The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-14
the frat man by trine of thirty thousand years

THE GENUINE DEVELOPMENT THEORY,
which he appeared TO regard as inoontestible
and as entirely satisfactory. Indeed, he pre-
served the most astonishing calmness. while
endeavoring to prove that he himselt was
nothing more than highly-developed oyster,
while each one of his auditors had, before the
interesting period of his birth, dlsplayed In
succession the cerebral developments OF an
adult fish and q full-grown pig The first yege-
table was very simple affair, being aceiden'
tally gotten up by union Of an acid with an
alkali. In these latter days the combination OF
an acid with an alkali results, in chemical par
lance, in salt; but the process of nature has
not been standing still, or else, when vegetables
were as scarce as we can we'll imagine them to
have been before any variety had been called
into being, the excessively autiquated people OF
that period were willing to accept almost any
thing as such.
To return TO the development theory. Soon
after the first vegetable made its appearance In
such an eccentric fashion, an animal was slml-
larly gotten up, and then the Two went on In
regular alienation, each successive specimen ot
the two Kingdoms becoming more and more
complicated in internal structure, aud more and
more interesting in external appearance. until
at last man stood forth, the epitome OF all that
had gone before him.
THEOLOGY ATTEMPTS TO LAUGH IT DOWN.
Having thus developed his acidulated alkal of
vegetable into human epitome, the speaker
said that the theological world, lacking any
argument by which they could retute these
eccentric doctrines, had IN their dire extremity
resorted to dersioD. So also had a portion-a
portion only, mind you-of the scientific world,
which is gradually coming over to the Spiritual
istic side OF the question.
CALLING HARD NAMES BY WAY OF ARGUMENT.
But, exclaimed the speaker, with decided
emphasis, the laugh OF the Atheist Is no refu-
tation
Now we think that either Mr.. Forster or Pro-
fessor Dayto was slightly inconsistent at this
stage of the double discourse He-one or the
other of them, we don't know which-had just
spoken in terms of marked rebuke Of the theo
logians and orthodox savans who had attempted
to deride his positions; and then forthwith pro-
ceeded to counteract their derision by hurllng
at them the epithet OF Atheist" We regretted
this little outbu1st of illhumor for IL destroyed
the benevolent symmetry OF the whole discourse,
and lett upon our mind the unpleasant impress
sion that even a disem bodied spirit is capable of
dealing in hard words, when 1t runs short of
arguments.
ULTIMATEs AND PENULTIMATEs
To return to the discourse, the speaker pro-
eeeded 10 give synonym for "human epitome,n
by declaring that man stands physically upon
the surface of the earth, the ultimate of all that
has gone before him. He is endowed with life,
motion, instinct, mnd-all of which the beast
has, and some of which have been bestowed
upon the vegetable. But he has in addition an
individualized spirit. The speaker did not desire
to deny this to beasts ami vegetables, but while
they may have something approaching IL in the
aggregate, they are without aA individualized
entity like man.
TUE REASON WHY.
For fear some impertinent people might be
inclined TO raise question as to why the process
of animal and vegetable development had paused
when it arrived at the "ndlyidualized entity"
of man, the speaker stated that old mother
earth was now in her dotage, and had therefore
ceased to be fruitful after this fashion, Just as
human beings and the beasts of the field cease
to be fruitful after arriving at certain age.
THE PRoPELLING POWER.
All these disconu ected facts and doctrines led
Mr.. Forster-or Professor Dayton, if you will
TO the conclusion that Notwithstanding the inn
penetrablhty OF the eternity of the past, some
controlling principle must have been acting
upon The prlmordial world. 1t could not have
been mere chance, Tor there were evidences of
adaptation and design which argue the presence
OF mnd and the action OF propelhng power.
The Splritualist believes that 1t is his god-spell
it with a little IS" by all means-which is the
propelling power in the undulating bed of this
prmordial existence. Therefore the Spiritualst
believes that Paul was entirely correct when he
spoke of lone God and Father of ALL" who is
above all and moving through all.
YET TO BE PROVED.
But Paul says further that God is "in you all"
in man. How?
Before answering this very material question,
the speaker stated, parentheucally, that,
although chemists have not yet discovered the
existence In the human body of more than fifty
seven of the So called elements, the Spiritual
istic philosophy assumes that all these elements
are to be found in the human condensation III
they do not exist IN the physical body which
epiiomizes the various styles OF development
through which the acidulated alkali OF a vege-
table has passed, their presence in the spirit
is unQuestionable. The speaker hoped to
demonstrate, before he closed his present series
OF discoulses that this spirit ia quite material
as the body itself; and he furthermore expressed
the belief that chemical analysis will some time
or other substantiate his position.
UNIVERSAL INCARN ALTON.
The speaker then REQUIRED to the question
What animates man? The Sprituast believes
that it is the spirit of God-that He is incar-
mated, not only in Him of Nazareth, but III every
man; and hence he can believe with Paul that
God is "in you all"
Having thus efiectually reconciled the teach
ings OF st. Paul with the doctrines of modern
Spiritualism, he stated that error must fall, aud
at once proceeded to topple over several 'men-
tai steeplesn which the theoloeians had erected
to inspire him with reverence and awe. 90
encouraged were the audience at this achieve
ment that they lost sight of the day and the
occasion, and we're moved to applause. But
their slraggliBg numbers demoralized them,
and the attempt was little better than a failure.
GRAND CoRoLLARIEs THOUGHT.
The end of the discourse being near, the
speaker now warmed up under the inspiring
influence of Professor Dayton, and closed some
what in the following strain:-
What a Grand corollarV OF thought is here
presented Tue world is no longer wicked, as
the theologians claim; man Is no longer the
desplcable creature they would represent him
Theology proclaims man as ht naturally for
nothing, as 6t only TO be damned. Spiritualism,
on the contrary proclams him fit to live, for all
life in this broad universe must somehow or
other be Gods life. How can the creature ema-
mating from such power and source, though
finite, be crammed into the confines of the
orthodox heaven or hell? Man must live for
ever his energies must constantly increase, his
brain must leap up into still higher spheres of
thought his spirit must soar IN future through
still more beatihc realms!