The sun., 1899-12-31
Science and Religion.

To THE EDfroI OF THE SuS-Sir: There Ia
nothing that do not dare to DOUBT. Ihere u
nothing hat is not true that would wish TO
believe. There Is nothing that strue that L
am Gfrail to know.
. Still the religious discussion in THE Sun goes
on. and still to me. aud evidently 10 many
others II grows in interest and in importance
MY call for facts In support OF orthodoxy lVe
weeks ago remains. as yet. unanswered ohe
writer has undertaken to argue for the inspira-
tion o. the Bible BY n series OF mystical sevcns
Now, the codcrs from which our Bible was
tra' sated nun6e many-Alexandrinus. Natl-
canus, Ephraimi. Sinaiticus. Beza, &c. Surely
no mystical sevens ran through these codicos.
The inspiration that arranged tho mystical sew
ems must have been given to the transators. the
adapters. Of our King James version. fail 10
find those mystical sevens in my oil my Bibles'
Some years ngo tried to follow lGnatius Dom
nelly through Shak cspeurc whom he attempted
to prove by very mysterious cryptogram that
Bacon wrote Shakespeare. My failure to see IL
was complete.
Again wc are told that We must pray TINT wo
may believe. What value would belief that
came In that way havo1 Two or three have
written that we are to believe by spiritual
perception" by faith" by light from above"
&c. II we are to look to these for guidance.
what advantage has Christianity over other
rellgions7 The Mohammedan claims as much
Of these as any other religion; and we were
obliged to put into our treaty with the Sultan
OF Sulu. made only few weeks ago. a provision
that his people were not to be allowed to
slaughter Christians.
No more intense exhibition OF faith. no more
terrible evidence OF sincere belief In inspira-
ton. was ever cvon than has been furnished
by tho Khalifa md his dervishcs In the Soudan
within the last two years. The Hindoo proves
the sincerity " his faith by the worst tortures
inflicted on himself No people ever gave
stronger proofs oi confidence in their religion
than tho Mormons have been giving for more
than half a century. No torture. no sacrifice
was too great for the Ghost Dancers among
our own Indians ten years ngo. or our own
religion we have the Catholics, the Greek
Church. and host OF minor divisions OF Prot
estants. each and every one claiming to have
tho way. the truth. and the light"
Tho foundation for the faith OF each and
every one OF all the religions Is built OF visions
and dreams. miracles, prophecies AMI revela-
tions and the penalty for disbelief IN any one
OF them varies from social ostraclsm to tho
Spanish Inqulsltion. according as they may
have power to In fict a penalty. Mon trampe
their fellows into the dust for money and for
power. but only reliRionists persecute.
Science. facts reduced to system. beeets no
hates no prosecutions and few differences II
| a chemist announces new discovery. the
chemists OF the whole world proceed to expert
ment and TO demonstrate for themselves. know
ing that the laws OF chemistry are perfectly
uniform. and that every substance and every
atom In any rart OF the globe Is governed by
laws that have no failures and no executions.
| II discovery is made by an astronomer.
| astronomers everywhere turn their instru-
7 a. ..I.u
whether the discoverer has or has not made q
| mistake. The science OF mathematics. from
lowest to highest. is one where mistakes az to
facts are Impossible to capable men There II
no disagreement among biologists as to the
! facts that may be read from the rocks and the
| other deposits. Only con lectures vary among
the eeoloGlsts OF the whole world Scientific
! men have no occasion and no disposition to
| persecute.
Our great s:,entifc societies call together
| the men OF oil nations: they meet like brothers.
| glad to atd each his own moro or lass OF knowl-
| edge to tho general fund which Is the property
OF the peoples OF all tho nations. Whom Dnr-
win In England. and Wallace in tho far away
Malay archipelago. almost just at the same
time. discovered the facts that shaped them
selves into the theory that We call evolution,
there was not even any personal feeling as 70
who first announced the conclusions about
| which they were, 20 we'll agreed.
Why. then. IL II that for differences OF opinion
about things unknown. perhaps thinCs nom
| existent, things unknowablo, even unth'nk-
able. men will hate. persecute and slaughter
each other' II OF all the faiths we must follow
any, which shall It be2
| Surely II the Being or Beings. Power or
Powers. Agent or Agents who control tho uni
verse would make 60 us any revelation such rs
every religion claims theirs to be. we would
have been given evidence that no person would
have room or reason 10 doubt. Only the facts
Of sci"nc" ars undoubted. All else is chaos: a
| boundless field Of ever-shlftlng sands blown
about by" an Infinite variety OF every wind OF
! doctrine"
Tho breaking OF tho day has passed. Let US
| turn our backs to the slowly retreating
| shadows. and while the beasts OF prey and the
owls and tho bats are hiding themselves for
ever in the caves and the dens OF the earth. and
the many superstttions arc dissolving into the
thin air. let US hail with rejoicngs the already
! risen sun. W. II. LAUoHLIN.
COLLEGE sPRISos. Ia. Dec. 81.