The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-02-01

whether agreeing with the editor or not.
Tod.
For thousands of years man has said
there Is God-of some kind Has he
ever proved it2 No.
In consequence of doubt expressed in
the columns of the SITTER relative to the
real or imaginary existence of such be-
ing, however, "vox," in defense of his
God, is constrained to remark that "any
person who says they know nothing of
God, place themselves below the most ig-
norant and degraded heather tribe the
world has ever produced"
A remarkable statement to make, GER.
tainly, and in face and uyes of the fact
{and a very cold fact it is too) that our
jaiis, warehouses, prisons and pcnitenti-
aries are full to overlooking, with crml-
mails of all classes, beth male and female,
heather and Christian, who believe in
either "Vox's" God or some other. Ac-
cording to his reasoning, person who
has the courage of his convictions and
dares say that he knows nothing about
God, notwithstanding he ia an honorable
and upright citizen, and does right be-
cause it is right, and not through tear, he
places him "below the most degraded
heather tribe the world has ever produ-
ced." Brilliant logic( s)to say the least
1t is gross libel on intelligent men and
women whose minds are mot enslaved
with the letters of superstition.
The worlds history is full of diaboli-
cal trimes committed by man in the name
of G I'd and religion. Only few years
ago at an evangelical meeting held here in
this city one night, a fiend in human
shape said: Before God, if you were
to go home and drive dagger into the
heart of your mother, it would not be so
great sin as the sin of unbelief." And
that is specimen of so-called Christian
ity
Says Mr.. +. B. Lamin, who writes in
terestingly in the Fortnightly Review,
"Nine hundred years of Christianity, in
stead of improving the Russians physi-
cally or morally, have left them in a
,oorse plight than when they were con-
tent to rnb along with paganism."
The savage made the first God, and
man has improved upon him since, for
God is but the reflex of man himself and
as man changes, God changes. There
are as many different Gods as there are
religions. "The mystery Of man cannot
be explained by the mystery of God.
That mystery still calls for explanation"
Socrates said he knew nothing, except
that he vas ignorant. In that respect he
was superior to those who assume to
know what they do not know. To argue
week after week theory not susceptible
of demonstration, is wanton waste of
time; it is about as profitable as chopping
sand; and the watch-design-argu-
ment advanced by "Vox," to prove the
existence of God, is just as reasonable,
for that moth-eaten theory has been
thoroughly dissected time and again, I'M
til there is nothing left of it.
When man, in a savage state, first saw
the lightning's flash and heard the thun-
der's roll, he imagined his God was an
cry with him, but when they ceased. and
the clouds rolled away and the bright
warm sun shone forth in all it's splendor,
it was because he was pleased. The
present condition of civilization is but
one step removed from our savage ances-
tors, in that particular respect, for it is
not so very long ago that ministers de-
nounced the invention of the telegraph
and locomotive from their pulpits as be.
ing the work of the devil to "thawt" the
will of God. And even today there are
those calling themselves intelligent who
entertain ideas equally absurd.
When ''Vox" can produce the "eui.
dence" of Divine being-a being whom
he cannot comprehend, as he admits
then will .'every intelligent person" be
ready and willing to examine the same
very carefully, "the same as they woule
in regard to other things"-things of 8
terrestrial nature for instance. Unit
then, let every man, woman and child BIZ
honest with themselves and acknowledge
that they don't know
+. B. S.
Boston, Jan. %, 1896.