The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-17
SHARP CRITICISM.
DR.. Brady's Exhaus-
tive Review Of Prof.
Fishes Latest.
THROUGH NATURE TO GOD. "
The Doctor Says ut Is a
Weak, Strong, Lit
tie Book"
THROUGH NATURE TO GOD. I"

Rev. DR.. John Boyd Brady, pastor of
Grace M. E. church, has kindly writ
ten a review of Through Nature to
God" Prof. John Fiske's latest work.
This book is published by Houghton,
Mifflin & Co, Boston, and is for sale by
Putnam, Davis & Co., and the Sanford,
Sawtelle Company.
Mr.. John Fiskes Through Nature
to Cod is a profound little book; but
it is not profound enough. 1t is a broad
little book; but not broad enough. 1t
is sublime little book; but not suf-
fieientiy sublime. 1t is correct little
book; but not sufficiently correct.
In other words, it is a weak, strong
little book, and the business of this re-
view is to point out its weaknesses and
it's strength.
1t is weak when it starts out by des-
scribing the Pentateuchal account of
creation as a legend instead of a para
BILE; when it talks of this account as
Zoroastrian in coloring instead of Jeho-
vahistic in authority. There is more ev-
idence that ZTrathusthra was
influenced by Moses than that Moses
was, influenced by Zarathusthra. We
are sure of the antiquity of Moses; but
no man is sure of so remote antiquity
for Zarathusthra.
If there was any borrowing between
Zepd and the Pentateuch, it is more
likely that Zoroaster Ghe Greek name
for Zarathusthra) borrowed his Ahri-
man and Ormuzd from the Jehova-
histic system than that system
borrowed from the Zendavesta. The
book is also weak when it asks 'if
there were no such thing as evil how
could there be such a thing as good
ness?" 1t might as reasonably ask if
there were no such thing as darkness
how could there be such a thing as
light? Light depends not on darkness
for existenoe nor does goodness de-
pend on badness for existence. If this
were SO then the more evil the better.
The author is also unfortunate in his
premises. He asserts, as a premise,
perpetual change makes conscious
life 1t is only by virtue of this end
less procession of fleeing phases of
consciousness that the human soul ex-
lists at ALL" This is not only not de-
monstrable, but it is not true. Does
gravity ever change? Does truth
ever change? Does law ever
change? Does God ever change?
There are many forces in this universe
than are changeless and yet have con-
scious life. And the more important,
the more Interchangeable they are.
If the author had said in the present
condition of the human soul it must be
developed through painful perishing
and elevating changes till 1t becomes
fitted for the realms of unchangeability
he would have said something
worth remembering He is more
than weak when he nffirms:
God is the creator of evil and from
the eternal scheme Of things diabolism
is forever excluded" This is blasphe-
my against God and devil at the same
stroke. Here he places the source of
evil where 1t does not belong. He
charges the Best Being with its au-
thorship, when, If he would but think
deeply into the moral constitution of
the universe, he would see there could
be no ethically majestic beings but mo-
raj beings, That moral beings must
have freedom of choice. That at the
point where freedom Of choice is exer-
cised evil may and did begin. That
therefore the moral being who exercis-
ed his will for evil IL the source of the
evil, and not the Almighty who in his
love for production Of mighty creatures