Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-06-09
"Fulse and True PraYiasg.'

/ Dr. Hooker, in his "AimalayaI
Journals" describes the praying mil
FUSED by the Inhabitants OF Thibet a,
a leathern cylinder placed upright il
a frame; q projecting plecc OF lroi
strikes little bell Mt each one OF tn.
revolutions, which are caused by ~
clbowed axle and string. The writ
ten prayers are placed within the cyl
Under. and whoever pulls the string
Frcpeats his prayers as often as the bel
rings. Another kind is made to b,
turned by wate-, and is operated
with still less trouble. Mr.. Wcis,
thinks that when We consider how
laborlous is the public praying in al
couatries, this contrlvance of Thibe
is the greatest labor.saving machin,
ever invented. The Mohammedan.
believe that If there should come :
moment when the name OF Allah wa.
nowhere on the earth spoken, it woulo
be chance for chaos.
We smile at those attempts to gel
the better OF God, or to defend our
selves against him, aud perhaps W.
subscribe to funds for opening the
slant eyes OF Monguls and Tartars te
the absurdities OF this machine. pray
ing. But what of the absurdity ol
every minister who stands up and
gives to tho Almighty fund Of un
necessary information, or entreats
Him to change events governed by
laws as absolute as existence? What
if one congregation prays devoutly
for rain, and another in . somewhat
better watercd section as dsvoutly
for fair weather? Such contradictory
uttering OF the name OF Allah would,
il each prayer could command its own
answer, introduce US to chaos much
sooner than leaving the sacred name
unspoken altogether.
Daniel Webster'sdrum beat of Eng
land, which follows the morning sun
around the world, seems paralleled
in continuity ani emptiness by the
stereotped Sunday morning devo-
tions of an infin!ty OF congregations
VINO cnpear 10 meet together just to
re:terate il the Divine ears facts
which Heaven Khcws much more
clearly than they can state them, or
to ask for gifts which surely they
must earn before they can receive
The whole modern theory OF prayer
is vitiatel by various suppositions
that Heaven needs to be informed
upon our domestic anil public mat.
tcrs, that a natural law may be m odi-
fed or suspended at human entreaty:
that certain graces may be had tor
the eNskins, and not tor the practicing.
The most mischievous OF these sup.
positions is the ole thai the laws OF
nature are not lrreversiblc, but lie
open to irruptions of ardent longing
80 that the Divine Mind may he in
luenccd to reconsider itself at the
opportunity of its creatures.
There are. actually, establishments
in Germany for curing disease by
prayer. The Protestant Pastor,
Blumhardt, - at the head Of one at
Boil Bad, in the Black Forest, where
ne undertakes to cure patients by
his prayers. 1t is cheerful place
where those who have no organic dis
ease are pretty sure to get well, hav-
ng the benefit OF good air, suitable
Food. judicious exercise, a little Rhine
wine. and the pastors praying The
yood man attributes the cure wholly
% the praying, but admits that it
!oes no good IN surgical cases; that
.he thread OF his address to Heaven
cannot tie an artery. How much
,ctter it must be tor his patients that
&c prays for them, and SO uses up his
die hours, than if he spent his time
y irugying thcm.-[Eev. John
Weiss.