< THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1897. A ncient an d M odern .T irad es. REV. W. E. COPELAND. Some three or more weeks ago the papers reported that a miracle had been performed during revival meetings held at Kalama, V ash. The Oregonian contained a full ac­ count of the wonder and also re­ ports of interviews with many of the prominent clergymen of Port­ land. The story, confirmed by the testimony of trustworthy citizens in Kalama,xwas that during a revival then in progress an ignorant wom­ an who had never learned to read was enabled by the power of the Holy Ghost to read understanding- ly a whole chapter in the Bible. The woman had never read before, and she did read a chapter of the Bible, so credible witnesses re­ ported, in a manner that enabled the hearers to understand her. This was called a miracle, and the evangelist claimed that it proved the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in his meetings, the Holy Spirit and a seal set on the divine origin of his evangelistic work. No one after this can dispute that he is a special favorite of God. If the ignorant can read, then surely God must have changed his laws to prove the genuineness of the revi­ val. Who can doubt that God is with his people and especially with the man conducting the revival in Kalama? We should naturally expect that the Portland clergy would rejoice at so signal a display of divine goodness and the renewal of those miracles, which it had been sup­ posed had gone, never to return. But with almost one accord, they refused to accept the wonder as a miracle. Some thought there was not evidence enough, others that the age of miracles was over and that page in the history of religions closed. God worked miracles through Jesus and the apostles, never since and never again. Yet the evidence of the Kalama miracle is ten-fold greater than any possible evidence for the New Testament miracles. The gospels were written long after the event had taken place, when it was im­ possible to obtain evidence at first hand. We do not know the writers of the gospels; they do not agree with one another; their evi­ dence is very unsatisfactory and according to the story itself, but few’ were convinced; while the witnesses for the Kalama miracle are, as it were, in our midst, and we can easily ascertain all the par­ ticulars. If there is not evidence enough for the Kalama miracle, surely there is not enough for the miracles of the New’ Testament. Indeed these wonders, once sup­ posed to evidence the divine mis­ sion of Jesus, now’ tend to throw discredit on the whole narrative, especially w’hen one reads the mir­ acles recorded in the apocryphal New Testament, which were once miracles in the first century to an had been spelling and in a fash­ believed by all the faithful. Few awaken the world to a knowledge ion reading for several years, the Christians read the apochryphal of its lost condition and to turn brain had been working at the New Testament; this is profitable men’s attention to things of the problem of reading; under the stim­ reading, as giving a plain illustra­ spirit, why should he not do the ulus of the revival the work was tion of the mental condition pre­ same in this age which so greatly done rapidly and the woman read; vailing at the time when the gos­ resembles the last days of the Ro­ which proves that there was excite­ pels were written. A condition of man empire? If miracles were! ment but nothing more. Under a mind which accepted any wonder, needed then to convince the world similar stimulus men and women no matter how’ great and how ab­ of the reality of the spirit so are slow of speech have become elo­ surd, as true and as proving the they needed in this day for the quent, both at political and prayer meetings. supernatural character of the one same purpose. reported to have done the wonder. To the man who looks at these The evangelist or the people may So Mary, the mother of Jesus, be­ things from a common-sense stand­ have known the desire of the wom­ came the Lady Mary herself, mirac­ point, there can be but one conclu­ an to be able to read the Bible and ulously born and immaculately sion, a miracle or reversal of the bp hypnotism have conferred on conceived. laws of nature is simply impossible. her the ability. What is possible What was the ostensible purpose The wonder of Kalama, the won­ by the use of hypnotism, when first of the New Testament miracles? ders of the Christian scientists and told, seems miraculous, and some To prove the divine mission of spiritualists, the w’onders of New years ago evidenced the presence of Jesus, to prove that there was some­ Testament times and of the ancient a supernatural agent; an angel, a thing superior to matter and more religions may be facts; but they are spirit or a devil; now it is simply important than material interests. not supernatural. They may evi­ an effect of a cause, about which we The people, part of them denied dence the existence of spirit, but in are learning more all the time. the spiritual side of the universe, a natural way. Law reigns every­ Hypnotic suggestion entirely ac­ and another part wasted their time where and there can be no excep­ counts for the wonder, and this in superstitious rites and ceremo­ tions. All these wonders found in suggestion might find its way to nies. Jesus came to convince a every age and used by every re­ the woman’s brain with no con­ materialistic age of the reality of ligion to confirm its control over scious effort on the part of any one. spirit, to prove to a selfish people man must have a natural cause, In the evangelistic meetings now the value of selflessness and love. are all under the control of the law, being held in Salem h\ pnotism So the Kalama wonder-worker is which everywhere and in every age plays an important part. Very battling against materialism and apportions results to causes, and many will be induced to join the trying to replace selfishness with which in this age is accepted by church simply by hypnotic sugges­ love. The work is identical and more than in any other age. tion consciously or unconsciously I am quite willing to admit that employed. How great and how the need for the work as great now as in the time of Jesus. Nor can it the ignorant woman read the Bible commonly this power is used we be urged as a valid objection against under the influence of religious ex­ have only a slight idea; but it is the Kalama wonder that it will citement, and the same thing might quite another influence from what affect only a few, God is interested have occurred under the excite­ has been called the power of the in the humblest; not a sparrow ment produced by a Christian Holy Ghost. falleth to the ground without your Scientist or a Spiritualist or a To reject the wonders of modern Heavenly Father’s knowledge. Secularist; any great emotion or ancient times, whether worked Moreover, the miracles of Jesus aroused by any one could produce by heathen or Christian, by Jesus were know’n to but a very few’ ig­ the result. Apparently supernat­ or Apollonius of Toyana, by Chris­ ural works can be done under the tian minister, spiritualist medium norant fishermen. So there seems no good reason influence of any great excitement or Christian science teacher, is just why evangelical ministers should whether that excitement be what as absurd as to attribute them all deny the Kalama miracle, except, we call good or what we call evil. to some supernatural agency. There are several possible ex­ that if they admit its genuineness, “There are more things in heaven doctrine of it will be hard to make headway planations. The and on earth than we in our phil­ against the miracles of Christian reincarnation held by so many, osophy, Horatio, have dreamed of,” science and spiritualism, w’ell at­ which teaches that we have been says Hamlet, and of this we are tested, right in our midst, and wit­ on the earth before, and that the more convinced with every year. nessed by hundreds if not thou­ woman then might have been sands; while we have no evidence educated, and under the great excite­ There may be a narrow-minded­ that one of the miracles recorded in ment of the revival her memory ness of science, as well as of religion, the New Testament was ever per­ of the past was aroused, entirely of materialist as well as of spirit­ formed. When orthodox clergy­ explains this and many other ualist. I am unwilling to deny men deny the genuineness of the phenomena which seem at first anything. I may deny the conclu­ Kalama miracle, they are denying sight contra-natural, and this sion which is drawn from the fact what they have been continually doctrine has been believed by many and yet admit the fact, and wait teaching, namely, that the spirit of of the wisent men who have ever for further knowledge to explain the occurrence. I deny the con­ God is with men today and will lived on the earth. Under the excitement prevailing, clusion drawn from the Kalama work upon hardened hearts until they are softened, which Jesus de­ a process, which usually takes miracle, but am willing to admit clared was a greater w’onder than months, may have been condensed its occurrence. Of this one thing I am sure; a into hours. As in the physical to heal the sick. It should be remembered that all world under unusual circumstance miracle in the sense of a reversal of these miracles are worked to con­ natural processes are made to ad­ Natural law cannot occur, and no vince man of the reality of the vance with incredible speed, and* wonder then can prove any special spirit. This age is fully as mate­ we cry miracle. A seed which action on the part of God. A so rialistic as the age in which Jesus ordinarily takes days to germinate called miracle simply proclaims lived, and we need every possible and weeks to flower may be made the action of Natural law’ in any means to arouse the people from a to go through the whole prcess from w’ay to which we are unaccustomed, materialism not only in theory but germination to florescence in a few it is unnatural but not super or in practice, the practical material hours. So under unusual stimulus contra-natural and must be studied living being far worse than any a sluggish brain may be made to just as we would study any other possible materialistic theory. And act with great rapidity. In the fact in nature, and its occurrence if God thought it necessary to do case under consideration the worn- proves nothing more than the