Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-02-10
99allas Aerald
ROBERT .JOssELYN,
.. EDITOR.
SPIRITUALISN1.
fue DEDATABLE lASD--BY ROBERT DALE
OWEN.

fnE DEDATABLE IAND--BY ROBERT DALE
OWEN.
In matters concerning religion in its
general sense, the civilized world may be
considered as divided, at present, into two
grea. classes, the mrcriaiists and the spir-
itualists. The former are becoming stron-
ger and more outspoken every day, on ac-
count of what they call the discoveries OF
science, until their writers, with all their
scholarly requirements and gentle iusinua-
Ting way Of treating subjects, are lotkod
upon by plain, humble, confding Chris
tians as Atheists, nothing more, nothing
less. So they are, with all their tlimsy at
tempts at disguise by sugar-coaiing the
nauseous pill. Spencer, Huxley, Tyndal,
and the whole school are, according TO
their own logic, simply atheists. With
them, mater is every thing. All the won
ders u creation are but the evolu,ions and
developments of watter, and matter is
their only God. Tlioy deny the existence
OF spiritual world-they deride.the real
ity ofspirits or the great Father ofall
spirits. Matter and motion have produced
every thing But how came matter? Is
it no, as hard to believe that matter crea
ted itself as it is to believe in u spiritual
uncreated God 2 And what put matter in
motion? Can these wise men of science
account for that No; they do not at
tempt it, They sny motion is the result
of force. No doubt of it--but where does
the force come from? they can not tell
Then, they must excuse us for believing
what we were taught in our childhood,
and still believe in our old age tina! it
comes from spiritual, all pervadng, al
mighty God This is the Christians view
of the subject, and it satisfies our mind.
We believe in spirit as well as matter and
that the spirit is wherever matter is-that
without spirit, matter would be motionless,
lifelcss, dead ....,.. ..
We have been led to thcse remarks by
ieadihg The Dcbatable Land, by Robert
Dale Owen, book of which we gave
brief notice not long since. The first part
Of it is addressed to the Protestant Clorgy,
| in which he assumes that Protestant Chris
tianity is making no progress, in fact, that
| it is retrogading, and hot able to stand
up under the blows of scientf, material
ism. This he attributes to their false the
oogy and their unwillingness TO tdmit
any new spiritual revelations. Mr.. Owen
insists that religion must be progressive
as we'll as science or else it will fail. lie
admits the spiritual reve lations of old and
contends for their continuance. What was
suitable for one age and people may not
be suited for another age and people. The
spirit can work and manifest itself now as
well as in the days Of Christ and the Apos-
ties. This is, in brief, the substance Ct
Mr.. Owens theology. That he is honest
in this belief, no one, we think, who tends
his book, will be disposed TO question. But
with all hie learning, candor and earnest
ness, he fails to convince lis of the ncces-
sity or the fac. of any new revelation.
While we believe fully in spiritual
world as no does, while we believe fully
| Ia the Immortality Of the soul and that the
universe is full Of disembodied spirits,
somewhere, perhaps every where, while We
admit the possibility Of some mysterious
| communication at times between them and
spirits still in the fesh-we utterly scout
the idea Of their doing this through the
medium of n pine board table, and by
means Of alphabetical raps, or frances, or
a general row among the parlor furniture
or kitch.n utensils. The idea is absurd
and ridiculous. 1t is truly astonishing
how an honest, highly educated man, ike
Robert Dale Owen, can be carried away
by the new revelations of the Fox girls
undeniably impostors, who went all over
the civilized world exhibiting for money.
The revelation, made 1879 years ago with
out money and without price, is not TO be
upheld against atheists and infdels by the
upturning Of tables and the sounds and
sights and wonders of dark room and a
| uNeiy W Nht"' NV Pooi
Owen, as thoroughly superstitious in this
respect us an unenlightened savage, be-
lieves in all this, and is dreaming of up.
holding a true religion, suited to the pres
ent times, by such an agency. The hnlf of
his book is taken up with a recital of won-
drous things, produced by the spirits, eth
er started by mediums or of their own ac-
cord, which would do little credit to the
travelling mountebanxs, who exhibit far
and wide for the filthy lucre. We had
hoped this spirit rapping nania would
never prevail to any great extent in the
Southern States, but it is creeping in here
and there, aud our people will probably
have to 60 through with the exciting de
lusion. May Heaven preserve their wits
during the trial, and kindly keep them
from rszors and ropes, pistols and poison.
s65 Flakes Bulletin Is quoting Brick
Pomeroy to. bespatter the democratic par
iy. If the democratic party Gould stop the
mouths of Brick and his imitators it
would stand a better chance of success.
| W, % m placo littla raliance in nrirk or