The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-07-09
Science and the Bible.

A friend of the late Professor Maury, having
asked him whether there could be found "dis-
tinct traces in the Old Testament of scientific
knowledge, or any knowledge of the winds and
ocean currents the Professor replied as fol-
lows:
ayes. knowledge the most correct and valua
BILE. 'Canst thou bind the sweet influence Of
the Pleiades? It is a curious fact that the rev.
elations of science have led astronomers of our
own day to the discovery of the dead centre OF
motion around which comets sweep and plan
cts whirl; but that it, with its splendid rctinue
of worlds and satellites, Is revolving through
the realms Of space, at the rate OF millions OF
miles in year, and in obedience to some in
fluence situated precisely in the direction the
star Alcyone, one of the Pleiades. We do not
know how far off in the immensltles OF space
that centre of revolving cycles and eplcycles may
be; nor have our oldest observers OF incest In
the skies that beautiful cluster of stars is hung,
whose influences man can never bind. In this
question alone, and the now answer to 1t, are
involved both the recognition and exposition
of the whole theory of gravitation.
but potentates pronounced the belief heretical,
Notwithstanding the Psalmist, while apostro-
phizing the works of creation in one of his
sublime moods of inspiration, when the
prophets spoke as they We're moved, had
called it the round world and made 1t re-
joice
"You recollect when Galileo was in prison,
pumpmaker came to him with his difficulties,
because his pump would not lift water higher
than thirty-two feet The old philosophevv
thought it was because the atmosphere would
not press it up any higher; but the hand of
persecution was upon him and he was afraid to
say that the air had weight. Now had he LOOK
ed to the science of the Bible, he would have
discovered that the perfect man of 'Uz,' moved
l,oI ,oI f1,n foot
sands of years before: 'He maketh the weight
of the Winds Job is very learned, and his
speeches abound in scientific lore The persecu-
tors of the old astronomer would have been
wiser and far more just had they paid more at
tention to this wonderful book; tor there they
would have learned that He stretches out the
north over the empty place, and hangeth the
earth upon nothing There is another proof
that JOB was familiar with the laws of gravita-
ton for he knew how the world was held in
its place. And, as for the empty place in the
sky, Sir John Herschel has been sounding the
heavens with his powerful telescope, and qua
ging the stars, and where do you think he finds
the most barren part-the empty place-of the
BiIdad, theShuhite, the empty place was stretch
ed out. 1t is there where comets most delight
to roam and hide themselves in emptiness.
ST pass by the history of creation as 1t is
written on the tablet of the rock and in the book
of revelations, because the question has Deen
y
no doubt familiar with the whole subject. In
both, the order of creation is the same: First
tho plants, to afford sustenance, and then the
animals The chief point OF apparent dlfter-
ence being as to the duration OF the period be-
tween the evening and the morning "A thou
sand wears are as one day. and the Mosaic
account affords evidences itself that the term
dav. as there used, is not that which compre-
hends our twcnty-four hours. 1t was day
that had its evenings and mornings before the
sun was made.
81 will, however, before proceeding further,
ask pardon for mentioning rule OF conduct
which have adopted, in order to make prog
ress with these physical researches which
have occupied so much of my time ana many
of nv thoughts, and that rule is never to
forget who is the Author of the great vol
umo which nature spreads out before us,
and always to remember that the same Be-
ing is also the author the book which revela-
ton holds up tous and though the two works
true, and when they bear upon the same sub
ject, as now and then they do, it is as lmpossi-
Bile that they should contradict each other as it
is that either should contradict itself II the
two cannot be recOnciled, the fault IS ours, ana
is because, in our blindness and weakness, we
have not been able to interpret Alright either the
one or the other, or both.
'Solomon, in single verse, describes the
circulation of the atmosphere as actual ooser-
yation is now showing it to be. That 1t has its
laws and Is as ODOU10nL itS GllC uCttN
ly hosts in their movements, we infer from the
fact announced by him, and which contains the
essence Of volumes by other men. All the
rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.
Unto the place from whence the rivers come,
thither they return again.
"To investigate the laws which govern the
wind and rule the sea, is one of the most prof.
table and beautiful occupations that a man, an
improving, progressive man, can have. Deck
ed with star as the sky is, the field of astrono-
my affords no subjects of contemplation more
ennobling, more sublime, or more profitable
than those which we find in the air and the
sea.
"When we regard them from certain points
of view, they present the appearance of way
ward things, obedient to no law but tickle in
their movements and subject only to chance
Yet when wo go, as trllth-loving, knowledge
seeking explorers, and knock at their secret
chambers and devoutly ask what are the laws
which govern them, we are taught in terms the
most impressive that when the morning stars
sang together, the waves also lifted up their
voice, and the winds, too, joined in the almigh-
ty anthem. And as discovery advances we find
the marks of order in the sea and Ill the air,
that are in tune with the spheres, and the
conviction is forced upon us that the laws OF all
are nothing else but perfect harmony"
A DANGEROUS PLACE.-The Walhalla Cou
,1ey comments in this wise upon the dangerous