The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-08-22
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A BUGABOO.
M. Editor

o0vS Sost40 W uC8I 8tSC8SS So0 SCu(
Of the anathemas which have beer
heaped upon the magnificent series o.
text books known a. Appletons Readers
In most cases these objections have pro
eeeded from parties interested in secur
ing their removal from the list of text
books adopted for the use of our schools
but there are some persons whom We must
consider entirely disinterested in the
matter, and anxious only for the best
interests of their children and the school
in general, who have conceived and are
|propagating the idea that there is vein
of materialism and infidelity running
through the books which should not be
countenanced.
Some parties have even gone SO far rs
to say that they would exclude the
book from their homes like a viper, and
on no account permit it to fall into the
hands of their children.
Now, Nh. Editor, what and where is
this subtle heresy that is lying in wait to
beguile the unsuspecting pupil and lead
him away from the faith Of his fathers 7
The whole 'head and front" of the
offense is found, as the directors them
selves admit, in an article in the Fifth
Reader, entitled "The Influence of the
Sum-" by-whom? All! there's the
rub-John 7yndaH. Substitute James
McCosh for John Tyndall, and venture
to say that the piece would pass uncbal-
lenged; and further, do not believe
there is proposition there advanced
to which DIR. McCosh would not give his
cordial and unqualified assent for the
whole article is statement and expla-
nation of literal scientific facts which no
man can successfully cOntrOvert or deny.
1t is simply an elaboration of the theory
of the correlation of forces, which every
scientist unhesitatingly accepts.
But to the matter of the piece. In
elegance and force of style it is unsur-
passed, if equalled, by anything else in
the book. The writer begins: "A il ter
restrial power is drawn from tile sun.
Leaving out of account the eruptions of
volcanoes, and the ebb and flow of the
tides, every mechanical action on the
earth's surface, every manifestation of
power, organic and inorganic, vital and
physical, is produced by the SUM-" Sue
cinct and explicit! And who denies it :?
Let the sun be blotted out of existence
and does anyone deny that all life and
motion would cease on the face of the
earth7
The remainder of the article is princi-
pally a continuation of this idea. OBJ
serve the beauty and force of the fol-
lowing: "The lilies of the field are his
work manship; the verdure of the mead
Ows and the cattle upon thousand hills.
He forms the muscle, he urges the blood,
he builds the brain. His feetness is in
the lions foot he springs in the panther
he scars in the eagle; he slides in the
snake" That is not poetry, nor the
vagaries of fool, nor the sophisms Of
materialism, but a plain, undeniable
statement of fact, which it takes consid-
cradle hardihood in novice, it seems to
me, to dispute.
But the inexcusable clause is reached
near the end of the article. Here it is:
1.-The law of conservation rigidly ex
cludes both creation and humiliation"
Now what is meant by the ''law Of con.
servationf' Simply the fact, universally
recognized by scientists, that no force is
ever lost, but always remains the same,
though it may change its form. Thus
light is changed to heat, heat to motion.
Now, recognizing this fact, can we deny
that the act of creation, or humiliation,
at the present time, is absolutely i'm.
possible7 We must admit it as logical
necessity. think that the objectors to
this clause cOnfound the idea expressed
by the word Creation" in the text. with
that of the original creation Of the world
by God. But this is certainly doing
violence TO the text. In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth.
On the evening of the sixth day, or peri.
OG, the work of creation ceased, and
there is no warrant either in nature or
revelation, for the belief that anything
has been created since.
The word, then, in this case, clearly
means the act of creating in a general
sense, and by no means bars the idea of
an original creation of all matter and
force. Indeed, while the author is pred
icating the almost universal power and
influence of the sun, he does not once
intimate that he is an original and self
created force. Nor does it detract from
tie glory of the Creator that the sun
holds this autocratic relation to our
planet, for what is that great luminary
himself but His handiwork, the creature
of His almighty power?
Now, Mr.. Editor, shall we deny to our
youth all access and introduction to the |
undisputed discoveries and teachings of
science, simply because they may chance
to come from the pen of Tyndall or
Huxley, instead of from that of an evan
gelical divine? That presumes narrow
ness of mind which it is to be hoped no
community which partakes to any ex-
tent, of modern enlightenment, will
encourage. Facts are facts and of equal |
value, whether they proceed out of the
mouth of fools or from the lips of Om- |
niscience.
Aside from this one piece, no one, it
seems to me, can find any fault with the
magnificent array of selections in this
book Look at the names represented in
its pages: The Bible, Milton, Bunyan,
Cowpcr, Addison, besides the long list of
Englands and Americas famous writer's
whose works are the glory of our Lam
guage and the civilized world, without
some knowledge of which the youth of
our land are inexcusable. Do not those
names sufficiently refute the charge that
the authors of this series cherish Turk
ing design against Christianity
In conclusion, / wish to say that feel
a! liberty to speak freely on this subject
because am Influenced by no motive
except q desire for the best interests of
the community. For any influence, re-
commendation, or defense, which have |