New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-05
BUTCHEL COLLEGE, OHIO.
ADDRESS BY Mr.. GREELEY AT THE LAYING
OF TIE CORNER STONE.
HUMAN CONCEPTIONS OF GOD AS THEY AFFECT
mn. MORAL EnIn ArInN OF oItp zoe


AKRoN. o.. July 4.-The corner stone of Butchel
College. institution under the control Of the
Universalist Church. was land to-day. Horace Gree
ler delivered the following address:
To the piercing gaze of the astronomer, the uni
verse is revealed as an iunumerablo multitude of
orbs or globes crcng through practical infnity of
space These globes, being opaque and of such con-
siSency that one is necessarily excluded from points
occupied Ivy any other he distinguishes their sub
stance from the surrounding void Matter without
meaning to affirm the absolute nOn-eXStcnce OF Mat
ter in any portion of Space. Unable to conceive
either Chat The heavens verbally bOundlesS, or
what can exist outside of them if they have visible
limits he confesses that his apprehension is finite
and that thcre are doubtless far more worlds WIN
out than within the range OF his most powerful
telescope. Unable TO see how the universe can have
had beginning he is equally unable 10 conceive OF
it a. having existed from all eternity That II GER
taiulv has not always existed substantially rs II now
is the little he can gather Of its history abmdanty
demonstrates. Though our solar system may he
comparatively modern, and though onr planet Is
doubtl.s- Younger than the around which II re-
wolves Science demonstrates not only It's vast an
tiquity but the fact that it has undergone signal
mutations. and was long uninhablted and incapable
If supporting animal life. BY many concurrent and
irresisd5, testimonies, we are well assured that
the firm earth whcrcon we tread was long wander
ing cloud Of heated vapor-poSsibly resembling In
substance fnot in form modern comet-that tins
fofmlcSs mass whirling through space, but kept
within an orbit not unlike It's present by the suns
attraction gradually cooled, and contracted, harden
ing into rock at its surface until it had slowly as
sumed nearly the shape it still wears Still heated
by Internal ires which have since receded further
from It's surface IL generated clouds of yapOr which,
ascending 10 a colder region skyward, were there
CONCEALED into rain, which profusely persstently
fell washing and securing the surface of the rocks,
and trturating them against each other until their
faces we've ground into dust, which now forms the
mineral portion of the soil. Heat and light freely
impaired from the sun, blending with moisture
and earth. at length produced vegetation
-hfs wa, followed in time by simpler and then
bv more complex forms of animal life; until at
length Man appeared, = the roof and crown Of
l.ags' material and teluric, the being infinite in
faculty. the master and lord of this visible world
Such o., read them, are the rude outlines OF the
mode i'm which all whereof we have knowledge
,amc ID pass: and the question at once
arises: What and whence their Impulse or
was none needed Did the blind, inert, I'M
CONSCIOUS soulless matter which was once all
.oa then hardened into rock, gradually shape
tselt INTO living organisms, ascending step by step
rom lower 10 higher until it became mt length
Cesar Charlemame, Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron
Napoleon,
Their, are those who talk sonoTousy, stridently OF
Iayy-3f the Law Of Development or Progress-as
.bou,h they had found in a word a key which I'M
',cb, an the mysteries of creation. But am not
,il,Yeed ',v word demand its meaning, and then
,ss, TO determine how far that meaning bridges the
ynlf VIII IN the word was invoked to overlap. To
nv apprehension, Law is the dictate Of an intelligent
riH or it is nothing. That it should please the
Author OF all things to make each material oouS ~
+trt ,.-y, other in a ratio proportioned to their
-.I,ive weight and with an intensity corresponding
b, +hcr distance from each other readily compre-
md tb4t such attraction should inhere in and be
,.,nar.blc from matter as an unprompted impulse,
=, inevitable property cannot conceive. 10 my
,u,,r.,.u,ion Gravitaton, Magnetic Attraction
gI,rtriei-y. &c, are properties of matter winch IN
themselves afford proofs Of Creative purpose OF
Dunipot-nt design. In short whatever demon
,tr,t,, the presence of Law in Nature attests the
1eiug and power of God.
Three diverse hypothesis exhaust all the posSiole
,yplana;Ions of the goodly framework OF energies
md activities Of uses and beauties, whereby we are
.onsci,r.lv surrounded. They are
l. The ATHEIST, which afinns the eternity Of
Natter. and the evolution of all things therefrom
~ the blind. unlnowing action and reaction of sub
dances upon each other, unn1uenced by any con-
,cipu. "a Is.ence outside Of themselves;
% Tn, PANuEIST. which atfmS kind of God.
int ~ blends and confonds him with the material
Universe AZ to make him its consequence rather than
IL, clu,e-a resultant of forces which lie dld not
.re,te. which lie cannot modify, and OF whose very
existence He has 10 real perception;
2 The FnEl-T which ailirus God as the necessary.
vital intelligent Author of all things as truly dis
-incy conscious as any beingis or can be; directing
rnidina supervising. governing everywhere and al
a., .au UbfI am
.an thwart His purpose or successfully defy Ills
power.
Nov do not invite YOU to the consideration of
m..,physic,l subtleties. / have neither taste for
their 1t .,eJt,,ion aptncss in their elucidaton
,rofes. not To know how or wherein God has His
bring | know that never can,-at least III TINS
stage of existence" find ont the Almighty to per-
rccti,n" II there be those who find any satisfaction
in arguing that lie is or is not properly characterized
asa person leave them 10 enjoy that satisfaction
without contest or cayil on my part. Al that is
most essential to my faith is an assurance that God
,.r. ,q hears and feels, and knows at least as
frrIy ~, loubless far more clearly than any other
bcing Above ALL affirm thai lie is possessed OF a
love OF Justice higher, doubtless, but answering 10
what 10 Man is Conscience, which nnpels Him to
hate ain End love righteousness, and that our deeds
and live, are eceptabc alhoTcnt in His sight as
We obey or d.fy that D.in"st, all-comprehendmg
prectpt which reads Thou shalt love thy nelghbOi
as myself
That thi, can be affirmed Of any Pauthcistic con-
reption of God any more than Of blank Atheism,
am unable 10 realize For the mere assertion that
God Is necessarily everywhere present everywhere
active is not Pauthoi,m. Ancient seers and sages
fel this q, deeply asserted it as sharply, as any
.Spinoza OF Icgcl. Whittier shall / 20 from Thy
spirit" asks rcvcrent David, or whittier shall fee
from Thy prescnce' if / ascend mp into heaven,