Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-03-22

HcdI lHC ochtoH HuH u'o vo'S ~ ~ '"S'
ions the narrow house, the last, long
home Of dccayins humanity; there is
human skull, and there numerous other
well known bones Of the human skelc.
ton, verlebrac, ribs, AMI arm anl leg
bones, which he ha. thrown from the hole
he is digging.-.still ss he digs, the bony
mass accumu!atcs, he disinlcrs portions,
not Of one bu: many skeletons, some
comparatively fresh, some in = state Of
extreme decay, and with the bones there
mingle fragments Of ,oilins, with the TIM
sci mounting, in some instances still at.
ached. anl the rnslel nails sticking in
the joints. Let US take the spade and
matock, aud continue 10 dis 10 depth
to which the sexton never pene.ratcs,wc
shall Enl stratum ofpure sea sanl, AMI
thea O stratum Of sea shells common on
the neishboring coast, especially oyster,
muscle, anl cookie shells. We dig a
l.lIc her and reach thick stratum,
OF sunI stone. which we penetrate, anl
brnea,h which we find d stratum of i'm.
pure lime, dcnsely charscl with the re.
mains Of fish Of strange antique forms.
"1hc earth. for any thing that appears
| in her bowels, may have been made yes.
lcrlay." DO appearances such as we
have jus, described warrant the infer
ence. Do these human skeletons in oil
their various stages Of decay, appear as
il they had been made yesterday? Was
that bit Of coffin with the soilcl tinscl on
the one side, and the cCrroied nail
sticking out from the other, made yester'
day? Was yonler skull instead Of hav'
ing ever formed part Of a human head
created yesterday, exactly the repuIsive
looking sor, of thing you see it? lndis'
putably not. Such is the nature OF the
human mind-such the laws that regu
late ami control human belief. that in
the very existence Of that church yard
we do and must recognize positive proof
that the worll was not made yesterday
But can we stop in our process of infer
cnce at the mouJering rem aims of tn,
church yarl? Can we hold that III. skull
was not created a mere skull, and We
hold that the oyster, cookie AMI muscle
shells beneath are not the rcmai1s o
animals OF the oyster, cookie and mus
Gle, but things originally created in ex
actly their present state as empty shells
The supposiiion is altogether absutl
Su:h is the constitution Of our min Is
that we must certainly hold yoller she'll
TO have formed part olan animal, as ",
hold yondcr skull TO have lormel par
Of man. Anl if We cannot stop a, the
skeletons, why stop at the shells? Why
not pass on TO the fish. The evidence
Of design is qu!tc as irresistible in them
us in the skull or the shells. We car
still see the scales which covered then
occupying their proper places, with al
their nicely designed bars, hooks, all,
nails Of attachment, the fms which pro
PEELED them through the water, with thu
numerous false joints formed to impair
10 them proper elasticity, arrayed an,
Wiley separated on tha body of the fish
The sharp pointed teeth, constructe
like those Of fish generally, still bristl'
in the jaws; nay the very organization
he spincs and scales Of the fish on whicl
they had fci, still lie undisestel in ,hei
! abJomens, as if they had died but ;
week since. We cannot stop short a
the shclls-if the human skull was no
created mere skull, nor the she'll
mere deal she'll, then the fossil fsl
could not have been created mere fos
sill. There is no broken link in tht
chain at which 10 take our stand; an.
ye, having once recognized the f.he. u
such, having recognized them as the re
mains Of animals, and no. as stones cx
listing in their original s:atc, we s,an'
commi.,c TO the entire scale and system
of geological science. Were we com
pellcI TO take our stand any where,
would be rather before we had recogniz
ed as humcn remains the remains Of ih
grave yarl, than al any subsequent step
Ere entering on this first stage in ou
1 progress, VIC could be at least consistcn
but no, at any after stage.
Blu, the ohjrctor says YOU limit th
divine power. Could not the Omnipo
! tent First cause have created all the ios
sis Of the earth, vegetable and animal
in their fossil state? Yes, certainly, tn
&C, of their creation, regarded simply a
an act Of power does not and canno
transcend this infinite ability. He coult
have created all the burying grounds o
the Garth, with all their broken and vast
o.l contents, brute and human. He coul'
have created all the mummies of Mexi