Moses Stands Corrected!
By Editor
IT is now conceded by almost all men of science (!) and many of the most eminent ministers, among whom Henry Ward Beecher stands pre-eminent, that Moses did not understand the matters of which he wrote in Genesis. No one need demur against our putting Beecher at the head of this class of theologians. He is only from five to ten years ahead of the rest in their march in this line of the New Theology. Indeed, ten years ago his stride toward infidelity did not seem to be so direct and certain as is theirs to-day. It was a remark of Pres. E. O. Haven that "imitators generally surpass their models in their errors," and with all the wildness, we may say the rank infidelity, of Beecher, he is still acceptable to the orthodox circles. His own denomination was quite averse to his withdrawing from the Association; and so prim an orthodox journal as the Christian at Work lauded him to the upper skies about the time of his withdrawal. Recently he was so gracious toward the Scriptures as to say the Bible is inspired, but he added that everybody is inspired! In this he is indorsed by all Spiritualists. People will hear anything if it does not come from the Bible. Perhaps we ought rather to say, if it seems to undermine the Bible. We have just enjoyed a rare opportunity of receiving instruction on the subject of the "Nature of Souls, and the Origin of Species." It is in a lecture delivered at the "Church of the New Spiritual Dispensation," in Brooklyn, N. Y., reported in the Banner of Light. Of his statements the lecturer says, "the evidence is so convincing that no scientist or other observer of nature will dare deny it;" and, "the only escape from the conclusion that our origin was the emanation of the animal body I have described, is in refusing to behold the evidence." He claims that the Esquimaux "are copies of the polar bear," from which they sprung; and "the sleepy and inclined eyes of the Chinaman unmistakably denote the features of the alligator." And here is a suggestion. The true method of stopping9the "influx of Chinese," is to cut off the supply,—to check the fountain. Let Dennis Kearny head a crusade against the alligators, and if possible destroy them totally. By this means the population of Chinadom, in time, might be greatly reduced! And this matter should not be delayed, for if the alligator race has given rise to such vast hordes of Mongols, in the past, it is only reasonable to suppose that by this time, in the process of development, all the alligators in the world must be on the verge of bursting forth into full-grown Chinamen! If this is not so, then what does development amount to, anyhow? He thinks—no, we mistake—he knows, and says so, that the Jews not only have the deserts of Arabia for their birth-place, but, "a copy of the camel’s nose is seen on the face of the Jew, and on the inhabitants of that region of country where the dromedary is the prevailing order of animals." Fortunately for his theory this is soon to be a matter of demonstration to us right here. Camels have been imported into Arizona, and are thriving and multiplying. Just as soon as they develop into a new race of Arizona Jews, all doubts of the correctness of the theory will vanish. We suggest that the Banner of Light keep a reporter in that field to send us the earliest intelligence of the coming change. As man came from animals, so animals came from vegetables, sometimes by growth and sometimes by decomposition! It would probably be highly amusing to our readers were we to copy a few paragraphs from the lecture. We will only gratify them, however, by giving the following morsel:— "The whale is the product of decomposing vegetable and animal substances washed up to the tropical shore of continents by the tides, and left in the caverns of such shores, or arms of the ocean, where they decomposed. These animals are shaped considerably like the great rolls of such stuff that would be washed into such places." The last few words indicate the direction of our thoughts of this and all development theories, "Such stuff!" And for such stuff people are turning away from their Bibles, and flippantly talking about the mistakes of Moses. How well is 2 Thess. 9-12 being fulfilled. And how many there are in this age to whom will apply Paul’s description of those of another age: "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Rom. 1:22.