Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-04-12
= SECOND OPEN LETTER TO srEno.

article Hidut tou dppcuA- tdUuDi.
therefore, fulfill my promise to you.
You have thrown aside the students
gown and seized the polemic's club
again. Furthermore an advance les
son would be useless until YOU have
mastered the one that has been given
YOU. can best point out the errors
into which you have fallen this time
by quoting some of your sentences
and then making remarks upon them.
/. In your views on existence |
cannot consider you any more than
s.skin deepr' (Steno).
/ remark first that the use Of slang
or Of any words that SAVIOR of slang
weakens the force of your utterances;
it is undignified and betrays want of
vocabulary
remark second that, if what | said
on existences was only ''skin deep
YOU should have exposed its shallow
ness Proof is more satisfactory to
intelligent readers than epithets. The
cat sneers and calls the elephant a
mouse But nobody believes the cat
until she catches and devours the ele-
plant. which she is bound to do or
forfeit her good name for candor. !
presume YOU see your obligation.
remark third, that although what
said was only "skin deep" the con-
text in your article betrays the fact
that you did not penetrate to the bot
/ tom of it. What had to say about
1 istences had but one object in view,
and that object was not to prove that
there is God or that there are other
existences besides matter; it was to
expose the fallacy into which you had
fallen. You had used the language,
''All matter exists and all that exists
| is matter Here are two PROPOSE
tions and their iuxtaposition and the
context seemed to show that you re-
garded the second as conclusion
from the first ! gave you logical
| demonstration, as exact as a demon
stration in geometry, that the second
proposition is not derivable from the
| first What | said about the idiots
and the bulldog was by way of illus
tration, intended as I'll aid to your
understanding. This logical demon
stration does not satisfy your mind.
Now if some one says that a demon
stration in geometry does not satisfy
his mind, which shall we conclude is
at fault, the demonstration or his
mind? He but publishes his own ig-
norance by proclaiming his dissatis-
faction. | would recommend that
you open your logic to the subject of
conversion and reread the last para
graph in my former letter in the light
OF what you find there.
2. II wish to inquire into the
causes which caused God, after an
eternity of constant inactivity, to
create the universe.
What then were the causes which
caused God to cause the universe
s, 600 but not 5000. 900. 900. 900, 000.-
900, 900 of years ago?" -(Steno).
The import of your language here
plainly is that this eternity of mac
lityr is proof that God does not exist.
How DoYoU KNOW THAT THE UNIVERSE
WAS NOT CREATED UNTIL 6 1000 YEARS
AGO? Who SAID so? Astronomers
will tell you that they find signs of
growth and decay among the stars and
nebule of the heavens that will point
to millions of years of existence.
You have apparently confused the
universe with this world. | have
sometimes heard it said by Christian
people who accepted literal interpre-
tation of the Biblical account of crea-
ten and of Biblical chronology that
this world is about six thousand years
old, but educated christians very rare
ly accept these interpretations Now
am surprised at your confusion of
the universe with the world, but my
surprise becomes establishment when
q protested adherent of the doctrine
of evolution says that the universe
was created 8, 900 years ago and makes
that basis for the conclusion that
God does not exist.
Then again if we assume that this
physical universe was not created
until 5000 years ago, how do you
know that God remained in state of
Inactivity up to that time? Are you
absolutely certain that there is not
anything for God to do but to create
suns and planets? How did you find
out so muehe Do you not see that
your premise is a mere assumption
and your conclusion up in the air?
Say, don't you think you are getting
a long way from home? Would if not
be better to come back to Preston and
take up something that You really
know something about? Begin with
certainties begin with certainties!
$. God to exist must be infinite.
50 don't YOU see that this implies all
existence" (Steno)
No. ! don't see INFINITE. as APP
piled to God, does not mean that he is
the sum of all exiStences. That is Il
crude conception generally adopted by
atheists either for controversial purpo-
seS or from ignorance. Icommend vou
to the Century Dictionary or any stand
ard work on Theism.
4. 1--WE are matter and our envi-
4