Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-01-22
tWrktcn for the Perry sburg journal.
Eternity Of Matter.


FALLING like dew ui,pn q theught
Makes thousands, erhaps millions, think
I have chosen a sub tct- the Eternity of Mat.
ter which Is disputed point between hc tes.
tinnny Of science and the dogmatic assertions oI
ecciesasticism. The two have ever been nj wat
With each other. There is no affinity between
them. The nnc has alwav, been the relentless
pcrscruior NJ The other. On this question, as on
al others, there is - Disagreement. Ecclesidsti'
csm pompouslv informs us that" In the begin
ming Go,lfrriird the heavens ard the earth. " and
~ pompnusly adds, "Out ur nothing" Sci.
cucc. IN all humility, bows her ncuuiosCcncc in
the iormct proposition, but totally REJECTS the lat
ter
Totctch that mllirr was created from moth
ing. substance from unn.subslancr. is 10 imply
an impnssibility. II Is contradiction nTterms-
q paradox. II will not for q moment bear the
test of logic or The ecrutiug NJ reason. Matter
is understandable md hence uncrca'ed- alUnvs
exit Il. Dcslructihility pruycs crca ion indc-
s'ructihiliiv, eternity. No compound, Ia my
knnwcdge, has been iormrd bW NAV he dccom-
posed. m the dtcrm lOsiton Is pronf positive of
the forming " the compound. " there wns n
time when matter dill not exist. hy the same laws
thcre would again be such time but since
matter cannot be DESTROYED. nnr substance nnni-
hils,ed, W. have rrrof prsitvc---in the very fact
NJ its non nn-des,ructibilitv--o its nnn-crcatinr,
that there novcr was time when u wns not.
The rational mind cannot concicvc nf such a
time. netson. ~ we'll ~ nature " nhhOra vac"
uun,." 1--WE hold that all truth IL reasonable,
il follows that whatever isunrcsonablc is untrue.
Hence. IL reason refuses ~ recognize this rdcHs
tsoipgico, what can we say ~ it's truth2
Entity cannot be- r"odrccd from noncnliiv. II
isns much Of IN impussihilitv ns would bc the
making nf n SQUARE circle There is a region NJ
l.. e.. l,.1l I,,H, a..
power cannot perform that which cannot be per.
fnrmcd. The nioincnt ihr circle began tu assume
4 square form il would cease to hc y circle,
hence, q square circlr could not hc made. So.
when this creation became the least possible re
move from nothing II wuuldhc something, aud
hence the creation must have b 'cn instantaneous,
that IS tn snv. II was something aud nothing nt
the same timc, which like the squi aud cir.
cl2 nt the same time. implies a unnsrnSicnl ab.
sur litv. IT, whit pNtrcmiiirs are mon driven,
who setting up their own theological idol, rrirrt
reason aul nature the frat revelations of the
Great Positive Mind! Can any one. who makes
fhc least prrtnnsinn4 ~ hraiuS, conceive Of pc
rini who's til crtir' universe was vacuum
Theolognns tell rs that because we cannot CON
cicve or time when mnticr was not. we should
not therefore reject The ilco, But should We
therefore accept il? They say that man finite
and fallibc-cannot grasp the infinite or com
prehend the eternal. lie can do nothing else.
lrV ", ana NOu VIII nuu tnnl Wherever NOn ClT~
cumscribe the universe the mind Immediately
overleaps the barrier and inquiries Whats be-
yonh." Thus the mind wNndcrs on and on until,
weo rird with the search, IL returns without hav-
ing found n limit Reasoning mp the chain, II
finds itself unable To fiV boundary for the uni
verse, and concludes there is mono. So IN refer
cnce tn tho eternal duration VI matter. Try tn FIX
y limit IN its duration either IN the past or Culurc
aud straightwav tho mind inquiries for the be-
yond." II cnnnrl iN limit Ia that duration.
The stars proclaim the immuiahilitv or the
universe. The comets, brilliant, flashing mctc-
ors, sing to us, ~ they fly, Of the eternal durn-
ton Of mattOr. And
while nature thundrrs IN our opcning ears
Aud stuus IA with the music or the spheres,
nouc but ptiosts have the roolharlincss 20 deny
or c,ntrnvrri that which Ghl hlI in lclihlv in.
scribcd upou MI his works. Matter IL eternal
aud infinite nS Omnipotencc himself! II can he
naught else ...
CARRETER0.