The animals' cause : a selection of papers contributed to the international anti-vivisection and animal protection congress, held at the Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, July 6th-10th, 1909 / edited by L. Lind-af-Hageby.

  • International Anti-Vivisection and Animal Protection Congress (1909 : London, England)
Date:
[1909?]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The animals' cause : a selection of papers contributed to the international anti-vivisection and animal protection congress, held at the Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, July 6th-10th, 1909 / edited by L. Lind-af-Hageby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    familiar use they [words and names] charm men into notions far remote from the truth of things. . . . He that shall well con- sider the errors and obscurity, the mistakes and confusion, that are spread in the world by an ill use of words will find some reason to doubt whether language, as it has been employed, has contributed more to the improvement, or to the hindrance, of knowledge amongst mankind. How many are there who, when they would think on things, fix their thoughts only on words—especially when they apply their minds to moral matters ? ’ ’ Again he admonishes : “ There is no such effectual way to gain admittance, or give defence, to strange and absurd doctrines as to guard them about with legions of obscure, doubtful, and undefined words. . . . Nor has this mischief stopped short in logical niceties or curious empty specula- tions ; it has invaded the great concernments of human life and society, obscured and perplexed the material truths of law and divinity, brought confusion, disorder, and uncertainty into the affairs of mankind; and, if not destroyed, yet, in great measure, rendered useless those two great rules—religion and justice. Whether,” adds this truer philosopher, ‘‘any by-interests of these professions [Theology and Law] have occasioned this I will not here examine. But I leave it to be considered whether it would not be well for mankind, whose concernment it is to know things as they are and to do what they ought, and not to spend their fives in talk- ing about them, or tossing words to and fro—whether it would not be well, I say, that the use of words were made plain and direct; and that language, which was given us for the improvement of knowledge and bond of society, ought not to be employed to darken truth and unsettle people’s rights; to raise mists and render unin- telligible both morality and religion. Or that, at least, if this will happen, it should not be thought learning or knowledge to do so.” These just animadversions upon the abuse of language by the common run of writers, and by the accredited or by the self-styled teachers of the world—applicable to the present time as to the days of Locke, and, indeed, yet more so, seeing the vast multiplication of pretentious but superficial purveyors of literary pabulum to the (reading) public—form a fitting preface to the especial subject of this paper. It is not within its scope to con- sider the abuses of language beyond the limits of Humanitarian interests. An adequate history of the whole subject would fill volumes; but certain words or terms there are which have so incal- culable an influence upon human thought, and therefore action— indirectly, it may be—that brief reference to them is not out of place here. The illustrations which I shall select are pre-eminently significant. “ Religion ” and “ religious,” in their original, simple, and proper meaning, implying merely the idea conveyed by “ piety,” or, it may be, by “ conscientiousness,” with how much of suffering for the world is not to be calculated, have in all times been