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AMONG THE WORKERS
Compiled by J. L. D. Hillyer
E have had occasion to refer several
times to the religious attitude of Lord
the great English scientist who
has recently died. The following clip
ping from his pen, shows something of
the kind of a man he was:
“I cannot at all accept the view of
those "who assert that ether is atomic,
since all my own investigations have
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clearly demonstrated to me that its structure
is totally nonatomic. In fact, it has no
structure in the accepted meaning of the term.
Neither can I accept the view of those who assert
that science neither affirms nor denies the existence
of a Creator. On the contrary, science most posi
tively asserts the existence of a creative power.
“Modern physiologists again firmly declare that
there is something else outside gravitation and the
physical and chemical forces. This something is a
vital principle. Science places before us an un
known. In thinking of this unknown we all be
come agnostics. We only know God in his works,
but we ate forced by science to believe with perfect
confidence in other than physical, dynamic or elec
trical forces. There is no middle term between ab
solute scientific belief in a creative power and the
acceptance of the theory of a haphazard coming to
gether of atoms. Here scientific thought is forced
to accept the notion of a creative power. Forty
years ago I asked the great Liebig during a walk
in the country if he believed that grass and flowers
grew Solely as the result of chemical force.
“He replied: ‘Not any more than I believe that
chemical force can translate a book upon botany
describing the phenomena of vegetation.’ Every act
of the will is a stupendous miracle for chemical,
physical and mathematical science. If your intel
lect is strong enough you will be forced to believe
in God, the foundation of all religion, and you will
see that science is not at all hostile to religion. Far
from that, it must be looked upon as its auxiliary.”
Involution is the foundation of evolution. Men
evolve what is good or bad because such things
are involved. Christ stated evolution in this way:
“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but
a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”—Ex.
That sounds smart, but it is a bit of nonsense, of
a kind, which unhappily is gaining force among
at long intervals the far-off cry of the whippoorwill,
or the mournful, muffled call of the owl among
the shadows of the pines, on the slope of the hill.
•‘The story of that money, Dr. Merrill, is a long
one,” Reece said at last, “and the first five thousand
dollars of it, except a check for a similar amount
signed by myself at midnig’ht after that ride with
you, was given by a college classmate of mine, Ross
King, to the Merrill Mission.”
And, being launched on his story, Dr. Redmond
gave the details of his finacnial crusade over the
telephone and by personal interviews, until he
reached the last scene, which had occurred at the
bank of Allen Cardross, in his private office. When
the tale was told Dr. Merrill laid his hand on
that of the young man, which rested on the broad
arm of the chair.
“It is wonderful, Reece,” he said in a tone vi
brant with deep emotion, ‘‘wonderful! But, coura
geous and resourceful as you were, my son, aftei
all, it seemed that you were only being used, as an
instrument to answer an old man s prayer.
Then he told him of that half hour of agony,
which'had preceded their first motor ride together
to the hills. Jerry, sitting in a white drift of moon
light on his cabin steps in the back yard, uncon
sciously gave the doxolog.y to the Doctor’s remarks,
by singing:
THZ MISSION GIRL
(Continued from Page 2.)
The Golden Age for July 23, 1908.
brethren who ought to know better. Involution
is a mere catch word invented by somebody to
counteract the growth of the idea of evolution.
Evolution and involution are of course old, familiar
words, as everybody knows, that have gained a
scientific notoriety within the last half century.
The fact is that neither has any scientific value.
Things “involved” in order that they may be
“evolved” are things that God provided for in
creation. Things evolved are so produced because
God made every species of plants and animals to
bring forth fruit after its kind.
It is not because of involution or evolution either,
but it is simply because living organisms are made
that way. A peach tree in the same soil with a
buckeye will “involve” peach material and evolve
peaches and peach seed; while the buckeye will in
like manner produce buckeyes. That is nothing
more than the old well known process of assimila
tion and fructification. The tree does not involve
peaches, it absorbs peach material and bears fruit
after its kind.
*
This story is told in The Standard by Albert G.
Lawson:
“Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler, of Brooklyn, in his
closing sermon as a pastor, said, ‘When I recall
the joys of my forty-four years of public ministry,
I often shudder at the fact of how near I came to
losing them. For many months my mind was bal
ancing between the pulpit and the attractions of a
legal and political career. A single hour in a vil
lage prayer meeting turned the scale. But, per
haps, behind it all a mother’s prayers were moving
the poised balance and made souls outweigh silver,
and eternity outweigh time.”
A similar experience was that of Rev. S. G. Hill
yer, D.D. He was teaching in Athens, and study
ing law. He had been admitted to the bar and
had arranged to go at once into the practice. He
was to have started on the circuit on Monday, but
on Friday a message came to him from Cabin
Creek Church, in Jackson county, to come up and
preach to them on Saturday and Sunday. He went
and met that appointment. The church called him
to be its pastor, and asked for his ordination. He
cancelled all his engagements for the law practice,
and became a minister of the gospel.
“Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin, and the grave.”
“Amen,” Dr. Merrill ejaculated fervently.
“Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.”
“The Merrill Mission exists for no other rea
son,” Dr. Merrill said, as if to his own heart in ans
wer to the song. “And to think, Reece,” he said,
turning to Dr. Redmond, “that you stood on that
same spot this afternoon where 1 prayed, with the
answer to the demand of my faith in your coat pock
et; and that my eyes were holden, and I did not
know it.”
There was a long silence, broken at last by the
older man.
“I can’t thank you, Son,” he said with a tender
ness as grave as a Hebrew blessing, “because' your
work was the expression of a will higher than your
own. I do appreciate the personal grace of the
instrument chosen; but I already love you so much,
I could not love you more.”
Dr. Merrill got up and went down the steps,
and for a long time paced slowly up and down the
broad avenue. Reece lighted his Cuesta, his eyes
shining, and smoked away the time leisurely. But
at last he rose, went to the edge of the wide veranda,
and called to the giant figure, walking with bowed
head and folded arms below.
“Come, and smoke your bed-time cigar, Padre,”
he commanded, “you have been on Sinai long
enough.”
“And if you could only realize, Reece,” the min
ister replied, as he towered erect in a circle of
moonlight, with one hand lifted in unstudied grace,
“what magnificent things you have done for hu
manity this week, you would not sleep a wink to
night. ’ ’
“Then lam glad,” Reece said with a laugh,
“that I am such a modest young man, I refuse to
think about it at all.”
After they were again seated on the veranda
Reece asked: “Dr. Merrill, did you ever hear of
the minister who had to have a material basis to
preach from, in other words, money in his pock
et?”
Dr. Merrill blew a cloud of smoke starward.
“I have heard of one, Reece,” he said in an
amused tone, “who borrowed two dollars from a
deacon in order to be able to preach, and returned
the loan after services.”
“The very fellow,” Reece exclaimed, with twink
ling eyes, “well, here is an envelope with two checks
in it, one for SIOO,OOO and the other for $5,000.
Now if there is any truth in the material basis
theory, you ought to preach, Padre, the sermon of
your life tomorrow.”
“Heaven grant it,” the Doctor replied as he
placed the envelope Reece extended in the inside
pocket of his coat.
“As for that othr $10,000,” Reece said. “I’ll
confer with the business manager about it. He will
know better how to protect your salary than you.”
Dr. Merrill laughed.
“Manifestly, Reece, since I do not know how
to protect it at all. But the emergency fund was
a grand thought of Allen Cardross, eh?”
“Excellent,” Reece answered, but thinking more
of the affectionate tone with which lie uttered the
great banker’s name, who had so generously helped
the work of the Merrill Mission.
Monday morning, as Dr. Redmond walked down
a side street, whistling softly to himself like a boy,
he spied a gentleman seated in a surrey drawn by a
handsome bay horse.
“Hello, Jerry McCauley!” Reece exclaimed, and
the vehicle came to a sudden halt. The large, blond
man who was driving smiled benevolently.
“I like that, Recce,” he said. “You salute my
horse and leave me out.”
“Well,” the young physician answered, as he pat
ted the great red brown head gently, “ho is such
a good horse, and he spends all of his days in er
rands of mercy.”
“That is all right, Reece. Love me, love my
horse.”
“Absolutely. Well, here is the evidence,” Dr.
Redmond answered. He stepped to the side of the
surrey and handed Mr. Eli Palmer a check.
“Mercy, Reece!” the gentleman gasped, “what
is this? How do you want me to use it?”
“For others,” he said. “It is SIO,OOO given by
Allen Cardross as an emergency fund, in order to
protect Dr. Merrill’s salary from all the unfortu
nates whose woes direct them to the mission.”
“Well; it makes me very happy,” Mr. Palmer
said. “I know where I can use a hundred of it,
worthily, before dark.”
“All right, but try and make it last as long as
you can. Dr. Redmond lifted his Panama. “Next
year I promise you the same sum. Be good.”
“Reece,” and the blue eyes sparkled, “are you
packing up to go?”
The young man understood the veiled allusion.
“Bah! No!” Dr. Redmond answered, with a
graceful parting salute. “But what is money in
comparison with the deeds immortal, which you
and Jerry McCauley achieve every day?”
The eyes of the business manager followed the
erect figure down the street.
“There goes the noblest work of God,” he said,
as he gently slapped the lines on Jerry’s glossy
back, “a man with a heart.”
(To be Continued.) •• ••••
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