Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-31
Professor Henry's Religious
Faith

The 'oliowing il an Cx'ract from a
private letter written by the late Pro.
fessor Joseph Henry ~ ne II h Of last
April:
ave live in a universe &. change moth
ing remains the same from one moment
Till another, and each mOmentO OF recorded
time has lts separate history. We are
carried on by the YeIchRnging events In
the line Of our destiny, aud at the end Of
the year we are always at a considerable
distance from the point Of its beginning
How short the space between the two
cardinal points OF an earthly career, the
point Of birth and that Of death; and yet
what a universe OF wonders are presented
10 Us In our rapid flight through this space
How small the wisdom obtained by a Elm.
gle life In its passage; aud how small the
known when compared with the unknown
by the accumulation OF the millions OF
lives through the art VI printing in hum
dreds OF years.
chow many questions press themselves
upon US in these cOntemplations. Whence
come wey Whittier are we going? What
is our final destiny? The object Of our
creati0ny What mysteries Of ~unGathoma.
Bile depth environ us on every side; but
after all our speculatiOns and an attempt
10 grapple with the problem OF the uni.
verse, the simplest conception which eX.
plains aud connects the phenomena Is that
OF the existence Of one spiritual being in.
finite 10 wisdom, In power, and all divine
projections; which exists always and ev.
erywhere; which has created us with in.
teilectual faculties sufficient in some de-
gree TO comprehend his operations as they
are developed In nature by what 10 calf q
science This being is Interchangeable,
and, therefore, his operations are always
In accordance with the same laws, the con.
ditiOns being the same. Events that hap
pened q thousand years ago will happen
again a thousand years to come. prOvid.
ing the condition Of existence Is the same.
Indeed, a universe not governed by law
would be a universe without the evidence
OF an intellectual director. Ia the scien.
titc explanation Of physical phenomena
we assume the existence OF a principle
having properties sufficient TO produce the
effect which we observe; and when the
principal so assumed explains by logical
deductions from it all the phenOmenR, we
call II a theory, thus we have the theory
Il light, the theory OF electricity,
etc. There IL n proof, however,
Otthe truth Of these theories except the
explanation VI the phenomena which they
are invented 10 account for. This proof,
however, is suiiclentIn any case 10 which
every fact ls fully explained, and can be
predicted when To c nditiOns are known.
"In accordance wi h this scientific view
on hat evidence does the existence OF a
Creator rest? First, 1t Is one Of the
truths best established by experience In
my own mind that have a thinking will.
ing principle within me, capable OF intel.
lectual activity and Of moral feeling.
Second, 1t ls equally clear to me that YOU
have a similar spiritual principle within
yourself, since when | ask you an lntelll.
gent question you give me an intellectual
answer. Third, when | examine operations
OF nature | ind everywhere through them
evidences Of intellectual arrangements, OF
c1ntTiVances to reach def nite ends pre-.
cisely as | and In the operations OF man
aud hence | infer that these two classes OF
operations are results Of similar intelli.
gence. Again. In my " mind lind ideas
OF right and wrong, OF good aud evil. These
ideas, then exist in the universe, and
therefore form q basis Of our ideas OF a NOR.
al universe. Furthermore, the concep
lions OF good which are found among our
ideas associated with evil can be attribut.
ed only TO a being Of infinite projections
like that which we denOminate God On
the other hand, we are conscious OF having
such'eyi thoughts and tendencies that we
cannot associate ourselves with a divine
being, who is the director and the govern.
or OF all, or even call upon him tor mercy
without the intercessiOn Of one who may
ati late himself with u.s."