He may believe that there is a God,
or that there is no God; that all ends in this world, or that it is
prolonged into the next; that all is matter, or that all is spirit.
He will believe these things much as wise men believe them; but do
you think his manner of belief can be the same? To look fearlessly
upon life; to accept the laws of nature, not with meek resignation,
but as her sons, who dare to search and question; to have peace and
confidence within our soul--these are the beliefs that make for
happiness. But to believe is not enough; all depends on how we
believe. I may believe that there is no God, that I am self-
contained, that my brief sojourn here serves no purpose; that in the
economy of this world without limit my existence counts for as
little as the evanescent hue of a flower--I may believe all this, in
a deeply religious spirit, with the infinite throbbing within me;
you may believe in one all-powerful God, who cherishes and protects
you, yet your belief may be mean, and petty, and small. I shall be
happier than you, and calmer, if my doubt is greater, and nobler,
and more earnest than is your faith; if it has probed more deeply
into my soul, traversed wider horizons, if there are more things it
has loved.
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