Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-04-21
Nailrastrr fmtelligenrc1,
FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL q, 1882.
Gail Hamflton's /" Spent BuIIet.'

FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL a, 1882.
Gall Hamflton's " spent Bullet"
In her usual smart - and f1ippant
style Gail Hamilton, who is a cousin or
something of that sort to Blaine, devotes
an article of several pages in the North
American Rerier to demonstrating that
medical science, religion and law alike
failed to perform their boasted functions
in dealing with the events induced by
Guiteau's bullet. Science, by her pitiful
display and futile use Of resources over
Garfeld's death-bed, has estopped her
self from ever uttering whimper
against Religion Religion, by having
failed to save Garfield's life through
faith and prayers, has demonstrated that
its philosophy is built on sand and
Law, by its delay in avenging violated
justice and protecting society, has shown
itself to be tOrtuous and incOncluSive.
As Guiteau is now under sentence of
death, and had only the fair trial which
the lawgives every man, there does not
seem to he much sense in the woman's
rant on this branch Of her subject. As
medicine is not an exact science, accord
ing to the pretensions of its most intelli-
gent exponents, and as the treatment
accorded to the president was the sub
iect of much professional contention at
the time OF it, the fact the bullet
was found :" in wash bowl" " after
science irad "clawed for eighty
days at ghastly wounds made by
herself, argues against the special
handling of the case rather than against
the profession generally.
The portion of the Rcricw article
which is expected to appeal most forcibly
to that sort of popular sentiment which
Bob Ingersoll might cater to, in a SYM
pathetic literary style with Gail Iamil-
ton, is directed to derisiOn of Re.
ligion and a scorn of the profession of
tic holy ministry, which Garfield aban-
doned for politics. In this essay her ar
ticle is in truth q spent bullet" telum
inJclle sine ictu. TOpoint her criticism
she quotes the passage of scripture con-
tanned in the Epistle of St. James, chap.
V: Il, Is, Is any sick among you let
him call for the elders of the church
and let them pray over him, amounting
him with oil in the name of the Lord
and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up ;
and if he have committed sins. they
shall be forgiven him." and it is claimed
that there is contradiction between this
promise and the result of the earnest
prayers offered for Garfield's recovery.
1t is sufficient reply to this to
say that the passage in st. James evi-
IDENTIFY refers to the miraculous gifts be
slowed upon the Apostolic church, but
which, for reasons not necessary now to
mention, were not continued in the
church in the same form in subsequent
times. The reference to the amounting
with oil shows this. That amounting,
while implying that there is a natural
sanitary power in it, was regarded rather
as a sacred rite, in connection with
which, and in response to prayer, God
was pleased in that age to work certain
miraculous cures.
Power was given to St. Peter to say to
the man lame from his mothers womb
"Silver and gold have l none but such
as have give to thee: In the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise and
walk Does it follow that this state
ment is not true, or if it is true, that
Christianity is not, because such power
of performing miracles is not ordinarily
given to men now!
But though the writer of " The Spent
Bullet" is unfortunate in the passage
she quotes, her intention nevertheless
was to make an issue on what she calls
the faith-cure - and there are pas
sages in scripture which she might in
trOduce that would doubtless give some
appearance of force to her skepticiSm in
regard to the efficiency Of prayer, when
compared with the results accompanying
the prayers that were offered up for tile
recovery of President Garfield.
This raises grave question, and it is
not possible to enter upon it's discussion
1T length in a newspaper article. There
are difficulties connected with it which
it may not he easy fully to explain. 1t
involves the problem of the relation be-
tween the divine government of the
world and mans free agency, a difficulty
that is not peculiar TO the sphere of
but confronts man in all
religions, and in philosophy as well. To
say, as Gail Hamilton does, that if
God sees anything to be the best for man
he will order it without being asked for it,
that mo one supposes that God will
ever do less than best,' implies that the
livine government of the world is un-
fixed without reference to the |
neral condition of its subjects. Such a |
government would not he moral and |
rec, but a mere blind fate. All true
whether divine or human.
must have reference to the condition of |
is subjects. Prayer expresses certain
spiritual attitude of man in relation to
Iod: and to suppose that it can have no
fleet on the Heavenly Father is simply
D say that He is less regardful of his
wants than an earthly ruler is of the
vants of his subjects, or an earthly
"iher of those of his children.
And this is tie practical answer 10 the