RELIGION AND DIET

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 43, 27 July 1878, Page 3

RELIGION AND DIET

fFr.mi tli- New York Times.; It has long Leon tin.- I>--1 i. fof many on- forms of religion now prevailing sin the direct results of dili'. rcntkindsoffon 1 There have hitherto boon inseparable dilliculties ill the way of demonstrating the truth of this theory. Imt thai a man', religion depends n].on the kind of f 1 he | uses, and is modiliod to some extent l.v th. jcliinate in which he lives, nearly all' ad i valued thinkers are Convinced. It ij pleasant to l,e alio to announco that at last all possibility of (l.mlit on this sulijoet has been remove.l by u scries of sue. ful experiments narrated bv I'rofessor Huxlev in his contemplated book on " Vegetable and Alcoholic Religions." Sonic time ago Prof. Huxley was so fortunate as to obtain possession of a large litter of young nhildren, the property of a I :.- _r-i t who .1. ird Lodev'-'- hj: \>< :' time to the study of gin, and who held that, inasmuch a. 'there is no hen-after, it was not worth while for liim to tumble himself ibout his children. The latter, who were to a great extent twins, and were all under N vears of »•_"•, were perfectly free from all religious p'reji d'cos, and although the oldest swore with inu.-h fluency, he had no thought of the powbility of the existence of a Clod. Placing them ill strict confinement, where no human being but himself and a deaf-and-dumb nurse could obtain access to them. Professor Huxley b. gun a scries of experiments with their In id, which produced the most satisfactory and valuable results. The oldest child was fed exclusively upon Swiss cheese, and was allowed to drinkweak brandy and water. He, was kept in a room where the temperature was a little ah jvc the freezing point, and was constantly exercised in climbing artificial precipices made of trunks and bookcases. Like the rest of the children, he was taught to read and write, but, received no other instruction. At the end of three mouths Professor Huxley was delighted to find him making preparations for a bonfire, in which he proposed to burn his nurse', on the ground that she did not believe certain doctrines which he believed. A month later the constructed a rude pulpit, in which he constantly preached .sermons denouncing Hies and gnats, who were his only hearers, for their fondness for sunshine. Before the end of the first vear ho find formulated u creed which Professor Huxley found to bear a very close resemblance to that of John (,'alvin. It thus beotune clear that a diet of Swiss cheese, combined with brandy and water and modified by a low temperature, are the immediate CAtIM of Calvinism. Meanwhile another boy had been fed upon oatmeal and whisky, made to live in a .lamp room and frequently sprinkled with a line spray of water closely resembling a .Scotch ndsl. This boy soon uc.piired a peculiar broad accent and showed a disposition to preach sermons several hours in length, He iii-pi.n.v.| j >■;..!.■

; av ■•- to to ■ , scarlet i an<l n ' i ■ ..a A very i short tiui |c| to !'■ sb> ' ho truth of thi: a mat in of religion •; l-nt th- 11 v i.f ti,. - hay to at (ho I ■ when* vi ■ inci 1- rili ttont.il i The ; . . ■ ■■ ■ >m, on i ; i -rin, l •- ~..'] ;.',-v, ~ riiuent • ■ .p ■ u■■ - . The, ■ ■ ..- iw w .-, luiitii-...... Uonian 1 ■'' i li/e lad fdevoutjcin In. king his ' ifu f I , ri< i«hl ■Wiiv I st' i, i a I i <\ imenta in i ■ upon Hit- young -r two I « rt> not I ' y. I >!„■ , f - thi.-m wi- I ii] | 1 hoini ■'.■"■ 1 ■. i ■ ■ ' rial t-hit-in-: na'l i r lowud to ■... ;■■:•. I ; was :-iij.ji .• i thai un . ■ m of I ': ; in-iit. .-'.•■,:,- lini, -. ~Hir, ' iiswoultl Ii v.,U flv : ~ d: I,;,! '. .'.v r-.l.lM'T, :'. boy : . .'.mi .• i sol f, -, b-twt', -i a . M-'hKlis'ait.lr, 1' -u :,i, I |Vi !' - ■ , llu-.1-y'.-. - ij,i ~, that an error Iw;.- mail, i- i t, ul'.h nigh he claims to !Ii i" i. J iiim i;t ~ ■ litiict! with | with the ,■!!•! a pn vi '. ng in the ! southern par, a' ili-i ,', :•- I t tl AI i;.'! events, tl. - exporfm i ' v:t - tittle l.et- ' i- limn n failttr ami : : i urn la fir the pnxlucti >ti ot '-I','i ' is 'i tl f, n~i in the l'i-.!'. - iv •'. ,t mj.l.au-tl book. As for the firth i. ,'. he wa tl tt-il with . special ear.- with i >. vi-w of making him an earnest n\ 1 '. • si ntitic p rson. i lis "iirt con ist I, .' • : t 1,. i i an 1 ale, ; a 1.1 liisjilayth 1 , ;v ■ '■,', -an.l p.-ncik , | luatheniatieal ' ,- .ini.-'i.-.. of 1 mini rah an 1 f ■ il- n ilf.nat mieal tlraw . lings. Tluve tim - ev ry .lay he was j tai-'-n to the open w inl.-.w.an l'li-M. with J iiis in mill o] n exp is-.l: i the east winal i Hi", iv afl in . ei, iw , w il-L he\ ■ ! lilt!I seieiiiiiie I, ys w. r.j brought lo play with him, ati.l ill • ilnv v. ■■■• ;,,■ e . in,.,l 1,, play pi ! , •. It v.' iia p ckel l-i,. ; for -ever.il hours. It was conli.'.o'itly | heli-veil I hat inrlov tl i, i ntmcr.l lie Willi i i . . an ■ a ■'■ . • si-icTi |.' ; e pevs.tii, he' r ■ 11 ti nit- hi ■■■'.• I.'i ' ' ' "). Te - I. i • '■'■ line •: i .': imp-,'!: ,! i. ■,..'■ . . His site, in ' ■■ ,•« in: enable, it was bis ileligbi I , pit-k ii, pieces ami spoil ev I v beaiir'i' i! niij. <-\ that came v. ithin bis 'lem-h ami tbr w- lies ami to lit..it at .".< y n ; .alee person nbo y,\- I near his win.low. Ii is true that Ii ■ ili'l In. t bebe\e in tin--: •■...ue-.f a (i »!. hul this was a v ; v sli-ht consolation to I'ro- ' ft- ' 11, is! V :■■:■: ■; ' ■ 111 .-r w.i- calleil la big.tetl i.l'i.v. by ibis wr-tche-1 hoy. or t b! iiy liim that le was a stapiil an! iii.at in a; 1 be u-oiil.l liketo.iisa-aang-his 1,, ,',, a! iileebani m with a b;-:e. The b,.v ,le! me. a- iie-.l hartl'v be lemai'kiti ivsembl... a ni0.1.-ni scientific person in the n-uiot-sl ,!■../;■..,■ and l'r„i, '.l' Huxley 0,11 ft-ses himself unable : to ace .-.nit for th- failure of this experiInient. N-vei'thel-ss, in his contemplated I volume lb. learned IV iV.„ :• bus been abb' to -ive til" several form:.la- for the ! piodiiui: "a ef Swi-s Calvbii I Scotch ll'iesbvt-.iaiisaiitl llahan Ib-uiiu ( atho-j!i-s, and by these e-ta! ":-'i -d, 1. x..;t.l r. llti-ovei-v bis ass. I'iion lini'. : ';:;!■ i - , the result .it diet. At the same time, it i should le remarked thai ill ■ tim-e has e mfes-d that sb- s-cretly mo pli. ■! the l.ovs with religious books, a ~i tiiat fniiii fie" latl r ihev derived there r. ligions | views. As between -.'•-• a- •■ ii ; of a worn in with a tju'e . • i-d i--n ,■'■"...- and the -rave statesmen, of a seietitiiic person, there can bo but I'd .-• room f. r jeb. ice, and we must accept I'lofessoi- [ ' Iluxley' account of his experiments with : ! the same faith with which we accept all jhisothei'seientific assertions.