The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-29
INGERSOLL REVIEWED.
Alleged PeryersiOns, Discrepancies
and Misrepresentation on
the Part of Robert.

VINO pfonOunceS Homer anu Duute HuLu
bugs, and who sneers at Milton because hi
believed in Christianity and embodied
Christian ideas in his immortal verse
should be more competent critic ofsacret
than secular literature. Yet we have {
right TO demand the truthful presentation
Of facts as far as he knows them, and {
desire to know the truth. By basing his
charges on narrower literalness than any
but the most ignorant Christians would
demand, making noaIlowance for oriental
isms or the archaism OF the Oldest books
OF the Old Testament, and making the
most OF confessed difficulties, he succeeded
in putting Revelation in an absurd light
before his hearers.
He did not regard Moses rs the author
of the Pentateuch, which was the newest
part of the Old Testament, and might no,
be older than $50 years before Christ. He
was not aware that the entire
Old Testament was translated into Greek
2s4 years before Christ. He ought to know
too, that Chaldean and Egyptian discovery
Is every year contributing proofs Of the
genuineness as well as authenticity of the
Mosaic books. The theory of forgery by
Hilkiah might do for Paine's Age OF Rea
son, but no real scholar, even OF the most
skepsical school, now maintains it. There
are no doubt difficulties, chronological and
otherwise, butthere is no statement rela.
tive to Egypt that has been contradicted
by the monumental records. On the con-
trary, the wonderful accuracy OF the mar
rative has been shown by them in many
instances where doubts had been previous.
~ entertained. Herodotus, the Grecian
historian whose visit to Egypt is an I'M
questioned fact, made many mistakes in
his statements. Would Jew OF the time
OF Solomon, much more 800 years later,
have Jared better? Profane as well as sa-
cred history notices the residence OF Moses
in that country. There is reference to
the famine OF Joseph's time in these in
scriptions-the only famine known for
ages after. The itinerary Of the lsraolites
has been traced through the Sinatic PENN
sula and other districts, which are far from
being the utter deceit described by the lee
turef. The statements OF Genesis respect.
ing the creation, fall, deluge and disper'
sion. are at least as old as the daysot Abra.
ham. for similar but not wholly identical
accof,rt., exists in the "Chaldean Genesis"
lately discovered in the brick tablets oil
Assdrbanipal's library.
But Col. lngersOlls difficulty is not so
much with the author Us with his work.
The Mosaic account OF the creation appears
immeasurably absurd TO him. Yet to the
trained mind OF Prot Pierce, the most
brilliant mathematician Of our country, il
is sublime genealogical hymn, remarka'
Div embodying, though not technically
stating scientific truth. Prof. Guyot and
scores OF other men of high scientific at
tainments regard with wonder its general,
il not circumstantial, agreement with
geology, SO far as the latter is an establish
ed science. Both agree substantially in the
order OF creation, the chief difference, il
any, being that while Genesis makes the
SUGGESTIONS plants, marine animals and
land animals, geology has the following;
Marine plants, marine animals, ana land
plants. Geology is not yet settled, however
nor does any ono claim scientific precision
for the generalization and phraseology O
Genesis. As far as the mere rhetoric o.
its descriptions is concerned, we prefer e
accept the judgment Of the accomplished
heather, LonEmus, TO that OF Col. 1nger
soII In regard to<its unRquHlBd majesty
It Is easy to raise laugh by quoting
archaic expressions, andfollowing the mar
rowest believers in demanding tho closes
literaIness. But thoughtful men wan
facts instead Of jokes, and the anclen
church fathers saw In tho Scripture nara
tive, as the men OF science see In the ROCKS
A creation protracted through Gons.
Inyineible ignorance Is held by the mos
rigid Roman Catholic authorities to DO AZ
excuse for disbelief in the teachings OF the
Church. We should not 10 more exact
ing had the lecturer tarried ut some edu
eational Jcrico until his intellectual beard
Ind grown. Since, however, no espires 4
be teacher, we must remind hun OF few
Obvious facts. There arc then four word
in Genesis alike translated Create" in oui
English version, but which arc wide apar
in meaning. onb OF these, never used ex
cept of divine acts, records the tirst Grea
tive act and the creation OF man: The
others are applied respectively to the sur
and moon, tothe appearance ntyesetatlon
etc. Hence, the appearance OF the sun OF
A subsequent day 10 light may mean sim
plv its appearance after the donsc yapoE
ai'the earlier periods have been dispelled
Or assuming the truth ofthe nebular the
ory LIGHT must have existed before the SUI
was condensed into a body. Thus the sop
aration OF CHUNKS OF darkness ant
1splirters OF light" oSur Sh!rh the Col
onel grew so faeetions, was a strictly solen
tific process. He has put the popular ant
the fgurative language OF Genesis alike U
the rack, merciiessty distorted II, mt
broken 1t into fragments Yet 1t stand
the test, as 1t has stood the abuse iron
many another assailAnt.
we are informed that Moses tells US tina
God divided the waters under the irma
mont from those above" and that "thI
man who wrote that. regarded the tirma
ment as q solid body, OF character tina
would hold watOyf" " matters htt'
whether Moses understood tue pToresse
TO which he refers; the substance OF tn
water which once covered the eaFth,or tn
relations Of rain and evaporation, bu
there is no proof that no did not, or ina
he thought the ornament solid shell
He iIid not use the word ornament or IT
equivalent, though the Septuagint transla
tor. In employing the tHFeoHar and thos
OF the Vuigate in selecting the Latin tlFnl
amentum, gave occasion 70 this error o
our English version. He wrote rakii
which simply means an expanse. Its ct
vmoIoCicaiIy connected, 1t Is true, with
verb signiiying to beat out thin. We Us
the word heavens without thinking Of 1T
derivation from heaying up, and Mose
conld scarcely have believed inamelallic So,
roofnV, when he wrote Genesis, Loo .
me fowl that msyfy above the earth in III
omen armament OF heaven" or more litsl
raIiy. ain the face OF the open firmaHen
oi heaven" There eonld also be gree
vegetation before the : sun. Rppeare
through yaporous mIsts, not before It's cre
alton.
Again we arc told that the second chap
ter Of Genesis does not agree with thefrst
| It differs In this respect that i is y speciti