The Reason. (Savannah, GA.) 1908-19??, July 04, 1908, Page 9, Image 9

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Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Farris Cadle.

Newspaper Page Textour grandmothers cherished devoutly: the heathen Bible, dictated by God to inspired penmen whose reason and personality were suppressed in the pro cess of inspiration: the Bible whose very words were infallible and inerrant upon every subject; the Bible which could be used as an arsenal of proof texts and as a diviner’s rod But have we lost the real Bible.’ Let us see briefly what the real Bible is. The new knowledge has given us a wider conception of revela tion and inspiration. Revelation is the unveiling of God's eternal truth wherever it may be found, There can be no human discovery of truth anywhere with out a previous Divine revelation. God's revelation and man's discovery are but the two sides of flu* same process. Inspiration is the quickening of an ear to the hearing of God’s utterances. For instance, there is God’s revelation in nature. But we not'd prophets to interpret that revelation to us, and gifted souls like Darwin. Huxley or Tyndall, inspirt'd seers in the natural realm, to read to us secrets that have been hidden from the foundation of the world. The inspiration is never inerrant, ami the knowledge of nature is never infallible. The process is progressive. Year by year, this domain of the revealed truth of God in nature enlarges. St> it is in the realm of art. The great musicians, sculptors ami painters catch the vision glorious and interpret it to us common mortals. So it is also in the realm of human life ami experience. It is a subtle thing, this gift of inspiration: we cannot tie fine it precisely in logical terms; we cannot measure it exactly by mathematical degrees; but we always know it when we see it. So it is, pre-eminently, in that region where con science reigns supreme, the moral and ethical realm, and above all in the sphere of spiritual experience where man holds communion and fellowship with God. Here are phenomena as real as those in the physical world. To the open eye ami ear of the seer come visions and messages of Divine truth impossible to lower souls. Read your whole Bible thus in the light of the new knowledge, in the light of an honest, fearless, search ing and yet reverent criticism, and you will find it a far richer, more inspired and more inspiring Bible than the one you have lost. Its history shall show you the patient Divine education and development of the Hebrew —and the world-conscience; its psalms shall utter for you as you never could utter them for yourself, the deep things of your spiritual experience and the fellowship ami communion of your soul with God, your penitence and praise, your love and grati tude, your devotion and consecration: its prophets shall give you glimpses into the profound purposes and plans of God's providence' and visions of that far-off Divine goal toward which the ages march with unerring feet; and the Gospels and Epistles shall THE REASON lead you to that Christ Who is “the Light of the world." as well as of your own soul, “the bread and water of life." because He and lit' alone is the final and complete satisfaction of the commonest and most persistent needs and aspirations of our humanity. “He ('an never be exceeded, lb' can never be super seded. Religions may come and go. the passing shadows of an eternal instinct. But Christ shall re main the standard of the conscience. the satisfaction of the heart. Whom all men seek, in Whom all men shall finally meet." Increase the Fertilizer Tax for Schools. A man who is able to do so but fails to provide for his family deserves, first, to have them taken from him. and then paroled out of flic state and given as little film* as possible in which to leave, without the privilege of returning unless able to give bond for tin 1 monthly payment of such sum of money as word I make his wife and children com fortable and reasonably nappy. so far as money can contribute to comfort and happiness in this world. The discharge of the responsibility of the State of Georgia toward her children the agricultural schools -should not be less stringently insisted upon. \\ hether advisedly or not. these schools have now been established at an enormous cost to the counties where located, tin* voters acting upon tin* assump tion that the State would furnish the nrrcssnrv main benance fund. Xow. if the State does not do this it is no better than tin* man who dodges his taxes or fails to care for his wife and children, and deserves to be punished in a like manner. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander, and is whenever and wherever good government prevails. We are slowly but surely arriving at the conclusion that tin' State has no more right to violate the terms of any agree ment it may make with the people than the people have to break their contracts with the State. The bill now before the Legislature to increase the fertilizer tax from ten cents per ton to twenty five cents in order to raise the necessary fund for these schools ought to be passed. The manufacturers of fertilizers will receive more benefit from the edu cation of the farmer vouth than any other class of people except the farmers themselves, therefore they should be made to bear the burden of the expense. It is the best possible expenditure of their mone\ that could be made of it. as the increased list* of their products depends upon the opening of new avenues for them by tin 1 lessons of science and enlightenment. There is still another reason why this should be done for 11m protection of the people from influ ences that operate against us in other slates depends upon the raising of this tax. There is not a tertitlizer 9

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Reason. (Savannah, GA.) 1908-19??, July 04, 1908, Page 9, Image 9