Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-29
Speculation


Hon S. nj. Dorr delivered the fifth lee
ture in the free course at the Congrega-
tienal chapel last evening, on the subject |
of Speculation" The audience was
not large, but was in entire sympathy |
with the speaker and the subject and the
way it was handled.
Mr.. Dorr said IF | should tell you
that you could buy land for certain
price with good prospect of selling it
for double the price paid, and you should
invest money in it with that object in
view; or if you should buy stocks for
merely nominal price with a reasonable
chance of large advance in price, both
transactions would be speculations. But
the subject of commercial speculations
would take facts and figures which |
could not handle nor mixed audience
of ladies and gentleman enjoy. Neverthe-
less invite your attention to the subject
of Speculation, to it in another sense, in
views, theories, science, philosophy and
morals can take you and show you
a world within world, great hole in
which fire is looming up and burning
from everlasting to everlasting, but we
would be speculating-dreaming.
We wonder what is and what is to be
until we are carried beyond the the do
main of science, facts, morals and phil
osophy-we are dreaming. The Oar
winian theory of the descent of man is
gigantic speculation. Did it never oc-
cur to you that it is easier to go down
than up in the scale of moral, physical,
and intellectual being. Darwin's the
ory is that man assembled from
the monkey, but the Bible says,
"God made man to his own image"
We should believe the Bible rather than
Darwin. The Bible is history, Darwin
is a speculator.
Speculations, as such, are usually
harmless to such as only listen to the
breathings of the dreamer, but when it
interferes with God and Christ, it is
wrong and harmful. If we do speculate
it must be after we have clasped the
great Anchor, and our safety will be in
clinging forever to this spiritual rock.
The so-called spiritualism of to-day is a
speculation. When this subject first be-
gan to make a stir in the world, the fol
4 lowing circumstance happened toa min
lister when in room alone: His ink
stand was suddenly hurled with great
vsolence against the wall the table
moved round the room, unseen, hands
apparently rolled cannon balls with
such force as to shake the walls. Wher
asked what came of all this, he replied
with dignity and sublime candor-'1 dc
not KNOW cannot explain it some
time this force will be discoyered-wai
and trust" So thought the speaker
The unseen force that causes these
movements shall yet be utilized to turr
wheels, propel steamships, rivet thu
chain and bind together the science ant
industries of the world. We are &C
customed to say, ''God knows GU
thoughts They flash through our braiI
and in an instant God knows them, be
fore we have time to speak. We believt
it to be so, but speculate how. Did you
ever lie on the greensward, under tb
shade of spreading tree, looking int
the heavens, dreaming that somewher'
beyond, for you cannot see them, ar
/ myriads of worlds, habitable and unin
/ habitable, and what relation our littl
|. planet sustains to these And yet, small
as it is, God watches over its destinies
, You wonder how and are specializing.
1t is said that the earth will incl
l with fervent heat" We expect it il
+ Gods own time. but wonder whether
5 will be by coming in contact with
g comet, or by being swept into the su
S or in a seething fire created by an ad
r mixture of the gases that surround us
% We are again specializing. When W
say that the air we breathe will yet, il
the process of time, light, warm, an
: give us power TO prOpel our manufaC
S tories, we are specializing. How shall
2 we live hereafter? What is immortalit
G and what relation does it sustain t
] mortality? What becomes of the soU
4 after death? The answers to these al
i all speculations. We cannot cOmprC
!. bend eternity, when of its meaning W
), only speculate. What of the scars o
:, the souls of men during the warfare c
d life? Do they remember the warfare
IS anguish and victory, and if not, ho'
e pervading and absorbing must be tn
d life which obliterates every dark men
e ory! The gates of heaven are ajar, W
O can look beyond the veil, but only
= imagination Speculation often trouble
n often delights, but it is a comfort to IL
, soul to know that sometime this perio
!. of speculation Will end. Eye hath NJ
IL seen nor ear heard, neither hath
h entered the heart of man, the thing
lie which God has in store for. those VIII
4 love him." This is not speculation.