The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-03-22
Dean STANLEY on Eyell.
TIE FUNERAL OF THE GREAT GEoLoGIST DEAN
STASLEY'> MEMORIAL SERMON-GEoLoGf AND
ID

TIE FUNERAL OF THE GREAT GEoLoGIST DEAN
sT,SLEYs MEMORIAL SERMON-GEoLoGY AND
THE SCRIPTURES.
From the London Times, March IL
Sir Charles Lye!l was buried on Saturday
in Westminster Abbey. Dean Stanley read
the service and the lessons unas>lSted by lhe
canon of the day, who was absent throuSh
illness. The Queens carriage and the Prince
of WaIes's were among those which followed
the hearsc; and Mr.. Donald Cameron, OF Lo-
chiel, the member for lvernesShire, one OF the
~rooms in waiting, placed upon the coilln
at the last moment memorial wreath OF
white camclias and hyacinths, 10 which was
affixed paper with the words, "A mark OF
esteem from the Queen" Seferal 'mnl0r'
tel.s had been previously placed upon the
coffin and were on 1t as 1t was borne up tne
n,y.. 10 the choir in the midst of the funeral
procession. The Hon. {. l.. Wood, a groom
Of the bcdchambcr to the Prince OF Wales,
was present on behalf of his Royal HlShne>s.
The choral service With Crotl's anu Purcclfs
mu ,ic oulv differed from the usual brlei ana
implr.sive order by the custom OF the Abbey,
which ntcrpolutcd at the end. just before tne
| bcnedictiou, The anthem to liandefs music,
| :. His body i buried in peace, but his sClll
! iiycth cyermorc.f His body lies now, WIN
| the simple inscription on the oaken case,
:. Cha>. Lyell, Bar"uet, died 22' February,
| 1873. AGED 80 year, in The nOrll aisle OF the
! nave beneath the monument Of DR.. " ood-
ward. who founded in lI2I the geological
chair at Cambridge. The choir and the
| transcpts were throng,d again Yesterday at
3. when the dean preached memorial ser
mon. Dean Stanley selected for his sermon
| thr wards of the second VERSE of the first
chan,er OF Genesis: 8. The earth was with
on, form and void, darkness was upon the
deem and the spirit of God moved upon the
f,rr Of the waterS.'' The Sermon was in
fact discourse on the religious aspect CT
geology. ,.
The words of the text, the dean said, have
! q sense wider than the mere hterai trah-
script. They express the transition rom
that gulf which the ancient Greeks cailea
| Chaos to the order of the Universe, Which
modern philosopher described unoer the
head of Cosmos. The words IN the orlSAal
| which portray the formless TOld OF the ealth
convey most precisely the image OF "afr'nS
clements. while The words used for the NOV
inc of the Divine Spirit on the lace OF Tue
waters express the gentle Droodihs' as II
were, ef bird of peace. The IAN uase,
| however poetic, chldlike, paraDolicai, ana
unsceniitc, impresses upon Us Inc piin'
ciplc which applies in both the moral anu III
! the material world that the law OF the alVlue
operation is the gradual, peaceful, progress
| sivc development Of discerd INTO nitrinoh!
| confusion into order, darkness into lgnt. IL
| ch,rcrd that within the short month OF Feb
rI,ry. hy q most unusual coin nridence Of NOR
ilIjtv vice had the gates OF the Abbey been
nncnrd 10 nav the last houors to two men
widely apart III u!l else, but alike IN the snare
they touk in unfolding and exempltying this
divine law--the one the acknowledged chlel
of the English musicians Of our time, the
other the acknowledged head of those
who, whether here or elsewhere, have
devoted their talents to The study OF
the history of our mother earth. vi
all the branches of art and letters,
none more reveals the hidden capacities OF
the humIn soul, or the fearful ana "onder-
full structure of the human frame, than the
slow process through which from the most
barbarous sounds the spirit which brooded
over the harp of David, and inspired the
genius of Beethoven and Mendeissohn, has
gained its majesty and glory. Ihls passing
ulllslon 10 u great musician, this lndlcatloh
OF the latent capacities Tor spiritual emollon
brought out by abstract anu lnauimate
things, elements seemingly without form
and void, was no Uniting PRELUDE 10 tne
consideration of the study OF nature, OIL
which he who has just gone was SO bright
an example.
II IS well known that when the study OF
peoisyy first arose it was involved IN Inter-
minaDe schemes Of reconciliation win the
letter of Scripture. There were and are TWO
modes of reconciliation which have each TO-
tally and deservedIy failed. The one attempts
10 wresl the words of the Bible from their real
meaning and force them to speak the Ian.
guage OF science, and the other attempts 10
faIsiy science to meet the supposed. require
meuts of the Bible. The Seventy" finding
that the hare was described as chewing the
end. inserted the word mot" and, on the
other hand, the Jesuits, in editing "NeWton's