The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-03
Truth Stranger than Fiction


4 stranger than fiction. we rea" Wlti
4 Interest or the Dloo@curdIlng aoVen
lures and hair-breadth escapes OF the
heroes OF romance, and though I'M
possible they may sometimes appear
2 yet there is nothing which the I'M
3. agination of the author has invented
, that has not Rcen accomplished IN
real life. Wonders never cease anu
strange things are continually nap
penlng. The trouble with many OF
us is that whatever we cannot under
stand, especially things which seem
improbable, we are apt to receive
with distrust. lfyou try to explain
to an unIettered man, WHO has spent
his life in the Dackwoods, that the
: water he uses by abstraction or loss
of heat becomes solid and by heat is
converted into steam, and that it is
compound of hydrogen and oxygen-
two measures Of hydrogen gas and
one Of oxygen gas and that oxygen
is an electromagnetic. hasifying and
acidifying elementary principle, and
that hydrogen is an aeri;orm fluid,
extremely lnhammaDIe ana latal 10
animal life, he is very apt to tell you
that you are fool; that water is
water and has got nothing but water
in it. The analytical chemist, how
ever, knOlCS differently in spite OF all
the unlettered man can say to the
contrary. What is true Of the unlet-
tered portion of humanity is also
true of the better informed majority
who are not inclined TO superstition.
They must have substantial proofs of
every phenomenal happening before
they will believe. In this practical
age Of science and evolution the
days of miracles with the masses
have passed. Nothing but proof
like that which Thomas of old re-
ceiyed when he put his fingers in the
prin,s Of the wounds of the Messiah
will satisfy them.
When a statements made through |
the paper that a certain person has
recovered suddenly from certain
disease that has bafl1ed the skill of
physicians, the information is GER
tain to We received with distrust, and |
the few who acknowledge their belief
in it will be set down as superstitious
fanatics who will believe anything.
Those who will not believe the state
ment, because they cannot under
stand how anything outside the regu-
lar laws of nature can happen, are
rational sages in their own estima-
ton, but really they are not very un-
like the backwoods boor who Will
have it that water is composed OF
nothing but water because he has
never had al ocular demonstration
of its analysis.
Just at the present time there IS
much excitement manifested over
the "boy preacher" Of North Carolina,
who was suddenly stricken blind ana
whose sight was restored IN astrange
manner. The boy claims tna6 MS
loss OF slght was Oh olVlne orlSIn'
that ne knew IL would happen anu
that the restoration OF sight was a
miracle. His sermons are descrloed
as being remarkable, and with but
little if any instruction in music he
has been known to perform on the
organ with great skill.
For fear of being regarded super
stitious, we will not state positively
that this and other phenomena are
miracles, but if they are not mlracu-
lous exhibitions of Gods power what
arc they? Will some Of the materi-
alistic philosophers explain? 1t
will not do to say they are not true. t
The evidence in this and many other {
cases of the kind is too convincing. |
And why can they not be true ? Is
the arm Of the Almighty any weaker '
today than it was nineteen hundred s
years ago? Cannot He who created
the world, and the sun, and moon,