New Series, Vol. V, . No. 34.
$3 00 By Nail. $3 50 By Carrier. 1
50ots Additional after three Months.
grmtritait Ittilagtatian.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1868
PRE-HISTORIC DIM
A leading topic or modern science is the age
of the human rice: A' main point of attack
upon the historieat clams of, the Scriptures, is
the alleged inadeqUicy of 'their chronology to
the actual duration of` the race as indicated by
science. Itecent discoverie, or a better ac
quaintance with facts previously known, it is As
serted, compels us to assume for man's existence,
a period twice, thrice, or many times as great as
the' scant six thousand years of the, chronology of
Scripture allows. As for the theories discoveries
they are not—of Darwin, they defy the very no
tion of' chronology. Cycles and ages are re
quired for the infinitesimal steps through which
man and the eeptenvoraneous animals reached
their present stage or development. We lay
this wild speculation out otthe account, and con
fine ourselves strictly to faCts, as'asserted and
treated by recent advocates for the vast age of
man.
It cannot be denied that these facts, whatever
they amount to, are reproduced with great per
sistence by scientific men; and that others of si
milar import and plausibility are, from time to
time, added to the list, requiring fresh examina
tion and refutation from the friends of the his
tnrical Character of the _Hebrew Scriptures. The
matter, instead of being settled in the interest
of revelation, grows more serious. Everything,
just now points to the probability of the great
age of man becoming a settled position of the
popular natural science of the day. Most ear
nestly do we hope the inquiry will be diligently
and faithfully. pushed. If the supposition of,
this great age of man be in all respects a delu
sion, as we are inclined to believe it is, then fur
/p
ther honest and laborious re • ne need
ed to expose its.egeltood b tame
foundation of truth in it, as i
,ible, l it 'may
prove to be of a most interesting and valuable
character; and with it may come such 'insight
into the meaning of Scripture as materially to
enlarge and correct our methods of interpreta
tion.
At all events, we wish it understood, that no
influence of intelligent believers is to be thrown
against the most thorough inquiry into the anti
quities of the human race,'Whether furnished by
geology, by disinterred ruins, by monuments, by
records, or by traditions. No fears of the results
on our part are to hinder honest research. Much
rather would we encourage believers themselves
to engage upon it in earnest; as confident that the
interests of truth and of the Gospel will be promo
; ted in the end. So it was in the dispute with the
earlier geologists about the age of the earth itself.
We hope the blunder of terrified, ishert-sighted
opposition to the legitimate investigations of
sciencevill not be repeated now; and that well
meaning men will not deepen the stigma of narrow
mindedness and hostility to science which piety
already has to bear, and which so needles Sly es
tranges and embitters scientific men towards the
Christian faith.
At the same time, inds.no part of'our purpose
to let the claims of these n philosophers" pass
without scrutiny. Wn'shall not assent to their
loose and sweeping generalizations, even , at the
risk of our reputation for liberality. If we ad
mit their facts, we are under no obligation of
courtesy, to allow their raw and arbitrary con-'
lusions. If, of two altertiati - vos 'equally open to
e inquirer, one accords with and vindicates the
istorical truth of the Scriptures, it will be no
oof of religious bigotry in us, to choose that;
least, no more than it will be proof of irrelia
us bigotry in our opponentsto choose the other.
nd we believe the modesty and sobriety taught
.y every part of the Bible and' confirmed by
prayer for divine guidance, will keep their posses
sor from being hurried away by the mere novelty
and daring nature of these speculations.
Various piipers, 'it appears, were read at the
ate annual meeting of the American Science
ssociation in Chicago, 'in which the great An
tiquity of the Human
,Race was argued. A cer
in "Col." Charles, WhiAlcley reviewed. the
, vidence bearing upon the subject in the United
States; another "Col." J. W: Foster read a pa
per upon Antiquity of thC Race in North Ameri
,a; while a Mr. Wm; Blnke confined his in
. uiries to evidence furnished inv Qatifornia. The
rst two of these Essayists /spoke , decisively of
e immense age of man. ' Thtit*ere certain of
duration of several thouiilan'd years before the
Kristian era. " Col." J. W. Foster began by
ting that "recent discoveries show that lon
among the most ancient of animals:"
vish of figures :—" 36,000 years ago -" " Weer
centuries of centuries ;" " myriads of years," are
some of the figures of speech which he confi
dently employs in treating his subject. Col.
Whittlesey thinks there is evidence of the ex
istence of four races on this part of the continent
before the appearance of the red man; the first
of whom were "the mound-builders,''' and the
fourth " a religious people in Mexico:" There
are evidences, he says, of the existence of a true
Indian type of man in our territory two thousand
years ago. The inference is, we suppose, that
the five races taken together inuat have existed,
at least, ten thousand years. Whether any of
them may not have been cotemporaries; whether
it is necessary to Suppose that either "of the races
preceding the red man, lasted as long as he;
how conclusive is the evidence that he, with, his
precarious mode of living, has rivalled the great
long-lived races of the world's history; these area
questions that must be solved before any seien-,
tile value would belong to the conclusions of our
learned " Col."
"Col." Foster rehearses what has been said
about pottery found deep in the . Nile Mud,. to.
which great antiquity may indeed be allowed,
provided that the very slow rate at-which that mud
is now deposited is the same which has prevailed
from the beginning. But who is competent to del ,
dare any such thing? The discoveiy'ai'i t hUmin
skeleton in California deep down in the gold drift,.
and covered by five successive deposits of •lava, is
relied ripen by Col. Foster as proving an antiqui
ty far beyond the stone age," or age of men
using only stone implements. We are ignorant
of the nature of the gold drift," here spoken
of, but as it is connected -with volcanic phenom
ena, its utter uncertainty as a test of time is im
mediately lipparetit; there is no:reason in the
world why " five successive depositi of lava"
may not have: been made in as many years,,or
even months. There are few active volcanoes
which have mot done as much is that, inside of a:
generation. An arrow head found 30 feet below
the surflise valley, of
,Saik, joequinorid a
piece , of fossilized matting found in - a' mass of'•
salt by the side of the remains a fossil elephant
on the Island of Petite Anse, at the mouth" of the
Mississippi, were exhibited' dnring the reading;
and reference was made to the remains of a man,
found sixteen feet below the snrface in New Or
leans, a number of years ago. As to the valley
of the San Joaquin we Cannot speak, but as to
remains found in deltas . of rivers, the question
of their age depends altogether, as we have said
of the Nile valley, upon the rats of the deposit,
if alluvium.., -We have no sufficient data to de
terminethis and have no right. to assume it. The
antiquity Of the matting, and of .the human re--
mains in the soil of New Oileans, is Undoubt
edly great; how great is mere miter of guess
and speculation. , No conclusion *tided upon
it is of the slightest scientific value.,
A good dealt is made of the ;civilization of the
mound builders as proving their diversity from
and greater antiquity than the redineu. 'Without
doubt, thia Continent has been occupied, many
Centuries back, by comparatively rciviized races
of men, stretching frOM Peru, through" Central
America and Mexico, to the banks of the Ohio.
But a high degree of civilizatiOn is no proof of
high antiquity. liistory abundantly proves that
a race may rise from barbarism to the highest
pinnacle of civilization, and decline 'again, within
a comparatively short period. The rise, decline
and fall of nations is - a drama of frequent enact
ment. The 'golden age •Of the Hebrew` natitin
was within four hundred years of iti3 - emergence
from slavery. The whole wonderful career of
ancient Greece, in which she became the model:
and instructor of humanity in. literature, philoso
phy and art, is also included within four or five
centuries.
.In about a thousand years the Roman
Empire run its wonderful course. The ances
tors of Shakspeare, Milton,' Burke, and Addison
were burning human victims in wicker cages only
about ekht centuries previously ; nay, under the
extraordinary stimulus of Christianity, we, have
seen whole tribes of savages raised to genuine
civilization in the apace of a scorce or two of
years.- Believers in *the Scriptural account of,
the primitive excellence and supernatural guid
ance of the founders of the race, are prepared to
believe what, on any other supposition, would
be surprising indications of a very ancient ad
vanced type of civilization. Since the great
races of mankind lost' the effect of their first im
pulses, their course has been generally down
ward, except where Christianity, has •exercised
its restoring power. There is no conclusiveness,
•
therefore, in the argument fOr the , antiquity of a
race, from the proofs of high civilization extant
long after `it has disappeared from the scene:
And we cannot but feel that these explorers of
American antiquities, while bringini to light
many interesting , isolate" facts of the early histo
try.of our continent, have contributed noill'n4
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1868.
noteworthy to the argument alre.agy brought' from
other sources for the yre-Adamia 'a.ge of man.
DEATH OF TIRDDEUS STEVENS.
friend of A consistent, earnest, and powerful friend Of
liberty'has, in the 'natural course of evenii, , been
called frorn the Beene. , No one Wto'exercises the
broad philanthropy inmilcated hi Christianity
but shares in I the sorrel's , felt ill, the ' death of
Thaddeus Stevens. liiit'very'etorsfsofai as his
11
public 'career is 'Concerned; . had " resulted from'
the depth and intensity of: his- tactiment—his.
paSsioir, we should say—thr 'the itights of •man::
A thirty; years'. war with' SlaVety l is not; Calculated
to mollify one's tone in 'dealing , wkh:it'and its'ele:
fenders.' Thaddeus Stevens Was ''ridicat'ofth4'
radicals, not with the overflowingi eal. of a neol ,-
phyte, 'nor to atone 'for'past error_ on the' wrong,
side, but from the dtrength of hi
the nature of the evil " with whi
tended for:a: life-tine: The insig
sense of justice bestows, prompte' hini tolliose.
Severe suirgestions iiainst 'rebels' nd irebdiVm
pathizers in power, froth which pe :inia oiffeeblerl
moral sentiments' and'; cOxiviction 'shrtinle with
alarm. We owe to hiin,'and‘tito - a Who thought
like him, in the thirt , -ninth andlfortiCth 'Con
gresses, the little element of jUstide 'which '' our
redonstruction i . polic ernbodies. ' 4bd ive are now
eiperiencini, andSliall,'perhapk,'rgendiations
to come, "eiperie.nce eirilS' Of the in Ceetiotis char
acter, from the extraOidinarj iiholesile repudia'-
tion bf the poliny of j iitice in' our i ilealin4s with
the rebels. iirell.foi4 and fox oir'ehildreir, if,
in years to come, we do not reea I,' with''selfre,
.
protteh,' the energetic ell'orii3 an fiery remon
strances by which- Thaddeus Btev ns , sought to ,
secure a 'severee reckonireg'with the, would-be
stroyers of the , American Cominoniweilth;- than
this generation of loyalists was 'accord. •
Among the scenes which may thlig*greifullY-be
redalledmill be that remarkablehiStOricaltableau,
41 which the feeble, almost dying 910moner, was
from day to daybotte upen the shodlders of his
attimdants into the Sentite.Chtiniber of the "United
States, the ohief, but 411 as, unsuccessful ,prosecu
tor in' the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.
Rude, lAtint,'violetit: ivas his speech, Itavige:
sarcasm, and severe his measurei;but they Vete
never directed againsti the life of hit. cOuntry, the
cause of liberty and justice:lsr , the interests , of
the weak and the oppressed'. It islts the oppres
sor, the - disloyal and the traitorous that 'feared
his reproofs and shrank' frcim the bolt of his-tei:
rible invective.-
'Mr. Stevens was &nil in Vermont, in 1792,
and had attained the ripe age of 76 years. It is
said . that be-ikied'his education, in a boyhood 'of
poverty, to" the deVotion mothor: He was
graduated at Dartmouth in' 1814; and reniOvedio
our State at once, - and engaged in tea Ching an
Academy. Id 1826, he was adniittecrto the bar
at Gettysburg, and ;remained there ' twenty-six
years. The c"oincidence is striking, that the
greatest battle for freedomin - AMerica - was fought
in and athund i the scene of half of his active
liferand "Where' he first-raised' his voice in behalf
of the'cause. His professional career was a' suc
cess from the beginning. " He won the' confidence
and personal regard 'of the entire „cOtininniq:"
Five times he Was elected 'froth that county" to
the State Legislature, as well as ib a seat in the
Convention of 1837, for arnending, the Constitu
tion of Pennsylvania. -Here, be fought his first
civic battle for freedom iitt hifefforts to have s the
word " white" stricken from the'amended &nu
trient; and when his efforts failed,' he refuied td
join in signing an instrument which disfranchised
a man on, account of his color. ' '
Almost, if not quite, as honorable to*the,man
as his firm devotion to liberty, was his early zeal
for Cornwell School education in our State. To
him is accorded the great honor of being the
founder of the Common School"system which we
enjoy, and under the great advantages of which the
present generation of ou'r citizens has grown up.
The violent opposition and strenuous efforts to
abolish the system, which were prolonged for
years, were a striking proof of its necessity to our
imperfectly educated population. They were vig
orously and effectively met by Mr. Stevens, who
succeeded in defeating in the'llouse;a bill for the
repeal of the law, which had passed the Senate.
We supposethe honorable, title : "The Great
.
Commoner," was conferred on Mr.'Stevens, not
merely from the • naturalness,and effectiveness
with which he filled his various, public ,positious,
but because in them, he devpted hiniself so en
tirely to the elevation of 93,e- A.meriean people,
in efforts to secure their uuiyArsallufrgnehieeelent
and their universal edaca.tiou ~C,ertain it is, that in
the view of enlightenei statozsmanshiß, the two
should s ss° al Ways be a ciuted toauther • ) One thin&
- -
is still lacking, the reliaion,of the New Testament
made equally univers tl with, education and .suf
(rage. These three-:- suffrage, education
evangelical religion-constitute the foundations
of a safe and a great republican State. It is a
pity Mt. Stevens did not recognize as clearly, and
urge as earnestly, the latter, as he did the two
'fernier.
Mr: Stevens retnoved to Lahcaster in 1842, and
in 1848hegan,ras=allepreientative in Cimgress,
his career .16 - National legislator, which has be
comeliiihoni all over the irorld. " He lived long
enonghrto 'sde thi3 'great causes of freedom and
of t.ductition; with which he had" identified him
selfiatiltif Which he had toiled so nobly and
,so Well; triUMphant; and he died iu the hope of
the ftititrei of his•country. We could wish that
'the "grouties"Othiipe which his last hours left for
his'oifiiiiiCtire,'Wetei 'those comfortable and satis
factory ones which only a consistent Christian
life tan - giVe: `! '
`convictions of
he had con=
SUNDAY IN CHICAGO.
t which te
•
DEAR 'EDITOR :—Let me give you an account'
of a Sabbath , Dayin'this, one of the most beauti
fulbf our American 'cities. The streets are quiet,
much like !our stores closed, except, as
with:us;thertobaeco. and: liquer shops, and lager
beer saloons: :The'viindovis of the stores are
without shutters, so that the display of goods and
merchadditaa * ceminds . `life much' of the week day'
'appearance:" ' horse cars run, but scarcely
'any cabs atidPriot'many private carriages". Alto
gethery the appearance' was More 'orderly than I
'expected.. , In'thel canal, however, which divides'
theitity, Veimelilarelpiite frequently seen passing'
up attti'doWn. The' whistle of the steam-tug, with
volumes ''Of ireoke, Mid the frequent'
turning the draw-bridgesto allow the vessels to
pass, , lookelestillikelhe Sabbath than the other
IpOrtions of'the city. • • '
In the nitriiird I attended the Sabbath School
elite First 'Baptist Church; one' of the largest
anflfhindscmfeat, cturclies in'the city. The School
contains 'cirt9oo' children—in a school build
"A` in the.
teentrelof the room; 'Au organ fills a part Of the
platform.' - Texts of Scripture, in bright colors,
cover the:walls, while the- ceiling is beautifully
frescoed- with. Scripture scenes and flowers. . The
Superintendent is a merchant, Mr. B. F. Jacobs,
who is ' alive to allgbristia.p work. With the
black-board he illustrated the lesson and enforced
'it so powerfully upon the minds of the 'scholars
that it could not, tail to go to their hearts. The
churCh certaidly'has a handsomer audience-room
than any' of our Philadelphia churches, a great
organ being. placed hack of the pulpit, which was
not only larger,than any we have in Philadelphia,
but of afiner i tome, and grander volume than is
often met with either in Europe or America.
The singing was led by a choir of five , young la
dies
la
dies and six gentlemen, evidently from the Sab
bath -School. The congregatioh all sang, using
the hymn and tune book published by the de
nomination, the great organ keeping them well
together. The sermon was by the pastor, Dr.
W. W. Everts, 'who speaks with great freedom
and good oratorical effect. The subject was the
Church of Sardis, that had a name to -.live and
was dead. In the afternoon we went to Mr. D.
L. Moody's Mission School. - It, is in the Nor
thern part of the City, among, a rough population.
A-good brick, church building has been erected
for him and in this he has gathered a large school,
most, oithem from among these rougher. classes.
There were some 600 present, and he was getting
them ready to listen to his instruction by singing,
With the help of a choir of girls and a cabinet or-
A blackboard was prepared by some of the
teachers, with the text, " What must I do to be
sated and the same repeated below in German.
We left while they, were singing, and went to
Visit the largest Mission School in the city, under
the care of Mr. Whitby a most earnest and, ex
eellent Christian gentleman. Here we found a
better class of Children, 800 of them, with 66
teachers The room was less plain than, that of
Brother Moody's School, but not so beautiful as
that of the First Baptist School. A good organ
and choir of scholars occupied one corner. A
large infant school filled the gallery, cut off with
glass partition from the main room. The last ,
twenty minutes was occupied by the Superinten
dent in enforcing the lesson (Paul and the .Phil
,ippian Jailor) in an earnest, warm-hearted appeal
to every scholar to believe in the Lord Jesus
-Christ. All then bowed their heads in prayer,
the whole school joining audibly in the , Lord's
Prayer at the close.
After the' school, a good 'earnest prayer meet
ing Was held, the teachers and visitors remaining
for fifteen or twenty minutes. As we rode home
we were stopped by a
filling the principal streets. They carried ban
ners, and flags, and had several bands of music.
Bishop Duggan had ,just returned from Europe,
and the faithful took Sunday afternoon- for a
grand' turnout' to receive him and obtain from
'him 'the Tope's benediction: Some 4000 men
and boys walked in the procession, with 9 or 10.
bands of music. Among the Papist Soeieties.we
noticed that of , St. Benetlictas, with purple ban
ner trimmed with gold lace. In the line were
two bands of boys and young men, dressed as
Zouaves; with green or' blue coats and scarlet
pants, sixteen in each : band playing upon fifes,six
on, druths,.three on cornets, and four or five on
,trianales and cymbals. Another banner bore the
ROMAN ^ CATHOLIC PROCESSION,
Ness, Evangelist, No. 1161.
Ministers $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00
iltddress:--1334 Chestnut Street.
r i c ; . I ty of St. loseph," another the
Chico. ,i.e''llfikia6lllate Conception;" _
an
land, ha -uldilltie, Bat in ,
banner, very
tilite
stars and ii , . , ',.', r ''.` 01 4 Uanadaens a
The , men rival. 1., .
re.'`' black, blue or re,' flags of Ire
of4:old; Apaerican
red, white, and ' ."'White 'itfid blue.
9)9, the breast. Ti," lit, a ii n A,, saabei
of
her from eight to twelvt4B;„,„%e socie ty
two and two, so that with ~il;,._
F , Z
marshals riding back and Ln ku
hared
flags, and screaming fifes and ev; t str ,
0 ,
and rattling drum 4 they blocked u
pal streets for a mile, and impressed ."7,...
and an idea of their force and value, At'
chttinittnity. In the evening we went to
DR. PATTERSON'B (N. S.) CHURCH,
a b.
eautiful edifice that a number of years ago, cost
$40,000, but the increase' of this fast city is so
rapid, that now handsnme stores are encroaching
upon it, and it is going to be removed we hear,
the lot being wanted at $lOO,OOO. The interior
of the chur ch is in chaste Gothic style, not un
like what Calvary church, Philadelphia, would
be, if it' had galleries on the sides; though it is
not tiilarge as Calvary. The organ' and choir
are , back of the Pulpit: The church was well
filled, the congregation being composed of many
Of the best people of the place. The sermon was
excellent, based upon Gen. 1 : 26, " And God
said, Let us make man in our own image," &c.
He examined the points of similitude between
man and his Maker, then showed how the Scrip
tures everywhere teach that God has established
an intelligent, relationship between us and Him-
self, which is a great source of our happiness ;
—how the fall of min and the loss of his moral
excellence is the cause of the loss of his happi
ness and how God proposes to cure this malady.
The Doctor reads every word of his sermon ; but
does it very easily 'and with a full rich voice,
which, with his very ministerial appearance and
animated expression, make up for the entire
waist of g esture or
is the best quartett
tant . lAnnih in this
,style of oinging is
Four better voices
even in our best o
superior organ is
effects desired are produced in perk,_
times a soft solo or duett is sweetly accompanied
with the vox kw/nava stop, and the harmony is
heavenly : then another strain swells up with full
power of the orp•an and fineblending of the voices,
so that the rush of harmony fills the house over
poweringly. All this fine music costs $3,300 a
year and ought to be good; but its effect, upon
congregational singing is totally killing. The
Hymn book used is " Songs of the Church "
with music on every page; but the choir took
handsomer and far more artistic tunes that no one
knows, and of course the great congregation
stood up to listen and not to sing. This was so
with every piece. even to the Doxology. It re
minded us of what our old Scotch sexton once
answered to an old lady who complained that the
choir monopolized all the singing:--' You don't
suppose the churvh is going to pay those folks in
the gallery $1,500 a year and then do the baaliu'
themselves-do,ye?'
ANOTRER STYLE OF PREACHING
As we walked home we heard preaching upon
the Courthouse steps, and went near to listen.
Moody we had heard, was to preach there, but sup
poke he had finished early. He had finish d and
gone `away,•and an infidel had gathered a crowd of
two to three hundred men and boys, and was abus
ing revealed religion—much to the delight of some
of his hearers who clapped and whistled quite
frequently.
Such is Chicago—a city where extremes meet
constantly. It is a splendid city—made splendid
by the fact that real estate advances, so rapid
ly, that capital runs into it, rather than into
stocks and bonds as with us. The city has been
blessed with good architects and fine building
stone, so that palaces are put up everywhere,
where with us, only old-fashioned brick and iron
or brick and brown-stone stores and dwellings
would, go up.. One man owns several fine blocks,
beautiful specimens of architecture, and is now
puttino , up another, of fine Vermont marble a
palace finer than any building in Philadelphia,
finer than Bennett's Herald Building in New
York, and all fur a dry goods' store that is to be
the finest in the country, and is to pay only $5O
- per annum rent. How the London or Paris
retailers of dry goods would open their eyes at
the sight of such a shop. The man who builds
it, puts his name in large letters close to the cor
nice in each block, Potter Palmer. He was a
dry goods merchant, made money during the
war,has given his busivess to his former clerks,
we lfear, and now lives upon his rents.
The palatial dwelling houses along Michigan
Avenue facing the beautiful lake, cannot be sur
passed for location in the country, while for ar
chitectural beauty and magnificence, the dwell
itigs and churches on this and the next avenue ,
are beyond anything we can show. The light
colored' atone is much more cheeful and pleasant
than our dark btown-stone rows in our West
end. •
The vast trade of this city, is an old story, but
it is still upon the increase and will he as long as.
there is so much land to be settled in the dis
tricts North and West of it; and the immense
extent of farming land still waiting for the farm
er-to come and- till it; will not`lie filled up in the
days of this, generation. G, W. M.
Chicago, Aug 10, 1868.