The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-05-06

W " AeoeAtSh -,
discerning an origin Of things, affirm
that the origin Of things cannot be known
then science is unscienidc, for II is illoR
ical and absurd 10 declare that THO
does not exist, because Il cannot be dis
covered by unaided human faculties
The knowledge Of Il may come as Al
epiphany-a shining forth from the pres
ence Of God. Religion has nothing 4
fear from the boldest inquiry. he u Al
unWise Christian who thinks that scienc
must be infdel. There is no truth any
where which is not the outbeamini
Of the Divine glory. Religion b!
securing for men the right Q
personal judgment aud freedom o
Inquiry, has rendered the creates
conceivable service 10 science. II haI
opened the gates into the broadest realm
oil investigation. The right oi persona
approach to . personal God, without th,
inter. position Of priest or altar, and with
out regard 10 rank, fortune or position
has in 1t the essence Of all progress, ant
embodies the hopes oi the race.
Il is no objection 10 the doctrine Of de
sign in nature that we cannot compre
bend the intricate process by which th'
result 10 secured. One does not need 4
be a printer to know that the syllablel
and sentences Of paragraph and page die
not arrange themselves so as to expreel
the thoughts Of the writer and make hi'
ideas luminous, by mad whirligig o
atoms and forces, or without q minute
distinct, persistent purpose, on the par
OF an intelligent presiding mind.
No presumption can arise against tht
doctrine Of design in nature, because
long periods have passed since the worE
OF the designer was performed. Il mat
ters not whether the carpenter Ia sil
days or sir years in building house, the
design is Just as manifest. The mat,
ter OF the earth may have existed
for millions Of years, but the evi'
dence Is overwhelming that 1t firsi
existed In the thoughts Of designing
Creator. The pyramids Of Egypt attesl
the pride and cruelty Of their kingly
builders as emphatically to-day, as they
did 4 thousand years ago, and their testi
mony will not lose its validity through
the lapse Of ages. The great question be
twixt orthodoxy and liberalism iswhethel
wings we're planned for fight; or whether
flight has produced wings-whether th'
universe is to be regarded as 4 reyela
tion from God, or rs Undersigned phe,
nomena. How can any thinking mind
fail to discern in q cosmos-a system O.
order and law, or in man, a creature sc
maryelously made, with capacity o
thought, experience Of love and longing
for Immortality, convincing evidence o
design-irresistible proof Of wise ant
intelligent Creator.
We have given only the merest abstrac
Of the arguments and illustrations OF thi
discourse, for our space would ALLOW
nothing more, but we add the concluding
passage:-
In The days Of her power and splendor
Rome built roads for military purposes
not only the Appian Way, leading of II
Brundusium, but higways extending from
Scotland, on the one hand, to Antioch, OIL
the other, q distance Of nearly fou
thousand miles, interrupted only b.
the English Channel and the Hell
lespont. Sections Of these roads still
remain, and they attest the grandeur o
wlde.extended but consolidated En-
pire. II Rome were blotted out Of his
tory, il every line Of her majestic litera
ture were destroyed, these roads woult
demonstrate her ancient magniicenc,
and glory. Mr.. Herbert Spencer woult
not hesitate q moment to apply the "car
penter theory" 10 these roads. The!
were made, and their makers were |
wonderful people. The time may COM
when another great ice.driit from A re
tic seas, flowing over into the Gulfstream
sweeping across the American continent
may render this whole country unin
habitable. It may be, in tha
age, some persons from the then grea
Empire Of Patagonia will follow the lint
OF the Pacific Railway and its connections
from New York to San Francisco. The,
will say, here are the ruins Of road.bed
OF bridges, arches, tunnels, Of wharves an
seaport towns. A great people, with th
resources Of Empire, once occupied thi
land; for the evidences Of design, Of wis
dom and Of power are on every side. Il
like manner, from 4 molecule 10 Mars o
Neptune, from flower TO star, from
polyp TO a man, from the centre OF th
earth 10 the ecircumterenc Of the heAyenl
the cosmos proclaims the Creator.