The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-28
WILL SHE FIND OUT GOD?
IMPAIRMENT WITH A sETEN. YKAR-OLD
DEAF, DUNE, AND BLIND GIRL

EXPERIMENT WITH "A sETKN. YKAR-OLD
DEAF, DUNE, AND BLIND GIRL
Ops.icss 81 Theeiesis.s sas Other TAinkers
On the Course OF Edsentieu rreseribeA
for Little Mites ,Rcbin-views % the
Qusstssa ef Innate Religious I~puise.
The story about little Miss Robin. years
old. who within q year and half after her
birth became blind. deaf and dumb. has not
only attracted widespread attention, but has
set great many learned men a-thinking THE
suN told yesterday how this little girl.
to whom the sky and all the rest
OF nature were a big. black void. and
the chirpine Of birds and the other music Of
life an unbroken silence. was kept in ignorance
OF religion and Of . belief in . hereafter. in
order that II might DO ascertained whether or
not the idea Of a divine being was Unborn.
or course II Il not expected that she will
solve. by intuition AS Il were. any OF the intri-
cate points that theolopians arc constantly
arguing about. But will there develop within
her m instinct which will teach her that there
IL supreme being who rules over nature?
And II there does. or IL there does not.
will the result Of the experiment
prove anything And are her friends doing
right in keeping from her tho opportunity to
form any religious opinion by external in.
nuence.
A Sun reporter put these questions to several
theologians aud thinkers in this city yester-
day and hero is the result. The Rev. DR..
Charles 81. Parkhurst. Presbyterian. said:
II this girl does not develop religious
instinct or give some evidence that she pos
sesses an innate conviction Of the existence
OF q Supreme Being. it will not prove
that there is no Supreme Being. 1t will.
at the most. prove that the religious
impulse IL not Unborn A man. for instance.
may have On impulse. intellectual or artistic.
and yet 1t may never assert itself without
proper exterior Indictment. You may be an
artist. and yet your surroundings may DO such
that. although you have artistic instincts and
impulses. they may never develop They are
dependent upon outside excitation. assert
this without qualification, The direction Of a
upon the Influences which are brought to bear
upon him. Take our Ancestors who lived In
sibtlties. and instincts as you and have. yet
they never exerted them because nothing was
ever presented to them from the outside that
will be to show that religious light depends
opinion is that this girl viii never manifest
any religious disposition unless something ex-
et ofSS s sS 81 sSs sh.
were to die Tomorrow. 4 thought that that
not Ss ass Sb nS
u Heavenly S Fathes should IN Sssssts Il
upon any ehiid. although the purpose Is In
every way commendable.
should the gir ho SnS manifest any re.
2 fStsnap9ip the ;,, s1stsnSs q
any such i'm pulse 1t does not prove the non
existence Of God 2r the non-existence Of
"A 10 rbe sniyat,on Of the persons who k..p
dspends entirely upon the motive which in
'Kopsft 8. Ineersoll. when asked for his views
on the q attsI expressed them very carefully
deal and dumb and blind could obtain many
Sp hsS II
light On the nstarsiness Of such z
:ns a ali /. s POSSIBLY eoaPd
snd Blind might have an idea 81 supreme
q this person Isssl Or suppo:ssd; i
Shed. lie siishtss. lishs on see the 'ae Dues
was shot in the stomach. and when the wound
vas healing physicians made experiments TO
a. the o'd d esa
from the result Of these esHperime nts how long
1t takes my stomach to digest food ! could
Sos n ms st o@s " might take II haa
Ny opinion is that the questions OF origin
Is eaeuas to
is thsr. not an MIND tan hss behS
the existence Of an infinite being. That is to
say. II man cannot comprehend q fact. he |
prove or disprovs the fact that he cannot COM
pIenMSano: . a. .L, ., =,
net /. 'f nat aas dosss not ct
There. was, q time when al most all nations |
Eorshipped l.. ssrpents and various wild
rally 30. This proves nothing with regard to |
g
care how natural It is II they are afraid to or
The probability is that such child as you
be sP to II
psithsr hear nor talk nor see would
degree II education an impulse which leads
4bsy saG hear 6t hsrs m ssa na
sfrnid. and their isnSr.nes leads them to Try try
ma 81 sold with with the fellow who's making
hey begin to think. and want, 70 have
hinge explained to them and then the instinct
When asked what. he thought about the
chances Of salvation for the girl II she should
die. he answered:
"oh. that's too silly for anything"
"There 10. beyond doubt. kinship between
The created soul and It's Creator. 4 union. q
bond OF divine sympathy. which will at some |
fSs:f 5;s ~ sss
,ertion Of the kinship. may be manifested ANNA
,ne or In many. OF 2 vast number OF different
md soms we may not; but the uniSa , exists
syery human being has . knowledge Of God
We Prssbyterians all firmly belleye this
NJ. Anagpos proposss 70 sry With NE child Is
human bsins has . knowledge Of God. The
,eathsn have such knowledge Of God. an In.
supreme Being. which 10 often shown by their
'eaehing ont and above their idoIatry, and by
This much IS acknowledgsd and held BY
sentative Presbyterisn clsrgyHen. The child
nay not be able 70 express this knowledge In q
,e our Ignorance and not the child's, Il would