Democratic messenger., 1893-09-16

national air? No, they want the old
hymn with which we snng 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 do shall not dwell on il 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 tho
fact that infideli.y is bolder now and
more blatant than it ever was. deny
the statement. Infidclity 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 BROOKLYN:
Not one.
All. my friends. infidelity in this day
is not half as bold as it used to lie. If il
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 intidel and
begins an attack on Christianity it
makes great excitement.-of 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 ship: Does
that wreck all the 500 passengers: 1t
makes great excitement when man
leaps from platform or pulpit into
infidelity, but does that hinder our glo-
rious Bible from taking its millions into
the skies: | tell you infidelity 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 Robespierrc. when shameless WON
an was elected to he goddess, ard she
sa1 .l,n,, -.
thedral, and the people bowed down 10
her as n 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 i'll the cathedral,
in the chapcls and in the corridors adj
joining the cathedral scenes of drunken
ness and debauchery and obSccnity were
enacted such as the world bad never seen.
Could such a thing as that transpirc
now? No, sir. The police would swoop
on it. whether in Paris or New York.
lnfidclity is not half rs bold now as il
used TO be.
But" say our antagonists, Christi
anity is falling back because science, its
chief enemy. is triunphing over it, y
Now, ! deny that there is any war be-
tween science and revelation. There is
not fact in science that may not be
made to harmonize with the statements
of the Bible. So said Hugh Miller; so
said Joseph Henry: so said Professor
Hitchcock: so said Professor Silliman; SO
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-
lever in the religion of Jesus Christ.
Joseph Henry knew all the facts of geol-
ogy and vet 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 falling 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 rs they differ outside the
church i'll science. If they reject our re-
hgion 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 infidel
science against Christianity is not so ST.
we're as it used TO be, because these men
are nntagonistic to each other and rs far
as can tell it is going to be "A war be-
tween telescope and telescope, Leyden
jar and Lcydcn 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 To be
overthrown by men who have different
origin of life: And when Agassiz comes
out and puts both feet on the doctrine
Of evolution and says III regard 10 many
scientists. IL notice that these young
naturalists are adopting as theories in
science things which have not passed
under observation. Agassiz saw what
we all see--that there are men who talk
very wisely who know but very little,
and that just aS soon as Il young scien-
fist finds out the difference between the
feelcrs of wasp and the horns Of Il
beetle he b, gins 10 patronize the Al
mighty AMI 20 about talking about
culture as thoush il were spelled c-u-l-
c.h-a-r-culchar.
II makes me sick To SEE these literary
foIis gonS down the street with = copy
of Darwin under one arm and IA CASE Of
transfxcd grasshoppcrs and butterflies
under the other arm. talking about the
Survival of the Fit,est" and Huxley S
''ProtoIlasin." and the '\cbular liy-
?othcsis." and talking 10 us common
men as though we were fools! If they
A Good Thirg to Keep at Hand
Some years ago we were very mncl
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