Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-02
PRAYER FOR RAIN.
An Answer to the Argument Of DR.. Noah
IL. Davis.
To me Editor of the Dispatch:

| To me Editor of the Dispatch:
In your issue of few days ago you
| quoted from the Religious Herald an argu-
ment given by DIR. Noah X. Davis, of the
| University OF Virginia. against praying for
rain. He SAYS in effect that no Christian
can consistently uttorsuch apraypr. since It
would be praying for miracle. and would
| be tantamount to praying for an eclipse OF
| the sun or a transit OF Venus-events known
| TO be governed by fixed laws. As you make
| editorial request for u reply. | take the
| liberty of responding. 1t is a well-known
fact that the Protestant Episcopal Church.
and her ancestor, the Church Of England,
has in her beautiful and scriptural liturgy
q PRAYER for rain and PRAYER OF thanks.
giving for Its bestowal. Is the learned
Doctor right in saying it is uncbrlstian and
| illogical to ask the Governor OF the world
| for rain? Has the Church OF England
| through all these centuries been mistaken
% Those who believe in praying for
| rain have this among other texts OF
Scripture to support and encourage them:
In the fifth chapter of st. James Epistle,
| seventeenth and eighteenth verses we
| read ELIAS was man subject TO Ike
! passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly
| that 1t might not ram and IT rained not on
the earth for the space of three years and
six months. And he prayed again and the
| Heaven gave rain and the earth brought
| forth her fruit" The Old Testament is
full of like illustrations OF rain granted
and restrained.
In this and all other matters " the et1ec-
tual and fervent prayer of righteous man
availeth much"
SO much for the scriptTai argument, of
which only one text is above given, when
many might be named.
The scientific reasons given for not pray
ing for rain by the Doctor are as faulty as
tho religious objections. He says II IS a
Unknown fact that rain IS governed by
laws as fixed as those which determine the
time of an eclipse or the transit of star,
and for I hat reason 1t is As sensible Tor q man
| TO pray for rain as for one to ask fora special
| eclipse or transit. Philosophers can tell us
| the exact hour and minute ofan eclipse or
| transit weeks and months before the event,
| but what philosopher can do this in re-
| gard to the moderate rains and showers!
| The Weather Bureau ut Washington gives
| us daily illustrations of the uncertainty Of
the knowledge that is possessed of and
causes that rule and modify the supply.
At this very time Congress has made an
| appropriation for experiments in pro-
ducing rainfall in dry seasons by the ex-
plosion of largo quantities of powder or
! dynamite in the upper heavens by means
| of balloons, the prevailing opinion being
| that seven conclusions produce rainfall.
| We would hardly expect even our late no.
| eral Congress TO exhaust its swollen Urea
sury by appropriating anythingto produce
transit OF Venus. A late paper states
| that in France efforts are going TO be made
| to lessen the fury of storms in certain dis
| trlcts by an extensive use of electrical
wires, the purpose beng to abate the cleo
| trical tension.
| Thus we see that the laws governing the
| rainfall are not quite so well determined as
| has been stated, but that abundant room is
| still left for the vast multitudes of Chris
tians who look to God in their necessity for
moderate rains and showers" even if it
should necessitate what might be called q
! miracle. Christ sitting the troubled,
storm-tossed waves of the Sea of Galilee
! will ever stand as an illustration Of His
| active and personal power over the ele-
| ments of the natural world, and We have
here an encouragement 10 disciples in all
ages TO repeat the human cry then uttered.
Lord, help us " The truth Is that in
Gods great universe prayer has as dis
tinct. active, subtle, and potent an lntiu-
enco as electricity, and. 1T is needless to add,
it is as little understood.
R.ctm01.d, Va. JAMES b. FUEsTEN.