The New York herald., 1873-12-21
Our Religious Uontemporarics-Agas gassix,
Darwinism and Other Matters.

uon or the worth and services OF the deceased
Professor Agassiz. For example, the Methodist
affirms that Agassiz was Christian. "He be-
ieved in God, that man was created by God,
and not self-developed and that the whole
scheme of the creation was designed by an intel
ligent, all-powerful Being, and was not self
existing, self-directing concourse of atoms
For the expression Of this belief he has been
assailed by the men who think themselves
wiser than their Creator, but who have harmed
HIN not"
The Christian Union AYERS that the death of
Agassiz is public calamity His devotion to
science combined the simplicity Of an in
genuous nature with an enthusiasm like that
of saint. 1t was this unreserved, unselfsh
devotion to his work that brought his life to
premature end"
The Union also has something to say about
'Liberty in the Church" and here the pastor
editor has something to say in his own behalf.
eff man, he asserts, ''sets out to be an
exponent of creed he will not be allowed to
give to the creed of his sect false construc-
ton. But if his only idea of a creed is that
it is material with which to work for the sal
vation of men, then he will have latitude in
the use of it as great as he may desire. For
creeds are not sacred or divine. They are
means to an end, and the end is thousand
times more important and sacred than the
means" care churches exclaims the
editor, ''to be controlled by creeds or by living
men? If sects can agree to permit liberty in
the construction of articles of faith, is it not
better to abide at home in the church of ones
choice? And if a sect is not yet enlightened
enough to permit such liberty of thought, is
it not good and honest thing for man to
know his place, and labor to bring the Church
up to nobler ground of toleration p
The Christian IntelHgencer declares that 'the
Church is not an automaton, machine to be
wound up and run down and wound up again
The Baptist Weelay discusses the views Of
Agassiz on Darwinism He declares his article,
published in monthly magazine, to be an able
refutation of the English philosophers specula-
tions, and DR.. Patton thinks the descent of
man from soft shell CLAIMS is, as Scotch ver-
dict might be given, ''not proven" sit is,
therefore, with the deepest SORROW" the rev.
to record the death of this greatest of living
scientists just at the opening of service
promising one of the most important contribu-
tons on topic which has enlisted the thought
of the ablest minds of the age, and which
bears at once on q cherished theory of science
as in conflict with the deductions of theology"
The Evangelist with its usual thoughtful
ness, speaks kindly word for the poor in
connection with the services of the ''New
York Association for Improving the Condition
of the Poor, and says that the experience of
the last generation suggests no improvement
on the method of the association which,
mainly through city missionaries, selects its
visitors, and, in harmony and cooperation
with them, carries out it's plans of charity,
and accomplishes work whose value cannot
be estimated
In regard to the demise of Professor Agassiz
the senior editor of the Observer (Dr. S.
Iren@us Prme) asserts that one Of his
(Agassiz's) last letters was one expressing
regret that he could not accept his invitation
to deliver a series of lectures against the Dar-
win theories in New York this winter, and
declining on account of his feeble health
The Freeman s Journal (Which usually pro-
fesses to have the only if not the earliest news
from Rome) refers to the encyclical letter of
the Pope issued on the 21st November last
and says that, forgetting his own sorrows,
'.our Holy Father extends his sympathy and
lavishes his love on the faithful Bishops of
Switzerland prosecuted and exiled for the
faith. Turning next to Germany says
the editor, she stigmatizes the indecency and
the bad faith of the so-called Emperor of
Germany, in having published, against all
the rules of kingly etiquette, the letter of pri-
vate expostulation that he addressed to
the stupid William, and of having accom-
panied it with an answer full of gross in
suits, not only to the Pope, but especially to
his dear brethren and sons, the pre-
lates that the German despot is persecuting
The encyclical then," it appears, ''speaks of
the abortive attempt OF the new heretics, call
ing themselves odd Catholics to get up a
new church and the Holy Father, by name
excommunicates Joseph Hubert Reinkens
who got himself, sacrilegiously, consecrated
Bishop by rancid old Jensenist hereto and
schismatic who was, sacrilegiously, made a
schismatic Bishop
The Christian At Work had better be at
work if it proposes to give any new ideas to
the reading public, although the fruitful Rev.
De Witt Talmage is announced as the editor.
The Je,oiSh Times gives notoriety to the
Jewish festival called Chanukah, or festival of
conservation, copies something about Agassiz
but, strange to say, has nothing original
to utter about the deceased philosopher.
GRANT ON Hrs CHIEF JUSTICE. General Grant
is reported as saying that before making the
nomination for Chief Justice he had given