The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-19
POLLOCK" AND IDA s."
The Controversy Is Growing Too Tangled
for the Editor to Head Up.

The Controversy Is Growing Too Tangled
for the Editor to Head Up.
To THE CLUB-"Ida s" you've made
your subject exceedingly clear. seldom
one meets with such q multum in parvo
o. simplicity, dressed in the gorgeous
coiors Of clearness. But don't you think
atheism in It's dictionary definition is OBJ
sniste2 Atheism is rank materialism.
bat even that won't support its claim Of
there not being God though it may in
the case OF the God. If
nature dosen't prove to you that there is
q God. 1t ought at least prove that you
are finite. and that God is infinite, which
you seem 10 have no knowledge of.
The above is what Pollock" wrote
where Ida 5" accuses Pollock" of hav-
ing expressed rather paradOxical opin-
ion of her. Ida" quotes Stuart Mill,
whose sopbisms on individual liberty and
political economy, like the great divine's,
Nautilus. have long ago been exploded.
He was a sage in his time, but time
changes. while printed eXpTessionsdO not.
Besides, "WilP uses the word suppress
sion" when he COMPLAINS OF interference
with personal opinion, while Ida" com
plains OF criticism. Speak, reader; is the
above anything more than criticism,
and public criticism at that? We
hone "Ids's" dictionary distin-
cuisines between suppression and
"criticism." Truth is mighty and will
prevail through the modus operandi by
which this prevailing Is accomplished Is,
rs Ida" says of her first article, "a kind
Of skipDy" at times.
"Ida," in recent years, has mentally I'M
oergone most wonderful metamoTphosis
if the views evinced by public expression
are any key 10 what has occurred in ner
mind relative to religious belief If so.
let " hope that her iconoclastical ten
dency hasnOt carried her beyond the lin
It's OF unitsrianism. lie who would teal
down images must be able 70 supply sub
stitutes. People are always reluctant to
change doctrines unless they feel sure
that the change will be accom-
panied with beneficial results.
We cannot admit n materialistic salvation
which In its rational finality leads US into
total darkness, when we possess a bril-,
liant lamp TO hight up that darkness with
ali that Is beautiful. lasting and uplifting
in the ideaiistic salvation OF modern
Christianity. To the writer Ida's article
atheism. gave promise of latent advoca-
ton Of such darkness and incidentally to
the denial OF the existence OF God. Su-
preme Cause, Omnipotencs, Providence,
Allah, Buddha. Baal. Thoy, Jupiter and
a thousand other names given to the ALI
Ruling Power, who presides over univer-
sal destiny and without whose admitted
dominion. such universal destiny is unin-
teligible. We say denial because atheism
II ANYTHING 10 q denial Of the existence of
this all knowing power. with all its con-
comitants. past, present. future, collateral
and cumulative. Ida, of course, like all
advocates of iconoclasm, agnosticism, inf.
delism, atheism, whatever you will, tries
TO prop up her argument by having re-
course 10 the so.called science of astron-
omy and geology.
Leaving the pyramids OF Cheops, from
which astronomers of Egypt. Babylon and
China are said 10 have predicted eclipses
OF sun and moon two Thousand years be-
fore the Christian era, we pass Ptolemy,
Capernicus, Tycho. Calico. Kepler. Des-
cartes, Picard, Sir Isaac Newton, before we
arrive at the exceedingly modern origi-
mated nebuiar hypothesis of the two great
French mathematicians, Laplsce aud La
grange. authors of tho theory which Ida
alludes 10, namely: that "the solar system
was formed by the gradual cooling Of a
wbirling nebular. . gigantic mass Of
luminous gas"
This nebular hypothesis rests upon
largely assumed data, and when the as
sum ption Of data IL overthrow, which is
likely to occur at any time, this hypothe-
els. like q great many others. is likely to