Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-01-12
SOME OBSERVATIONS.
Individual Opinion.)
By LCE +. VERNON.

evening, by pulpit orator, on the
"Integrity OF the Scriptures" 1t had
been 80 widely commended for its
invincible logic" and scholarly re.
search" to me, that a brief review oil
the effort from another point of view
my individual opinion-seems worth
while, to me, at least.
A scholarly discussion of question
can scarcely be one which constantly
appeals for support to questioned
dogmas and established prejudices.
The politicians trick of taking for
granted as true what he was trying to
establish and of calling his opponent Is
approbious names were conspicuously
present. The speakers favorite epi-
thets for those who did not accept the
doctrines he was so strenuously pre-.
senting were "skeptics," "infidels,"
atheists" young upstairs" -" smart
les" and, regret to add, "fools."
A man of liberal views, no matter
how intelligent and candid in his
opinions, or irreproachable in personal
character, found himself classed con-
stantly by implication with prize
fighters, libertines and all the lower
elements of society, who desire all
moral restraints removed.
For all said to ths contrary, one
would think that independent scien.
tific Investigators, advanced critics of
the Bible, and liberal thinkers every.
where, were not seeking truth but
were devoting their lives to "destroy-
ing the scriptures" in order to be
cable to sleep nights" after days
spent in wickedness.
Now there were persons in the aud.
fence, attracted by its much.advertised
high character, who went hoping to
hear twentieth century speaker who
had discarded the detestable methods
of century ago, but they were doomed
to disappointment. It scarce needs be
added that these persons, attending by
personal invitation, felt nothing less
than insulted by being constantly
classed with fools and renegades.
Such methods may be calculated TO
arouse the devout but will scarcely
convince the candid. Few men of any
self.respect enjoy being called names
in the presence of friends and neigh
bors.
Not alone in its method, but id its
matter, was the address calculated to
disappoint an expectant listener who
was at all acquainted with the subject.
The age, long assertions of the his
torical accuracy of the Bible, that no
science worth considering conflicted
with its teachings, that its philosophy
is the most profound ever written.
that all its prophesies had been full.
filled up to now, etc., were all faith
fully reproduced. The expected shot
at Ingersoll was taken and the touch.
ing grief OF his loving wife and child.
rem over the loss of an afsctionate
husband and father, was falsely and
ruthlessly distorted into q supersti-
tious fear over the loss of his soul in
hell, and that they were hopeless OF
ever seeing him again.
Even Jonah and his whale or "ma.
rine monster" as the preacher delight.
ed to call whatever it was that was
indiscreet enough to swallow that an.
cient evangelist, was not forgotten.
After referring to claims made by
dangerous skeptics that whale had
too small mouth to swallow a man,
with great learning and profound
philosophical insight, he showed that
it was not whale at all, as all people
of past ages have thought, but "ma.
rine monster" probably a shark, and
that he had seen with his own eyes
sharks in the Mediterranean Sea big
enough to swallow a whole electric
car full OF people. Ughl Then with
consummats sarcasm he warned no
skeptic to ever produce the cold
chestnut" again, on pain of being
thought mentally weak. That such o
request should come from one hand.
ing out go many ancient and vener-
able nuts Of that variety, struck one
skeptic at least as decidedly humor.
Gus, and reminded him OF "Much ado
about nothing"
respectfully beg 10 inform this
expounder that there is class-and q
rapidly growing class at that-who do
not believe that every word in the
Bible 10 the infallible word OF God and
who are neither knaves nor fools.
Not because they are ignorantly be.
lieve, but intelligently disbelieve. Not
because they know and think little
but because they know and think
much, and prefer to maintain their
mental integrity rather than commit
intellectual suicide. They do believe
that God will damn no man for think.
ing his honest thought, and agree
with Tennyson that:
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds."
This class of people outnumber .
thousand to one the simpletons who
think by discrediting the Bible they
can eradicate morality. It includes
the majority Of laboring men and