The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-04

| the experiment.
"If this girl does not develop religious
instinct or give soue evidence that she pos
sessss an innate conviction of the existence
OF Supreme being, it will not prove that
there is no supreme being. 1t will, at the
| most, prove that the religious impulse is not
Unborn. Take our ancestors who lived in
the woods. They had the same Impulses,
possibilities and instincts as you and have,
yet they never exerted them because nothing
was ever presented 20 them from the outside
that tended to excite them.
| 81 think the outcome OF this experiment
\ will be to show that religious light depends
upon some kind of exterior excitation, and
my opinion is that this girl will never mani
fest any religious disposition unless some
thing exterior is brought TO bear upon her.
As for the salvation Of the girls soul il she
were to die tomorrow, II l thought that
| that were not assured | would not preach
in Gods behalf. The idea of that child not
| being saved is kind of savageness that is
not practicable of q heavenly father.
should hesitate If l we're called upon to
make such an experiment upon any child,
although the purpose is in every way CONS
mendable. As TO the salvation Of the per-
sons who keep from her all knowledge OF
| another life, that depends entirely upon the
motive which inspires them"
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC IDEA.
The Roman Catholic idea of the expert
ment was expressed by prominent priest
thus:
"The parents and friends of this girl are
wrong. They are endangering her chance
OF salvation. What is the value OF the ex-
pertinent when compared with the child's
soull do not doubt that she will have
some ideas-imperfeot ones, OF course
about a superior being, but they will prove
absolutely nothing. The origin OF ideas is
from sensible things passing through
method OF abstraction and becoming intel
lectual things. How, then, can blind aud
deaf girl conceive definite ideas about any
things
"As to the girls salvation, that would
depend upon her sins. Although she may
not have conceived sins in SO many thoughts,
yet she may have had thoughts which, even
to her own instructive notions, are wrong.
II she were to die without sin on her soul
except, OF course, the original sin OF our
first parents, the case reduces itself to one
like that of infants dying without baptism.
1t is certain she could not go to heaven.
There is dispute. however, as to where she
will go. Will she go tc hell or is there a
place specially for those who have commit
ted no sin of their own2 Her parents are
SHINING, and the value Of the experiment is
not sufficient to make up for the greatness
Of the sin. What shall it profit man if
he gain the whole world and lose his own
bic to this case.
''As to the experiment itself, do not be-
lieve that God will create in her mind any
other knowledge than that derived from
sensible things by the method Of abstraction
to which l have referred. That is the order
of nature"
NO NEED FOR THE EXPERIMENT..
"There is no need for any such expert
ment." said the Rev. DR.. Robert Collyer,
"for what they would seek to prove is GER
tain to my mind as to thousands of others
something that has amply and very often
been demonstrated. There never was a
time when a human being had no innate
ideas. The germ Of the idea of God is
there; IL exists In one form or another, and
some day it will find expression. But how
will these experiments recognize the ex-
preston of the idea when it comesl 1t
will depend altogether on what their ideas
of what the attributes Of God are, and con-
captions OF this nature vary very widely
indeed. cannot see that any
good can come of such an experiment.
Nothing of value that will be accepted gem
orally can be brought out.
"As to the effect such an experiment
would have on the child's future, it would
have no effect whatever. The more pitiful
the case the more plying the father in his
love. The experiment can do no harm to
the child's future, but it will to its present
life, and do not approve Of il by any
means. 1t is keeping from the child the
best knowledge that could be impaired to It.
Perhaps it would be best if Its religious
teachers would be apt TO impart the kind of
| teaching that was given 100 years or so ago !;
but they would not, and therefore think
the experiment unnecessary and unkind."
Robert G. Ingersoll, when asked for his
his views on the matter, said:
81 do not see how a child born deaf and
| dumb and blind could obtain many ideas on
any subject. II, however, it should turn
out that such a child had any idea Of any
supreme being, this certainly would throw
| no light on the naturalness OF such a CON
| ception by persons who can talk and hear
: and see.
1.-The probability is that such child would
| be more apt to be orthodox in its belief
than one having the full complement of
senses. 1t may be that child that can
neither hear nor talk nor see would be very
ready to adopt the orthodox creed. To men
! of the lowest degree of education an i'm
pulse which leads them TO trust in superior
! being is most natural. They see and hear
things and are afraid, and their ignorance
leads them to try and get solid with the fell
low who's making thunder and lightning.
But as they advance and reach a higher
plane of knowledge they begin to think and
want to have things explained to them and
then the instinct ceases"