R。M。Bucke：Cosmicconsciousness，pp。182-186，abridged。
WaltWhitmanoweshisimportanceinliteraturetothesystematicexpulsionfromhiswritingsofallcontractileelements。Theonlysentimentsheallowedhimselftoexpresswereoftheexpansiveorder；andheexpressedtheseinthefirstperson，notasyourmeremonstrouslyconceitedindividualmightsoexpressthem，butvicariouslyforallmen，sothatapassionateandmysticontologicalemotionsuffuseshiswords，andendsbypersuadingthereaderthatmenandwomen，lifeanddeath，andallthingsaredivinelygood。
Thusithascomeaboutthatmanypersonsto-dayregardWaltWhitmanastherestoreroftheeternalnaturalreligion。Hehasinfectedthemwithhisownloveofcomrades，withhisowngladnessthatheandtheyexist。Societiesareactuallyformedforhiscult；aperiodicalorganexistsforitspropagation，inwhichthelinesoforthodoxyandheterodoxyarealreadybeginningtobedrawn；[39]hymnsarewrittenbyothersinhispeculiarprosody；andheisevenexplicitlycomparedwiththefounderoftheChristianreligion，notaltogethertotheadvantageofthelatter。
[39]IrefertoTheConservator，editedbyHoraceTraubel，andpublishedmonthlyatPhiladelphia。
Whitmanisoftenspokenofasa“pagan。”Thewordnowadaysmeanssometimesthemerenaturalanimalmanwithoutasenseofsin；
sometimesitmeansaGreekorRomanwithhisownpeculiarreligiousconsciousness。Inneitherofthesesensesdoesitfitlydefinethispoet。Heismorethanyourmereanimalmanwhohasnottastedofthetreeofgoodandevil。Heisawareenoughofsinforaswaggertobepresentinhisindifferencetowardsit，aconsciousprideinhisfreedomfromflexionsandcontractions，whichyourgenuinepaganinthefirstsenseofthewordwouldnevershow。
“Icouldturnandlivewithanimals，theyaresoplacidandself-contained，Istandandlookatthemlongandlong；
Theydonotsweatandwhineabouttheircondition。
Theydonotlieawakeinthedarkandweepfortheirsins。
Notoneisdissatisfied，notoneisdementedwiththemaniaofowningthings，Notonekneelstoanother，nortohiskindthatlivedthousandsofyearsago，Notoneisrespectableorunhappyoverthewholeearth。”
SongofMyself，
Nonaturalpagancouldhavewrittenthesewell-knownlines。ButontheotherhandWhitmanislessthanaGreekorRoman；fortheirconsciousness，eveninHomerictimes，wasfulltothebrimofthesadmortalityofthissunlitworld，andsuchaconsciousnessWaltWhitmanresolutelyrefusestoadopt。When，forexample，Achilles，abouttoslayLycaon，Priam’syoungson，hearshimsueformercy，hestopstosay：——
“Ah，friend，thoutoomustdie：whythuslamentestthou？
Patroclostooisdead，whowasbetterfarthanthou……Overmetoohangdeathandforcefulfate。Therecomethmornoreveorsomenoondaywhenmylifetoosomemanshalltakeinbattle，whetherwithspearhesmite，orarrowfromthestring。”
ThenAchillessavagelyseversthepoorboy’sneckwithhissword，heaveshimbythefootintotheScamander，andcallstothefishesoftherivertoeatthewhitefatofLycaon。Justasherethecrueltyandthesympathyeachringtrue，anddonotmixorinterferewithoneanother，sodidtheGreeksandRomanskeepalltheirsadnessesandgladnessesunmingledandentire。Instinctivegoodtheydidnotreckonsin；norhadtheyanysuchdesiretosavethecreditoftheuniverseastomaketheminsist，assomanyofUSinsist，thatwhatimmediatelyappearsasevilmustbe“goodinthemaking。”orsomethingequallyingenious。Goodwasgood，andbadjustbad，fortheearlierGreeks。Theyneitherdeniedtheillsofnature——WaltWhitman’sverse，“Whatiscalledgoodisperfectandwhatiscalledbadisjustasperfect。”wouldhavebeenmeresillinesstothem——nordidthey，inordertoescapefromthoseills，invent“anotherandabetterworld“oftheimagination，inwhich，alongwiththeills，theinnocentgoodsofsensewouldalsofindnoplace。Thisintegrityoftheinstinctivereactions，thisfreedomfromallmoralsophistryandstrain，givesapatheticdignitytoancientpaganfeeling。AndthisqualityWhitman’soutpouringshavenotgot。Hisoptimismistoovoluntaryanddefiant；hisgospelhasatouchofbravadoandanaffectedtwist，[42]andthisdiminishesitseffectonmanyreaderswhoyetarewelldisposedtowardsoptimism，andonthewholequitewillingtoadmitthatinimportantrespectsWhitmanisofthegenuinelineageoftheprophets。
[42]“Godisafraidofme！”remarkedsuchatitanic-optimisticfriendinmypresenceonemorningwhenhewasfeelingparticularlyheartyandcannibalistic。ThedefianceofthephraseshowedthataChristianeducationinhumilitystillrankledinhisbreast。
If，then，wegivethenameofhealthy-mindednesstothetendencywhichlooksonallthingsandseesthattheyaregood，wefindthatwemustdistinguishbetweenamoreinvoluntaryandamorevoluntaryorsystematicwayofbeinghealthy-minded。Initsinvoluntaryvariety，healthy-mindednessisawayoffeelinghappyaboutthingsimmediately。Initssystematicalvariety，itisanabstractwayofconceivingthingsasgood。Everyabstractwayofconceivingthingsselectssomeoneaspectofthemastheiressenceforthetimebeing，anddisregardstheotheraspects。
Systematichealthy-mindedness，conceivinggoodastheessentialanduniversalaspectofbeing，deliberatelyexcludesevilfromitsfieldofvision；andalthough，whenthusnakedlystated，thismightseemadifficultfeattoperformforonewhoisintellectuallysincerewithhimselfandhonestaboutfacts，alittlereflectionshowsthatthesituationistoocomplextolieopentososimpleacriticism。
Inthefirstplace，happiness，likeeveryotheremotionalstate，hasblindnessandinsensibilitytoopposingfactsgivenitasitsinstinctiveweaponforself-protectionagainstdisturbance。Whenhappinessisactuallyinpossession，thethoughtofevilcannomoreacquirethefeelingofrealitythanthethoughtofgoodcangainrealitywhenmelancholyrules。Tothemanactivelyhappy，fromwhatevercause，evilsimplycannotthenandtherebebelievedin。Hemustignoreit；andtothebystanderhemaythenseemperverselytoshuthiseyestoitandhushitup。
Butmorethanthis：thehushingofitupmay，inaperfectlycandidandhonestmind，growintoadeliberatereligiouspolicy，orpartipris。Muchofwhatwecallevilisdueentirelytothewaymentakethephenomenon。Itcansooftenbeconvertedintoabracingandtonicgoodbyasimplechangeofthesufferer’sinnerattitudefromoneoffeartooneoffight；itsstingsooftendepartsandturnsintoarelishwhen，aftervainlyseekingtoshunit，weagreetofaceaboutandbearitcheerfully，thatamanissimplyboundinhonor，withreferencetomanyofthefactsthatseematfirsttodisconcerthispeace，toadoptthiswayofescape。Refusetoadmittheirbadness；despisetheirpower；
ignoretheirpresence；turnyourattentiontheotherway；andsofarasyouyourselfareconcernedatanyrate，thoughthefactsmaystillexist，theirevilcharacterexistsnolonger。Sinceyoumakethemevilorgoodbyyourownthoughtsaboutthem，itistherulingofyourthoughtswhichprovestobeyourprincipalconcern。
Thedeliberateadoptionofanoptimisticturnofmindthusmakesitsentranceintophilosophy。Andoncein，itishardtotraceitslawfulbounds。Notonlydoesthehumaninstinctforhappiness，bentonself-protectionbyignoring，keepworkinginitsfavor，buthigherinneridealshaveweightywordstosay。
Theattitudeofunhappinessisnotonlypainful，itismeanandugly。Whatcanbemorebaseandunworthythanthepining，puling，mumpingmood，nomatterbywhatoutwardillsitmayhavebeenengendered？Whatismoreinjurioustoothers？Whatlesshelpfulasawayoutofthedifficulty？Itbutfastensandperpetuatesthetroublewhichoccasionedit，andincreasesthetotalevilofthesituation。Atallcosts，then，weoughttoreducetheswayofthatmood；weoughttoscoutitinourselvesandothers，andnevershowittolerance。Butitisimpossibletocarryonthisdisciplineinthesubjectivespherewithoutzealouslyemphasizingthebrighterandminimizingthedarkeraspectsoftheobjectivesphereofthingsatthesametime。Andthusourresolutionnottoindulgeinmisery，beginningatacomparativelysmallpointwithinourselves，maynotstopuntilithasbroughttheentireframeofrealityunderasystematicconceptionoptimisticenoughtobecongenialwithitsneeds。
InallthisIsaynothingofanymysticalinsightorpersuasionthatthetotalframeofthingsabsolutelymustbegood。Suchmysticalpersuasionplaysanenormouspartinthehistoryofthereligiousconsciousness，andwemustlookatitlaterwithsomecare。Butweneednotgosofaratpresent。Moreordinarynon-mysticalconditionsofrapturesufficeformyimmediatecontention。Allinvasivemoralstatesandpassionateenthusiasmsmakeonefeelinglesstoevilinsomedirection。Thecommonpenaltiesceasetodeterthepatriot，theusualprudencesareflungbythelovertothewinds。Whenthepassionisextreme，sufferingmayactuallybegloriedin，provideditbefortheidealcause，deathmayloseitssting，thegraveitsvictory。Inthesestates，theordinarycontrastofgoodandillseemstobeswallowedupinahigherdenomination，anomnipotentexcitementwhichengulfstheevil，andwhichthehumanbeingwelcomesasthecrowningexperienceofhislife。This，hesays，istrulytolive，andIexultintheheroicopportunityandadventure。
Thesystematiccultivationofhealthy-mindednessasareligiousattitudeisthereforeconsonantwithimportantcurrentsinhumannature，andisanythingbutabsurd。Infact。wealldocultivateitmoreorless，evenwhenourprofessedtheologyshouldinconsistencyforbidit。Wedivertourattentionfromdiseaseanddeathasmuchaswecan；andtheslaughter-housesandindecencieswithoutendonwhichourlifeisfoundedarehuddledoutofsightandnevermentioned，sothattheworldwerecognizeofficiallyinliteratureandinsocietyisapoeticfictionfarhandsomerandcleanerandbetterthantheworldthatreallyis。[43]
[43]“AsIgooninthislife，daybyday，Ibecomemoreofabewilderedchild；Icannotgetusedtothisworld，toprocreation，toheredity，tosight，tohearing，thecommonestthingsareaburthen。Theprim，obliterated，politesurfaceoflife，andthebroad，bawdyandorgiastic——ormaenadic——foundations，formaspectacletowhichnohabitreconcilesme。R。L。Stevenson：Letters，ii。355。
Theadvanceofliberalism，so-called，inChristianity，duringthepastfiftyyears，mayfairlybecalledavictoryofhealthy-mindednesswithinthechurchoverthemorbidnesswithwhichtheoldhell-firetheologywasmoreharmoniouslyrelated。
Wehavenowwholecongregationswhosepreachers，farfrommagnifyingourconsciousnessofsin，seemdevotedrathertomakinglittleofit。Theyignore，orevendeny，eternalpunishment，andinsistonthedignityratherthanonthedepravityofman。Theylookatthecontinualpreoccupationoftheold-fashionedChristianwiththesalvationofhissoulassomethingsicklyandreprehensibleratherthanadmirable；andasanguineand“muscular“attitude。whichtoourforefatherswouldhaveseemedpurelyheathen，hasbecomeintheireyesanidealelementofChristiancharacter。Iamnotaskingwhetherornottheyareright，Iamonlypointingoutthechange。ThepersonstowhomIreferhavestillretainedforthemostparttheirnominalconnectionwithChristianity，inspiteoftheirdiscardingofitsmorepessimistictheologicalelements。Butinthat“theoryofevolution“which，gatheringmomentumforacentury，haswithinthepasttwenty-fiveyearssweptsorapidlyoverEuropeandAmerica，weseethegroundlaidforanewsortofreligionofNature，whichhasentirelydisplacedChristianityfromthethoughtofalargepartofourgeneration。Theideaofauniversalevolutionlendsitselftoadoctrineofgeneralmeliorismandprogresswhichfitsthereligiousneedsofthehealthy-mindedsowellthatitseemsalmostasifitmighthavebeencreatedfortheiruse。Accordinglywefind“evolutionism“
interpretedthusoptimisticallyandembracedasasubstituteforthereligiontheywerebornin，byamultitudeofourcontemporarieswhohaveeitherbeentrainedscientifically，orbeenfondofreadingpopularscience，andwhohadalreadybeguntobeinwardlydissatisfiedwithwhatseemedtothemtheharshnessandirrationalityoftheorthodoxChristianscheme。Asexamplesarebetterthandescriptions，IwillquoteadocumentreceivedinanswertoProfessorStarbuck’scircularofquestions。
Thewriter’sstateofmindmaybycourtesybecalledareligion，foritishisreactiononthewholenatureofthings，itissystematicandreflectiveanditloyallybindshimtocertaininnerideals。Ithinkyouwillrecognizeinhim，coarse-meatedandincapableofwoundedspiritasheis，asufficientlyfamiliarcontemporarytype。
Q。WhatdoesReligionmeantoyou？
A。Itmeansnothing；anditseems，sofarasIcanobserveuselesstoothers。Iamsixty-sevenyearsofageandhaveresidedinXfiftyyears，andhavebeeninbusinessforty-five，consequentlyIhavesomelittleexperienceoflifeandmen，andsomewomentoo，andIfindthatthemostreligiousandpiouspeopleareasarulethosemostlackinginuprightnessandmorality。
Themenwhodonotgotochurchorhaveanyreligiousconvictionsarethebest。Praying，singingofhymns，andsermonizingarepernicious——theyteachustorelyonsomesupernaturalpower，whenweoughttorelyonourselves。ITEEtotallydisbelieveinaGod。TheGod-ideawasbegotteninignorance，fear，andagenerallackofanyknowledgeofNature。IfIweretodienow，beinginahealthyconditionformyage，bothmentallyandphysically，I
wouldjustaslief，yes，rather，diewithaheartyenjoymentofmusic，sport，oranyotherrationalpastime。Asatimepiecestops，wedie——therebeingnoimmortalityineithercase。
Q。WhatcomesbeforeyourmindcorrespondingtothewordsGod，Heaven，Angels，etc？