The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-10
riiEATHEISTIe. TIDE [.

= - I = a. =
TiiEsATHEIsTIe. TIDE.
Tho Threasened pestruetion OF the Simple
Faith or orthelFatliers BY the Vain Deceits OF
Modern Philosophers AniAttack Chris
tians Must Mest.F
atlanta Consultation.
New YoRK, January 26.
The dread sign Of heitimes, as | see it,
is the growing skeptieism in the leading
circles Of thought and action throughout
the cointry-a swelling tide of atheism
and unbeIief that has already swept over
many of che outp0sts of religion.
am not alarmed by the fact that
Henry Ward Beecher shook hands with
Ingersoll on public stand, and has since
swung beyond the limit OF orthodoxy,
any more than am rea a.sured by the fact
that Stephen 81. Tying has, BY indprsing
the mifaclesa Louidre, swung back into
the stronghold Of superstition. These
are mere personal expressions that may
mean much or.littte. They may be classed
with the complaint of DR.. Taimage that
he found religion dead in circuit OF
: 5000 miles 0fitrayel last year, which
complaint is balanced by the assertion OF
DR.. Hall that the growth Of religious
sentiment was never so decisive as at
present. .-1
have noted, in the fret place, thatthe
latter day writers--novelists, scientists
and essayists. arraying themselves in
great force either openly on the side Of
skepticism, or are treating religious SEN
stiment with a readiness of touch and lack
ofreyerence that is hardly less dangerous.
/ need not run over, the list of scientists,
beginning !. with Tyndall, Huxley and
Stephens, that have raised the banner OF
negation--norr recount the number 0f nov.
eiists who follow the lead OF sweet George
Eliot, the sad and gentle woman, who
allied sentimentt 70 positiyism so subtly,
and who died with the promise ON her
lips that her life would "be gathered like
scroll in The stonib, unread fOfeyerDr--
who said that she wanted n0fnture that
broke II q ties of the past," and has gone
to meet, the God whose existence she de-
MED. We all know that within the past
twenty years there has been an alarming
increase. OF atheism among the leading
writer's in oil branches. But it is with the
growth of skepticism among the people
that has astonishea me.
am not misled by the eloquence OF
Ingersoll nor the noisy blasphemy of his
imitators. was with FIVE journalists
and Il found that every one of them were
skeptics, Two Of them in the most emphat.
icsense. In aslee 3ing car with eight pas
sengers, average people, 1.fake 1t, j
found that three wore confirmed atheists,
three were doubtful about it, and two
were old.fashioned Christians. A young
friend of mine, q journalist aud lecturer,
asked me few months ago what l
thought ofShis preparinga lecture that
would out:do Ingersuil Ibis excuse being
thar hs found Ingersoll so popular. l
asked Henry, Wallerson once what effect
Ingersoli's lectures had on the Louisville
puOiic. No: more than theatrical rep.
iresentation," was the quick reply. Wat
ters0n was wrung. have never seen
man who come away from an Ingersoll
lecture as stout Of faith and as strong in
heart as he was: when he went there.
do not know that this spirit Of irreli.
giou and unhelief has made much inroad
on the churches. 1t is us yet simply eat
ing away the material upon which the
churches must recruit. and perpetuate
themselves. There is q large body OF
men and wom, n-the bulk probably -four
populatiOn-that Is between the church
and its enenlies-not members OF the
church or professors OF religion, they
have yet had reference for the riigious
beliefs, have respected the rule Of con.
science; and believed 10 the existence OF
one sSupreme Being. These men and
women hare been useful to the cause OF
religion, in that they held all the eoutpnsts
about the camp Of the church militant,
and protected it with enwrapping conser-
ya,isn and sympathy. 1t is this Class
of people that are nov yielding 10 tue
assaults of the infide!. Having ncue o.
the inspiration ofreiigiou, aud possessing
neither The enthusiasm of converts nor
the faith Of veterans, they are easily be-
wildered and overcome. 1t is q careless
and minimizing multitude on which the
atheists are working, aud the very Inertia
of u mObswill carry thousands If the drift
Of the mass once sets to- the ocean. Aad
the man or woman who rides on the eb
bing tide goes never To return. Religious
belIetsVnce shattered are hardly mended.
The church may reclaim its sinners, but
its skeptics, never.
It is not surprising that this period Of
critical investigation into all creeds and
beliefs has come. 1t is a logical epoch,
come iu its appointed time. 1t is one OF
the penalties Of progress.
We have stripped all the earth of uys.
tery, and brought aii its phenomena nn.
der the square and compass-so that
we might have expected science to doubt
the mystery OF life itself, and to plant it's
theodalite for a measurement Of the eter-
nal. aud pitch its crusible for an analysis
of The soul. It was natural that the
Greek should be led to. the worship of his
physical gods, for the earth itself was
mystery that he could not divine-a
yassuess and vagueness that he could not
comprehend. But ne have fathomed lis
uttermost secret-felt its most secret
pulse-girdled it with steel-harnessed it
and trapped it to our liking. What was
mystery is now demonstrati0n-wha was
vague is now apparent. Science has
dispeiled illusion after illusion-struck
down error after error-made plain
all that was vague on earth, aud re.
duced every mystery to demonstration.
It is little wonder then that, ut last, hav-
ing reduced all the illusions of matter to
an equation, and anchored every theory
to fixed formula, is should assail the
mystery of life itself, and warned the
world that science would yet furnish
the kew to the problem of the soul. The
obelisk, plucked from the heart OF Egypt.
rest upon a shore that was is vaguely aud
infinitely beyond the knowledge or aspi-
ration of its builders us the shores OF a
star thai lights the spaces beyond our