The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-03-16
The Atheistic Tide.
SWEEPING OVER THE CONTINENT.

SMEEPlNG w Els IhE CONlINENA'
The Threatened Destruction Of the
Simple Faith Of the Fathers by the
Vain Deccits Of Modern Philosophers
An Attack Christians Must Meet.
[Aaaan Cbnstitution.l
NEW YORK, january 2i.-The drend sign or
the times, rs | see II, Is growing skepticism IN
the leading circles OF thought ana action
throughout the country-a swelling tido OF
atheism and unbciicf that has already swept
over many of the out posts OF religion.
am not alarmed by the fact that Henry
Ward Becchcr shook hands with lngersoll on
Il public stand, ana has since swung beyond
the limit of orthodoxy, any more than | am
treasured by the fact that stephen ii. IynS
has. by indorsing the miracles a! L0urirG,
swung back into the strong hold OF snperstl-
ton. These are mere PERSONAL expressions
that may mean much or little. They may be
cl,lssed with the complaint of DR.. Talnase.
that he found religion dead In q circuit oi
plant is balanced By the assertion OF DIR. Hall
that the growth OF religious sentiment was
never 50 decisive as at present.
| have noted III the first place. that the lat
tcr.duy writcrS-nuvcllsiS, scientists, and eS-
suyists-arc III ray ing themselves In great force
either openly on Lie side vi >kcptic!sin, or arc
trtniiEg religious sentiment with Il readiness
ui touch and lack Of r,.v"rrnct that Is hardly
less DANGEROUS. | need not run over INC lists
of scientists, beginning with TSldall. lux
ley and Stephens, That nave raised negatlon.,
nor recount the number OF IoVciists vino 1"l,
low The lead of sweet George Eliot, The si,d
and gentle woman, vino allied sentiment TO
poSitiviSm SO subtiy, and who died with the
promise on her lips that her life would "6c
gathered Ike Il scroll In the tomb, unread inr-
evrr"-who said that she 'wantcd no future
that broke the ties OF the past" and has gone
to meet the Cod whose existence she denied.
We all know that within tho rist twenty
.oo - tt,nrn 1,nS hrnD IN alarm mo increase Il
atheism among ihe leading writer's IN all
branches. But II Is the growth Of skcpticism
among the people that has astonisilcd me.
am not mislcd by the superb eloqucncc OF
Ingcr>oli nor the noisy blasphcmy OF his iini.
tatnrs. I was with five Journalists, and l
found that every nnc of ti:eIn were skeptics,
Il sleeping car with eight passse lis ers, average
people | take il, ] found that three were
confirmed atheists, three were doubtful about
1t, and two were Old fashioned Christmas. \
turcr. asked mo q few months ago what |
thought OF his preparing n lecture that would
out do Ingersnll-his excuse being that he
found 1nSersoll so popular. nsked Henry
lures had on the Louisville public. y more
than II theatrical representations" Was the
quick reply. Wattcrson was wrong. / have
never seen a man who came awny from an In
gersoll lecture as stout of flitt and us strong
In heart us he was when he vert there.
l do not know that this spirit Of iricligion
and unbc.icf has made such inroad ON the
churches. 1t Is as yet simply citing away the
material upon which the churches must re-
cruit and pcrpetuate themselves. There is II
large body Of men anu wntlcIi-tic Dulk
probably vi cur pOp~ulation-tlint Is between
the church and lis eneniics-nut members OF
the church or open professors OF religion, they
have yet had reverence Of rel lgious beliefs,
have respected the rule0 Of conscience, and bc.
llcvcd in the existence OF one Supreme Being.
These men md women have been useful TO
the cause OF religion In that they hcid all the
outpoSts about the camp OF the church mill
liant, and protected 1t with enWrnppins con-
servatism and sympathy. 1t Is this class OF
people that arc now yielding to The assaults OF
the infldcl. Having npnc Of the inspiration
Of religion, and possessing neither the cnthu-
sIasm OF converts nor the i iIlth oS Si Hflcr''iSS 5;
Is q careless and minimizing multitude OH
which tie atheists are working, and the very
inertia Of n mob will carry thDurnnds II the
drift Of the maSs once SETS to the ocean. And
the man or woman who rides on the cbbing
tide GOES never 10 return. Re iglouS beliefs
once shattered Mc hardly mcnd,d. The
church may reclaim Its sinners, but Its skep-
tics, never.
1t is not surprising that this period OF critl-
chi Investigation into all crecdS and beliefs
has come. II Is Il logical epoch, come In its
appointed time. 1t Is one OF the penalties OF
progress.
We have stripped all the earth OF mystery.
and brought I'LL It's phenomena unucr the
square and compass5so ti,at We might nave
itself, and to plant its tIc0dallic for L meas.
uremcincnt of the eternal, und pitch Its cruel.
be for an analysis Of tic soul. 1t was natural
that the Greek should be led TO the worship Of
| his physical gOuS, for the earth itself was a
mystery that he could not divinc-n NaStncss
and vasueness that he could not comprehend.
But we have fathomed It's utterrnoSt secret
felt Its most secret puisc-girdlcd 1t with steel
-harnesscd 1t and trapped 1t to our liking.
What was mystery Is now demonstrate n-
what was vague Il now apparent. Science
1T It,,tx,, rrta It,rIrt tu,.i
down error after crror-madc plain MI that
was vague on earth, and reduccd every inys-
terry to demonstration: 1t IS little wonder
that Mt last, having reduced all the illusions
OF matter to an equation, and anchored every.
theory TO n fixed formula, 1t SllnyUla%1:l the
mystery OF life Itself, .at1I warII the world
that science would yet furnish the key TO the
L,nFAhlGthJ1 the soul. The obcliSk, piuckcd
that was M vaguc'y aud Infinitely beyond the
knowledge or aspiration OF Its buildrrS as the
shores OF IL star that lights tho spaces beyond
oar vision are TO uI to-daE-thc Chlnainaii
iostles us in the street, and the centuries that
look through his dreamy eyes nave lost nj!
sense OF memberships that were 'rcightcd
from the heart Of Africa lie In our harbor, and
our market places are vocal with more ton
cues than bewildercd the builders ut Hnbcl-a
letter slips around the earth In ninety days.
and the messages of men faSh along the Ded
OF the uccan--wc t.. the secrets of the uni
verse us Il woman tells her braIS,a aud theS!ars
whi:l Srrcnrly TIN ourh orbits that science
, has definpd-we even read OF the Instant when
the comet that plunged IN dim iii'nitaUle dis
in mist and vapor, shall whirl again into the
vision OF man; Il waTdcrcr tia: cOli.d not
shake of the incXorab!c supervision OF sci
cncc, even in The chill and mca>urclcss depths
of the universe. Fit time is this, Tor science
to make its last ind supreme ASSAULT chat
lcnge the last and supreme mystery, DEFY Sne
last and supreme force. And the church may
grid itself for the conflict. As the pope has
IL 81 to tN La, frn - rphnt tIrf Ii ~nlt nfNs
the church. II Is q bc,liscrnnt" II Is no
longer Il shading OF creed. II Is the upscttal
of all crccdS that Is attempted. .
It Is impossible to conceive the misery and
the blindness that will come III the wake OF
this spreading atheism, The ancien,s wit;
messed the FIJI! OF q hundred crecds, but stu
had q hundred let. The vast mystery. OF life
hung above them, but was lit with religions
that were sprinkied as stars in It's depths.
/ From q host OF crnSrrS Was their air made rich
with fragrance aud warnlcd from IL fle!d OF al
lars. No loss Was irrtparunic. But with usll
is different. We have reached the end. Dc
s,roy our one belle! and we are left, hopeless,
helpless, blind. Ourair will be odcrless, chill,
colUrless. Huxley the leader OF the posltiV-
Never. in the history OF man, has a ca!am-
ity so terrific Jerlllcn the race rs this advan.
cling dclugc, black with destruction, uproot-
ing our most cherished hopes, cngulfins our
/ lie In mindless dcsolation." And yet Mr..
Huxley urges on this dcluse with furious en-
rrgy. The responsiveness of the atheists is
inexplicabIc to me. Why they should insist
On destroying II system that is pure and emo
bling when they have nothing to replace 1t
wilh-why they should slIatter II faith that
colors Lie. only to leave colorlcss-why they
should take away the consolation that HITS
men and women from the despair of berenre-
ment and dcsUlation, or the light that guide
the feet Of struggling humanity, or The nope
that RODS even the grave of It's terror why
they should do NIL this, and then stand empty
handed and unrcsponslvc before the yearninE
and supplicating people they have stripped of
al: thai is precious, Is more than ] can under.
stand. The best atheist, TO my, mind, that l
ever knew, was one who sent bis children TO
II convent for their education. II cannot lln
the blight of unbelief from my oTn mind"
he snid, but 1t shall never fall upon the
minds OF my children II | can help 1t. An for
me, l YOU give all l haze Oh earth for the
old faith that wore SO lightly anu threw OH
so carclcs>ly."
The practical effects of the growth of athc,
Ism are too terrible to contemplate. a vessel
on all unknown sea- that has lost It's rudder
and Is tossed in d storm-thats the picture.
1t will not DO for Mr.. Ingcrsoli to say that n
purely human code of right and wrong can be
Established TO which the passions Of men can
be anchored and from which they can swing
with safety. 1t will not do for him 70 cite MS
own correct life or the correct lives OF the
! keptical scientists. or OF leading skeptics, as
proof that unbelicf does not bring license.
These men are held TO dcccncy By Il pride OF
position and by Il sense of special reSponSlOli-
ity. 1t Is the masses that atheism will demon
! aiizc and dcbauch. 1t lis the thousands OF SIM
pie men and woman, who looscd OF the one
RESTRAINT that Is absolute and lnlpcriouS VIII,
that will drift upon the currents OF their pas
sions, colliding everywhere, and bringing con-
fusion and ruin. The vastly greatest in1lu-
ence that religion has exercised, as far as the
world goes, has been the conservative pres
c,,ra tI,nf n Ias pl1f IInnn tho hnlE. of npODln.