ot the _idol_, will be truth,
and the one faith, not religion, but a sincere and lofty conception of
the dignity and resourcefulness of the human mind; and an overwhelming
desire to aid in the progress of all mankind, the extinction of disease,
the perfection of genius, the perfection of love, and, therefore, the
abolition of war, the exploration of the infinite, and the conquest of
creation.

Such an age can never come to be during the maljurisdiction of a
theistic philosophy. It can only come into being when the vast majority
of men are by the force of advancing knowledge made aware of the truth
of the atheistic philosophy.

An English observer, C. E. M. Joad, remarks: "The churches, no doubt,
will continue to function for a time, but they will be attended
increasingly, and in the end exclusively, by ignorant men, women, and
children. Already, a stranger attending an average church of England
service would almost be justified in assuming that the churches, like
theatre matinees, were kept up for the benefit of women and children. So
far as present indications go, it seems not unlikely that science will
deliver the coup de grace to organized Christianity within the next
hundred years."

We have caught a glimpse of what theism has done, and what the
philosophy of atheism might have done, and will yet achieve. Has man
profited by having remained in his mental infancy so long? Atheism is an
emancipating system of thought that frees the mind from myths, fables,
and childish fancies. There can be no inquisition, no witchcraft
delusion, no religious wars, no persecutions of one sect by another, no
impediment to science and progress, no stultification of the mind, as a
result of its teachings.

The philosophy of atheism teaches man to stand on his own feet, instills
confidence in his reasoning powers, and forces him to conquer his
environment. It teaches him not to subject himself and debase himself
before mythical superhuman powers, for his reason is his power. The
march from faith to reason is the march on which dwells the future hope
of a really civilized mankind.

Atheism teaches man to endeavor constantly to better his own condition
and that of all of his fellowmen, to make his children wiser and
happier; it supplies the powerful urge to add something new to the
knowledge of mankind. And all this, not in the vain hope of being
rewarded in another world, but from a pure sense of duty as a citizen of
nature, as a pa