Orlando Jay Smith (June 14, 1842 – December 20, 1908) was an early 20th-century

American philosopher This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States. {, border="0" style="margin:auto;" class="toccolours" , - ! {{MediaWiki:Toc , - , style="text-ali ...

. Though he was an avowed

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

, he advocated for the search to a meaning in life which would be commensurate with the possible existence of an ultimate intelligence.

Early life

Smith was born on June 14, 1842, in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. He fought in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and was wounded near

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, on August 3, 1864. He achieved the rank of Major.

Career

He was editor of the Terre Haute Mail, the Terre Haute Express, the Chicago Express and was the Founder of the

American Press Association The American Press Association is a self-regulated non-governmental news press organization that is considered the oldest news press agency in the United States. History In 1882, the American Press Association was founded in Chicago by Maj. Orlan ...

in 1882, whose General Office in 1910 was at 225, West 39th Street, New York. He lived at Bonneview, his estate in

Dobbs Ferry, New York Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...

. Among works by Smith were ''A Short View of Great Questions'' (1899), ''The Coming Democracy'', ''Balance the Fundamental Variety'' (1904), ''The Agreement Between Science and Religion'' (1906) and ''Eternalism: A Theory Of Infinite Justice'' (1902).

Philosophy

Smith didn't call himself religious, he thought that both religion and science had been misinterpreted and perverted. He argued that just as there is a balance in the natural world, so there is a balance in the spiritual world. And that just as no good would go unrewarded, no evil would go unpunished. Though an agnostic, Smith nevertheless believed in reincarnation and his book ''A Short View of Great Quests'' inspired

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

the industrialist and founder of the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

to take an interest at least in reincarnation. Smith distilled his philosophy into three fundamentals: # ''That the soul is accountable for its action;'' # ''That the soul survives death;'' # ''That there is a supreme power to right things.'

Personal life

On March 28, 1881, Smith was married to Evelyn Virginia "Eva" Berry (1861–1944), a daughter of Walter G. Berry and Virginia R. (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Edmonston) Berry. Together, they were the parents of three children: * Evelyn Woodford Smith (1882–1956), who married Eric Lawrence Hodge (1894–1962). *

Courtland Smith Courtland Smith (March 7, 1884 – August 9, 1970) was an American film executive who was also assistant postmaster general of the United States and president of the American Press Association, which was founded by his father in 1882. Early life ...

(1884-1970), who married Elinor Cary, a daughter of polo-player

Seward Cary Seward Cary (March 1, 1862 – September 5, 1948) was an American polo player from New York State. Early life and education Seward Cary was born on March 1, 1862, in Buffalo, New York. He was one of seven children born to prominent Buffalo resid ...

. * Mabel Follin Smith (1886–1938), who married attorney Jerome Monks (1873–1946) in 1914. In 1920, they bought the

Cyrus West Field Cyrus West Field (November 30, 1819July 12, 1892) was an American businessman and financier who, along with other entrepreneurs, created the Atlantic Telegraph Company and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858. Early ...

estate in

. Smith died on December 20, 1908, at Bonneview in

. In 1910, after his death, his son commissioned his portrait to be painted by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury, who also painted his daughter-in-law's portrait six months later.

Sources

External links

Open Library entry for Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Orlando J. 1842 births 1908 deaths 20th-century American philosophers 19th-century American philosophers American agnostics People from Terre Haute, Indiana People of Indiana in the American Civil War