Mexico Missouri message., 1909-06-03

saw the leaves or the grehSe-WOOd
covered with an oily substance de-
signed, evidently, TO prevent evapora'
ton OF sap during the long drought. I
saw the mesquite bush with It's large.
long roots evidently designed to store
sap during the brief rainy season and
keep I'm touch with the underground
streams that the branches above
drought. saw the giant cactus with
It's storeroom for water. which Is filled
during the rainy season and preserved
for It's own use and the use OF man
and beast during the drought. Now
the naturalist says that Mature" does
these things for specific purpose.
And as ! stood among these evidences
OF design in the desert / asked the
question: rs Nature a thing or q
thinker" II Nature does not think,
how can Nature design? And II Ma.
ture thinks. Nature is not a thing but
personality. My mental machin.
cry is so made that thought compels
me to infer a thinker and design a
designer. Intelligent result compels
me to infer intelligent cause.
Every man. therefore, has his god,
the thinker. behind the thoughts ex.
pressed In Nature, the design behind
the designer. the intelligent cause be-
hind the intelligent result. The bush.
man Of Africa gives to his fetch tho
power TO think. design and act. The
ChinamRn gives TO his idol In human
shape the same, attributes. A philos-
opher like Herbert Spencer calls his
Idol the great unknowable."
am a Christian, again. because
am a nationalist, willing that sound
reason should be my guide. and sound
reason is modest and honest enough
TO admit that II 10 not infallible or
even sufficient as a guide. There is
no such thing as universal reason.
What appears reasonable 10 one is ut.
terly unreasonable to another There
are degrees of reason from the half.
idiot TO the philosopher.
My own reason Is modest enough to
admit that It Is n very fallible and
imperfect guide. and. believing as
do In n personal God who cares for
his creatures. my reason leads me to
expect that he will reveal himself
through some other channel. Agnos.
ticlsm. which Is a sort OF science OF
ignorance concerning Gcd. is a strong
witness In favor Of a revelation OF God
In some direct way, for, II II be true
that man cannot discover God by look.
ing Into his own inner consciousness
or through the telescope and the mic
roscope. this furnishes a strong pre-
sumption that he will reveal himself
in some other way. ! am thus pre-
pared TO receive the revelation Of
God in a book. and. though there are
difficulties and mysteries which may
not fully understand, l believe that
the proof in favor OF the Bibles being
n revelation from God Is so over
whelming that n man who knows the
proof cannot reject II without doing
violence to his reason.
am a Christian. again, because I
am q scientist do not mean that I
devote all my time 10 scientific inves-
LEGATIONS. but ! believe in the scien-
tific method OF gaining and verifying
knowledge by exact observation and
correct thinking" An ounce OF fact Is
worth a ton OF theory. A group OF
philosophers were debating the cues.
ton whether a fish introduced into a
bucket Of water would increase its
weight and one Of them had proved to
his own satisfaction that II would not.
Let ua try e." said BENJAMIN Frank.
lin. A bucket OF water was brought
Is. "A At Il.
trodueed and the weight was increased
by the weight OF the iish. That set.
tied II.
II Is scientific TO account for facts
with little heed 10 fads and fancles.
And there are two facts which must
be accounted for--the Bible and Jesus
Christ. The proofs In favor OF the IA.
bile as the inspired word OF God and
OF Jesus Christ AZ tbs incarnate God
ars 30 abundant and conclusive that
any one who knows the proofs and
refuses 20 accept the nible as inspired
and Christ as divine does violence TO
the scientific spirit. Ee refuses 10
admit the existence Of the sun while
It IL shining In the heavena.
am a Christlan. onco more. DO.
cause I am q man whose every need
OF mind and heart IL mot IN Christ
'the Son Of Man" Ills ideal OF hu.
man greatness attracts me. The world.
" ideal Is power which masters 9th.
era Chrisf'a ideal is Eervica. who.
soeeer viii be chief among you Ies
him be your servant, even a. the Son
Of Man cams not 10 BE- mlnlstorod
unto, but "a minister aud 10 give his
life q ransom for many" The climax
| Of this greatness 10 seen on the cross
~ the Son Of Man suffered for our
sins. the Just for the unIusi. that he
might bring ~ % Cod aetitlne ior.
expg The pia question ior Az who wllI