The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-01-07
lCOmmunIcNted.l
10 the Editor of the Dallas uerold'

10 the Editor of the Dallas Herald
The prayer meeting Tuesday night
was an Interesting one, and you should
have been there. DR.. Smith account
ed for the lack Of zeal by referring II
to Il want of sufficient faith that the
church il destined TO captivate the
multitude against all obstacles. He
said that Darwin, and Huxley, and
Spencer might write and re-write
their iniidel works, but that
the Bible alone Is all the
answer they need, Who cannot tell
the waunded bird thy he way it ilut-
ters? What can be II sadder spectacle
than the dying of Il religious system?
-Four centuries before Christ Greece
was outgrowing her superstltious trli-
ditions, and had to give them up; other
faiths have arisen and departed, and
to-day we witness the sume catas-
trOphe about to fall upon
the WORKOUT dogmas of orthodoxy. !
pray you do not start in holy horror at
this while the tyrannical chains of
sectarianism are being shattered with
every development of science, the
cause of truth and religion are promo
ted by II. As well might one try to
stop the mouth of Vesuvius with a
sticking plaster, AZ TO prevent men
thinking, and uttering their sincere
convictions, Who that has investiga-
ted the subject does not
know that modern Christianity
is not that which Jesus Christ
lnculcated Primitive Christianity en-
joined veneration to God, pure life,
and social benevolence The priest
hood denounced Christ because his
doctrines were prejudicia! to their In
terests. They killed him, but his pre-
cepts and life Outlived his death, and
they will 50 continue to the end of
time. But when Rome became the
religious capital, and Constantine saw
the strength OF the new party, he put
himself ut its head. This was now the
conquering set, and place, profit and
power accrued to all who enlisted
in ii. Many of these adherents-not
Christians at heart, but only for policy
sake--soon paganizod Christianity and
changed 1t from religious to politi-
cal system, Well, we have no time or
desire to trace it to the present, but
suffice it to say it has since opposed all
progress in science. When Hypathia
lectured to AleXandrian audiences she
contrasted philosophy with the bigotry
of st. Cyril. For this she was dragged
through the streets naked, killed with
u club, her body cut into pieces, and
her flesh scraped from her homes, with
l.,t ia N IL
common sense in that noble Egyptian
city, AID Justinian prohibited the
teaching of Philosophy at Athens.
And to-day we have men who will tell
you that the earth cannot be round, for
how could the elect on the other side
see the Saviour at his coming in the
the clouds? The earth is then
flat, and We know that it
slants to the south, because
the rivers in Europe flowing
from the North have n rapid current,
while the Nile, having to flow up hill,
must goslower. Yes, to-day, there are
men who, taking the Bible and tie
dogmas OF the church fathers rs the
arbiters of all knowledge, denouGce
the immortal Darwin rs an iufidel and
atheist Whilel do not knowof any one
who accepts the dlrtlnn of this pro-
found writer as the Inspired word of
science, if some of his opponents will
favor us with II terse description of ere
alton by Special act, and show the
evils of Darwinism, think Dallas
must have some one who will place
alongside IL something approxlmating
a rational account of how the work
was accomplished by evolution.