Besides the term Secularism, there was another term which seemed to promise also distinctiveness of meaning--namely, Cosmism, under which adherents would have taken the designation of Cosmists. Rut this name scientific men would have understood in a purely physical sense, after the great example of Humboldt, and the public would not all have understood it--besides, it was open to easy perversion in one of its declinations. Next to this, as a name, stands that of Realism--intrinsically good. A Society of Realists would have been intelligible, but many would have supposed it to be some revival of the old Realists. Moralism, a sound name in itself, is under Evangelical condemnation as "mere morality." Naturalism would seem an obvious name, were it not that we should be confounded with Naturalists, to say no more. Some name must be taken, as was the case with the Theophilan-thropists of Paris. Many of them would rather not have assumed any denomination, but they yielded to the reasonable argument, that if they did not choose one for themselves, the public would bestow upon them one which would be less to their liking. Those who took the name of Philantropes found it exposed them to a pun, which greatly damaged them: _Philantropes_ was turned into _filoux en troupe_. Historical characteristics, however, seemed to point to a term which expressed the Secular element in life; a term deeply engrafted in literature; of irreproachable associations; a term found and respected in the dictionaries of opponents, and to which, therefore, they might dispute our right, but which they could not damage. Instead, therefore, of finding ourselves self-branded or caricatured by this designation, we have found opponents claiming it, and disputing with us for its possession. CHAPTER III. PRINCIPLES OF SECULARISM DEFINED I.