The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-17
BETHANY PARK.
The Interests of the Woman's Mission Field
and a Lecture on Jnfdelity.

Bethany Assembly is drawing to a close.
to-day being practically the last. Yester-
day the work of the Christian Women's
Board of Mission was finished, the part of
that organization in the days proceedings
beginning with the prayer-meeting at $50
A. NJ, which was led by Miss Laura Kings
bury, missionary to India. After the usual
conference on the Roman Letter. at $50,
came the address of Mrs. Persis l.. Chris
tian on THE Christian WOman's Board OF
Mission: Its Right TO Be- She based this
right on the ground that women need the
work so as to help them in their highest
development, and that the work needs the
organized power of women, SO as to secure
their influence and power for good. She
claimed that the board had q right to be
from successful efforts. The organization
has a great opportunity for good work and
It's successes are pledges for what 1t will
accomplish.
The Assembly lecture, by Rev. j. B..
Briney, of Illinois. was concerning the Re
sponsibility of Infdelity.n He said inf
deity embraced all forms of positive dis
belief from a positive denial of the divinity
of Christ to atheism. While David'saphor-
ism, THE fool hath said in his heart there
is no God" is generally received as true by
thinking people, still there is an approx
nation TO atheism iii the subtletles OF
agnosticism which not only says that the
existence of a God Is not known, but asserts
that it cannot be known. No appreclatlve
mind can fail to admire the conquests that
have been achieved by modern science,
are deducible from the facts that
have been established in the field
of scientific Investigation. But care
must be taken to discriminate between fact
and hypothesis, between necessary Inter
ence and f~anciful assumption. Everything
in the universe implies and suggests the
same grand fact of an Omnipotent Being.
The book of nature corroborates the BOOK
of Revelation in tho sublime declaration;
The heavens declare the glory OF God, ana
the armament showeth his handiwOrk."
1t should be borne in mind that Inhde!ity
cannot discharge its obligations to society
merely by playing the part OF an lconOciast;
If it could overturn Christianity it would
thus bring itself only TO the threshold of
it's responsibility to mankind, for. upon the
ruins of the institution and standards or
truth and justice that have grown ON
of religion it would have TO Dullu
other institutions and establish other
standards for the conservation of the wei
fare of society and the interest of the indi-
vidual. Intidelity is not entitled TO a single
moral principle Implanted In the present.
civilization. 1t must fall back in recon
structing society upon. its own resources,
and create its own ethical system from the
very beginning. Who can be SO blind as to
be unable to see that q society built upon
the principles enuDciated by celebrated
infidels would turn the abode of man into
n lazar house where would dwell all kinds
OF uncleanness and iniQuity as judged by
our present standards. Terrible will be the
condition of a society from which God
would be excluded. Take away the barrier
49, $1,000 DnInn hU fhn
thought of accountability to a supreme and
righteous judge and there is no stopping
place short of the most abandoned and prof
ligate life. If infidelity can claim 10 have
done great good to the human race by the
propagation of any of its principles, then
may it move forward with erect head and
hold cOuntenance, and Justly claim the re-
spect of mankind, even while attemptingt to
destroy the foundation of faith and hope that
is found in the principles of the Christian
religion.
The exercises of the afternoon were begun
by the dedication of the &. w. Is. NJ. cot
tage by Rev. b. il. Tyler, of New York.
The cottage has been III use before this
year, but had not been dedicated, owing to
the debt hanging over it. Miss Kingsbury
rave an interesting talk on India, and Mr..
Il. X. Jones, of CoTydon, discussed the i'm
portance of training the children in mis-
taken up by Mrs. G. ID. Creal. of Terre
Haute, whose paper was entitled, This
the Morning, What Shall the MONDAY Be-"
She brought out. among other things, the
great lack of women who would devote
themselves to this work. She said that
since the children had entered in mission
AIRY work they have contributed $4,000 to
the mission funds. In the evening s.. B.
Tyler. of New York, talked on the subject
of Woman and Her. Relation to
the Gospel" Ben Mitchell and wife,
returned missionaries from India, gave
an account of their life in that land. To-
day, at 1880 A. NJ. Jacob Z. Dunn, State
Librarian, is to speak on 'The Library
Education of Indiana" and at 2:3O p. NJ.
Senator Voorhees, will deliver a lecture on
Thomas Jefferson" The evenings enter
tainment will be q concert given by the
Martinsville choir. Tomorrow is the last
Sunday of the Assembly. The sermons of
the day will be as follows: 1880 A. NJ, The
Greed of Christianity" by b. b. Tyler. of
New York; $50 p. NJ. The intermediate
State of the Dead" by j. b. BriDey, of
Illinois: s !. NJ, sermon by L. II. Slime, of
New Albany.