The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-09-03
NEW PUBLIcATI0NS.

The Genesis of Beginnings. An Indactive Dsuo,
strGtion Of the One A6soluto Beginnina, SG.s
chap. 1. .. d. from the Knogledge ws ha.. uo", =,
Secondary Beginnings. By 7. Wharton Coit.,y:
This! admirable paper, SO conclusive 10 ~.
Christian mind, and 60 unanswerable tn ~
sceptic, is high-toned compliment to tbs -
telligence Of our eitizens before whom !, :.
placed, and o bold and learned refutation =.
that pernicious doctrine which assert, ~.
matter 10 eternal
Devoting large portion of his paper tot
| clear definitions of the terms, the carsfn,
author then takes the main point of hs snbso.
we'll in hand, viz: "That beginnings ara Tho
| initial points of events of operations, Of act,
| which happen indeed to things not oulv in
space, but also in time," and pursues his cou,so
of reasoning to it's unerring, logical conclusion
that of @ starting point--a beginning ~
things
To the question, What is thers back of tbi,
starting pointf there can be but one snsva,
"a Being that is not thing, not limited M.
matter-God, the only eternal and inSp;ts
Being"
The words Of the principal proposition which
Judge Collens 80 eloquently demonstrates in
the paper before us, are the simple but sublms
expression which we fnd in the first versa of
the first chapter of Genesis:
In the beginning, G I'd created the heaven,
and the earth"
Followers of the school of modern tbopeb.
have traced nature back through one oripiu N
another, a countless number of ages until tbsv
actually believe they have demonstrated that
nature had no beginning, whereas Judge Col.
lens proves from clear definitions of sbscluts
and secondary beginnings that the existsnceoi
matter is necessarily limited in time.
The authors glowing tribute to the power of
Science, with her wonder finding and wonder.
working genius, in the discovery of many sec.
ondary beginnings once unknown and hidden
from the view, is replete with learning, slc.
quence and sublimity.
Clearly stating the alternative proposition,
things must be either ~ self-created and self
changing, or (2) eternal, or (3) created from
nothing by a power distinct from themselves
we think Judge Colleps' ar guments and demon
Strations deserving of careful study by that
class of thoughtful minds which, ever seeking
ever soaring, still fails to reach that beginning
of all beginnings-God!
1t is also an interesting su bject of meditation
for those whose intutive knowledge leads
them to adopt all the views of the writer; but
we would like particularly to see the strong
minds of the so-called scientists take up its
propositions and answer it's conclusions.
The style of the article is exceedingly in
teresting, and although the subject matter is
necessarily abstruse, the writer's skill in the
of words and in the control of language makes
the paper ineligible even to the ordinary
reader.
1t sbounds in salient thoughts which stand
out in relief from the primary proposition, and
please the mind of scholar or of Christian. For
this phrase: "Our idea of the future
ia only a prophetic dream which has no exist
ence but in our imagination"
We are particularly struck by the allegory of
Time-the best we have ever seen-and cannot
resist quoting it for the benefi; of our readers:
I" A tolerable figure of time would be a chain
or cable attached at one end to q point fixed by
Omnipotence on sea of secondary causes, aud
paid out at the other end, from the hull offs
ship which is sailing away, and is ever at the
verge of an ever receding fasurity. The lergth
Of the cable, time past, would be ever in
oreasing, and the ship would at every instant
be farther from the fixed point of beginning.
The deck and hull of the ship, as time present.
would be the world of events and of actual
things, to the living crew on board. Through
the darkness ahead would dimly shine. as time
future, fleeing mirage or 'ignis fatuus never
to be reached except through death and in
We feel but one regret in connection with
this excellent paper, namely: that its gifted
author, instead of casting it off on an Indifferent
sometimes unappreciative-public did not
enshrine its clear worth and profound TRUTH IN
the pages of such periodicals as the CGth'"
Vorld, or the american Catholic Quarterly Rer'er'
where it would surely reach the brighten
minds of our day, and be preserved for futaFe
reference.
Side by side with an article in the Duohn
Irish Times, full of sympathy for "the Irish Fihs
team," and calling for public subscriptions 70
pay their expenses, appears the folio wing para
graph:
ARMS IN A PROCLAIMED DIsTRICr.-Yesterdsy