Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-29
The Gaming Book.

Judge Thompson's long promised
book is about ready for the bookseller,
and from the following description of ii
given by DIR. II. Mccoy in 9 letter to
the Wheeling IntelGgencer, It will be
and interesting and instructive work:
81 have had the opportunity of read
ing a large portion of the prOof-sheets
of forthcoming book, by one of our
| ellow-citizens. | have read it with that
satisfaction which finished compost
! tion and thorough mastery of the
greatest object of thought could give to
reader. The book is to be styled the
"Deus Semper''-God Always. The first
chapter contains a number of brief eX-
tracts, from various modern authors
Scientists, TheolOgians, both Catholic
and Protestants,l aEd Spiritualists, al
tending to show the present actual state
of the question between science and
religion, for of all antagonisms, OF be-
lief, the oldest, the wisest, the most
profound and the most important is that
between Religion and Science. 1t tshows
itself everywhere throughout the do
minion of human knowledge. From
these quotations, and the manner in
which The great controversy is intro
duced, on both sides, there seems to be
but little hope of cOnciliatiOn between
them, and here the author asks: ''Is the
gulf impassable?n He then proceeds TO
demonstrate that matter, although very
DID, is not eternal This he does on the
principles of tho scientists Themselves
His next step in the demonstration is,
that all the known chemic elements of
nature are under the influence of three
several omnipresent, ever-persistent
forces, viz: Attraction, RepulsiOn and
Polarity, and to the action of these pri-
NAL forces of the universe. we are in
debted for all the various notifications
of matter which produce vegetable, ami
NAL and human life, and that these
nude forces are manifestations to us OF a
supreme selfconsciousness. His next
step is the demonstration of the person
ality of God. His argument for the
personality of God is clear and conclu-
sive, and free from the dryness and
detail of theological formula. So is its
counterpart the argument for the indi-
viduality of man and his responsibility
to God. Then comes the tug of war"
All forms of infidelity now attack the
cosmogeny of Moses through the reve
lations of Geology. So that upon the
principles of this science but little is left
of the account of the Creation as set
forth in Genesis. 1t is here that the
learning and skill and far-reaching
thought of the author comes out boldly
and triumphantly, and will prove, as ii
is vindication of the Mosaic Cosmoge
ny. His views of the characteristics of
the Japhetic, Shemitic, Hebrew and
other races of men in the great histori-
cal drama of humanity, will prove a
rich addition to historical criticism.
| have been no idle spectator of the
controversy between science and relig-
ion for more than quarter of a centu-
ry, and if Judge Thompson fails to make
the conciliation between them (which
has been attempted by Guizot, of France
Wreth, of Germany: McCosh and Chal-
mers, of Scotland; Herbert Spencer, of
England, and Prof. Fisher, of Yale
College, it will be the nearest approach
to it that have yet seen. In his hands
science assumes a new garb and is made
to fulfill new function, viz: to become
the minister and servant of that religion
which seeks to purify and exalt human
ity. / have used the word demonstrate
to convey my own impression of the
conclusiveness of the Judges arguments
and the strength of the new positions
which he takes and holds. 1t is in my
opinion the coming book on this sub
ject. HALEY Mccoy, M. ID.