The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-06
A WARM CONTROVERSY.

The Norfolk Landmark argues that "a century hence maybe nobody will believe in Adam, or. maybe. everybody will be- lieve in Adam" Possible but not proba- ble. for 1t is difficult to imagine such a change in humanity as to expect all men to believe the same way. The effort to discredit the individual to whom so many millions of human beings have been &C., customed to look with more or less yeneration Is taking a mean advantage of him. According to ordinary chronology he has been dead fifty or sixty centuries, and it isn't right to deny his existence now. As A. J. Russell says:
 Anyone who has considered Adams past from an unprejudieed standpoint cannot but feel sympathy for the sturdy and kindly old fellow who was led into temp tation by parties on whom we do not desire to cast any reflections in these columns. At this late day when the First Agricuiturist is no longer here tc defend himself it seems hardly fair or even decent to take throw at him for something which happened forty centuries ago and which was afterwards regretted as much by Adam as by anybody con- cerned. No matter what others may say or do we say Stand up for Adam. He's all right!'
 We Know of hardly anything more pathetic than Mark Twain weeping over the grave of Adam. True. he afterwards discovered that the supposed grave was myth, but it was real while it lasted according to Marks account, and he enjoyed it as thoroughly as If there had been a tombstone engraved with all the virtues of the late departed. If it wasn't Adams remains it was some other per sons, so the tears of the humorist were not wasted.
 But The Landmark puts faith in the efforts and perseverance of the archaeo- logists. Az it puts it. men keep dig ging down into the ground and finding bricks covered with ancient writings, and delving into the graves of old-time kings | and queens and estimating the age of the trinkets and records left with the bodies and there's no guessing what men may not discover, or think they have dis
 
 There's sense in that reflection. There seems to be no limit to the enthusiasm of scientists of the present day in the work of investigation. They delve down beneath the earth, where long-forgotten cities had their sites, and from the eare> and debris thousands of years old they bring up human remains, engraved stones and bricks and other evidences of human beings whose country bas long since pass- ed out of the memory of man. These ancient ruins are made to give up their secrets. and in many cases they reveal the dates with practically conclusive cer- tainty.
 May it not be possible that in the days to come some delver into remote antiquity may really find the remains of Adam Who shall say that it Is impossible? Such a discovery would be but little more wonderful than some which have been made. We do not know how or where Adam was buried, nor do we know that any record was buried with him, but or the other hand we do not know that il Was not done. If such tomb should bt found, and If it contained evidences oi genuineness it would be doubted, ol course, just as men doubt whether all, such man as Adam ever lived, so the con- | trovcrsy would still continue, but it would give the believers in first man some thing to go on, leaving out all the sacred accounts. The digsers have got their ] work cut out for them and we wish them ! success.