Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-20

I the less tOrcIDle ana convincing. Inc WOrk
| is, in fact, one which presents in popular
form the results of the most conscientious
and trustworthy biblical criticism and
| philosophical reasoning, and therefore it is a
work which ought long ago to have been
| formally answered if an answer was possible.
| OF course there have been attempts to meet
its criticisms, just as there have been at
tempts by the pious compilers of the Speak.
"er's Commentary" to meet the conclusions
of modern scholarship upon biblical questions.
But the kind of argument used in the Com
mentary," like that employed by the oppo-
nents OF Mr.. Greg, is that which unfortunate
ly can have no value for any but the pious
reader, since it demands faith in no way
| consistent with reason. MIR. Greg sets out to
prove various things as that the old Tesla
ment canon is undeserving belief that the
story of Creation is fabulous; that Moses did
not write the Pentateuch; that the Gospels
do not record historical facts that Jesus was
human being that the claims of inspira-
ton and revelation are not warranted that
the pretensions advanced for the Christian
religion are of the same character as and not
more entitled to respect than, those put for
ward for any other religion. All these her ETH
cal propositions are however treated precisely
as propositions of science would be treated.
That is to say the evidence attainable for
and against them is sifted and analysed with
perfect candor. The authorities are cited,
H., \.
out, and so the belief is reached which appears
| to be most consistent with the known facts.
| 1t seems that this must be the only certain
way to arrive at the truth concerning thete
or any other subjects, but the defenders
of Christianity will not admit any
thing of the kind. They insist upon
begging the question beforehand. They
begin by assuming the inspiration of the
| scriptures and the fact of revelation, and
when they are hard pushed they fall back
upon a knowledge by Faith, which is con-
veniently incapable of being gagged by scien-
| tiGc methods. This mode of meeting crit
cism may be very satisfactory to those who
employ it, but unfortunately it does not at
all convince the skeptic, who continues to in
sist that everything shall be brought to the
tombstone of scientific demonstration, and
who will not accept the intangible conception
of knowledge by Faith. And therefore is it
that so-called answers to works like The
Creed of Christendom fall still-born, and are
not heard of again, whereas the works them
selves continue to be sought after, and, as in
the present instance, spread their influence
from one hemisphere to the other. To those
who have read Ingersolps lectures we may
say that Mr.. Greg is far more scholarly and
argumentative, and scarcely less eloquent
and fascinating, than the great orator of in
fidelity. He gives, moreover, very useful
magazine of facts and conclusions embracing,
as it does, the whole of the controversy re-
garding the origin and status of the faith
whose history it analyses.
FREE LAND AND FREE TRADE. The Lessons OF the
English Corn Laws Applied to the United States.
By Samuel S. Cox. New York C. P Putuam's
Sons. San Francisco A. l.. Bancroft & Co.
The Hon. Samuel S. Cox, or "Sunset
Cox, as he has long been Familiarity called, is
an enthusiastic free-trader, and he is also
believer in free land as well as trade. These
two beliefs have led him to write this little
work, which is valuable and timely contri-
button to economic literature. The main
purpose is to show, by recapitulatiop. how
the English suffered from the policy of Pro-
lection as embodied in the Corn Laws what
incredible misfortunes were endured by the
masses of that people before their legislators
could be induced to remove the restrictions
which were strangling the nation how the
abolition of the Corn Laws was followed by
an almost miraculous return to prosperity !;
and how the late troubles of the country have
been caused mainly by the ill-regulated state
of the land question. The lesson of the
English Corn Laws is indeed one which may
well be learned by the people of the United
States, for it is pregnant with instruction.
The lesson of Protection, however, is one
which our farmers ought to be able
to learn without recurring to the experience
of England for their own benefit There
is no danger of Corn Laws here, but
there are laws in existence which are as I'M
the masses of England. The abolition of
the Corn Laws was rendered comparatively
easy by the fact that they pressed upon the
seat Of life. A law which strikes at the very
life of people will always be more easily
repealed than one which merely robs them
by degrees. The Corn Laws made the food
of the populace dear, and 80 menaced them
with starvation. We, however, have cheap
bread. and dear everything else. The situa-
ton in fact is reversed, and therefore it must
secure the reform of our obnoxious tariff.
Our farmers are very slow to realize that
they are being plundered. They cannot
have protection, but they are made to pay
over their hard earned money that others
should be protected There is not and never
can be any reason or justice in the theory of
Protection. 1t can only be made equal by
multiplying it. So long as it really protects
any interest it is unjust For example: A
is halter, B is tailor, and G is a dry
goods dealer. A says he wants five dollars
year bounty by way of protection. b de-
mands similar bounty. Now if claims
the same, 1t is evident that at the end of the
year they will neither of them have received
anything, but merely passed the same money
backwards and forwards. But if A claims a
bounty, and B also and has to pay them
both, without receiving anything in return,
then there is real Protection, but c is robbed
And that is the actual condition of things in
this country at present. G is the American
farmer. A and B ara the protected manu-.
facturers, for whose sole and special benefit
the interminabls tariff has been framed, aud
is maintained. The want of political educa-
ton was shown in the last campaign, when
the advocates of q tariff impudently ad-
dressed themselves to the farmers, and ac-
tually convinced them that it would be disas.