, 1875-07-11

4 REPLY TO DE- FA1LoT5.
To the Edlor Of The Ch,edoo Tribune:
CHICAGO, July 9--Tha Rev. Nr. Fallows in his
sermon on the "Rights OF ske?tics gives us
touch Of lhera!ity to which VIC are quite un-
accustomed from the Evangelical pulpit. The
only right this pulpit accords to skeptics, az =
general thing, is Il sao right to te damned"
skept.cs ~lll I'll, undoubtedly, feel duly grate-
fal to M,. Eallows fo- the concession to them OF
the right to hold .Eeir own opinions, without To-
gard to what the Church thinks, though they
may not be entrancel by the ratronizing @ir pns
On BY AI1. Fallows in granting this privilege.
Indeed, it seems that there are come sAep:lcs to
whom the reverend speaker bimself rather
grudgiugly comedies these rights, to-wit: those
who, in defauit Of being great thinkers
themselves, have sought Intellectual food
from, those WHO are, or, in the words OF Mr..
failows, ire "feeding on the crumbs that fall
from the tables OF richer inte!lects." Intel-
lecsuAl paupe.s, he calls them, 'beggine from
many dosrs,' ETC., etc. he ha1dly has patience
he says, with men who, not being able to form
better ideas Of their own. take up with those of
Hume and Emerson, Tvndal and Paine, Huxley
and Mill, Voltalre aud Herbert Speocsr. It Is
Z pity that au men cannot Ie Eeui1seE, but il
seems to me that those Of us 1sho have not the
capacity or leisure for original research in the
A44I1tH u d1oH4eOSH+ A41 JUS. - 1uCA E1tfL4G1
"a any to recognition OF cur rights OF opinion,
though those opinious may laTu been formed
by reading the recorded researches and conclu-
siops of greater minds
the attempt made to avoid tho forc-
OF the objections, made By aEeptics and
scientists, to Christianity, by claiming that
Il. Ii only tho corraptio,,a Ct Christianity thas
have drawn doEn this adverse criticism. 1ir, f.
admits as true all that is chs-sed OF tho Church
- to bu ming hereties, tearing t4em limb from
limb sostoring. lmpr1soniDg. and bAnshing Sci
entists for their discoveries, and showing luto-
e.ance toward philosophers and men of progress
in I'LL ages: Bas, he Says. this was not Chris
cid al this It is possible tnat entirely
asree ~ith fr. Fallows on this PROPOSE
tion. It has baeu said that ninetentbs
Of the disasreements OF mao1nd
as . doctrine are owing to n1isconcertou OF the
1neaola1 Of words Ii by she word Christianity
Mr. Fa!lows understands sup: The teachings Of
Jesus as found in tbs Gospels then do mot dis
aent from his assertion. But it by tho term We
faith called Evangelical, the doctrina religious
betief prevailing in what We call Christian lands,
then do decidedly take issue with the state
raeut that Christianity is not intoieraot, ard not
hostile to the progress OF sciences and Of the !
race. |
1t is certainly this latter definition Of the word
thst the clergy generally accept wien they boast
Of the e1hRhtenm=ns OF This century broushs [
about BY Christianity, and point to the wonders [
OF steam, Of the electric telegraph, of printing |
etc.. as points ct Christianity, though they |
really all are fruits that h2ye ripened spite OF
so-ca;led Christianity. Certainly when they
boast 80 much Of this ChE.s.iao sga, they mean |
en age when the system Of theology, called
Mr.. taflows says. re must distinguish between
Christianity proper and its coruptlous in 4asaiI-
ing the popular re!ig gious teachings OF the day,
then, indeed. skepticism has little further tosay
A%,r7 IT. :zSs.