The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-03-11

land | use, here, the term unregenerate
in no theological sense, will be sure TO
visit him With such words of offence or
ignorance, as in themselves make an
end OF discussion
This question ol the foundation oil
nature is more than twenty-five hun
dred years old. But il has been, in the
main, more 8 discussion to settle the
line and order Of the argument for the
existence Of 8 Pesousl Deity. than to
establish the belief in one The order
and system o. the universe, the received
fact OF all things being under law, and
causes having specific effects which
contribute to the operations and work
ing of sll thing in system has been
sufficient for most minds, aud has COM
pelled such minds t) this belief The
inability OF mau 10 conceive self-con-
seriousness in himself as derived from
matter, and the fact lhat his own
mind, in virtug o. ,his sell ConE
sciousuess, becomes seIl,rvheCtlye, aud
builds up intellectual and moral sys-
TENS, compel him, in virtue Of H's IN
tellectual nature to fad "ri 10 believe
in mind, not only Tor lue system OF
laws which guide ani Govern nature,
but for the intellectual aud moral con-
dition necessary TO guide ard Govern
mankind. This long h.a'oryai discus,
sion has therefore been chiefly con.
concerned, in virtue oil this ,'leCtual
and moral yoarniry in the soul OF
humanity, to find ani pronounce the
system,
Here lies the difficult. Religion, ape
pealing Rs it does 10 this native and
elemental constitution OF man, will ala
WAYS have its vast multitude Of follow.
ers, and this multitude, from the very
conditions Of finite minds, will all take
eeparate, partial, and fragmentsrY views
OF the system, which no hum On mind
can wholly grasp, but seeing ii in part,
will, rom the part, know that it is, Just
as much so as the people living on two
sides OF an impossible mountain, and
differing in all things, except their COM
mon human nature viii know that
the mountain is, and may know much
of its structure, sud in Uhqi 1t contrl-
butes 10 their lives in many ways.
When men will not rest Satisfied with
these intimRtiors OF Their lowlleat and
of their highest moral nature, and will
demand that their reason shall be sst'
isfled, there is no alternative but an I'M
vestgatiou which will take them to
the proiouniest speeulatlons OF that
which us before matter was made.
This is now more especially the case
since the chemists have declared that
matter was made, IN the conclusion Of
their science which announces. that
atoms are ouly the centres OF several
forces whose aggregate results we call
matter" and since the spectrum ansly"
sis has 80 c9nciusively shown that
those bodice. as iron, auumOuy, &c,
which have hitherto been considered
simple, elementary bodies Of nature
are compound bodies, presenting, in
each, various Indications OF this, their
nature, by their lines in the spcCtro-
scope. Iustesd Of having these simple
elements of the chemist for The Begin
ming Of matter we have reached
behind these 10 these lines OF
the spectro:Copc, from which
these elements wero composed. So
we must 90 back to this point, sud il
not satisfcd with the diversitias Of
thiogs in nature, and the order and
system OF these things as evidence Of
mind, We must, 10 the very nature O.!
the argument, 60 back behind thcse TO
enquire ior q source OF that which we
call Mind. This is no child's play. 1t
is no work for the unframed, and | will
add, Tor that irreverent mind which b ss
thus thrown of all those moral clG-
ments OF our nature that ere common
10 our common humanity. To show
the difficulty OF the investigation and
the wartonness and the fippaucy Of
those who talk 60 glibly on the origin
OF nature aud the descent OF man With
out acquainting themselves with the
first conditions OF the argument, or who
are incapable OF understanding it, ] will
state the fret law OF the argument, or
the investigation from the Republic Of
Plato 1t is to reach that second seq.
ment oftheiDlelligible world which rea.
son OF itself graspa by the power OF the
dialects employing hypotheses, lot as
principles, but as verItable hylotheses,
that is to say, as steps and starting
points in order that we may astE,.9 ss
lar as the unconditional, 70 tue first
principle OF the universe, aud hJyirg
qr1sped his, may then lay hold Of the
principle next adjacent 10 1t, aud % 60
down TO the end, using no sensble aids
whatever, but employing abstrac! forms
throughout, and terminating in forms.'
Do you understand this Will you sI-
plain it to any crowd who will collect
10 any public sssemblage? And this is the
law OF the investigation, recognized bysll
writer's who are in any degree capable
Of handling the snbject and which has
been treated by such minds, now, for
more than two-thoussnd years, Do
not use any language 10 reference 10
this which will betoken the insolenCs
OF an empiric who wants 70 get a repu-
tation for suaytucss ia region o.
thought whers he hss not yet reached.
Do not speak Of 1t 10 language
which will bstrsy your ignorance in
those places where profound aud rey'
srent thought is the highest evidence
OF intellectual and moral worth. E7cn
one OF the great leaders Of what i, Gale
ed rational" thought, could not Tca;h
the high point Of this gEea; argumcol
aud it would be essy 10 chow that job 0
Stuart Mil did 10! at I'll sppTsheu1 i.
But to whom, sOI Tor whom may iiis
be shown Let me rrtssn! the same
proposition in tae wo!ds OF e poe. who,
for FIVE hundred years mas bcen read Of
many good minds, and bseO the subject
OF much comment. Dante, il the l5!5
Cat 10 OF his Parsilso. says: