New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-09
UNIVERSAL BELIEF IN GOD
AN INTERESTING LECTURE BY THE REV.
DR. F. F. ELLINWOOD.
HE REF1-TEs THE IDEAS OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK.
AND SHOWS THAT no Tribe Is WITH
OFT BELIEF IN SUPREME
Rr.ISe;- CONTINUING THE LONG
BEACH CONGRESS

BEING-CONTINI'1NG THE Long
BEACH CONGRESS.
The Rev. Dr. F. F. Ellinwood delivered an ex-
tremely interesting lecture at the Congress OF Re-
llgions at Long Beach yesterday on The Contacts
and Divergencies OF the Ethnc Religions and Their
Relations to Christianity" Those who were at the
beach and failed to hear II missed rare opportu'
nifty for enlightment subject which might not
be easily comprehended from the title of the lecture
by those who are not deep religious students.
Instead OF being what might be termed a tech
meal treatise obscure subject, II such an
expression may he used properly In connection with
a religious lecture. it In vein popular enough
to be easily understood by any thinking person OF
ordinary intelligence. The idea expressed through
out the lecture was that there OF
human beings however low in the scale the mem
bers might be- which did not cherish a belief in
some one god more powerful than all the others
This true even OF those who worshpped idols
and other material things the authority OF many
we-known writer's Notwithstanding.
Max Muller has rightly said" began the speaker,
that subject presents more fascinating study
than the religions OF mankind. The struggles or
nations In and carnage. which 80 largely constl-
tute the staple Of human history, are on lower
plane There is far nob.er interest to be found
In the searchings Of successive generations after the
hidden mystery of their being their origin their
accountability md their destiny. And however the
religions OF the past and the present may diner they
all attest the religious element in man by resolving
in many ways their irrNprrssble desire 10 secure
Divine light or help. our first point in discussing
the smilarites and Emergencies OF the worlds re-
lieons is this universally OF the religious instinct.
! am that II has been disputed A desire TO
close the gap between humanity and the brute crea-
ton has led certain writer's - dcbase the former
and exalt the latter. While Darwin. Romaines and
others claim for the intelligent animals some
thing like reason. conscience and even worship. Sir
John Lubbock and ST. Hlaire have insisted that
races still found who destitute OF those re-
!igous conceptions which the high prerogative
OF humanity.
The whole drift OF the latest scholarship. how
ever excludes this contention. The extended per
sonal observations OF Humboldt Van Neuwiid; l.iy-
ingston and Cazalis. and the exhaustive schoar-
have confirmed the conclusion OF that oII roman
writer who said nineteen centuries ago mat men
had been found without city walls ana without
Thai grand missionary hero. John q. Patton, who
Of the Pacinc Isles FOUND none wiihou, belief in
a Creator. The tribes whose religious conceptions
central africa. described hy Henry ~ Stan.ey.
But Dr 4. G. Good. OF Batanga. mas begun 20 make
have learned recently he has found tribes " dwaTs
who cultivate the soil nor clear NE forcst ana
who cannot count above Ave. but who believe IN a
supreme Creator. for whom they hav" distinctive
While :, was ,-,,c tina; all tribes believed IN one
supreme being the speaker said T. was NJ; tru" mat
they all worshpPed him some o., The s tsy %
d with "Anyambe' for the reason ina; be h"' no
concern FOR them.
Having created various orders q beings \" hAi
ler, hem 20 io1k after themselves As besi hey may,
JJe ta1 l.,. mankind 20 the mercy - fiscThoil el
spirl,s mostly malevo.or'. who are NOR" POW. flu'
and more crafty: and - with these tna men nav
o. A. They n. 70 %. aupesAe! or c.rcumveDicl by
va rious devices The fc,ich~@ simply the sup
,nI = no rrer,ica concern. - ne ihey played
OF against one another each In the interest ~ ~"
-. -
"Cer.a,n tribes % Northern "h'na ho.i hat ne
Creator ins.eai ~ abandoning IN" WORK ~ a.
hands has farme! ~ - deputies IN Various ie-
rnr,menfs retaining only general luTriic'"n
The sneaker gave many Interesting f"ta'ls ~ Fu'-
on. re- glons ard tribes practising mem ne s'lhe
more than an hour and. although N" aud'enc" "hs
small Tr Fi.inwood was Ns;en'i 20 ait"ntvey
T. ,ba afternoon interfering lectures were given
hy the Rev Dr a u Mckinney. On SnLviva;s o'
Zoroastranism." and ~ Joseph .@ok on me fecF-
i...ne.s o, Christian Family ~"