INTRODUCTION.

Philanthropists original: "lanthropists" (OCR error) and reformers seek to remove certain obstructions. These obstructions consist of the local prejudices and the social, national, commercial, and theological antagonisms that prevail throughout the whole earth. All people and communities are anxious for the establishment of a more intimate unity among the human race, but each person desires that this unity should be founded on the basis of his own peculiar system.

The Calvinist A follower of John Calvin; a branch of Protestantism emphasizing the sovereignty of God and predestination. would have the whole world form one harmonious brotherhood, possessing one faith, one hope, and one baptism, but then he would have them all become Calvinists. The Arminian A follower of Jacobus Arminius; a theological tradition that emphasizes human free will in contrast to Calvinism. desires the same union, but only on the basis of his own theological system. The Catholic desires that all should become Catholics, and only on this ground will he consent to a union with others. The Jews desire a unity of the race, but they desire first to be restored to the land of Palestine, and then that all Gentile nations should unite as their subordinates under the reign of their expected Messiah. The intelligent Mohammedan A historical term for a Muslim. desires the establishment and perfection of a universal brotherhood, but he demands that every man should first devoutly exclaim, "God is God, and Mohammed is his prophet" original: "Allah is God...".

The same remarks might with equal propriety be extended to all parties, sects, denominations, and religious people throughout the whole earth. All are equally sincere in their opinions and equally zealous in their proclamation, each believing that his own system is sanctioned by the Deity. However, as the devotees of all social, national, and especially theological systems derive their opinions from the accidental circumstances of birth and early education, it is impossible that more than one out of a thousand can be right, and the extreme probability is that all are wrong. While the followers of each system pray fervently and labor diligently for the conversion of the whole world, all are mutually and purposely obstructing the efforts of each other. This obstruction creates impatience, jealousy, bigotry, fanaticism, and every species of hostility and persecution that now so unhappily distract the human race, and array brother against brother and community against community, causing the truly philanthropic soul to weep in hopeless despondency.

It is clear to every mind that so long as these diversified antagonisms in society exist throughout the world, that universal peace, brotherly love, and social and national unity—so devoutly to be desired—cannot possibly take place. The all-absorbing desire of the enlightened philanthropist, therefore, is that these antagonisms may be removed by the institution of some grand and universal system of thought and action, based upon the nature of things and the true relations of men to each other.

This, therefore, should be considered as the true and great leading want of the human mind at the present age, more than at any previous age of the world. Who shall judge from theoretical deduction original: "à priori" that in the unvarying laws of the All-Wise Being, provisions may not have been made to supply this want, just as all real wants of the human race were supplied in previous ages? When we add to these remarks the consideration that neither reason nor any previous revelation authorizes the belief that the channels of spiritual communication with this lower world have been permanently closed, may we not expect a respectful attention to the following statement and remarks? We also hope for such a candid reading of the volume submitted here as may enable the reader properly to judge what relation (if any) this work bears to those very demands of the age which are, of all others, the most pressing.