To the Editor of the "Nonmu-Cimsa Day News"
Sin—Me. Soweny as usual is very interesting, But here are some} points which I would like to place fbetoro him for further elucidation, [Or to quote him: he says it man is a free will agent, then what he will is not, prediciable" But may 1 put it to him that he will do certain Predictable actions during the course Jof the day though free of will as he, Is. And if there is anything in astrology, of all he will do—subject to the controlling influences of the heavenly bodles—in all his life, is] Quite predictable, In fact, is pre ordinated, scientifically ' speaking, that he might add his quota to the general consumption of events, or {the end foreseen for which Cause operates, 'Then he speaks of the 'Hebrew JSchovah" and the 'Christian - God' where there never was such nor could be, as he will discover it he should care to investigate further on this point, Then he says 'Jonah's prophecy failed to come true' But then, here again it was not Jonah's prophesy, but a warning he was 10 deliver to the Nenevites of what would result as a consequence of belt action, if they persisted in it,—i.e, if they ald not repent, Just jatier such prediction as a score of political observers had made and published before the outbreak: of this present inter-universal catastrophe whose end is not yet in sight.
Then again, he says that pellet in the pre-ordained in the events of history as foretold in Holy Writ, tends to induce a aissez faire or fatalistic attitude of mind, which Jean only prove disastrous fo those threatened by aggression, when the contrary is the fact, Or witness the huge camps which threats and coun-for-threats of the burglar and refired burglar nations hod made, Then again, his oft mentioning of the "aggressor." But—what ig" an aggressor, when the whole political world has up to these times, and possibly will be into the future, nothing [but a compound of aggressions? And stilt holds good:—
Prac they Dall ake who hae the power And they shall Keep, who can.
And in conclusion, was it not because of the unsatisfactory nature of his system of inter-aggression that the hope of Isreal was founded, and special Prophet. sent to propound {t, and on which is founded Chrisianity proper?
Drocexes, Shanghai, Mar. 27, Reader Disappointed To the Editor of the fon mu-Ciuwa Dany News"
Sm—Your correspondent's note in today's issue I read with a sense of disappointment, 1 read the note in Yyour issue of March 23, the story of Jonah was recounted as if your correspondent accepted the truth of it He used it to try and prove his point. A-man's intelligence can be very accurately gauged by the questions hho asks, A resume of Mr. de Sowznay's questions show that clearly. Preotdination and free-will are older than time itself, To say that man has no will would be a mistake, A corresponding mistake would thine that man can do as he pleases In order that your correspondent should have some idea of the wide range of the subject 1 would point ut its bearing on (1) The individual; A community (Shanghai for Instance; (3) A nation. (4) Internationally." An individual, he 3s wise, Knows if ho. transgresses any law Claws of nature for instance), na~ ture herself will exact her penalty In what place could we seo s0 plain ly as here in Shanghai, with its cos mopolitan community,' the force this theme of will ahd. preordina~ tion? The well-being and integrity of the community is held only by the laws as they are promulgated jand upheld and enforced by those whose duty it {8 50 to do. A. nation's well-being and integrity is held, to my judgment, by the same principle, There s no neod for me to dilate these points, T don't care for long letters (X don't (ake time to. read them), and T think T have answered my own questions, Whether there is any importance attached to the questions T asked in my Inst note, 1 would leave that to people who rend the said questions, As for support ing anyone or being gloomy, I say [by no means, Wat, MeDowaut, Shanghai, Mar, 20, Astrology a Humbug To the Editor of the "Nonm-Cinwa Dat News" appears in today's issue of you! valuable newspaper, were to come out of his tub and face' realities. Astrology is nothing but humbug, a Jot of hocus-poons whereby charlatans have victimized the Ignorant and credulous from the days of Ancient Egypt to the present time, interesting from a purely academic pont of view, firstly, because it provides a study of the kind of things men of bygone ages have Believed, and, secondly, because it throws light' upon some of the strange superstitions that still pers With regard to predictability otherwise of the actions of man a free-will agent, your correspondent touches upon a point which 1 should have liked to discuss but didn't Because T did not want to take up foo much of your space or your readers' time, T freely admit that, many of the actions of most people as they go about their daily routine may be predicted with a strong degree of probability, but never with certainty. I was careful original article on the subject of Prophecies to insert those two words "with certainty," a fact, which your correspondent ignores. It_makes_all the difference in my contentions. But apparently your correspondent. actually believes that the heavenly bodies. that is, the Sun, Moon, planets,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.