The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-02-19
REMARKS


We are willing to admit, and that in sin.
ceriiy, that our claims are too limited and
too weak to number US among the "lsarne6
and pblosophic. Still i, may be permit
ted US to offer our opinion. There may be
"events which arc not reconcioable with
the ordinary experience or that cannot bs
accounted for upon physical or known laws"
= nor shoul such events, unique in their
appearance snd seemingly out of the order
of nature, bu, in reality not So" be es.
tecmed mere chimeras founded in human
creduty"--but it IS . mere chimera which
ascIibes such events TO super natural causes.
Our ignorance, or deficiency of knowledge.
by no means proves that such events are n0i
reconcileable with "physical or known
laws II does not follow because we can.
not penetrate the depths Of nalure's areana
and trace every evont to its cause, that such
event is out Of the nature Of things, and con.
sequently, supernatural--on the contrary all
that we do kHoto proves the converse of this
position. No event was ever yet traced to
it's cause which was not found to be natur-
al one, and reconcileabe with that eternal
series of cause and effec, whose mode of ac-
ton, in most respects is far above our con-
prehension,-yet acting necessarily by VIZ
tue of immutable laws. Our ignorance and
short.sigh,eduess cannot compass the depth
of natures laws or their infinite mode of &C.
tion--not irreconcileable Of course for this
were to contend that cause and effect bear
not inseparable relation to each other, and
that the laws Of nature are subject TO Dulli6-
cation and not to unchapgeabillty. All ire.
conciliability in nature lays ia our ignorance.
Mankind are fond Of the marvellous, and
mystery is but more Hsttering word for ig.
norance. II is easier to solve events by ss-
cribing them to mysterious agency, than to
trace them to their legitimate sources BY
just and correct principles of reason. An
ignorant and superstitious people have su-
pernatural cause for almost every event.
Even in this enlightened age" no one need
90 far from his own 6resids to behold the a.
bundant proof of this fact. Hence the fscil-
i,y with which impes,ors Of oil ages have led
captive trembling mortals by the magic Of q
supernatural wand. Call to mind the leRer-
demain tricks Of priests in all ages and Of
every denomination of religion. Some OF
the sncients possessed the art of construct
ing their gods so that they should utter from
their mouths whatever the concealed priest
judged expedisnt for his pnrpose--aDd this
was done by something of the nature Of q
speaking trumpe, concealed iu the head Of
the god. An artful rentriloquist would pass
for a god among an ignorant people, but
we cannot discover the least particle Of evi-
dence that goes to prove that either Ventri-
loquism or Somnsmbulism are independent
ofthe order Of osture.
We shall regret IS much as our friend ID.
sny attempt on the part OF the " learned
and philosophic to Sc, bounds to their own
researches" -" To say, thus far shalt thou
90. and no farther" is sn attribute Of the
church, not of science, and we hope and
trus, that the bigoted dogma may never find
sdmi,.sncs 20 the Temple Of Truth.