The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-15
BLIND LEADERS,

l. OOAASA1DS In EOANAAAhOtAb ANSSANs
They say:
"We have clearly traced the origin of
species back to Apes and Ascidians. We
have followed the gradual development
of the material nature of man. By
chemical process we may resolve him
again into the atoms and gases which
compose his wonderful frame. Wehave
discovered too how emotion affects the
brain, and the spiral motion of it's mole
cules either to right or left determines
the masterful passions Of love or hate.
In fine, grant us a vision one degree
clearer, and manipulations one degree
more delicate and we will make you a
creature of flesh and blood; we will
arouse, at will, any passion in any de-
gree. In our explorations wehave traced
no essence not subjected to the universal
laws of decay and death. What you
call the soul, is al aggregate Of atoms
and your aspirations for immortality is
a certain combination of perishable
molecules"
This, in simple language and few
words, is the meaning, the grand results
of an age or more of scientific thought.
But we must say these audaciOus deducz
lions are too much for unlearned equan-
unity. Granted the Apes and Ascidians
granted too the rudimentary tail
granted the theory Of molecules; but
whence comes the underlying passions
which set them in motion, or the deeper
underlying power which controls these
passions, and which men call mind ?
The complex machinery which makes a
mans body may be subjected to chem
zeal tests and resolved into it's original
earthly elements but the mystery Of the
body is a minor mystery to us. That
tremendous mystery of mind-the part
of us which no human sense can follow.
and which the yesterdays of past Ages
and the To-day of Science, alike find i'm
penetrable, we leave behind it's veil
Have we any right, after these results oil
science, to turn with disgust from the
gods of Egypt-the OK god, the dog and
cat headed gods, the vivaries of sacred
crocodfles, the sacred Ibis and the scav-
enger vulture 2-Have we not reached
the same point?-an alteration of the
silent forces Of nature, a kneeling be.
fore theyveiled statue Of Isis, the SYM
bolic image Of the great Mother Nature,
with its d~espairful inscription-"I am
all that has been, all that is and evel
will be, but no mortal has yet lifted uI
my yeil.n
Yes, these scientists tell us that Nature
visible in its working, is the sole Great to-
and destroyer. These blind leaders
who, to ave their lives, could not trace
the aroma of a flower in the air, ask III
to believe that because the even more
subtle essence of what we call soul, il
not to be followed by human senses
that therefore it cannot exist.
We viii ch~eerfully leave them in thei1
hogs Wallow. We rejoice that they
have clearly, and to their own satisfac,
ton, traced their g~enealogy back tx
Ape and Ascidian. We V g regret, il
their behalf, the rudimentary tail; sur.
that it would make them much ahappiel
if it was a clearly defined p~rehensile one
where they might sport and frolic t.
hearts content. We are certain too i
would be much better for the world a
largeif they had never come out of thei
festive brutishness. They give us 70
light a phosphorescent glare, drawn
from the death %rottenness ofmatter, ant
expect us to cry, Glory! We prefer tn,
solemn glory Of the stars leading us III
into innumerablew worlds, grand and ma
jestic in their motion through infnit
space. Worlds, many of them, soremot
that, for thousands and thousands o
years their light has been travelling to
ward us and yet, with all the velocity Q
light, its first rays salute us tonight o
yesterday. The plan Of creation is to
stupendous for the wisdom of maj
which is folly, to understand or investi
gate fully.
There must always remain a residu
of mystery whichthe rudimentary tail
will never fathom. We can only say "
prefer the old belief in a God, grea
enoughto form creation, and wiseenoug
to govern it when it was formed.