The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-03

verse: The manner of its origin; the matter out of which 1t was made; the time occupied in it's making; the date | when 1t was made; the extent of the Universe; finally, who designed and created 1t, and by what power is 1t gov erned.
 In his endeavors to solve these problems he resorts to two cOsmogonies, to wit: F'irst-Sacred Cosmogony, or book of | revelation.
 ] Second-Scientiic cosmogony or the | book of nature. That is to say the Masonic Trestleboard. Sacred Cosmogony is as old as religion and faith, that is to say as old as the history of man-Scientifc Cosmogony is of comparatively modern origin. In all sacred Cosmogonies there Is similarity | of teaching, and is eternal and without ! change. In Scientific Cosomogony there | is first discovery. which must be demon- | strated; second. explanation which must be logical and rational. It Is. therefore, progressive. Both Cosmoyonies agree upon the following:
 That there was a beginning; that there was a creation; that there was creator; that the Universe Is controlled by law. They differ upon the following questions;
 The manner of creation, the matter of creation the time occupied in the 'crea- tin; the date of the creation. and the nature of the law that govern the Uni verse.
 It. therefore, follows that upon the great urinary or fundamental questions Reve- Iation and Science agree. and that they differ only upon the secondary or sub sidary questions as to the manners, time, date, etc.
 On these latter question the following is a synopsis of the vast majority Of sac red writing or revelation, that is to say of sacred cosmogony:
 That the Creator made the universe bv His hands or that He spAke and it was done.
 That matter was created out of nothing.
 That the creation was instantaneous or occupied only a brief period.
 AThat the creation was only few thou sa nd years ago.
 That tn, earth is the chief of the W orlds, and that the sun, moon and stars were created for the special purpose of serving the earth.
 That the earth is the center ana around it the others revolVe.
 That the earth Is flat, above It being a Armament and above that the heavens.
 That the creation was complete that is to say 2 perfect earth. and all natural things thereon a perfect sun. moon and stars. etc.
 That the universe is controlled by in cessant divine intervention or by the will of the Creator.
 That the Creator is a God or Gods pos sessing an entity or personal existence, and that He or They have a place of abode on a throne from which the uni- verse is ruled.
 Such at least is the interpretation of most of the sacred cosmogonies of anti du'tv. for example those of Chaldea. BabyIOnia, AssYrla, Phoen'cia and Juda, also 10 certain extent of the Egyptian, Persian and Greek
 The following is a synopsis of scien- tific cosmogony.
 That the manner of creation is un- known.
 That the original matter of creation is unknown. but that it was probably a nebulous or gaseous mass, subsequently changed by natural law into its compiet- ed form.
 That the creation occupied hundreds of thousands of years, probably millions of years.
 That there was. therefore. no fixed date of cation, but that matter in it's pres ent form has existed for thousands of years.
 That the earth is one of the most insig nihcant of the numberless worlds, even as ''speck of dirt in the ray of the sum-
 That the universe is made up of sys-