The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-12-16
Hunnbug.

The XIX, century is always boastlng oi
its advancement, and If there is one PiA'o
moro especially boastful, than all otnefe' oi
its enlightenment and progress, that place
I. Roston. And, sure enough, in Boston
they have good schools, and the average
education, go called, is probably n'gnei
than elsewhere in this country. But
r.at;onn in the Bostonian sense 10 not
avponimous with Intelligence. Inc manu-
NAV bs educated in works of skill ana the
mind NAV be educated in the ph!sicai
aoiences. One may be fine arithmet'ciaa
vet if ignorant of geography 10 '"n'''
| be called intelligent. He may ee Pfae'io"i
nathan etician, geographer and geoiogis''
and vet unskilled in language and it's laws.
Even he can not be called intelligent. ADD
n bis accomplishmepts q thorough knowl-
edge of classical literature, beth IN h's ma
tive tongue and in the ancient languages;
Give him also a fair mastery OF logic ana
metapbysics, and then the world will call
him intelligent. He knows enough OF all
} hpman science to avoid the iDputation OF
stupidity or ignorance.
Bot ia he really Intelligent Perhaps 30
! and perhaps not. To the extent that h'f
AGO uirements go he is Intelligent, ou'
/ there are regions Of thought and kno"t
D edge far beyond and above all that, and tt
o be unv versed in them is to be wofoiiy lgnofan
and benighted. People who do not know
:, the truth concerning the soul and its eplr
n itual relations are liable to fall into an
& kind of gross and ridiculous error in tha
IT regard. They are just as sure to do 30
u an illiterate rustic 10 to violate the rules
y grammar in speaking, or to get en'lrei
~ wrong in doing a long sum in arithmeti
And there are plenty of just such people
IN Boston :.
ro Recently one Mrs. Bennett, very dl
or tinpuished spiritualist medium of that m
's' tropols, was exposed in all the trickery
'S her elaborate scheme of imposture' oor
~ = of the spectators seized visible Esprit
:. wbereupon q general fight ensued betWe
the whole company of hired spirits End
raiders, The prisoner first taken was eve
di- tually rescued, bat in the meantime the
Ps had been turned on and the spirits recognlz
by all the spectators as common nesn
hlood. But the fact remains that M
on. Bennett, humbug as she was, had
oh. strong following Of very polite: fasn'e
Law. able and learned Bostonians. Shall
class people as thoroughly Intelligent "
lhei;eye in Mrs. Bennett de htl authen
.uS modium of communication with the sp
Iers, worldi
nar' The fact is that these people are gross
,ple, childshly superstitious. That iS' q
cans believe propositions without su1nc'
ao- nroof: they adopt conclusions with
the logical sequence. Is it possible to rate
hem. really intelligent any man whose MIN
y to no III. trained as to permit a folly OF
b. sortY He is q mere smatterer. He
Jiko. picked up a certain amount, perhaps
nsive amount, of information but informaelc
and not intelligence. Intelligence is deVe
the ed power of correct thought.
title This can never be expected in skep
Ben Men who cannot be convinced by col
'Peoi logical train of reasoning, must uecees
nS ol have defective intellectual struc
80 - Brilliant, perhaps, in other g'tts,
,.tho- mowers of reasoning are weak OF Ill
anced, and, just as they cannot Bee
trntb where it is, they are very prof.
athers see it. or imagine that they do 30, Wh
''Ate0' ia not. Unable to recognize 1t When
% ITO ent. they are unable to distinguish
1uring ' rh .ba oreatest Iufidelp
Ia loudest scoffsrs atreligion, are the "
= Mis-. slaves of superstition, the cheapest
of 13 tims OF humoug. you OH"
ng GO myth to them, reVelatlon anu Aeie"
!. The childish folly in their sight; out "ltcl
3 couu- aorcery, and pecromancy hold tne
ey bad chains of weird and ghastly terror.
aE o.oF Holy Writ does not except matn'
to0''' cians and philosophers when it says ::
as been fool saith in his heart, there !s no 10
spectus
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