Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-08-10

LEGATION, entitled the Coarse OF Rslieto9s
1nougnt,' where be treats OF mater .aiisn,
we notice tie following:
"Materislism rnds In matter the base and
source Oh All that is. Perhaps this Is prop
cry arc strictly q doctrine OF philosophy
iather than one touching religioa am tor
slightly possessed OF the real laws and LIMITS
OF ihe conception TO speak with couri fence.
put 90 not ~ present see the answer 20 the
following propositio In our actual world
we have presented TO us objects aud povers
simply material; and we have also presented
10 us objects and powers including what l.
wholly different IN fashion and operation
from matter. II, then, upon a materiaiistic
bs sis We can have Hamlet and .Macbeth'
the works OF Aristotle, the 'Divina CONNIE
dia.' The Imitation OF Christ the gospel
aud epistles, there may, In the unseen world,
possibly tie reared, on this same basis, ali
trat theology has taught US. Aud thus ma
teIiaiism would Join hands with orthodoxy"
IL would seem, therefore, that, even grant.
1Eg The premises Cf nlaterialism, the conclu-
Son 10 I1aiDtaiuS Will by no means follow.
4nsS1Guch as msterlalism assumes TO be
strictly scientific, and 10 observe In Its pro
cesses the scientific method, &c must In its
reasoning recognize all the facts. Now, the
facts are that, In some way there has come
10 exist IN tie universe what is termed an
Intellectual force, itself constituting al or
ganlsn, and In It's own sphere developing
what, from msterislistic point OF view,
must be admitted as mo surprising results.
This intellect OF man, capable OF producing
such works IN its own sphere as those which
MI; gladstone names, and others, Ike those
name, mateTislISm regards AS an evolution
of matter. II, then, matter, out OF itS own
resources, in the action OF It's own Inherent
rover, can do this, who is eDtitlet 20 hNany
limit at all 10 Its capabilities or 10 declare
that all which revelation announces reg ard
lLg other worlds and other beings than men
may not be tTue2
The materialist must. OF course. either
ADMIT Creator, or else ho.d To the eternity
OF matter. For 10 maintain that something
can, OF Itself, come from nothing Is TO main
tain what Is vastly more difficult OF belief
Than an Infinite being should create some
thing out of nothing. Spontaneous creation
Is TOO great an aosurdity, We must presume,
Tor even the modern scientist, thoagh he
sometimes develops most astonishing ca
pscity in that direction. Creation by a Gre
ator, however, materialism denies. Matter
must then be eternal, Yet II, within a linn
Tied duration, however extended that dura-
ton may be, forces purely material have
evolved forces which are intellectual, and II
these, IN their process OF growth and i'm
provement have become, in the action OF
purely material laws, such as we see them
in Paul, In Dante, In Bernsrd, In Milton, ia
Newton, or in Mr. Huxley or Mr.. TyndaII
himself, what may not be deemed posi- ole
In the action or the very same forces, rum
ming on through eternal ages?
1t might be possible, by this method OF
reasoning, TO establish at least the a prlori
probability OF the existence OF deity, reason
ing from the atheists own premises. For
human intellect, we observe, In Its process
OF development, acquires, even within its
own human range, most astonishing power;
and this, too, power over matter itself
and over those very same materialistic
forces to which, according TO the theory, IL
is indebted for its own existence. Matter,
which gave birth TO intellect, becomes the
servant OF intellect, and is compelled TO
yield It's most stubborn elements TO the de-
mands OF that service. To this, also, who is
competent 10 fix limits? In the course of an
eternity may not matter, itself, develop out
| OF itself-provided It can so develop an iu-
tellect such as is sometimes seen In the hu =
man being-another intellect TO which shall,
| In the process of eternal ages, come TO be-
| long attributes truly divine, and which
| shall, In the exercise OF those attributes, be-
come the sovereign OF even the material
universe?
OF course, we do not In the least admit the
| premises OF materialism; we only aim TO
| point out that were those premises admitted,
materlallsm, as antagonistic OF revelation,
| is by no manner OF means established. Toe
spiritual universe Is made even more a mys-
terry and q problem than ever, where revela-
| ton Is discarded and materialism is ac-
cepted In Its place. Nothing is gained here
by even in the interests OF reason, while the
relatlonist, himself, reasoning round and
round in circle, is at last hopelessly en-
tangled in the meshes OF his own net.
OUR COMMON HUMANITY.-It is the same
here as in Cairo or New Jersey. The other
day when Tarheel with suuken eyes aud
high cheek bones sat down on the steps OF a
grocery beside several others, he 81 ghel
| heavily and asked:
Gentlemen, II any Of you found a five on
The sidewalk, would you hunt for the
| owner"
II would" came from each Individual
with proHpjness and dispatch.
Haven't ans of you lost a i've, have you?''
apxiousIy cOntiuued the man.
Il have answered one, and the echo went
all along the lie.
Describes her, gentlemen" he remarked.
One said his had a figure as" on II.
Another said his had picture of DE Soto
discovering the Mississippi River. A third
said the words United States were plain TO
be sc en- on the bill that fell out Of his vest
pocket.
"Gentlemep, this five don't tally" mourn
fully remarked the Tarheel. None of you
have hit The description within mile ana
sand bar"
Lets see it," asked two or three at once.
"lps five AMI To- and IL on the walk,"he
whispered. holding out his hand.
The five was q nickle. Some OF the crowd
leaned back and held their hands on their
fully brushed their coat tails and said it
was time TO go home. Only one OF the
victims seemed TO appreciate the situation.
asked The stranger what he e Would pske' a"u
Nv hiskey straight" was the prompt re-
ply:
citizen, and he lounged down town TO get up
bet on the weather. Daily Nutshell.
SHE LOOKED LITTLE AT THE FLESH
TINTs.-The female correspondent OF the
Cleveland Plaindealer writes; A daring art
list has sent one canvas to the Centennial at
all masculine eyes do level their most criti
cal stare, while the ladies' pass It with
averted glance, and Immediately seek some
corner from which they may regard IL with
out detection. or course follow suit. But
Will some one please tell me why we may go
among all the marbles, discussing their de-
fects and excellencies, while this picture is
seemingly avoided, and some OF my good
friends Will shrug their shoulders because
mention II? 1t shows, In dusky back
ground, the great goi Pan, sitting throned
beneath empowering trees. Before him are
Two Bacchanites. One, half reclining, turns
her back TO us, and, indolently raising her
handsome head watches another who stand
well, as Eve did during her first day in Para
disc, simply Clothed in her own lovellness;
and this Bacchante is lovely, with all the
grace OF form aud color which makes a beau
tiful woman the fairest thing under heaven.
In her uplifted hands she bears a basket of
grapes. This she offers TO Pan, with a look
such as Cleopatra might have given Antony
when she dissolved and drank her pearl to
show some hint OF her boundless tenderness.
For the reason aforesaid have not given 20
this picture the attention its skiIIful paint
Ing SO richly deserves, but half glance will
show how exactly the artist has caught the