Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-05-17
THE SPIRIT FORCES OF THE
UNIVERSE.
Bishop Fosters Lecture.

ing with large ana select audience 10
hear his great lecture on the spirit
forces of the universe" His lecture
was listened TO throughout the hour
and a quarter of its delivery with in
tense and steady attention. 1t abOunded
in massive, clear and often eloquent
passages, which went TO make up a
powerful argument to sustain the CEN
trail thought of his discourse. There
was a grand frame work, and the only
drawback was lack of time to fill it up
and Join il together as fully as he evl-
IDENTIFY desired to do. Nevertheless the
argument stood out bold and clear at the
end. We only regret our inability to
reclOthe the thoughts in the language
with which he expressed them; but
lack of space forblds.
DIR. George introduced the speaker,
who promised to his speech some re-
marks by way OF explanation. He said;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: | am not
professional lecturer, and | do not pro-
pose to myself the end usually kept IN
view by professional lecturers, the
amusement of an audience. ! shall not
even attempt 10 entertain you alone.
| could not attain the first end II l were
disposed 10. am without wit. L am
utterly devoid OF that faculty or accom-
plishment of the mind, and in forty
wears of public speaking | have rarely
attained the result of producing smile
on the faces of my audience. | say this
that we may be placed in right relations
one to another. unexpected to hear
something to smile at, and should not
hear il, YOU might be disappointed. To
entertain YOU shall attempt, but some
thing higher and better than merely to
entertain YOU. Entertainment as one
sole object would be one unworthy OF
YOU and unworthy OF me. ! am a
public teacher, and | propose tonight
to discuss the questions involved in the
controversy between materialism and
spirituaism, or, as | prefer to call 1t,
"Spiritism." | am a Christian Bishop,
and | strive to teach the truth from
Christian standpoint.
The speaker here asked the audience
to Join with him in brief prayer for
help and guidance. and at its close, en-
tered upon the consideration of
THE SPIRIT FORCES OF THE UNIVERSE.
Nv title seems TO be obscure to some
minds. Indeed, it can hardly suggest
the line of thought intend to follow to
thoughtful persons. | learn that some
questions have been raised in your
midst as to whether intended to dis
cuss the subject OF spirit manifestations,
so called, Nothing could be more re-
mote from my mind. That we may get
an understanding OF my subject, let us
90 into an analysis of the title. First,
then. the Universe is the whole of cX-
istence the created and unCreated whole;
the measurable and unreasonable vast OF
being. Force is an agency that produces
change. There can be no change in
mattcr-or, if there be spirit, in spirit
without force for its origin. Now,
there are certain changes in the uni
verse, and there therefore must be some
forces which produce these changes,
To find out what these are we must
bring into view the whole scheme OF the
universe. confess that this looks
little unpromisng. ! shall have to in
troduce To your attention some OF the
trite sayings OF the schools; but | shall
try to put them in instructive and
pleasing fOrm-to bring before the
minds eve a vivid view OF the universe
itself. shall have to use numbers and
deal in figures utterly transcending the
cOmprehenSiOn of man; but it is neCCs-
sarv to use them that we may get at the
iacts-laCtS that are appalling, they are
SO stupendous, so unreasonable, so
grand beyond the power OF thought.
| wish by the aid OF your Imagination
To construct the universe as it is
now ascertaincd to be. As a frame
work take the created universe; the
sun, the moon, the stars and the earth.
Take an observation of Ourterrestrlal
home, and OF that part OF the universe
within the reach of ocular demOnstra-
ton. Great and wonderful as it is, IT
seems at first that the most conspicuous
fact is that the earth is the great impos-
ing body of this system, with the moon
and stars for heating apparatus for us.
But we have long since become familiar
with the fact that this is not the true
state of the case Many. nay most OF
these stars are greater globes than our
own. Yet the stars still look like little
twinkling lights the sun appears 70 be
aboutas big as one of the round windows
i'm the end of this church, and the moon
is modest, vailed light OF about the
same size.
From the earliest ages the beauty of
the heavens attracted the attention of
the human race, and provoked learned
study. Among the first facts discovered
was that some stars were fixed and
some wandering. Some are stationary;
others waltz across the sky; promenade
about the heavens; marching back and
forth i'm their splendor.
will begin by considering these wan
dering stars-planets we call them.
There are hut nine of them visible TO
the human eve. These are our nearest
nei-hbors; they constitute society
with US; they and we form brother
hood.
The lecturer here depicted the uni
verse, attempting by means OF figures
and illustrations to convey an idea or
create a conception in the minds of his
hearers of its limitlcSs yaStness. We
cannot, he said, comprehend such dis
tances, such dimensions. The earth is
one of the inferior planets, and
vet, a man could not sur
vcv its surface in ten life
times. He used the sun
as a sort OF unit of measure. The sun
he called "the brother OF all the fixed
stars" "ior they are doubtless the suns
of other systems" The earth is 5000
miles in diameter; the sun SIS, 900. But
these figures convey 'Ous no idea of the
magnitude of the sun. Suppose it could
be followed out, and a great hollow
globe left, the sides of which were 1000
miles i'm thickness. And in the side OF
il puncture hole 5000 miles across
Then take 100000 worlds as large as
this of ours and pour them in and they
will rattle, But who can grasp that?
Ii our world were suspended in the
midst of the central hollow, with the
moon revolving as now 100000 miles
from the earth, it would be as far from
the moon to the outer surface OF the sun
as from the earth to the moon.
Imagine a railroad spanning the space