Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1876-09-28
FROM DAWN TO SUNRISE.
A Review historical and 'PhIIo-
sophicai, of the Religious
Ideas of Mankind, by Mrs. j..
Gregory Smith. Rouses Point,
nj. r. Lowell Publishing Conn
pany, 1915.

| nj. Z. Lowell Publishing Conn
panY, 1876. ~
/ This volume, by Mrs. Smith Of st.
| Albans, is, as the author states, the re-
suit of years of study, in attempting to
solve the religious problem in a compre-
| hensiye manner; to discover what is
/ truth, and to answer the question wheth-
er the teaching of Jesus is its emhodi-
ment, or we. are TO have another revela-
! tion. 1t is historical and philosophi-
cal review of the religious ideas of man
kind, with the purpose of showing, by
a comparison of Christianity with the
other great religions of the world, that
from its elastic and progressive character,
its adaptations to every phase of hui
man development, its embodiment in
the life and doctrines of the Jewish
Christ of the religious ideas which are
common to all mankind, in all ages,
Christianity has internal evidence of
being the Perfect Religion and coming
from God, In: this review the author be:
gins. with aa examination OF the tradi-
| tions of the creation which are. not con
fined to the Hebrew Scriptures, and
which, mDnstrous and incredible as
many OF them are, all preserve the gen.
erai idea of the Mosaic record, that a
pre-existent guy1r created the material
of the universe. The supposed diserep-
ancies between the Mosaic account
and the revelations of modern sci
ence are discussed, and the vari-
oUs ways pointed out in which the
word Of Scripture is confirmed iy
science. Without affirming or denying
the doctrine Of evolution the author con-
tents herself with ssyisg that, whether
the world was formed by distinct sue.
eessive acts of creation, or principle or
power was infused into the material of
the universe which made it self perDet
uating and self-transforming, it is yet
proper to say that God made it, whether
by evolution or direct agency. Then
follows a chapter on ''Antediluvian Man
and His Associates" The possibility
that the primitive men Of geology were
not Of Adams r&ce is admitted. Bat.
the historical race, The race elect, is
traced to A!am The traditions which.
have bern handed down from genera
ton to generation Of pre-diluvian races.
of aatasirophe in thtir history similar
to the great disaster ia Eden corroborate
the Bib,ie.tI story of the Fall in which
all mapkin4 were Involved. In this con
nection the. theory of lhe older Fathers
OF the Church, whiGhh4s been revived
by some OF the apGern German COM
nentators, that the eItrerie wiekedness.
which caused. the c1elaea..ys.A Aa iintroanee.a
into the world by the internlarrTage of
fallen angels and sihfut women, is elab-
grated at considerable length, and the
opinion a. Professor Mead of AndOyer,
is quoted in its support. This interpFe'
tation.of Gsresis viz, which Byron in
his drama of Cain and Moore in his
Logss ofths A1s61s have availed them
.soiyes. Of for the pRrpoee of their poems
is OF iGterest, especialiy ss Indicating q
starting point for the heather mytholos
sies. But opinions will differ as to its
ysLue IN accounting for the h1od. In
the chapters which t0llowthe nature and
extent Of the dGldec are discussed, and
also t1e Confusion 0f Tongues, and the.
Dispersion of Tribes, which resulted in
the diyersities of language, race, and re-
Iigian. The next chapter, the most
elaborate and interesting in the book, is
a description Of the rpent.worship of
the po8t-diiuVian races. The wide and
profound research of the author into
tstbe dark .recesses of the. worlds morn
ing, even before the dawn of history,
leals to the CONVICTION that Ophiolatry
was the must ex tensiYe and prevalent
form of ~orsGip among the nations of
antiquity. II Is supposed to be of ante
diluvisp oftgip, sHd to have left its
traces sin the 0b:cure ruins Of Stone
henge, Karn4e, and il the pre- historic
and dim ruins of this country. The
COZ clusion of the learned argument is
that the story of the Temptation as nars
ra ed ia The Bible ia rot myth, but
literal fact, ana The pIogress in the res
toration Of mankiBd from the conse-
quences of this inexpGcable event
leads to an increased confidence in
the fulfllment of the prophecy, of the
expulsion of the Serpent from the world
which be has so long cursed, contained
in the last book of the Bible.
Tracing the subs, quent developments
Of the religious ideas of mankind, the
author investigates in turn the ancient
Sabean Star-wo1Bhip, religion closely
allied to Ophiolatry, whose devotees are
spoken of IN the Bible under the generic
name of Babylon; the religion of Con-
fucius and China the ancient Persian
Mazdaism the religion and. philosophy
of India, Brahu inism and Buddhism
the religions of Egypt, Assyria, Greece
and !Rome, the Hebrew, Scandinavian
and Mohammedan faiths, all which are
faithfully and eloquently described, the
sources of their vitality and decay an
alyzed, and their failure to meet the ne.
cessities of the race most fully exhibited;
and, fnally, by comparing them with
the religion which Christ brought into
the world, the conclusion of the argu-
ment as before stated is reached.
This brief statement of its contents
gives but meagre and inadequate idea
Of the interest and value of this beauti
Tul book II displays great wealth of
learning and ability to bring together in
compact and logical form the results of
the researches of original students in the
many departments of history, philoso-
ply and antiquities in amanner to height
en- the interest of the general reader in
the great systems of thought and wor-
ship which have prevailed in the world.
1t is pervaded by a profoundly Christian
spirit and reverence for the Sacred Scrip
lures as the true source of religious be-
lief.
Said mother to her little on,.'There!
your toes are out of your stockings
again; seems to me they wear out in a