Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-06-29
a MANLY CONFESSION.

Out OF Place, and Yet Faithful to tho Con-
victIons OF Ills Heart The Old Faith.
Speaking Of some recent proceed
ings in the Nineteenth Century Club Of
New York City the Baptist Weekly says:
The club is an organization Of "ad-
vanccd" thinkers, and as special guests
there were present Dr. McCosh. Colonel
Robert Ingersoll. John Fiske. Chauncy
NJ. Depew and others. The chici
speaker was Prof. Fiske, who discoursed
on the "Cosmic Conception Of God"
ventilating his peculiar anti-Christian
ideas TO the great delight of those in
sympathy with his theistic notions. lie
was followed by Chauncey NJ. Depew
who, in his first sentence. acknowledged
the more than doubtful propriety Of
being ''uncqually yoked with unbc.
licycrs," and took occasion, in very
manly way, to declare his faith in the
teachings Of the Bible, and his firm
purpose to continue In the "old paths. "
We doprccate the practice, and hope
II will not be encouraged, but II be-
levers will suffer themselves 10 be
drawn into association with those who
sco6 at religion we could wish for no
better advocate of the old faith than
MIR Depcw. AS reported by the Sun.
he said
II never felt so absolutely out OF
place. am practical man, over
whclmed with the cares OF business. II
Is exceedingly difficult for me to get
on the plane Of philosophic thought.
am practical man. ! believe in the
Old Testament and the New Testament
precisely as they are presented by
Christianity. l am in antagonism to
Mr. Wakeman, who dismisscs the Bible
os entirely mass Of legend, and with
Prof Fiskc, who accepts it with an in
depreciation entirely his own.
at was the atheism Of France that
taught license for liberty and led to the
French revolution. Where are those
old PHILOSOPHERS and the old philoso-
phcrP They are dead, while Christian
ity survives. The school of atheism
led to despair. Matcrialism soon found
TINT every violation of the moral law
could go on consistently with its teach
ings. SO panthcjsm and positivism
have followed only to be destroyed.
and now we have the school of human
ity and the cosmic philosophy coming
close to the borders OF Christianity as
exrounded by John Fiskc.
"They tell us there is no more Gre.
ntor. only cosmic dust Who mado
the dust2 There is only protoplasm
indeed, Who made protoplasm' They
tell us of evolution from dust to mon
key and then TO man; but all the scicn.
lists have never found the missing
link. The simple Gospel of the hum
bic son OF carpenter, preached by
twelve fishermen, has survived the cent
uries and outlives all other philoso-
phies of eighteen hundred years.
"a am not posted in the terminology
of the PHILOSOPHERS. l believe them to
be OF little use to reach the hearts and
to influence the action of simple men.
There is no liberty that lasts in the
world, and there Is no government
which has liberty in it that lasts, that
| uoes not recognize inc DlDle. Wnat
is the object Of all theologyP 1t is to
reach the human heart and to control
the actions of men as they are.
"How many Of us can even under
stand what the philosopher saysP You
might take the whole Stock Exchange
and read Kant to them and It would
be utterly incomprehensible to them.
Not so with the teachings of the
Golden Rule. They could understand
at least what that means. l read Mr..
Wakeman's pamphlet last night They
tell us God must disappear; that
prayer is begging; that the Holy Com
munion is cannibalism. When did such
religion send out missionary
When you show me a colony of ten
thousand people who have come to live
decently by its teachings l may believe
1t. But | say now that the Christian
faith of my mother is good enough fol
mo. II we believe this faith, what
harmp II we disbelieve 1t, and there.
by do wrong, what of our futurep"