Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-29

| STRONG REASONS OR NONE.
| REV. H. D. jenkins. DID,, in Sioux City
JournaLl
| Bring forth Your strong reasons,
| saith the God Of Jacob.-lsalan. xii. q.
| II is the wise man who can recognize
! the difference between trivial and criti-
cal situations and govern his conduct
to accord with the conditions which he
finds When the German emperor had
resolved upon the bombardment OF
Liese. living behind It's Notifications Of
iron. and concrete, he did not order
forward his uhlans with their befiasged
lances. but his 42-centimeter guns !
recently visited navy yard upon
whose open spaces lay 700 unmounted
cannon. They had never been brought
into action because, az the command
ant informed me: War has got by
them In a modern fight they would
be as outclassed as a digger Indians
bow and arrows. The same armies
that drive everything before them in
Poland drive nothing before them at
Verdun. 1t is easier 10 take Warsaw
than Paris.
Someone has recently said in print
that If Robert Ingersoli were alive to-
day he would draw TO crowds GER
tainly- not at so cents a head" He
made his attack and EaAed. II one
wishes to see how he carried on the
fight he must go TO museum Of old
fashioned arguments, for the war got
by his style of weapon. John Bur-
roughs. who mas tried hard all his life
Of 20 odd years 10 be an agnostic, con-
fesses in recent number of popular
magazine that he is up against facts
to demolish which his science avails
nothing. Whether Nature with big
"N") is now moving in straight line
toward some definite end or not. he
does not know: but he does know that
no line accounts for itself and no
movement toward an end accounts Tor
the end While not willing to with
draw from the light he confesses that
he does not know how to win ii. All
he can say in conclusion is that TO the
Christians belief in an intelligent and
omnipotent God he opposes scientific
faith in the "potencies of matter,
faith in an intelligent purpose on the
part of blind. unconscious nature
That weapon will never batter down
the bible or abolish God.
On my way back from Europe. few
years since, l fell in with a queer pas
/
but few ideas. But the ideas that he
| had were fixed" His one purpose in
| life was to use his wealth to prove
| that the world was absolutely fat. He
| had written a pamphlet and published
his views at his own expense. gener-
ously supplying every fellow passenger
with a copy. After listening to him
awhile 1 called his attention to the top
of a mast Just appearing above the
distant watery horiEon. Presently the
mast showed it's top spars and then
the lower rigging. finally the decks and
lastly the huii. But this visible evi
dence OF the earth's rotundity made
| no impression upon his mind, If he had
a mind.
What did do? Go around bewailing
the end Of the Copernican theory o!
the planetary system? Not much.
simply let him alone, as did other pas
sengers. and I presume he Is still at
lacking Copernicus and defending the
earth's fairness with his puerile logic.
A few years ago well meaning min
lister published historical pamphlet
with the startling title. THE Bible
| Under Fire" Well. what of it? The
bible has always been under fire, bu,
that only makes more evident what
Gladstone called its 'impregnability.'
II people will continue the attack with
smooth bore guns. it is not the fault
Of the bible. Failure to raze its citide
i. confessed by every intelligent enemy
who is even now looking around fol
bigger guns. The old ones are dis
credited in honest minds.
The burden Of proof is not today up
on the bible, but upon its re1ectors. A
= book that has behind II centuries O
blessed fruitage rests secure. II is thu
man who attacks it that is "unde
fire" He needs to bring forth strong
reasons" for accounting as fable tn
j book that has been loved by practicall!
J all the men who have created Englisi
literature. II the bible lover errs. h
errs with Chaucer, Spencer Shake
speare, Milton. Addison, Gray and 81
on down to Tennyson and our owl
day. Some years ago I CHANGED Z
, spend Sunday in one Of our Ameri
can cities in which. at the time. tn
American Association for the Advances
ment OF science vas holding It's ses
sions. reached the place Saturda
AFTERNOON and heard notice read b
the newly elected president TO the ct
: feet that members OK the assoctatio
J wc.r,d meet for prayer in the lectur
room Of 1 certain church Sunda