The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-02-07
Latter Day Miracles.

The New York Times closes an article
on the alleged Chicago miracle as fol.
lows:
ut may not be the province Of secu.
lar newspaper to decide upon the genu-
ineneas Of an alleged Chicago miracle,
but 1t Is permissible to point out the con.
sequences which the acceptance Of the
woman's story OF her claim that her cure
was miraculous involve. There il suili.
cient evidence TO prove that so.called
magnetic healers' have apparently
cured cases Of paralysis by commanding
the patient to throw away his crutches
and walk. The Zouave Jacob certainly
did this in several instances, and other
quacks Of equal impudenCe have been
occasionally equally successful. Why
should we refuse TO accord these men the
power OF working miracles, il we grant
that the prayer OF the Chicago woman
has wrought Il miraculous cure? Or to
make closer parallel, there are well.
authenticated cases Of paralyticS, or 9TH
er inValils, who have been cured by pray.
ing at the shrine OF some popular Roman
Catholic saint. We cannot refuse TO be-
lieve the miracle wrought ut Lourdes il
we believe the miracle wrought at Chi.
cago. II the Chicago woman really was
cured in the form and manner alleged, it
Is much simpler to assume that her par
aIysis was a form Of hysteria, in which
case her sudden cure was in no wise mar.
velous. 10 admit the truth OF Methodist
and Presbyterian miracles is to admit
the truth OF Roman Catholic miracles. II
The Chicago PrOtestants who believe that
genuine miracle has been wrought in
that city are prepared to make the latter
admission, itIS their own business, but
they will Had that in this matter there is
AZ this day, no stopping place between
Rome aud Reason.
We commend these remarks OF the
Times to the editor Of the Stenbenville
Gasetie, who is just now, in mild sort OF
way, attempting to bull.doz, the public
up there in regard to the wonderful cure
ola lame lady. OF this Stoubenvillc case
he says:
"All that we know about il is the fact
that the lady was lame; she had been MS.
ing medicine that seemed to do her no
good; she then prayed with faith that her
prayer would be answered, and she was
cured"
There is world Of difference between
saying that certain event occurred after
another event, and saying thst il occurred
on account Of another event.
In the schoul books We read that the
water never came up over the sands oil
Dee until alter the fall oi Tenterlen
steeple. The query was, whether it came
up on dccouN, Of the fall OF the steeple
And hence arose the argument known n
"post hoe" and "propter hoe"
The theory OF those who claim to be
healed of disease after prayer for recov'
cry, proves too much, because thousands
OF people equally deserving are not
healed after equally fervent prayers
Therefore the argument defeats itself.
A correspondent OF the Steubenyill'
Gase'ie, discussing the alleged miracle
up there, puts the case strongly when hi
says:
"Thc simplest laws OF nature are ia
tural or supernatural in exact ratio Il
our ignorance or knowledge Of thos'
laws"
This is it exactly. Those who conten,
for the genuincss Of these alleged mira
clcs. are, in ninety.nine cases ont OF
hundred, persons whose acQuaintanr,
with natural laws is very limited.