The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-05-19

upon the origin of the universe. he says
that they framed theories to account 1or
the beginning of the earth and man" that
'they either did this for themselves or
borrowed those of their neighbors." that
of the theories current in Assyria AMI
Phenicia fragments have been preserved
and these exhibit points of resemblance
with the biblical narrative sufficient to
warrant the inference that both are
derived from the same cycle OF tradition.
After giving some extracts from the
Chaldean creation tablets, he says. I'm
the light of these facts it is difficult to
resist the conclusion that he biblical
narrative is drawn from the same source
as these other records. The biblical
historians. it is plain derived their mat
erial from the best human sources avail
able. The materials which with other
nations were combined into the crudest
physical theories or associated with a
grotesque ~polytheism. were viri1ied and
transformed by the inspired genius of the
Hebrew historians and adapted to become
the vehicle of profound religions truth"
Not less honorable to the sister univers-
ity and to himself is the statement recently
made by the Rev. Prof. Ryle Hulscan
professor of Divinity at Cambridge. He
says that to suppose a christian must
either %renounce his confidence in the
achievements of scientific research or
abandon his faith in scripture is a mons
trous perversion of christian freedom"
He declares: The position is no longer
tenable; a new position has to be taken up
at once. prayerfully chosen. and hopefully
held. He then goes or to compare the
Hebrew story of creation with the earlier
stories developed among kindred peoples
and especially with the Assyro-Babylon-
ian cosmogony and shows they are from
the same source" If our earth has been
called into existence by a process of de-
velopment prior to the beginning of
Hebrew history. then it is probable the
same is true of her sister planets and
moreover we seem forced to the conclusion
that before these ponderous orbs had been
launched by an Almighty arm upon the
Ocean of space the sun must first have
been created to guide each in her given
path. Vegetable and animal life being of
necessity a subsequent creation. Moses
says The earth brought forth grass. the
herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yield
ing fruit after his kind whose seed is in
ITSELF which is to say each partic ular
genus of plant grew out of the ground
from a specific germ so also must each
genus of animal have had a like embryonic
origin ''Omnus vivus ex ovum-Every
living thing comes from an egg and as
the earth rose by slow graduation from the
depths of chaos into an Eden of beauty
therefore it follows that so soon as her
soil had been fitted by the Divine Hus-
bandman for the production and support
of the humblest representatives of the
vegetable kindom they were spoken into
being simultaneous it is presumable with
like representatives of the animal kindom,
the development of the latter being ever
dependent on that of the former and
therefore must have been commensurate
with it, They are children of n birth
nursed in the lap of time and nourished
from the breast of ages, moving in myster-
ious harmony through many vicissitudes
onward to their appointed destiny. The
theory of development seems to accord
with known laws and in its operation
manifests in a superlative degree. Infinite
wisdom and goodness. Science. law. wis
dom and truth are synonymous terms and
God is the great center and circum-
ference of all truth with whom there is
no variableness nor shadow of turning"
Yonder clouds that darken the ''silvestine'
of the western horizon is all aglow with
flashing light and golden chains Of electric
fire we hear but the ~faintest murmur. YET
we know the voice of majesty is shaking
heavens concave and rending her sable
drapery in sunder. So when we behold
lu rid pillars of eternal Truth we know he
speaks. Progression is the order OF
providence. We are in a state of transit
ion our feet rest only on the first round OF
the ladder that shall scale the towering
nights of coming ages and carry us higher
and still higher up the sleeps of glory to
the glittering SUBMITS of immortal fame.
In conclusion permit me to quote the
following by z. D. Underhill. in Harper's
Weekly.
THE TWO FOES"
lin a great war for consecrated ground
One who loved Christ and one who served
Mahomed
Encountered madly. so that Christian
knight
And Jealous Moslem fell in that fierce
fight.
Then, since so wildly they had waged the
strife,
Their anger SCARCE could pass with pass
ing life.
Der their pale corpses hung their souls. vel
wroth,
Till a strong angel bent and raised them
both,
What" shrieked the pagan. "Woulds1
thou bear my foe?"