davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29
SHALL WE LOOK FOR SCIEN(

as the Ri e was meant to be, not only
does not, but cannot conform to the
canons of science. The Bible, in order
to accomplish its purpose, must ne
popular in its style. 1t was designed
to reach all sorts of people, of all
forms and grades of culture-to exert
a powerful spiritual influence upon
men and women and boys and girls, in
all the ages, and in all the stages of
the world.
Now, the popular way of looking at
things, and of stating things, is not the
scientific way. A popular lecture is
usually in marked contrast with Il
scientific lecture; and so is a popular
style with a scientific style. A popular
treatment of any subject will differ
widely from scientific treatment. And
as the Bible was meant for popular
use, it is written in popular style
Much of the Bible is poetry; and, to ap-
ply scientific tests to the Interpretation
of the statements made in poem, would
lead us into the widest absurdities. DO
you believe every statement that is made
in the Bble?" is a question sometimes
discussed by devout Christians, and now
and then they are sorely puzzled by it..
In a personal conversation with very
devoted Christian woman. not at all given
to CRITICISM" I asked this question:
do you believe that three friends OF an
old saint came to comfort him when he
had been reduced from affluence to beg
gary; had lost all his children; was al
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

Like half a circIe-half a broken ring
Half of a golden ring, left by the sun,
In his late parting with his love, the eve,
A lovers token that he'll come again.
am not sure that l could pick out
of Shelley eight successive lines more
gloriously ideal than these. But looked
at in the light of science several of the
statements here made are absurd. me
reply is that they were never intended
to be looked at in the light of science.
No rational soul ever did so regard
them. l was personally acquainted
with the poet; and / am sure that it
never entered his splendid head that
any human being would ever accuse
him of believing that the sun is
lover; or that the evening Is his sweet
heart or that this sweetheart is SO
bashful that she bushes crimson when
ever her lover kisses her.
Again. If we are to look for science
in the Bible, what science are we TO
expect? Science is not one thing, but
a great many different things. 1t is
progressive. 1t is, therefore, contin-
ually changing. The daring specula-
ton of yesterday is the accepted
science of today. Sir Isaac Newto1's
til cory of gravitation was once a
guess. 1t is now demonstrated. The
law of the conservation of energy.
/. e., that there is no force wasted i'll
the universe, has, within quite recent
times, reorganized the science of
phi ysics. The law of ''the transmuta-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

ton of energy i. e. that forces
change their form, without any loss of
essence, has wrought great changes
in physical science, even within this
generation. The strictest of all
sciences, mathematics, has made vast
strides since Euclid and Archimedes,
and even since Leibniz and Newton.
Archimedes never dreamt of the now
demonstrated properties of the cycloid.
and McLaurin's theorom would have
made Euclid stare and gasp.
Now, IL the Bible is to teach scinece,
shall it be % the science of the times
of the several writer's, or CD the
science of the Goth century, or go abb
solute and perfected science? If the
first, then there was none If the Sec
ond, then it would soon be superseded
and discredited; and if the third, then
It would be unintelligible to all the
world for untold ages.
Once more: The general principles of
right and wrong, which the Bible was
meant to enforce, are not progressive,
but fixed. There is no danger that the
Ten Commandments will run out of date.
The principles of what we call ethics,
I. e.ethe principles of right and wrong,
scientifically ascertained and treated, may
vary somewhat from age to age; but
even these principles seem to be capable
of little Improvements; for the ablest mod
ern treatises have added almost nothing
to Bishop Butler.
As science, then, from its very nature,
is progressive, and its moral truth, from
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

f1ieted with a loathesome and hideous dis
ease and was sitting among the ashes,
scraping himself with a piece of broken
jug; and that these old friends sat down
by him for a week; and that, during that
week not one of them said word :? The
good woman knew her Bible well enough
to see that l was referring to the case
of Job and his three friends, Eliphaz,
Bildad and Zophai She could not con-
seientiously answer my question affirma-
lively; and yet it shocked her to think OF
disbelieving what seemed to her to be
plain Biblical statements; and so. with
puzzled look she said: Brother Hiden,
what do you believe about 1t? can
recall now her look of delighted relief
when l replied II believe those state
ments just as I believe that the noun
talns shall skip like rams and the little
hills like lambs; that the mountains and
hills shall break forth before you into
singing. and all the trees of the field shall
clap their hands; that is, interpret the
statements as Oriental, poetical hyper
boe"
But let us take a modern instance:
Since Edgar A. Poe left the southern
Literary Messenger no finer poetry has
been written in Virginia than James Bar
ron Hopes. Note these few lines from
his little fragment on Evening
How gorgeous is the eve! The setting
sun
Kisses the night upon her jewelled brow
Until she bushes crimson; then the
moon
The pale new moon-gleams trembling in
the sky,
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

president of a college in Calcutta discuss
Burke's speech on Cancellation with his
senior students. Such lessons are as
the seeds of system of democracy.
A second cause of unrest lies In the In
CT easing ability of the people for govern
ing themselves. OF this increasing ability
they themselves are conscious, and of the
growth of this power there can be no
doubt. Whether this power has become
sufficiently great to allow self-govern-
ment is the vital question, about which
those who have a right to. any opinion
differ. But the point Of contention is
that this ability, even if still insufficient
to permit self-government, is growing,
or Shis simple growth is an ample cause
OF unrest. India no longer represents p
remote paganism. All, or many, OF the
material forces of civilization move over
her plains, through the streets of her
cities and in the homes of her people
Steam railroads, street railroads, tel9-
graphs, telephones and electric lights ara
more common than in Spain or even Italy
The intellectual forces, too, are not want
ing Calcutta has more book shops and
larger ones than Boston. Within less
than mile of College Square, Calcutta
are at least 5000 college students. Col
leges and schools preparatory to them,
established by the government, by mis-
s;onary organization and by private benef-
icence, are numerous; and, be 1t added,
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

one is the Washington monument THESE
little ridges about "a inches high are
the Rocky mountains and Pixies Peak,
which the geography says Is over $4,000
feet high appears the size of beehive.
white streak beginning like a thread
and evidently to the breadth or a small
ribbon is the Mississippi river flowing
into a pond about the size OF East
lake and which on the map is called
the Gulf of Mexico.
Turn the ball around little and
you will see the Atlantic ocean, 1900 miles
wide between New York and Liverpool,
but here 1t appears to reach from Eigh-
tenth street to Fourteenth street. and
the little object about the size of an
ordinary steel pen is the new transact
lantic liner, the Lusitania, sailing at
the rate of 20 feet per hour. There are
5000 little insects on board that steel
pen but they are so small 1T would take
about 120 of them, each standing on the
others head. to measure one inch high.
These little creatures are visible only by
the aid of a powerful microscope, put
thew are able to make themselves relt
very effectualy. If a hole were maue
by the point Of a needle in sneet OF
paper 10 or IL of them would fall tnrouen
at the same time and yet there are GER
tain ones among these microscopic objects
that Dresume to own the whole sphere.
Needless To saw these insects are men,
On certain parts Of the surfact OF TINS
hall little min holes may be found wnich
vary in depth from one to six inches;
,rbev are coal mines. The ball user
is 593o feet through, so 1t can be imagined
how little is known of a center when is
2640 feet from the surface. But tnat
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

power, and was thus anticipating Sir
Isaac Newton in his theory of gravitation,
you may settle it in your mind that the
preacher has gone beyond his depth, and
that he really does not know what he is
talking about
At the first Baptist congress-" held
in Boston, hhe not very scientific COM
mittee on the programme assigned to
a bright New York physician the task
of discussing 1.-THE HYGIENE Principles
of the Mosaic Legislation" The doc
tor began by referring to a work on
natural history, containing a chapter
entitled Snakes in Ireland and the
whole chapter consisted of the words:
"Thera are 'ho snakes in Ireland" He
then procees ed to show that the So
called "higiRnic" directions in the
Mosaic legislation really had nothing
to do with hygiene, but were given for
purposes utterly foreign to that sub
ject.
on the other hand, however, some
honest and deNout readers of the Bible
have sometimes been disturbed by
finding in the. scriptures, and especial
iy in the Old Testament, certain state
ments which seem to be fiat contra
dictions of we'll settled scientific prin-
ciples, and of fully established facts.
But to one Who studies the nature
and the object \of divine revelation
and who discelAs its spiritual char
acter and its moral purpose, 1t should
be reasonably clear that such book
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

president of Western Reserve univcr-
sity and Adelbert college, England.)
TINE unrest prevailing in India these
10 last two years is repressed. Gov
4 eminent has either maintained or
made peace. But it is not suppressed.
Beneath superficial social and civil
camness and GOODNESS burn the fires of
national consciousness and individual
restlessness The flames are not and will
not be put out. Why Is the unrest in
India inevitable and permanent?
Before, however, discussing that ques-
ton l wish to call attention to a some
what curious phenomenon which has a
certain relation to several of the perma-
nent causes of this permanent social and
restless condition. The phenomenon Is the
constant manifestation, on the part of
both Englishmen in India and Indians,
of a keen consciousness of the anomalous
ness of England being. at all in India.
England is in India today because She
was In India yesterday; she will, be in In
dia> tomorrow because she Is there today.
To the ordinary Indian or Englishman
the historic reasons which have obliged
some would say obnged was too strong
a word-England to come and to stay IN
India are not evident. On the face of the
whole condition both races would affirm
that the white man does not belong to the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

Sanders, while Theodore S. WILKINSON
led the good government forces In tho
race for governor. In the contest for the
lieutenant governorship second primary
was necessary to decide the successful
candidate. Again the machine candidate,
Lambremont, was declared elected on the
face of the returns, and a contest was In
stituted by J. ]. Bailey, charging Lam
Fremont with the commission of the most
fragrant frauds, and seeking a canvassing
of the votes and an investigation OF his
charges. The committee dismissed his pc
tition, and refused to go behind the cleo
ton returns upon thep resumption that
they were correct and fair. Mr.. Bailey
alleged In his petition that men were
voted who had been dead many years,
and that fictitious persons were granted
the privilege of the suffrage and submit
ted proof to sustain his contention. Inc
charges seem to be generally believed by
the people, and provoked from the woman
,suffragsts the humorous memorial tnat
dead men be forever hereafter denied the
right to vote. After his repulse before the
committee, Mr.. Bailey applied to the
courts for a redress Of his grievances,
but here he was again foiled by plea to
the jurisdiction, the court holding that II
had no authority to hear and grant refer
in such cases. After this circumlocutory
process no course remains but an appeal
10 the people. The New Orleans Picayune
seems to be the only paper which cham
pions the machine candidates cause. and
appeals to the old ruse of party fealty to
cover a multitude of political sins. 1t
brands its sister journalists as desertcrs
and assistant republicans. the monotonous
accusation of despairing grafters when
discovered and exposed in their schemes
to Inisrepresent the people. 1t cites GER
tain utterances of a Bailey partisan to
the effect that fraud is always alleged by
n defeated candidate" and that Bailey
would not be any too solicitous for in
vestigation had he been declared the NOM
inee instead of Lambremont. But the
Picayune loses sight of the fact that Mr..
Railey's character Is not the paramount
issue in this campaign. What he would
or would not do under certain circum-
stances is a question of casuistry and al
together irrelevant. The issue before the
people is honest elections, pure ballot,
irrespective of party.
The democrats have had ample oppor-
t,1nity since the adoption of the 1888 con-
stitution to demonstrate their good faith
and have signally failed-I might say
persistently refused-to give the people
good government. The democratic lead
ers have betrayed the peoples confidence;
they have deserted democratic ideals and
are no longer worthy of the partys sup
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

of his governors is inclined toward dis
satisfaction with their government. OF
course one may say that 1t il not the
function of governors to show = mpathy
with their subjects; of course, q 50 one
may add that 1t is not the nature If the
Englishman to show sympathy. the
first remark one may reply in saying that
sympathy might possibly add to the JUS
tice of the government of Englishmen.
through a more complete understanding;
end to the second remark 1t is sufficient
10 say that the Indian administration Of
the last Lord Ripon proves both the fact
and the value of sympathy in the govern
ment of subject peoples.
Therefore. by reason of the desire of tbs
Indian people for self-government, by
reason of their increasing ability for
self-government, because, too, Of
their ignorance and because also
of the lack of sympathy of the gov
erning for the governed classes, it seems
inevitable that causes, so permanent.
should create a permanence of unrest in
India. Special causes will al times
emerge promoting special unrest-but,
in general, unrest in India will be as last
ing as the English government in India.
SO far as now can be judged that VIII
be as lasting as the SHOWS on the Him
alayas.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29
CIENCE IN THE BIBLE-By j. c. Hiden,

its very nature Is fixed; as the Bible
aims at moral and spiritual results, and
not at mere intellectual Improvement
how could we expect the inspired writers
to give themselves any concern about
stating things with scientific accuracy?
AS a matter of fact, 1t is evident that
these writer's allow themselves very great
latitude as to their manner OF stating
things They come down not only to the
understanding of the average man, but
something even below 1t. Paul not only
spoke after the manner of men, but,
when the occasion required, he would
"speak as a fool" Accuracy of statement
is continually sacrificed to popular effect;
and this is done not only by the prophets,
but quite notably by Jesus himself.
Jonah told the Ninevites that in 40 days
their city should be destroyed. God had
commanded the prophet to preach this.
But the event turned out otherwise. Jonah
was using the language of popular threat
and il was effective.
King Hezeljah is told by the prophet
Isaiah that ne shall die of the disease
then upon him. He RECEIVERS, and lives
for years-another instance of the same
kind.
Jesus says we must hate our wives or
we cannot be his disciples. He was using
a powerful Oriental hyperbole, to i'm
press us with the necessity of putting
Christ first in our affections.
But we need not waste space with FUR
Their instances The Bible is full of them
1t is. indeed, through and through pop
ular book, written by men, for men, ana
so in the style best adapted to reach men.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

AItbouoh Kellogg was reinStated by
The federal army under orders from
President Grant, the victory of the
brave home-rulers had salutary eff
feet. for it demonstrated that radical
usurpation could only be maintained by
The use of federal troops, and that the
PEOPLE would resent with force any
further abuse or indignities that might
he offered them
In 1876 the memorable contest was
waged between Tilden and Hayes Tor the
presidency which, owing to the commits
sion of gross frauds by the republicans,
almost plunged our country into another
Civil War. 1t was at this time that the
republican and democratic forces again
clashed for control of the state govern
ment. Another investigation" ensued,
which resulted in a shameful conversion
of the electoral votes to to Hayes whlie
the state was returned to the LOUIS
ianians" Be 1t said to the credit OF
Hayes that he was superior TO the party
which fraudulently placed him in power,
and unlike Grant he refused to place
arbitrary military power between the gov
eminent and the people. The republicans,
deprived of their persuasive force, sur
rendered the state to the democrats, AFTER
a tyranny of IA years.
Since 1876 the government mas peen IN
power. till $685. was maintained largely
by what might be termed 3us'inaoie
fraud: for the menace of negro Suffrage
and the bitter memory of the vicious
uses made of this vote by the republicans.
rendered it imperative that some means
should be devised to either eliminate the
ignorant negro vote by law. or to de
stroy it's power by fraud. The time was
not propitious to do the former, FOR the
north had too little knowledge OF, or
regard for, the south to permit any de-
cent solution of its problem. the latter
plan was therefore adopted as the only
recourse against the cosrcive amend
ments to the federal constitution. AFTER
submission to the lesser evil OF Suffrage
frauds for a period of % years, the state
of Louisiana called a constitutional con-
vention in 1893 which, by educationai ana
property qualifications, practically re-
moved the negro as a political lactor'
and, with the expiration of the motive
1t might have been expected that the
fraudulent manipulation of votes would
likewise expire. But those who deal IN
fraud to the extent it was practiced IN
Louisiana during those % years, whether
their motives be justified or not, are IN
danger of contracting the habit; FOR
wrong produces wrong, and notwltn-
standing the appalling lessons which they
had learned through fraud the democratic
politicians found too much sustaining
power in Hs practice to immediateiy
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

TINE earth is sphere having
an equatorial diameter of nearly
5000 miles and polar diameter of
a few miles less. AS it is absolutely
impossible for the human mind to enter
tain any idea of the magnitude of such
a body it is necessary to reduce 1t to
a scale which will fit moderate stretch
of the imagination every other OBJECT
being set forth proportionately.
Imagine, then, a ball one mile IN ola-
meter. If this ball were placed at the
intersection of Twentieth street and First
avenue 1t would extend from the Churcn
of the Advent to the Hillman hospital
and from Fournteenth street TO Twehty-
sixth street, it would be .25 times the
height of the Brown Marx building and
have a circumference of over three miles.
To get a fair look at this big Dali
nerson should erect on Red mountain
q steel tower. something like the Eifel
tower. 1000 feet high and equipped with
powerful Telescope. PROVIDE, IN your
ina o-ination of course, some means by
which Won can revolve this sphere with
ont shifting it's position and you nave
the earth as 1t appears TO the IN
habtants of the moon. aooo
Tho earth. as already said, being 5000
miles in diameter and THIS paii oniy one
mile II follows that the same scale makes
mile equal to eight inches and an
inch equal to 600 feet. Seen through the
telescope from the top of the tower the
United States appears to be piece OF
ground extending from Eighteenth street
to Twenty-second street and from second
10 Fourth avenues, about eight or nine
blocks. A little spike about the thick
ness of match and half the length OF
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

A TTEMPTS to reconcile the Bible
~ with science have come to be
4 \ quite fashionable in our day
and generation. Some of the most
pretentious and most worthless books
of the age are devoted to this
task An uncomfortable proportion of
those treatises have been written by men
who knew little of science, and less of
the Bible; but unfortunately some really
able men, who ought to have known bet
!. ter, have somehow been beguiled into the
wild fancy that the Bible Is full of
latent hints at modern scientific discov-
cries and Inventions.
Com. Matthew F. Maury was one of
the ablest and most practical scientists
that America brs ever produced. His
Wind and Current Chart, second only in
value to the compass, has taught the
mariner the habits of the rising seas, and
customs of the mountain pillows, and has
given him a name that is borne in tri-
umph on every breeze, and echoed in
thunder on every gale that sweeps the
stormy deep" And even this great man
believed that the Bible often anticipated
discoveries of our age.
If you hear sermon on 1.-THE Sun of
Righteousness" and the preacher as
sumes that the prophet was making sort
of yelled allusion to the suns attracting
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29
Monks

makes no difference, some of these hole
borers say that an inch or two further
would tap Gehena and in proof of their
statements they point to the volcanic
eruptions of ancient and modern times.
Turn that globe around from night to
left and from top to bottom, look upon
it's surface for the great empire of
China with its 400 millions of inhabi-
tants; for India with as many more;
observe the luxuriance of the tropics
and the desolation that surrounds the
vast extent of the combined oceans and,
last of all, compare ones self with
this mighty mass and thereby gain a
true conception of ones place and period
of existence. The tiniest gnat holds a
closer relationship with the elephant
than does man with the terrestrial
sphere over which he presummes to ex-
ercse control. That presumption is the
proof of the vast and unbridged chasm
which separates man now and at all
times. from all other animals. In the
depths of the forest once dwet the masto-
don, in the depths of the ocean swan
levathan but neither ever exercised as
much influence over the affairs or destiny
of their respective kingdoms as does the
poorest, weakest and lowest specimen
of the human race over his. Man is the
delegate of his Creator and instead OF
his evolution from the ape he mas, by
his abandonment of his high estate, IN
stituted a process of development by
which the distinction has been consider
ably lessened but in which the INK that
would effect the junction Is still MISS
fuU