448                  A. M. E. REVIEW.

  The following is acceptable to most of us:
  "An inevitable Dualism bisects Nature, so that each
thing is a half, and suggests another thing to make a whole;
as, spirit, matter; man, woman; odd, even; subjective, ob-
jective; in, out; upper, under; motion, rest; yea, nay.
  The same dualism underlies the nature and condition of
man."
  We have then, four, distinct, fundamental views of life,
phenomenal nature, and man.  Four attempts of the human
mind to solve the riddle of existence, four attempts to an-
swer the ineluctable questions: What are we? whence
came we? Whither go we?
  (1) Thought is primary and causative--the origin of all
phenomena. "The universe is a thought of God."
   (2) Matter is eternal and all in all, Life, thought, etc. are
only manifestations of the motions of matter.
  (3) Dualism that believes in matter actuated or moved by
spirit.
   (4) Agnosticism that rejects all explanations and de-
clares the problem of existence inexplicable.
  Out of these fundamental systems of thought, understood
by the few only, grow all of our religious, social, educa-
tional, and governmental theories.
  Materialism.--When it reaches the daily life of individu-
als, manifests itself in irresponsibility and selfishness. Its
votaries believe, as Epicurus in ancient times, that the high-
est duty of man is to seek his own selfish pleasures,
            "The Brotherhood,
            Of soft Epicureans taught--if they
            The ends of being would secure, and win
           The crown of wisdom--to yield up their souls
            To a voluptuous unconcern"
  In modern times we see it manifest itself as Malthusian-
ism which looks calmly upon war, pestilence and infanticide
as nature's prevention of over-population.
  In our own day it takes the form of a mad race for money.
Men are no longer satisfied to gain a competence and retire




			

OHS/National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center Serial Collection

African Methodist Episcopal Church Review, Vol. 28, Num. 1

Volume:  28
Issue Number:  01
Date:  07/1911