The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-08-13
The Arrogance Of Skepticism.

cies. This process, they moreover
has been carried on without
the operation Of any but secondary
causes that is. without an original Gre
alton or the direction of an overruling
Deity-in, other words: ..a. ....... |
STATURE has in herself a reason for oil that is.
And God is an unscientitlc, needless hypothe'
SIS. -..l,t ~ r.ah yfl.tt,l!-T't
This theory has been accepted by not q
few scientific men, and some OF its most
enthusiastic and able advocates have
displayed what must appear to any can
did mind most unscientitic dogmatism
and unjusti6able intolerance in its sup
port. For example, Prof. Haeckel re:
marks that ".mankind may be divided
into two classes, those who believe in
these doctrines, and those who do not;
the former being the thoughtful, and
the latter the th0ughtless."ia no;. q
Prof. Huxley pronounces those who
fail to see in the arguments urged BY
his party q sufficient reason for casting
away their belief in q first great Cause
and in separate creations, to be "people
who have not yet reached that state OF
emergence from ignorance in which the
necessity of = discipline to enable them
to be Judges dawns upon the mind;
and, again, says that 1.-THE question is
not, Has this development by evolution
occurred? but, How did it occur? for
any doubt as to the fact OF its occur
renee is not worthy of serious consider
ation."
Itwould, perhaps, be difficult to find
any instance of theological arrogance
surprising that contained in these ut
terances, more especially when it is
considered that, with respect to the
question under discussion, many emf
nent men of science are in doubt as to
whether the doctrine Of EVOLUTION is at
all sufficieiit to account $or the diversity
of species which We is5de arbtdd Us: ~
Our object is not, however, to enter
into this scientific controversy, but
simply to protest, against the claim Of
skeptical professors of science to force
upon us, as an ascertained fact, that
which any person of ordinary intelli'
gence can at once perceive is . mere
Conjecture; q conclusion founded on ar
guments Of which the premises have
not been proved. For instance, nc
evidence has yet been produced Of the
occurrence in Nature of the phenoIne
non upon which the whole theory i
founded namely. favorable variation
that is to say, an instance OF a favored
J individual possessing such an advantage
in the struggle fer life as to become th'
procenitor Of q new species. q bus ,!s'"
; "A. great demand is made upon ON
faith by these skeptical philosopher
, when they ask US to believe that tn
wondrous universe, id 'its' diversity b
animal and vegetable life, sprang iron
a molecule or a congregation of atom
driven about by force; but it would b
, more easy to accept even such doc
, trine if they could only give US som
, reasonable hypothesis as to whence tn
primaryI germ, the wondrous atoms. g
! The marvellous slime originated, an
, how it happened that, Independently
! a Creator, any Of these; came to posses
y in themselves the power of deYelopin
!. q universe. i.st a,..~.. r i u, "a F.,
. Men OF science, of all persons, shout
! seek to be free from 'bigotry and prejt
= dice. Yet it il evident that, when ono
: entangled in the deadly meshes of skel
= tical pride, while ''they profess then
selves to be wise, they become foolish,
. and in very truth ''worship and ser'
= the creature more than the Creator.
!. AS has been we'll said: 1T is asking Z
J, : much Of inanimate material to make
= system OF worlds such that one star sh's
!, send heat and light upon an earth, al
:, make its soil send forth violets. grasse
, trees, then animals, and finally man.,
is asking too much of material things
have them arranging tho deposit Of de
I. at;night, the showers of rein, and II
! .ripening influence Of the autun
70 months. !. 1t is asking too much Of dt
s. and ashes to expect them to ma
is beautiful birds to tly in the air, beau
is full gold and silver fish to live in {
III cyrstal brooks-too much to expect
10 the power Of dust TO originate the ID
IN Of purple grapes and blushing pea'
er es. We know that the material fort
in Of Nature can help along all th'
a. shapes .of the wonderful; but it de
IL material can do such wonderful wor
Il, man should lament that he has mil
o. tor he has at the outset been who
nd surpassed by clay that had neither
il nor mind"
he The Bible and Centenporaneous fat
he - So.
ify Rev. J. B. Thomas, D. D., Of Bro
We ,lyn, recently delivered q lecture IN \
he ton on the "Signilicance OF tho his |,
'as Element in Scripture from which
1er following extracts are TAKEN: ii;