The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-02


Take the story of Noah and the ark, fol
example. In the first place, how does tht
truth or falsity of that story affect tht
fact that lying. stealing murder. anG
other generally recognized sins are wrong
and that unselfshness is more lovely thar
, the opposite quality? 1t has no more to
| do with these facts than it has with
| the multiplicat on table. Moreover. the
| ability to believe things which are ex-
actlJ opposed to common sense is not a
proof of being able to perceive moral
truth, as is shown by the fact that many
OF those who implicitly believe this story
see no harm in advising Others to pre-
tend to believe it even il they do not.
The ability to reason clearly and logically
is one of the most precious aids to eth
zeal development. Let us see how this is
aided by belief in the story of Noah.
In the first place, the reader is asked
TO believe that Noah, at the age of six
hundred years, without assistance or ex-
| perience, built ship. That would be
miraculous nowadays. This ship was
about five hundred and fifty feet by ninety
broad, and fifty-five deep, and it had three
stories, making the space between the
| decks less than nineteen feet on an aver
age. The floor space on the three decks
would thus amount to something less
than one hundred and fifty thousand
square feet Into this ship were to be
/ gathered specimens of every kind of
beast. large and small, by sevens That
would be another miracle, if it happened
| in this century. OF the larger animals
those too large to be kept in piled-up
cages-there must have been seven thou
| sand at the very smallest calculation
This collection includes lions, tigers. ele-
plants, rhinoceroses, and numerous other
wild beasts, not counting the iDnumerable
birds, reptiles, and creeping things If
Noah had seven thousand animals of a
considerable size to pack away in that
ark, there would be not more than TWEEN
ty-one square feet of area for each one
that is, space less than FIVE feet square
and this does not provide for any parti-
tons, Railways, cages, places to store
food, or apartmer s for Noah and his
family, or for any of the animals like
small snakes, tarantulas, lizards, or in
sects of any description. Thus a fresh
miracle would be required to make it pos
sible to put animals into an ark of the
dimensions described. Furthermore, I'M
less they were fed by magic, and there is
no mention of that, a considerable part
of the space within the ark would be re-
quired for food and water for one hun
dred and fifty days-in fact, the supply
required for the animals would fill prac-
tically the whole of that space, as any
menagerie proprietor can testify. Still
another miracle is required in this con-
nection. Now, is it possible that the un-
questioning evidence of this story of mi
raculous Intervention has anything to do
with the truth of the Golden Rule? Yet
there was a time when almost everybody
thought that it did And at that time the
idea that man had gradually, through sue
cessive generations, been evolved from
lower forms of life was scoffed at as in
credible. and not only incredible, but IT,
religious. Why? Because it contradicted
this. and similar stories which are now
found TO have been evolved by the ancient
tribes of Yucatan.
But il may be asked, What then, can
have been the purpose of this legend and
other traditions. cherished as sacred
through untold generations? There is an
explanation of the story of Noah. which,
though il may be scoffed at today as i'm
probable. is at any rate less improbable
than the literal significance of a story
which in every point absolutely contra
diets common sense. II is known that the
priests OF Egypt and India were in posses-
sion of many scientific truths which have
been lost with the passing of the ancient
civilization. 1t is not absolutely impos-
sible that they may have conceived the
theory of evolution, Of the development of
man from the lowest forms of life,
through successive types, to the human
shape. which still bears marks of this up
ward progress, as in the semi-feral as
pect and nature of some human beings
If such theory had been conceived il
would almost certainly have been trans
mitted from generation TO generation of
the priesthood, in the form of a parable
and the story of Noah is in almost the ex-
act shape which Oriental symbolism would
be likely to use in describing so stupen-
dous a history that of man, af1oat upon
the ocean Of being. and preserving from
the food OF time all that was highest In
previous types of animal life. The pro-
portions OF the ark are approximately
those of the human body, and the parable
after the symbolic meaning was lost |
might easily have become confused with |
the story of some local flood. The Hindoo |
priests have long known the secret Of the |
circulation of the blood; the Chinese in
vented gunpowder and lost the secret of |
1t; there is nothing impossible in the |
idea that the great theory OF evolution |
might have been evolved by some Oriental |
in his meditations uDon the |
reconcile than some other theories which |
they have impaired to the Western world. |
We are glad to hear that the President |
has consented to attend the ceremonies |
next Monday in honor of the centennial of |
Chief Justice Marshsll's accession to the |
Chief Justiceship. 1t will do Mr.. Mckinley |
no harm to hear afresh that splendid ut I
terance of the departed great one on the |
question Of what constitutes the United |
States In the famous case of Loughbor- |
ough VS.. Blake Judge Marshall said: Does |
this term designate the whole or any par
ticular portion OF the American empire? |
Certainly this question can admit of but |
one answer. 1t Is the name given to our |
great Republic which is composed of |