The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-11-08
THE TEST UTTERANCES.

tie patience clears away many mists and
fogs that rise and obscure the heavens in
the progress of human discussions. There
has been great deal of noise and smoke
during the past fifteen years over many
questions started by our scientific inves-
tigators and our new schools of philoso-
ply. Time will weigh all, and we shall
have the blue sky after the battle is over.
Two noticeable utterances have appeared
within some weeks past which suggest
that certain stage has been reached in
the conflict, and that the fire is somewhat
slackening. with the present number"
we were recently informed, " the publ
cation of FraSer'S Magazine will cease"
And thus, as an English contemporary
remarks, the old Zemeraire of Radical
ism is towed to its last berth" At the
same moment, Mr.. John Morley, after an
editorship of fifteen years, announces his
retirement from the F0rtniqhtly Rerie10,
which was founded by the late Mr..
George Henry Lewes as the organ of the
modern school of Free Thought in Eng
land. In his valedictory Mr.. Morley,
the most eminent expounder of philoso-
phic scepticism since the days of John
Stuart Mill, pens the following remark
able confession: Intellectual fairness is
often only another name for Incidence
and inconclusiveness of mind Just as love
of truth is sometimes a fine phrase for
temper. To be piquant counts FOR much,
and the interest of seeing on the draw
ing-room tables of devout Catholics and
high-fying Anglicans article after article,
sending divinities, creeds, and Churches
all headlong into limbo was indeed pi-
quaint. Much Of all this elegant dab
bling in infdelity has been caprice of
fashion. The Agnostic has had his day
with the fine ladies, like the black foot
boy of other times or the spirit-rapper
and table-turner of our own. When one
perceived that such people actually
thought that the Churches had been
raised on their feet again by the puerile
apologetics of Mr.. Mallock, then it was
easy to know that they had never really
fallen. What we have been watching,
after all, was perhaps tournament not
battle"
Is it true that " the Agnostic has had
his day? and is Mr.. Morley compe-
tent witness when he declares that the
articles which the magazines have been
pouring forth these ten or fifteen years to
the confounding of the creeds and
churches has been merely can elegant
daSbling in infdelity," and ga mere ca
price of fashion? The panegyrist of Mr..
Huxley and Professor Clifford ought GER
tainly to know if any one does; and if
much of the current scepticism of the
day has been only elegant dabbling,"
perhaps the sound common sense Of the
English people may bring them back soon
to the solid foundations on which the re-
lgious faith Of their fathers stood before
that prince among the sceptics, Mr.. John
Stuart Mill, arose to unsettle all those
distinctions which the human mind has
accepted as the basis of truth.
Another remarkable declaration APP
pears also at the same time in the Pail
Mall Gazette-a letter from Mr.. Darwin
quoted by Prof. Haeckel at the Natural
Science Congress at Eisenach. The let
ter is dated in 1879, and was addressed
to young student at Jena, who had
sought to be enlightened by Mr.. Darwin
on certain great questions which one
would have supposed would have excited
the interest Of even as great philoso-
pher as the author of the Origin of
Species" In reply to the inquiries of
his young admirer, Mr.. Darwin sends the
following rather petulant and unsatisfac-
tory answer;
SIR l am very busy, and am an old man in
delicate health, and have not time TO answer
your questions fully, even assuming that they
are capable Of being answered at all. Science
and Christ have nothing to do with each other
except in as far as the habit Of scientific nves-
tigation makes a man cautious about accepting
any proofs. AS far as / am concerned, 1 do not
believe that any revelation has ever been made.
With regard to a future life, every one must
draw his own conclusions from vague and con
Trajectory probabilities. Wishing you well, 1