The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-11-08
Observation-Disclosures
We Arc Often Affected by Forces
We Seldom Recognize.
mr.. Tnlmngo Enlarges upon Hum"a
Accountability In His Sermon
5. 6omo Great Surpriscs OF
tho New World.
FCopyrlght, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, y. II
- =" mn Washingto OH, Oct 27.

onstrates that Wo arc anected ny
= forces that we seldom recognize and
enlargcs upon human accountability;
S tho text is Job 1891: "Canst thou
bind tho aweet Influences of Plel-
ades2"
i@$ What is the meaning Of that ques-
tion that God put to Job? Lave we
ell our lives been reading 1t and arc
most Of us ignorant Of It's beauty
and power and practical suggestive
ness? A meaningless passage or
Scripture many thought it to be. But
the telescopes were busy age after
ago and astronomical observations
kept on questioning the sliies until
the meaning OF my text comes out
1ustrously. The Plciadcs is con-
eteuation Of seven stars appearing TO
tho naked eye, but scientific lnstru-
ments reveal more than 400 properly
belonging to the group. Alcyonc is
tho name Of the brightest star Of that
group called the Plciades. A Russian
astronomer observed that Alcyone is
the center OF gravitation Of our solar
eystem. Hugh Macmillan says that
tho sun and its planets wheel around
that center at the ratio Of $4,000 miles
O day in an orbit which it will talso
ades appear in tho springtim and are
associated with flowers and genial
warmth and good weather. Tho nayl-
cation Of the Mediterranean was from
May to Novcmbcr-thc rising and the
setting Of the Plelades. Tho priests
Of Belus noticed that rising and set
ting 1000 years before Christ.
Now, the glorious meaning OF my
text is plain as we'll as radiant. TO
give Job the beautiful grace Of hui
mility God asked him: "Canst thou
bind tho sweet influences Of the
Pleiades?" Have you any power ovcr
tho laws Of grayitation? Can you
modify or change an influonco wiold-
ed by q star moro than 100000 milos
away? Can you control tho winds Of
tho springtimc? Can you cnll out tho
fowers? How little you know com
pared with omnscience! How little
you can do compared with Omnipo-
teneel
The probability is that Job had
been tempted to arrogance by his vast
attainmonts. He was q motallurgist,
2oologist, o poet, and shows by his
writings no had knowledge Of hunt
Ing, Of musio, of husbandry, of med-
cine, Of mining, Of astronomy. and
perhaps was SO far ahead OF the
scholars and scientists Of his time
that ho may have been somewhat
puffed up; hcnco this Interrogation OF
my text. And there Is nothing that
go soon takes down human pride as
m interrogation point rightly thrust.
Christ used it nightly. Paul mounted
tho parapct Of his great arguments
with such battery. Nleu Of the
world understand it. Demosthenos
began his speech on tho crown and
Cioero his oratlon against Catiliua
and Lord Chatham his most famous
orationa with q ques ton. Tho empire
of ign oranao Is go much vastcr than
the enapiro OF knowledge that after
the most learned and elaborate dis
quisition upon any subject Of aoclol-
ogy or theology the plaincst man may
ask question that will make the
wiscat gpeeohlcss. After tho pro-
faundest assault upon Christianity
tho humblcst disciple may make an
Inquiry that would silenoo Voltaire
called upon, as we all are at times,
60 defend our holy religion, instead
OF argument that can always be an
swered by argument let us try the
power Of Interrogation. We ought to
be loaded with at least half dezon
questions and always ready, and when
Christianity Is assailed and we arc
told there Is nothing in It, and there
Gs no God, and thcro never was a.
miraole, and that tho Scriptures are
unreasonable and cruel, and that
ehero neyor will DO Judgment day,
eako out Of your portable armory Of
interrogation something like this
What makes tLsf condition Of women
In Christian lands better than in
heather lands? DO you think 1t would
bo kind In God to turn tho human
race Into world without any writ
ten revelation to explain and encour-
age and elevate and save? And if a
revelation was made, which do YOU
prefer, the Zenda-Vesta Of tho Por-
ainn or the Confucian writings Of the
Chinese or the Koran OF Mohammed
OK our Bible? If Christ Is not a Di
vine being, what did he mean when
He said Before Abram was amp,
II the Bible il bad book. where are
tho evil results Of roading it? Did
you ace any degrading influence Of
the book in your father or mother
or sister, who used to read it? Do
you not think that a Judgment day
iB necessary in order to explain and
fix up things that were never ex-
plainod or fixed up? II our religion is
illogical and an imposition upon hu-
man ofeduity, why were Hcrschel and
Washington and Gladstone and VII
liam Mckinley its advocates? How
did 1t happen that our religion fur
nished tho theme for the greatest
poem over written, "Paradso Lost"
end to the painters their greatest
themes in the elaboration OF the
Magi." '"rho TRANSPORTATION" "Tho
Last supper" ,"<"Thc Crucifxion, "Tho
Entombment." "Tho Last Judgment"
and that all the schools OF painting
put forth their utmost genius in pre-
senting ''The Madonn
Why was It that William Shakes
peare, aftcr amazing Tie world az no
viii amaze all Centuries with tho
aplendor and power OF "The Nor
chant Of vonlco," end "Coriolanus,"
M1Ip1 r,n.>~r