The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-03-22


ton I'm Mind and Matter-The Upheaval
and Advancement ofevery thing under the
sun by Celestial Magnetism.
This city is certainly most singular city, and the
ace we live in is most singular age. We have
mere greater number OF churches, and places Of
worship, gre alter number of true christians, and
greater amount of pure religion than probably any
other city in the world ana We, We have had sue
,esson Of the most extraordinary lectures on mag
aetism, geology, transcendentalism, association,
and various other SCIENCES, all tending to the wild
est state of materialsm and the complete overthrow
Of oil that sacred system of historical truths which
we have been taught from infancy, implicitly to be-
lieve as we find them recorded the pages OF the
Holy Bible.
The tendency Of all these movements by men
of profound scientific attainments, is unquestona-
bly, to revolutionize most completely the mental
and physical organization CT society; II not TO re-
solve it into its original elements, and produce a
new system of order, and historical data out OF
the revolution.
In connection with this series of moveme nts, we
had first, some time since, the lecture of Dr. Girls
Gem on Geology, tending to prove that the Mosaic
account of the creation of the world was not 10 be
relied on that facts and ncontrovertlble data TO
be found all over the globe completely upset the
statements recorded by Moaes Of the formation OF
the planet which we inhabit. Immediately on this
came the singular lectures Of Mrs Cove upon the
physiology and pathology of the social system the
inevitable tendency of which was to show that the
Bible was in error where it said, 1t is not
good for man to be alone; and that the most
advantageous and only truly philosophlc state
of society was almost perpetual separation
of the sexes. And even her doctrines, chlmerlcal
and unnatural as they are upon the face OF them,
not only had many ardent admirers and supporters,
but even to this hour have many enthusiastic fol-
lowers and disciples who practice her precepts in
that particular. Then we had Professor Sill ans
lectures upon the geological structure Of the earth,
involving of course its history and although he did
not 60 very deepnto the proofs against the accuracy
of the Mosaic account, yet the facts he advanced all
tended to the overthrow of any belief in the first
chapter of Genesis. Following close upon these,
we have new race of philosophers of the Fourier
school, with new ideas, new plans new feelings,
and even great number of new parts OF speech,
all spread out in detail before our citizens, with
view to produce new state of society, and to COM
pletely revolutionze, upturn, and scatter to the
four winds Of Heaven the whole of our present
social system. These are the transcendentasts
with Bronson, Emerson, and Brisbane at their head,
and Horace Greeley at their tail Their idea ap-
pears to be- to scrape together all the discordant
naterie of society, boil it down in sort Of trans.
cendenta alembic, and distil all the refined,
loftier, and spiritual part of natures wherewith
to construct new system Of society, each integral
part Of which shall possess elective affinity for
every other-thus producing a series Of harmonious
not excelled by the emusic of the
spheres"
On the other hand, whilst these idealists are busy
at work TO sap the foundations of the social system,
the materiasls have come in with their array Of
magnetism, mathematics, and other matters, 10
prove that the whole of our religious system and
creeds Of Christianity are based in error. At the
commencement Of the winter we had DR.. Lard
ner with his theory of the planets and their inhab-
tants, their formation and history-the formation Of
comets, out Ofpieces ofold worlds which, by coming
in contact, were broken TO fragments, and showing
that the Scripture account of the destruction of the
world was all wrong, and that the world would un.
doubtedly come to an end day or other by jost
ling against other and larger world and being
knocked into two or three dozen fragments. And
all these startling theories were listened to with de-
light, and admired and applauded by crowds of our
most beautiful and pious ladies' and their male rela.
tives Of the various religious denominations, Bap-
fists, Presbyter:ans, Eoiscopaians Me,hodists, and
almost every other class of regoniss except Ca
tholics and Mormons.
Following close on the heels of DR.. Lardner,
comes Richard Adams Locke, who takes the broad.
es, ground of materialism, resolving every thing
into mathematical and mag .etic state proving
hat every movement of animal and vegetable life
all the passions which animate our breasts-all our
thoughts and actions and sensations, are dependent
or their exercise upon magnetism and mathematics;
that the whole system Of the creation Of man and
animals detailed in scripture, all wrong and that
to magnetic influence alone are we to look for
solution Of the creation Of man and all other animals
And as if all these were not enough, we have
very respectable body of Presbyterians inviting the
great European geologist Mr.. Lyell,to come among
us and expound the principles Of his system, up.
turning and upheaving it does all the Mosaic re-
cords Of the world and its religion, and the Rev.
David Hale granting the use of his Tabernacle for
this noSal purpose. Mr.. Lyell brings forward large
and striking portions of the earh explains its struc
ture in detail, deduces its history upon the true in
ducive system-puts his foot down flat upon Gene
sis-and says virtually though not in so many
words,-thc scripture account of this earth is ali
least ten times as old as Moses makes
it out to belt conta ms within itself the elements
Of its destruction tso 10 -Pcak) and its reproduction,
and is in its nature eternal
such, we say, without endorsing any Of these new
and startling systems and theoriesis the inevitable
tendency of them all. To revolutionize the moral,
the social, the physical, the mental and the whole
Christian world-to overurn it-clear it outset il
up again and start it anew a race Tor immortality.
And the most singular thing is, that the highly re-
spectacle and rigid Presbyterans appear to be aiding
the moureme,t by their presence and support
What is to be done in this matter I The affair is
none of our business exactly. We can only sit down
quiety-good Catholic as we are-and look on
calmly. The grea, and highly respectable body Of