, 1875-08-08

lecsr1cr ty ne baseess without it, and it may a.
most b i, said that II the atomic theory - fslae
he xho!o structure o. ,.,n modem na sc,sua xa, ~
lie tonic theory proved beyond all question? I
Not tow a. The present day have declared their
,el # that the atoms are mere centres OF 1otce,
that this force eonssyS 70 Us toe enes
,r ns,ent,al to matter aud that all other prop.
. r,,ea commonly asc4ibed to matter are simply |
varieties of the force acting from these centres.
Others, with more or less pe1tlnenc5, ask Ho" can
there DO motion with nothing TO move, and what
eIaa csu force do but move matter 1t IL az:
s.sv fnr the infinite God to hold the conception
u matter forever before the human mind. |
md to associate the idea Of folm
with gwen nnco,chin soneo % tSea loean19 oc,eo 10
sha;1 have tue game conceptions and experience |
similar train of thought, as it would be to Gre
ate the matter. shape 1t into forms, and locate it
actually. and the spiritual res resn t. would be TIE
uarr of God. We do something akin to this
when re discourse OF geonctrlc forms in pu1e
mathematics, and bold the conception oelore
eacl others minds BY words and symbols. God
eau communicate with Infinite facility Without
such machinery.
Hov, no branch OF science has assumed high
er importance and attained a 1nore perfect ded-
milton and analysis than moueEn coom1atfy. IL
ia the boast aud delight OF tho age.
1t has received the closest attention OF some VI
eighteenth aud nineteenth centuries have pro-
dnced Concerning its facts, that il, It's posi-
tlys results, its sipities, its reactions It's neu-
tralizations there il dispute Or doubt but ID
mt The whole region of It's theories, down in the
dottns Of atomic httleuess, d,Wu in the abyss Of
stora,c 81 aces-ayegloD TO cav the least. oSscure
Nevertheless, the theory Is acceptable to cand;o
mudd. But observe: chotn,cul science IL 80 iaf
from enabling us 10 conclude that there IL no
need OF G.d or that matter has any SELF
potency that it cannot even assure Us that mat
Ter exists at all independent Of spirit. or. II it
c1,eta tuat the atoms OF body a,e certainly in-
Gamble OF division below given point.
But II science is 80 uncertain Of lts teneta u
the realm Of the atou,s, let us look at i y
triutnpns IN the region OF infinite space. I ae
ueuulur hypothesis suggested BY Lape ce,
aud espoused by tine elder lie1schai ~ tho ,ro-
litio mother OF the evolution theory IN ~ its
but the common origin Of sll living beir ,gs ia
rrotoplasm il q sort Of ana!og:cal seoue ace Of
the idea TINT the esrth, with all the solar system,
is born Of ln infinitely different gas. Flth the
hypothesis, We have no quarrel. II Is held BY
as devout and 1eve:cnt men as the world
has ever seen. Il is only when. it is un-
naturally held to imply the ekernity and
self potency Of matter that 1t becomes
obnoxious to reason and cor nulon Hense~
Nox, thus nebular hypothesis de mands Of us to
believe that these samo solit. atoms, whose
sna1,ness and whose compa1 Ativey wide dis
tances we have just been cous der1ng, were onco
80 dlfrused that millions Of millions 1T cubic
miles Of them would weigh but few ounces.
aud we're in u state OF such. intense heat that all
the minerals aud metals maintained this highly
yotatlllzed form. To account for the planeta
aud their COM molicated motions, it is necessary to-
suppose the original maes OF yapor irregular in
form, so that motion could bo communicated by
the ta!liug do wn OF the elevated or projecting
o1tiuus, and separ ste bodies would be formed
by the eyo}utl on. and th,, cooling Of the yapor.
Yb1s must have hal,penefl within period COM
parstively recent few hundred millions
kept it hot aud nreg u1sr against the l.w Ut tue
radiation OF heat AMI o. gravity during the
nifty which p1ecede d. It seems also never to
have occurred to those xho reject the notion OF
any power external to he original heated mass
that, according to the sell-knowu law OF action
aud reaction, the fall fprojectlne Forslons could
never by any posslbliit produce revolution OF
the Whole.
We have said that ths nebular hypothesis &C.
counted for the phea omen. u tne uniTeise r2
to the creation OF livlnS Organisms. At that
point it falls and b suce some modern natural,
lists have veLtured q conjectures equally bold
but not equally happy. These could we'll
enough be tolei sted, however they
but when their .dvocases dignity them with
the name OF ecienc We demur- We must car
tain4 put tue doct rines Of evolution and proso-
p1as,n outside of things known. Toe proof Of
their truth at tbs present stage OF the question
sNAN~1
ana1ogies which ook toward the truth Of Oar-
wins theory. erdinand Fapillon says Ut eggs
are exactly alike. The egg Of lion and the egg
OF N eu nt o ne stage are identical IN FORM IN
| cuts. Each is q mere transparent mucous Drop
tue 25Oth OF ar inch in diameter, and Eith abho-
| lutel7 nothing by width its futule can 10 fore
told. Yet each one goes Oh adding
| cells, develt'png the emEryo. pureulng
3 continuous growth, necessarily producing
and multiplying new forms and new forces, Til
| the perfeca and beautiful organism. each in Its
kind, dspoztt. itself Ill the sunlight. The doc
| trine of evolution, as taught Sy Dar"1n, does
| not teach that man is the improved monkey, or
tint be IL the offspring OF any lower species, but
that from common monad one line Of develop
| ment leads to man. another 10 the monkey. ETC.
1t will at once OCCUR to those who are not hostile
to the idea OF supreme, divine Creator that 1t
to develop man from 1nonsd in twenty five
millions Of yea1s rs to do the same thing
in twenty-five years and the doctrine
| which the thoughteaa skepslca have
caught up, with eudh eager haste and
paradcd with 30 ignorant an assurance. must in
ey,tably 1ecoli upon them. Darwin himself ls
said to bs believer Ia God, though not pro-
| feasor iu tbs Christian faith aud assuredly he
needs to be to make b il famous theory reuable
q moment
Mr. Darwin'B pupilr have materially modified
the original theory. A distinguished anaso1oist
of Philadelphia, not long sinee III lecturlng be-
fore medical class on the human eye, exhibited
BY comparison the eye OF cock. and called the
attention OF the class to the thin membrane
Is hch the fowl IL accustomed to draw 10 front OF
the pupil in the act Of GROWING. He then point
ed out the slight told Of . siu1ar membrane 1t
the corner Of the human eve. and K1avey re-
| marked that this WAS the remains Of the coarser
skin covering which had served, the
needs Of MAN when be had no higher
ambition than to scratch The earth to strut
| shout, and to txult over his fellows. He fallei
to stats why the men Of the present epoch,
whose highest aspiration only reach the same
object, should yet have their eyes peeled, or
why the lsdieH Of the Escuapian aIe should also
| have been furnished ~ we'll ae theH growing
companions.
+ cannot consent to call any man candid who
sees fit to admit the phenomena Of Thales' OBJ
eeryation ~ things known, while he judges it
right to set .aide tbs clcarest statements Of the
great Jswisl lawgiver aud friend Of God as mat
ters Of doubtful autheutlcty simply because
the fehd Of Noses observation ls different ona
from hts oFn. We could insist on this even
il the intimacy OF Moses With Jehovah
we're strictly private, and testified to
By his single word; but now We