality of mankind is another difficulty: "Why are we left in such obscurity about the unseen God and our future destiny?" It is admitted that this perplexity is not fully explainable, at least by the light of human reason.Yet there is not wanting a partial explanation, at least derived from the conditions of human life here, which suggests itself to the common man.
It is obvious that it is the intention of the Creator that all forms of life in this planet (and probably wherever in His universe forms of life exist) should take the deepest interest in their present state of existence and should be devoted to the claims of that life in which they find themselves placed. This is shown by the instinct of living being one of the strongest planted in our nature. ... We have such an inherent love of and interest in life that we cling to it through all trials, and when of itself it would not seem worth living.
It being then the obvious purpose of the Creator that we should be devoted to the claims upon us of our life here, it would be inconsistent with this purpose if there was placed before men in the blaze of actual knowledge the view of God Himself, and of a further state of being to which men were hurrying through this short stage of existence. For then all interest in the affairs of this present world would be gone. Who would have energy to struggle on at his work here if he had direct knowledge of a wonderful future state immediately at hand?
Napoleon, as a young man, was absorbed in the politics of Corsica, and had there been no revolution in France, possibly might have remained so all his life. But while busied in writing that eager philippic, which, as a youth, he composed on the condition of his native island, if his future career had been revealed to him, would he have cared to finish his letter, or to further nurse his enthusiasm for Paoli?
Providence, in short, accords us only such knowledge of Himself, and such grounds of expectation as to our future destiny as is sufficient for the purpose of development and guidance here. Thus, it is that scope is given for the cultivation of faith and hope, the foundation principles of all religions.
And with regard to the still greater and more inexplicable problem of evil, whether it be the evil which men do, or the evil which men suffer, how is it reconcilable with the rule of a just and merciful God? While the difficulty is in no way shirked, it is dealt with in a way which, so far from destroying a belief in a righteous Providence, is made to support such a belief, to incline the investigator, not to atheism, but to religion.
To give to our present life a meaning intelligible to the moral sense there must be a life beyond. Notwithstanding the baffling problem of evil the purpose of the world points to just judgment and a beneficent Creator.
After all, the problems of the common man of the 20th century are those which exercised the mind of some of the master spirits of the race 2000 years ago and more, and which were resolved by them much in the same way as sincere thinkers resolve them to-day. But there are always thoughtless people, with no intellectual or religious anchorage, and who are blown about by every wind of doctrine, and for their benefit it is desirable to restate those ancient truths which are the heritage of the race, especially when they can be set forth in the light of any new thought or any fresh way of regarding an old thought.
It is this useful purpose which Sir Henry Wrixon has served in the sane and suggestive treatise under notice.
The Religion of the Common Man, by Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C., author of The Pattern Nation, &c., London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd.; Melbourne: Melville and Mullen.
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Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) Wed 10 Mar 1909
THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.
What is “The Religion of the Common Man”? Sir Henry Wrixon, of Victoria, discusses this subject in a volume of nearly two hundred pages just published by Macmillan, London. Sir Henry lays it down that religion has reality behind it and is indestructible in the heart of man; hence it survives the attacks of its foes, and is still a living force.
He then sets out to record the reflections and conclusions of “a man of average intellect and ordinary information” as he muses upon and wrestles with the problem of his existence here and his future destiny, and seeks to discover, “if not a complete solution of that problem, light at least enough to guide him on his earthly journey.
”This “common man,” not conversant with the lore or the metaphysics of the subject, and having no aid from revelation, meditates and reasons very lucidly, and with great acuteness, and arrives at the conclusion, from the history of belief, from Nature, and from conscience that there is a conscious, intelligent and beneficent Ruler of the Universe.
Sir Henry Wrixon does not shirk difficulties; on the other hand, he frankly recognises them in order that he may be able to conquer them as far as finite human knowledge can do. On some points, however, such as the problem of evil, he lands the “common man” in that hopeless perplexity which besets all who seek to find a solution. The book is full of references to the works of philosophers, and is an exceedingly thoughtful contribution to that speculative religious literature fascinating to so many men.
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Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918) Sat 13 Mar 1909
"RELIGION OF THE COMMON MAN."WORK BY SIR HENRY WRIXON.
We have received through Melville and Mullen a book entitled The Religion of the Common Man, by Sir Henry Wrixon, K.C.
This is a book dealing with the foundation principle of religion, namely, the fact of God. It is written in plain language for plain men. It does not profess to deal with anything new, but rather to “record the reflections and the conclusions of a man of average intellect.”
It affords the ordinary reader an opportunity of studying these “reflections and conclusions” in words easily understood. The book is reverent and able, and indicates a wide range of reading, and a familiarity with the literature of the subject. In the ten chapters, covering 187 pages, the interest is maintained throughout.
The average man may here read the discussion of a subject which has engaged the mind of man through ages, but which is usually clothed in abstruse and metaphysical language. It is a book for the people, and should prove of much interest, being the conclusions of an Australian publicist and statesman, who, having wrestled with the problems of his own existence and his future destiny, holds to the belief in God as the great reality behind religion.
