Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-09-13

| Wnab Dmlulng DO they sOIicltl Nh
academy of music, the hotel, public hall
courthousei No; the churches. And Il
they want music on the sad occasion dC
they select the "Marseil,aise" hymn, OF
"God Save the Queen, " or our own grand
national airp No, they want the old
hymn with which we sang their old
Christian mother to sleep. They want
the Sunday school hymn that their little
girl sang the last Sabbath afternoon she
was out before she was seized with the
awful sickness that broke fathers heart
and mothers heart, Oh, you know as
well as l do shall not dwell on it any
longer-the church of God, instead of
being wornout institution, stands near
er the sympathies of the people than it
ever did and eclipses all other institu-
tions.
But our antagonists go on and say
that Christianity is falling back, in the
fact that infidelity is bolder now and
more blatant than it ever was. deny
the statement. Infidelity is not near SO
bold now as it was in the days of our
fathers and grandfathers. There were
times in this country when men who
were openly and above board infidel and
antagonistic to Christianity could be
elected to high Office. Now, let some
man wishing high position in the state
proclaim himself the foe of Christianity
and an infdel, how many states of the
Union would he carry; how many
counties; how many wards in Brooklyni
Not one.
All, my friends, infdelity in this day
is not half as bold as it used to be. If it
comes now, it is apt to come under the
disguise of rhetoric or fantastic senti-
mentality. know if man with great
intelligence does become an infidel and
begins an attack on Christianity it
makes great excitement course it
does, and people come to the conclusion,
weakminded Christians come to the con-
clusion, that everything is going over
board because some man of strong in
tellect assails Christianity.
If a man jumps overheard from Gu
nard steamer, he makes more excite
ment than all the 500 sane passengers
who continue in the berths or on the
decks, but does that stop the ship9 Does
that wreck all the 500 passengers? 1t
makes great excitement when man
leaps from platform or pulpit into
infdelity, but does that hinder our glo-
rious Bible from taking its millions into
the skies? l tell you infdelity is not
half as bold now as it used to be.
DIVERSITY OF SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT.
Do you suppose such things could be
enacted now as were enacted in the days
of Robespierre, when shameless wom-
an was elected to be goddess, and she
was carried on q golden chair to ca
thedral, and the people bowed down to
her as a divine being and burned in
cense before her-she to take the place
of the Bible, and of Christianity, and of
the Lord Almighty? And while that
ceremony was going on in the cathedral,
in the chapels and in the corridors ad-
joining the cathedral scenes of drunken
ness and debauchery and obscenity were
enacted such asthe world had never seen.
Could such thing as that transpire
now? No, sir. The police would swoop
on it, whether in Paris or New York.
Infdelity is not half as bold now as it
used to be.
But" say our antagonists, Christi
anity is falling back because science, its
chief enemy, is triumphing over it,"
Now, deny that there is any war be-
tween science and revelation. There is
not fact in science that may not be
made to harmonic with the statements
of the Bible. So said Hugh Miller; SO
said Joseph Henry; so said Professor
Hitchcock; so said Professor Silliman; 80
said Professor Mitchell.
Joseph Henry, the leading scientist of
America, better known and honored in
the royal societies Transatlantic than any
other American, lived and died be-
liever in the religion of Jesus Christ
Joseph Henry knew all the facts of geol-
ogy and yet believed the book of Gene
sis. He knew all the facts of astronomy
and yet believed the book of Joshua. the
sun and moon standing still. Joseph
Henry knew all the anatomy of man and
fish and yet believed the book of Jonah.
If the scientists of the day were all
agreed, and they came up with solid
front to attack our Christianity. perhaps
they might make some impression upon
it, but they are not agreed. 1t is often
said that we religionists are failing in
our advocacy of Christianity because we
differ in our theology. tell you we do
not differ inside the church in theology
half as much as they differ outside the
church in science. II they reject our re-
ligion because we differ on some minor
points, We might just as well reject
science because the scientists differ, but
as far as | can tell the war OF infdel
science against Christianity is not SO Sc
we're as it used to be, BECAUSE these men
are antagonistic to each other. and as far
as can tell it is going to be a war be-
tween telescope and telescope, Leyden
jar and Leyden jar, chemical apparatus
and chemical apparatus. They do not
agree on anything.
Do you suppose that this Bible theory
about the origin of life is going 70 be
Oyerthrown by men who have different
different theoFies-abOutthe
origin Of hfe7 And when Agassiz comes
put and puts both feet on the doctrine
II evolution and saws In regard 10 many