The mirror., 1901-01-17
MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, JANUARY II. 1901

every command of Him whom they
pretend to serve" 1 think this is also
slur on our statesmen. There are
few bribers and corruptionists among
them, but the most of them are honor
able, upright men with stainless repu-
tations. believe that Washington,
Lincoln, Blaine, and Jefferson were as
honorable men as ever trod Gods foot
stool. And the majority of the Amer
lean people believe the same way.
"Kismit" says "there never was or
never will be an out and out atheist"
Such expressions are childish. Web
ster's Dictionary defines "atheist" as
zone who does not believe in the ex-
istence of Cod" 1 know of thou
sands of people who do not believe in
the existence of God. Therefore they
are atheists. Therefore you are re-
futed on this point "Kismit."
"Kismit" brings up the "Jonah and
the whale" business again, and tells
me to read Matthew 12, 40 in conjunc-
tion with Jonah. If he knows any,
thing about the King James version Of
the Bible, which is one in common use
everywhere, he knows it was originally
translated from the Greek. The origi-
nal Greek read, "a great fish," but the
translators substituted the word
"whale," just as they have substituted
many other words in different parts of
the Bible for the original Greek words.
And even if this is not sufficient to
refute him l can say that any one who
knows anything about whales, knows
that whales throat is not large
enough to enable one to swallow a
man. And also whales do not inhabit
the tropical oceans,-this one was sup
posed to be in the Mediterranean sea-
but are found near the Arctic circle
and the South seas. And again this
"whale" is said to have swallowed Jonah
somewhere near Joppa, and to have
disgorged him near Ninevah. Now
Ninevah was situated on the other side
of Africa, and there was no Suez Canal
in those days, therefore that "whale"
must have passed clear around Africa
to get to Ninevah, or al the rate of
something like $50 miles an hour, con-
tinuously, for three days and nights
What remarkable whale.
Lest some Misunderstanding should
arise at this point 1 want it to be un-
derstood that am not ridiculing the
story of Jonah. Merely the "whale"
story. | believe that Jonah was three
days and nights in the belly of some
"great fish," but not whale. And L
believe that it was possible for God to
cause that fish to go from Joppa to
Ninevah in three days and nights,
though how, do not pretend to say.
If "Kismit" can believe the doctrine
of the immaculate conception" that
is the birth of Christ from the Virgin
Mary, l can not see why he should
doubt the "fsh" story. 1t seems to me
he is swallowing camel and strain
ing at gnat." On the contrary if he
does not believe Christ was the Son of
God, will undertake to prove by ire
futable evidence that He was.
'Kismit" admits that 1 refuted him
on the assertion that "Christianity and
it's precepts as laid down by the Master
are not taught today" That's right
"Kismit" be a gentleman, and admit it
when you are defeated. He says he
did not mean what he said and tells
me what he did mean, which is totally
different from what he said before. If
you do not say what you mean, how
are we to know what you do mean?
We are not all mind-readers.
"Kismit" says he knows of only ONE
Christian in the whole world and that
is all that saves him from believing
Christianity to be MYTH. My, my,
what pessimist he is. Only one
thoroughly good person in the whole
world. Who is it wonder? Probably
Mark Hanna. A "myth" is something
that does not exist. 1t seems to me
that Christianity is pretty lively
myth.
did not say Christians and unbe-