,university of ,michigan's ,making of   
,america collection47                   
,,the ,,deluge             ,,in ,,the   
,,light ,,of ,,modern ,,science4        
,a ,discourse4                ,,by      
,,william ,,denton4        ,,wellesley1 
,,mass43  ,,denton ,,publishing         
,,company4            #ahhb4     ,,the  
,,deluge ,,in ,,the ,,light ,,of        
,,modern ,,science4   ,if the ,bible is 
,god's book1 we ought to know it4 ,if   
the ,creator of the universe has spoken 
to man1 how important that we should    
listen to his voice and obey his        
instructions6 ,on the other hand1 if the
 ,bible is not ,god's book1 we ought to 
know it4 ,why should we go through the  
world with a lie in our right hand1     
dupes of the ignorant men who preceded  
us8 ,it can never be for our soul's     
benefit to cherish a falsehood4         
,science is1 perhaps1 the best test that
 we can apply to decide the question4   
,science is really a knowledge of what  
,nature has done1 and is doing2 and     

since the upholders of the divinity of  
the ,bible believe that it proceeded    
from the ,author of nature1 if their    
faith is true1 it cannot possibly       
disagree with what science teaches4     
,science is a fiery furnace1 that has   
consumed a thousand delusions1 and must 
consume all that remain4 ,we cast into  
it astrology and alchemy1 and their     
ashes barely remain to tell of their    
existence4 ,old notions of the earth and
 heavens went in1 and vanished as their 
dupes gazed upon them4 ,old religions1  
old gods1 have become as the incense    
that was burned before their altars4  ,i
 purpose to try the ,bible in its       
searching fire4 ,fear not1 my brother3  
it can but burn the straw and stubble2  
if gold1 it will shine as bright after  
the fiery ordeal as before1 and reflect 
as perfectly the image of truth4  ,the  
,bible abounds with marvellous          
stories1--stories that we should at once
 reject from their intrinsic            
improbability1 not to say impossibility1

 if we should find them in any other    
book4 ,but1 among all the stories1 there
 is none that equals the account of the 
deluge1 as given in the sixth1 seventh1 
and eighth chapters of ,genesis4 ,it    
towers above the rest as ,mount         
,washington does above the ,new-,england
 hills2 and1 as travellers delight to   
climb the loftiest peaks1 ,i suppose    
that many would be pleased to examine   
this lofty story1 and see how the world 
of truth and actuality looks from its   
summit4  ,according to the account1 in  
less than two thousand years after ,god 
had created all things1 and pronounced  
them very good1 he became thoroughly    
dissatisfied with every living thing1   
and determined to destroy them with the 
earth4 ,he thus expresses himself3 ,i   
will destroy man1 whom ,i have created1 
from the face of the earth1--both man   
and beast1 and the creeping thing1 and  
the fowls of the air2 for it repenteth  
me that ,i have made them4 ,again he    
says to ,noah1 ,the end of all flesh is 

come before me2 for the earth is filled 
with violence through them1 and behold  
,i will destroy them with the earth4    
,why should the beasts1 birds1 and      
creeping things be destroyed8 ,what had 
the larks1 the doves1 and the           
bob-o-links done8 ,what had the         
squirrels and the tortoises been guilty 
of1 that they should be destroyed8  ,he 
proceeds to inform ,noah how he will do 
this3 ,and behold ,i1 even ,i1 do bring 
a flood of waters upon the earth1 to    
destroy all flesh1 wherein is the breath
 of life1 from under heaven2 and every  
thing that is in the earth shall die4   
,and we are subsequently informed that  
every thing that was in the dry land    
died4 ,but why not every thing in the   
sea8 ,were the dogs sinners1 and the    
dog-fish saints8 ,had the sheep been    
more guilty than the sharks8 ,had the   
pigeons become utterly corrupt1 and the 
pikes remained perfectly innocent8 ,it  
may be1 that the apparent impossibility 
of drowning them by a flood suggested to

 the writer of the story the necessity  
of saving them alive4  ,but ,noah was   
righteous2 and ,god determined to save  
him and his family1 eight persons1 and  
by their instrumentality to save alive  
animals sufficient to stock the world   
again after its destruction4  ,to do    
this1 ,noah was commanded to build an   
ark1 three hundred cubits long1 fifty   
broad1 and thirty high4 ,it was to be   
made with three stories1 and furnished  
with one door1 and one window a cubit   
wide4 ,into this ark were to be taken   
two of every sort of living thing1 and  
of clean beasts and of birds seven of   
every sort1 male and female1 and food   
sufficient for them all4  ,there are    
differences of opinion about the length 
of the cubit3 most probably it was about
 eighteen inches2 but taking it at      
twenty-two inches1 the largest estimate 
that ,i believe theologians have made1  
the ark was then five hundred and fifty 
feet long1 ninety-one feet eight inches 
broad1 and fifty-five feet high4        

,leaving space for the floors1 which    
would need to be very strong1 each story
 was about seventeen feet high2 and the 
total cubical contents of the ark were  
about one hundred and two thousand cubic
 yards4 ,scott1 in his commentary1 makes
 it as small as sixty-nine thousand one 
hundred and twenty yards2 but the       
necessity for room was not as well      
understood in his day4 ,each floor of   
the ark contained five thousand six     
hundred and one square yards1 and the   
three floors sixteen thousand eight     
hundred and three square yards1 the     
total standing-room of the ark4  ,into  
this were to be taken fourteen of each  
kind of fowl of the air or bird4 ,how   
many kinds or species of birds are      
there8 ,when ,adam ,clarke wrote his    
commentary1 two thousand three hundred  
and seventy-two species had been        
recognized4 ,ornithology was then but in
 its infancy1 and man's knowledge of    
living forms was very limited4 ,lesson1 
according to ,hugh ,miller1 enumerates  

the birds at six thousand two hundred   
and sixty-six species2 ,gray1 in his    
,genera of ,birds1 estimates the number 
on the globe at eight thousand4 ,let us 
not crowd ,noah1 but take the six       
thousand two hundred and sixty-six      
species of ,lesson4 ,fourteen of each of
 these would give us eighty-seven       
thousand seven hundred and twenty-four  
birds1--from the humming-bird1 the      
little flying jewel1 to the ostrich that
 fans the heated air of the desert1--or 
over five for every yard of             
standing-room in the ark4 ,if spaces    
were left for the attendants to pass    
among them1 to attend to the supply of  
their daily wants1 the birds alone would
 crowd the ark4  ,but1 beside the birds1
 there were to be taken into the ark two
 of every sort of unclean beast and     
fourteen of every sort of clean beast4  
,the most recent zoological authorities 
enumerate two thousand and sixty-seven  
species of mammals1 or1 as they are     
commonly called1 beasts4 ,of cetacea1 or

 whale-like mammals1 sixty-five2        
ruminantia1 or cud-chewers1 one hundred 
and seventy-seven2 pachydermata1 or     
thick-skinned mammals1 such as the      
horse1 hog1 and elephant1 forty-one2    
edentata1 like the sloth and ant-eater1 
thirty-five2 rodentia1 or gnawers1 such 
as the rat1 squirrel1 and beaver1 six   
hundred and seventeen2 carnivora1 or    
flesh-eaters1 four hundred and          
forty-six2 cheiroptera1 or bats1 three  
hundred and twenty-eight2 quadrumana1 or
 monkeys1 two hundred and twenty-one2   
and marsupialia1 or pouched mammals1    
like the opossum and kangaroo1 one      
hundred and thirty-seven4 ,if we leave  
out the cetacea1 that live in the water1
 and the cud-chewers1 which are the     
clean beasts1 we have one thousand eight
 hundred and twenty-five species2 and   
male and female of these1 a total of    
three thousand six hundred and fifty4   
,but1 besides these1 there were to be   
taken into the ark fourteen of every    
kind of clean beast4 ,and what are clean

 beasts8 ,the scriptural answer is1     
animals that divide the hoof and chew   
the cud2 and of these at least one      
hundred and seventy-seven species are   
known4 ,fourteen of each of these added1
 make a total of six thousand one       
hundred and twenty-eight mammals1 from  
the mouse to the elephant4 ,these beasts
 could not be piled one upon another    
like cord-wood2 they could not be       
promiscuously crowded together4 ,the    
sheep would need careful protection from
 the lions1 tigers1 and wolves2 the     
elephant and other ponderous beasts     
would require stalls of great thickness2
 much room would be required to enable  
them to obtain needful exercise1 and for
 the attendants to supply them with food
 and water2 and a vessel of the size of 
the ark would be taxed to provide for   
these beasts alone2 and to crowd in1 and
 preserve alive1 beasts and birds1 was  
an absolute impossibility4  ,but there  
are of reptiles six hundred and         
fifty-seven species2 and ,noah was to   

take into the ark two of every sort of  
creeping thing4 ,two hundred of these   
reptiles are1 however1 aquatic3 hence   
water would not seriously affect them2  
but crocodiles1 lizards1 iguanas1       
tree-frogs1 horned frogs1               
thunder-snakes1 chicken-snakes1         
brittlesnakes1 rattlesnakes1            
copperheads1 asps1 cobras de capello1   
whose bite is certain death1 and a host 
of others1 must be provided for4 ,it    
would not do to allow these disagreeable
 individuals to crawl about the ark2 and
 nine hundred and fourteen of them would
 require considerable space1 whether    
they could obtain it or not4  ,by this  
time1 the ark is doubly crowded2 but its
 living cargo is not yet completed4 ,a  
dense cloud of insects1 and a vast army 
destitute of wings1 make their          
appearance1 and clamor for admission4   
,the number of articulates that must    
have been provided for is estimated at  
seven hundred and fifty thousand        
species1--from the butterflies of       

,brazil1 fourteen inches from the tip of
 one wing to the tip of the other1 to   
the almost invisible gnat1 that dances  
in the summer's beam4 ,ants1 beetles1   
flies1 bugs1 fleas1 mosquitoes1 wasps1  
bees1 moths1 butterflies1 spiders1      
scorpions1 grasshoppers1 locusts1       
myriapods1 canker-worms1 wriggling1     
crawling1 creeping1 flying1 male and    
female1 here they come1 and all must be 
provided for4  ,nor are these the last4 
,the air-breathing land-snails1 of which
 we know four thousand six hundred      
species1 could never have survived a    
twelve months' soaking2 and they must   
therefore be cared for4 ,the nine       
thousand two hundred of these add no    
little to the discomfort of the         
trebly-crowded ark4  ,now let the flood 
come3 all are lodged in the ark of      
safety1 and are ready for a year's      
voyage4 ,but we forget3 the ark has not 
yet received one-half of its cargo4 ,the
 command given unto ,noah was1 ,take    
thou unto thee of all food that is      

eaten1 and thou shalt gather it to thee2
 and it shall be for food for thee and  
for them2 and we are expressly told that
 according to all that ,god commanded   
,noah1 so did he4  ,food for how long8  
,the flood began in the sixth hundredth 
year of ,noah's life1 in the second     
month1 the seventeenth day of the month4
 ,noah1 his family1 and the animals1    
went in seven days before this time1 and
 left the ark the six hundred and first 
year of ,noah's life1 the second month1 
and the twenty-seventh day of the month4
 ,they were therefore in the ark for one
 year and seventeen days4  ,what a      
quantity of hay would be required1 the  
material most easily obtained6 ,an      
elephant eats four hundred pounds of hay
 in twenty-four hours4 ,since there are 
two species of elephants1 the ,african  
and the ,indian1 there must have been   
four elephants in the ark2 and1         
supposing them to live upon hay1 they   
would require three hundred tons4 ,there
 are at least seven species of the      

rhinoceros2 and fourteen of these1 at   
seventy-five tons each1 would consume no
 less than one thousand and fifty tons4 
,the two thousand four hundred and      
seventy-eight clean beasts1--oxen1 elk1 
giraffes1 camels1 deer1 antelope1 sheep1
 goats1 with the horses1 zebras1 asses1 
hippopotami1 rodents1 and               
marsupials--could not have required less
 than four thousand five hundred tons2  
making a total of five thousand eight   
hundred and fifty tons4 ,a ton of hay   
occupies about eighteen cubic yards2 and
 the quantity of hay required would fill
 a hundred and five thousand three      
hundred cubic yards of space1 or more   
than the entire capacity of the ark4    
,if these animals were fed on other     
substances than hay1 the extra          
difficulty of obtaining and preserving  
those substances would counterbalance   
any advantage that might be gained by   
the economy of space4  ,a vast quantity 
of grain would be necessary for         
thousands of birds1 rodents1 marsupials1

 and other animals2 and large granaries 
would be required for its storage4      
,what flesh would be needed for the     
lions1 tigers1 leopards1 ounces1        
wild-cats1 wolves1 bears1 hyenas1       
jackals1 dogs1 and foxes1 martens1      
weasels1 eagles1 condors1 vultures1     
buzzards1 falcons1 hawks1 kites1 owls1  
as well as crocodiles and serpents6 ,not
 one but would eat its weight in a      
month1 and some much more4 ,a full-grown
 lion eats fifteen pounds of flesh in a 
day3 there are two species of lions2 and
 the four would eat twenty-two thousand 
pounds in a year4 ,there would be1 at   
least1 three thousand animals feeding   
upon flesh2 and1 if we calculate that   
they averaged two pounds of flesh a day1
 this would give a total of more than   
two million and a quarter pounds of     
flesh to be stored up and distributed4  
,and since dried1 salted1 or smoked meat
 would not answer1 this flesh must have 
been taken into the ark alive4 ,it would
 be equal to more than thirty thousand  

sheep at seventy-five pounds each2 a    
great addition to the original cargo1   
and necessitating an extra quantity of  
hay for their food1 till their turn came
 to be eaten4  ,fish would be required  
for the otters1 minks1 pelicans1 of     
which there are eight species1 and must 
therefore have been fifty-six           
individuals in the ark2 one hundred and 
five gulls1 for there are fifteen       
species2 one hundred and twelve         
cormorants1 forty-nine gannets1 one     
hundred and forty terns1 two hundred and
 eighty-seven kingfishers1 beside       
storks1 herons1 spoonbills1 penguins1   
albatrosses1 and a host of others2      
mollusks for the oyster-catcher1        
turnstone1 and other birds4  ,the fish  
could not be preserved after death in   
any way to answer for food1 and must    
therefore have been alive3 large tanks  
for the purpose of keeping them would   
take up considerable of the ark's space4
 ,the water in such tanks would soon    
become unfitted for the respiration of  

the fish1 and there must have been some 
provision1 by air-pumps or otherwise1   
for charging the water with the air     
essential to their existence4  ,many    
animals live upon insects2 and this must
 have been the most difficult part of   
the provision to procure4 ,there are    
nineteen species of goatsuckers2 and    
there must have been in the ark two     
hundred and sixty-six individuals4      
,these birds feed upon flies1 moths1    
beetles1 and other insects4 ,what an    
innumerable multitude must have been    
provided for the goatsuckers alone6 ,but
 there are a hundred and thirty-seven   
species of fly-catchers2 and ,noah must 
have had a fly-catcher family of        
nineteen hundred and eighteen           
individuals to supply with appropriate  
food4 ,there are thirty-seven species of
 bee-eaters2 and there must have been   
five hundred and eighteen of these birds
 to supply with bees4 ,a very large     
apiary would be required to supply their
 needs4 ,but1 beside these1 insects for 

swallows1 swifts1 martins1 shrikes1     
thrushes1 orioles1 sparrows1 the        
beautiful trogans and jacamars1 moles1  
shrews1 hedgehogs1 and a multitude of   
others1 too numerous to mention1 but not
 too numerous to eat4 ,ants1 also1 for  
the ant-eaters of ,america1 the         
aard-vark of ,africa1 and the pangolin  
of ,asia4 ,the great ant-eater of ,south
 ,america is an animal sometimes        
measuring eight feet in length4 ,it     
lives exclusively on ants1 which it     
procures by tearing open their hills    
with its hooked claws1 and then drawing 
its long tongue1 which is covered with  
glutinous saliva1 over the swarms which 
rush out to defend their dwelling4 ,many
 bushels of ants would be needed for the
 pair of ant-eaters before the ark      
landed on ,ararat4 ,how were all the    
insects caught1 and kept for the use of 
all these animals for more than a year8 
,a hundred men could not catch a        
sufficient number in six months4 ,and1  
if caught1 how could they be preserved1 

together with the original stock of     
insects necessary to supply the world   
after the deluge8 ,some insects eat only
 bark2 others1 resinous secretions1 the 
pith1 solid wood1 leaves1 sap in the    
veins1 as the aphid1 flowers1 pollen1   
and honey4 ,wood1 bark1 resin1 and honey
 might have been supplied2 but how could
 green leaves1 sap1 flowers and pollen1 
be furnished to those insects absolutely
 requiring them for existence8 ,thirty  
species of insects feed on the nettle1  
but not one of them could live on dried 
nettles4 ,roesel calculates that two    
hundred species subsist on the oak2 but 
the oak must be in a growing condition  
to supply them with food4 ,in no other  
way1 then1 could the insects have been  
preserved alive than by large           
green-houses1 the heat so applied as to 
suit the plants of both temperate and   
tropical climates1 and the insects so   
distributed among them1 that each could 
obtain its appropriate nourishment4     
,fruit would be necessary for the four  

hundred and forty-two monkeys1 for the  
plantain-eaters1 the fruit-pigeons of   
the ,spice ,islands that feed on        
nutmegs1 for the toucans and the flocks 
of parrots1 parroquets1 cockatoos1 and  
other fruit-eating birds4 ,as they did  
not know how to can fruit in those days1
 and dried fruit would be altogether    
unsuitable1 there must have been a large
 green-house for raising all manner of  
fruit necessary for the frugivorous     
multitude4  ,how were the various       
animals obtained8 ,the command given to 
,noah was1 ,two of every sort shalt thou
 bring into the ark4  ,animals1 as is   
now well known1 belong to limited       
centres1 outside of which they are never
 found in a natural state2 and          
naturalists know that these centres were
 established ages before the time when  
the deluge is supposed to have occurred4
  ,thus1 ,hugh ,miller1 in his          
,testimony of the ,rocks1 says1 ,we now 
know that every great continent has its 
own peculiar fauna2 that the original   

centres of distribution must have been1 
not one1 but many2 further1 that the    
areas or circles around these centres   
must have been occupied by their        
pristine animals in ages long anterior  
to that of the ,noachian ,deluge2 nay1  
that in even the latter geologic ages   
they were preceded in them by animals of
 the same general type4 ,there are      
fourteen such areas1 or provinces1      
enumerated by the later naturalists2 and
 ,cuvier1 quoted by ,miller1 says1 ,the 
great continents contain species        
peculiar to each2 insomuch1 that        
whenever large countries1 of this       
description1 have been discovered1 which
 their situation had kept isolated from 
the rest of the world1 the class of     
quadrupeds which they contained has been
 found extremely different from any that
 had existed elsewhere4 ,thus1 when the 
,spaniards first penetrated into ,south 
,america1 they did not find a single    
species of quadruped the same as any of 
,europe1 ,asia1 or ,africa4  ,the white 

bear is never found except in the arctic
 regions2 the great grizzly bear is only
 found in the neighborhood of the ,rocky
 ,mountains4 ,nearly all the species of 
mammals found in ,australia are confined
 to that country1 as the wingless birds 
of ,new ,zealand are confined to that1  
and the sloth1 armadillo1 and other     
animals1 to ,south ,america4  ,a journey
 to the polar regions would be necessary
 to obtain the white bear1 the musk-ox1 
of which seven would be required1 since 
it is a clean beast2 seven reindeer1    
likewise2 the white fox1 the polar hare1
 the lemming1 and seven of each species 
of cormorant1 gannet1 penguin1 petrel1  
and gull1 some of which are as large as 
eagles1 as well as mergansers1 geese1   
and ducks1 certain species of which are 
only found in the frigid zone4 ,noah or 
his agents must have discovered         
,greenland and ,north ,america thousands
 of years before ,columbus was born3    
they must have preceded ,behring1       
,parry1 ,ross1 ,kane1 and ,hayes in     

exploring the ,arctic regions4 ,they    
searched the ice-floes and numerous     
islands of the ,arctic seas1 snow-shoed1
 over the frozen tundras of ,siberia1 to
 be certain that no living thing escaped
 them2 then1 after catching and caging  
all the animals1 conveyed them1 with all
 manner of food necessary for their     
sustenance1 together with ice to temper 
the heat of the climate to which they   
were for more than a year to be exposed1
 returned to the nearest port1 and1     
after a toilsome journey from the       
sea-coast to ,armenia1 arrived at their 
destination4 ,how many of these animals 
would survive the journey8 and1 of those
 that did1 how many would survive the   
change of climate and habits8  ,another 
party must have visited temperate       
,america2 traversed ,new ,england in its
 length and breadth1 forded wide        
streams1 made their way through unbroken
 wildernesses1 traversed the ,great     
,lakes1 roamed over the ,rocky          
,mountains1 and secured the black bear1 

cinnamon bear1 wapiti or ,canadian stag1
 the moose1 ,american deer1 antelope1   
mountain sheep1 buffalo1 opossum1       
rattlesnake1 copperhead1 and an         
innumerable multitude of other          
animals--insects birds1 reptiles1 and   
mammals1 that are only to be found in   
the temperate regions of ,america4  ,a  
voyage to ,south ,america must have been
 made to obtain tapirs1 pumas1          
peccaries1 sloths1 ant-eaters1          
armadillos1 fourteen each of the llama1 
alpaca1 and vicuna1 beside monkeys1     
birds1 and insects innumerable4 ,a      
vessel nearly as large as ,the ,great   
,eastern must have been employed1 or a  
number of smaller ones1 to accommodate  
the collectors1 the animals1 and food   
for a voyage across the ,atlantic4      
,there must have been1 at least1 a      
thousand men1 wandering through the     
woods of ,brazil1 along the valley of   
the ,amazon1 the ,orinoco1 and the ,la  
,plata2 paddling up the streams1 scaling
 the mountains1 roaming over the pampas1

 climbing the tall trees1 turning over  
every stone and log1 and exploring every
 nook1 to discover the snails1 bugs1    
insects1 worms1 reptiles1 and other     
animals indigenous to ,south ,america1  
from the ,isthmus to ,tierra-del-fuego4 
,there must have been obtained four     
elephants1 for there are two species1   
the ,asiatic and the ,indian2 fourteen  
rhinoceroses1 one of which is found only
 in ,south ,africa1 another in the      
island of ,java1 and a third in         
,sumatra2 two hippopotami1 and possibly 
four1 for some authorities say there are
 two species4 ,fourteen giraffes1 since 
they are clean beasts1 must have been   
caught and driven from ,central ,africa 
7many more1 indeed1 must have been      
caught1 that the required number might  
reach the ark and be preserved72        
twenty-eight camels1 two hundred and    
eighty oxen 7for there are twenty       
species1 and they are clean72 and no    
less than thirteen hundred and          
eighty-six deer and antelope1 of which  

there are ninety-nine species           
recognized3 these to be collected in    
various parts of ,europe1 ,asia1        
,northern and ,southern ,africa1 and    
,america4  ,new ,zealand must have been 
visited to obtain its wingless birds2   
,mauritius for its dodo1 then living2   
,australia for its marsupials and other 
peculiar animals2 and every large       
island1 and most of the small ones1 to  
obtain those forms of life that are only
 to be found in each4 ,from the island  
of ,celebes1 they must have taken the   
eighty species of birds that are        
confined to it1 which would require them
 to catch1 cage1 feed1 and convey eleven
 hundred and twenty specimens3 a no     
small job of itself4 ,ten men that could
 accomplish that1 and carry them safe to
 ,armenia1 would do all that men could  
do in ten years4 ,from the ,philippine  
,islands1 the seventy-three species of  
hawks1 parrots1 and pigeons1 peculiar to
 them2 which would require1 since       
fourteen of every kind of bird were to  

be taken into the ark1 no less than one 
thousand and twenty-two specimens4 ,from
 ,new ,guinea1 and the neighboring      
islands1 two hundred and fifty-two of   
the magnificent birds of paradise1 since
 there are eighteen species4  ,a faint  
idea of the difficulties encountered and
 overcome by ,noah's agents may be      
gathered from what ,wallace1 in his     
recent work on the ,malay ,archipelago1 
informs us respecting these birds of    
paradise4 ,five voyages to different    
parts of the district they inhabit1 each
 occupying in its preparation and       
execution the larger part of a year1    
produced me only five species out of the
 fourteen known to exist in the         
,new-,guinea district4 ,if it took      
,wallace1 with all the assistance that  
he had from various officials1 five     
years to obtain five species1           
represented by dead birds1 how long did 
it take ,noah's agents to obtain        
eighteen species represented by two     
hundred and fifty-two live birds8       

,wallace could only obtain two alive1   
and for these he had to pay five hundred
 dollars4  ,if the antediluvian sinners 
were any thing like the modern ones1    
,noah must have been richer than the    
,rothschilds1 or he never could have    
obtained their services2 which he must  
have done1 or it could never be         
truthfully said1 according to all that  
,god commanded him1 so did he4  ,the    
collection of the land-snails alone     
would be no small tax4 ,seventy-four are
 peculiar to ,great ,britain3 hence     
there must have been a hundred and      
forty-eight snails collected from that  
island4 ,six hundred species are found  
in ,southern ,europe alone1 and twelve  
hundred must have been collected from   
there2 eighty in ,sicily1 ten in        
,corsica1 two hundred and sixty-four in 
the ,madeira ,islands1 a hundred and    
twenty in the ,canary ,islands1         
twenty-six in ,st4 ,helena1 sixty-three 
in ,southern ,africa1 eighty-eight in   
,madagascar1 a hundred and twelve in    

,ceylon1 a hundred in ,new ,zealand1 and
 others on every large and some of the  
small islands of the globe4 ,the world  
must have been circumnavigated many     
times before the vessel of ,magellan was
 built1 and every island visited and    
ransacked ages before the time of       
,captain ,cook4 ,but it seems           
surprising1 since these voyages must    
have been performed by the sinful       
antediluvians1 that they did not save   
themselves in their ships when the flood
 came2 for vessels that could perform   
such voyages would certainly have       
survived the flood more readily than the
 clumsy ark4  ,but was it really done8  
,a thousand men in ten years1 with all  
the appliances of modern                
art1--steamboats1 railroads1 canals1    
coaches1 and express companies1--could  
not accomplish it in ten years2 nor ten 
times the number of men keep all the    
animals alive in one spot for one year1 
if they were collected together4  ,but1 
says the ,christian1 ,noah never did    

collect them3 no intelligent person in  
this day ever supposes that he did4     
,what then8 ,the ,bible expressly       
declares that 'they went in unto ,noah  
into the ark4' ,by instinct1 such as    
leads the swallow to take its distant   
flight at the approach of winter1 they  
came from all parts of the globe to the 
ark of safety4  ,it is true that one    
account does say that they came in unto 
,noah1 for there are two very different 
stories of the deluge mixed up in those 
chapters of ,genesis2 but1 although     
flying birds might perform such a feat  
as going twelve thousand miles to the   
ark1 which would be necessary for some1 
how could other animals get there8 ,it  
would be impossible even for some birds4
 ,how could the ostriches of ,africa1   
the emus of ,australia1 and the rheas of
 ,south ,america1 get there1--birds that
 never fly8 ,there are three species of 
the rhea1 or ,south-,american ostrich2  
and forty-two of these would have a     
journey of eight thousand miles before  

them1 by the shortest route3 but how    
could they cross the ,atlantic8 ,if they
 went by land1 they must have traversed 
the length of the ,american continent1  
from ,patagonia to ,alaska1 crossed at  
,behring's ,strait when it was frozen1  
and then travelled diagonally across    
nearly the whole continent of ,asia to  
,armenia1 after a journey that must have
 required many months for its           
completion4 ,the sloths1 that have been 
confined to ,south ,america ever since  
the pliocene period at least1 must have 
taken the same route4 ,how they crossed 
the mountain streams1 and lived when    
passing over broad prairies1 it would be
 difficult to say4 ,a mile a day would  
be a rapid rate for these slow          
travellers1 and it would therefore      
require about forty years for them to   
arrive at their destination4 ,but1 since
 the life of a sloth is not as long as  
this1 they must have bequeathed their   
journey to their posterity1 and they to 
their descendants1 born on the way1 who 

must have reached the ark before the    
door was closed4 ,the land-snails must  
have met with still greater             
difficulties4 ,impelled by most         
wonderful instinct1 they commenced their
 journey full a thousand years before   
the time2 and their posterity of the    
five hundredth generation must have made
 their appearance1 and been provided    
with a passage by the venerable ,noah4  
,scott1 who wrote a commentary on the   
,bible seventy or eighty years ago1 must
 have seen some of these difficulties1  
though with nothing like the clearness  
with which science enables us to see    
them now4 ,he says1 ,there must have    
been a very extraordinary miracle       
wrought1 perhaps by the ministration of 
angels1 in bringing two of every species
 to ,noah1 and rendering them submissive
 to him and peaceable with each other2  
yet it seems not to have made any       
impression on the hardened spectators4  
,think of a troop of angels             
fly-catching1 snail-seeking1 and        

bug-hunting through all lands1 lugging  
through the air1 horses1 giraffes1      
elephants1 and rhinoceroses1 and        
dropping them at the door of the ark4   
,one has crossed the ,atlantic with     
rattlesnakes1 copperheads1 and boas     
twined around him1 almost crippling his 
wings with their snaky folds2 and       
another with a brace of skunks1 one     
under each wing1 that the renewed world 
may not lack the fragrance of the old4  
,what a subject for the pencil of a     
,raphael or ,dore6 ,had the hardened    
spectators beheld such a scene as this1 
,noah and his cargo would have been cast
 out of the ark1 and the sinners        
themselves1 converted by this stupendous
 miracle1 would have taken passage      
therein4  ,not only must there have been
 a succession of most stupendous        
miracles to get the animals to the ark1 
but also to return them to their proper 
places of abode4 ,but few of them could 
have lived in the neighborhood of       
,ararat1 had they been left there4 ,how 

could the polar bear return to his home 
among the ice-bergs1 the sloths to the  
congenial forests of the ,new ,world1   
and all the mammals1 reptiles1 insects1 
and snails to their respective habitats1
 the homes of their ancestors for ages  
innumerable8 ,to return them was just as
 necessary as to obtain them1 and1      
though less difficult1 was equally      
impossible4  ,how could eight persons1  
all that were saved in the ark1 attend  
to all these animals6 ,nearly all would 
require food and water once a day1 and  
many twice4 ,in a menagerie1 one man    
takes care of four cages1--feeds1       
cleans1 and waters the animals4 ,in the 
ark1 each person1 women included1 must  
have attended each day to ten thousand  
nine hundred and sixty-four birds1 seven
 hundred and sixty-six beasts1 one      
hundred and fourteen reptiles1 one      
thousand one hundred and fifty          
land-snails1 and one hundred and        
eighty-seven thousand five hundred      
insects4  ,few persons have an idea of  

the difficulty of keeping even the      
common birds of a temperate climate     
alive in confinement for any length of  
time4 ,food that is quite suitable in a 
wild state may be fatal to them when    
they are kept in the house4 ,linnets    
feed on winter rape-seed in the wild    
state1 but soon die if fed upon it      
in-doors4 ,they are to be fed1 says     
,bechstein1 on summer rape-seed1        
moistened in water2 and their food must 
be varied by the addition of millet1    
radish1 cabbage1 lettuce and            
plantain-seeds1 and sometimes a few     
bruised melon-seeds or barberries4      
,nightingales1 he says1 should be fed on
 meal1 worms1 and fresh ants' eggs3 but1
 if it is not possible to get these1 a  
mixture of hard egg1 ox-heart minced1   
and white bread may be given2 but this  
often kills the birds4 ,no such food    
would do for ,noah's nightingales1 then1
 or where would have been the           
nightingale's song8 ,they must have been
 fed on meal1 worms1 and fresh ant's    

eggs4 ,how they were obtained1 we have1 
of course1 no knowledge4 ,bechstein says
 that larks may be fed with a paste made
 of grated carrot1 white bread soaked in
 water1 and barley or wheat meal1 all   
worked together in a mortar4 ,in        
addition to this paste1 larks should be 
supplied with poppy-seed1 bruised hemp1 
crumb of bread1 and plenty of greens1   
such as lettuce1 endive1 cabbage1 with a
 little lean meat or ant-eggs           
occasionally4 ,he says the cage should  
be furnished with a piece of fresh turf1
 often renewed1 and great attention     
should be paid to cleanliness4 ,the care
 of the birds in the ark probably fell  
to the women4 ,as they had not read     
,bechstein1 or any other author on      
bird-keeping1--and thousands of the     
birds must have been total strangers to 
them1--how did they know what diet to   
supply them with1 and where could they  
get it1 supposing they had time to      
supply them at all8  ,if the difficulty 
was great to keep the birds of a        

temperate climate1 how much greater must
 it have been to keep tropical birds in 
a climate altogether unsuited to them8  
,the two birds of paradise bought by    
,wallace were fed1 he says1 on rice1    
bananas1 and cockroaches3 of the last1  
he obtained several cans from a         
bake-house at ,malta1 and thus got his  
paradise birds1 by good fortune1 to     
,england4 ,but how many cans of         
cockroaches would be necessary for two  
hundred and fifty-two of such           
birds1--the number in the ark8 and where
 were the bake-houses from which the    
supply might be obtained8  ,to keep this
 vast menagerie clean would have        
required a large corps of efficient     
workers1 especially when we remember    
that there was but one door in each     
story1 as some suppose2 or one door to  
the whole ark1 as the story seems to    
teach1 and this door was closed2 and but
 one window1 and that apparently in the 
roof4 ,the ,augean stable1 the cleansing
 of which was one of the labors of      

,hercules1 can but faintly indicate what
 must have been the condition of the ark
 in less than a month1 supposing the    
animals to subsist as long4  ,whence    
came the water that covered the earth to
 the tops of the highest mountains8 ,all
 the high hills that were under the     
whole heaven were covered4 ,fifteen     
cubits upward did the waters prevail2   
and the mountains were covered1 says the
 record4 ,and to do this1 it rained for 
forty days and forty nights4 ,a fall of 
an inch of water in a day is considered 
a very heavy rain in ,great ,britain4   
,the heaviest single rain recorded fell 
on the ,khasia ,hills in ,india1 and    
amounted to thirty inches in twenty-four
 hours4 ,if this deluging rain could    
have continued for forty days and       
nights1 and had it fallen over the      
entire surface of the globe1 the amount 
would only have been one hundred feet2  
which1 instead of covering the          
mountains1 would not have covered the   
hills4 ,but1 of course1 such a rain is  

only possible for a very limited time1  
and on a small portion of the earth's   
surface4  ,sir ,john ,leslie1 in ,the   
,encyclopedia ,britannica1 says1        
,supposing the vast canopy of air1 by   
some sudden change of internal          
constitution1 at once to discharge its  
whole watery store1 this precipitate    
would form a sheet of scarcely five     
inches thick over the surface of the    
globe4 ,but if the water that covered   
the earth above the tops of the highest 
mountains came by rain1 it must have    
rained seven hundred feet a day for     
forty days6 or there must have fallen   
each day1 according to ,sir ,john       
,leslie's estimate1 more than fourteen  
hundred times as much water on the earth
 as the atmosphere contained6  ,but the 
writer says1 ,the fountains of the great
 deep were broken up4 ,to the ,jews1 who
 supposed1 with ,david1 that ,god had   
founded the earth upon the seas1 and    
established it upon the floods1 this    
meant something2 but1 in the light of   

geology1 we see that it only            
demonstrates the ignorance of the man   
who wrote and the people that believed  
the story4  ,adam ,clarke1 commenting on
 this passage1 says1 ,it appears that an
 immense quantity of water occupied the 
centre of the antediluvian earth2 and1  
as this burst forth by the order of     
,god1 the circumambient strata must sink
 in order to fill up the vacuum         
occasioned by the elevated waters4 ,if  
true1 it would not have assisted in     
drowning the world one spoonful4 ,for if
 the strata sank anywhere to fill the   
hollow previously occupied by the water1
 it would only make the mountains so    
much higher in comparison3 hence it     
would require just that much extra water
 to cover them4 ,in the light of        
geology1 however1 the notion is         
sufficiently absurd4 ,a mile and a half 
deep1 the earth's interior is hot enough
 to convert water into steam2 there is1 
therefore1 no chance for water to exist 
in its centre1 or anywhere near it4  ,it

 is as great a difficulty to discover   
where the water went when the flood was 
over4 ,we are told that the fountains of
 the deep and the windows of heaven were
 stopped1 and the rain was restrained4  
,but this could do nothing towards      
diminishing the water4 ,all that it     
could possibly accomplish would be to   
prevent the rise of the water4 ,but we  
are also told that ,god made a wind to  
pass over the earth4 ,all that the wind 
could do1 however1 would be to convey to
 the atmosphere the moisture it took up 
in vapor2 and this could not have       
lowered the water a yard4 ,the highest  
mountain1 ,kunchinginga1 is more than   
twenty-eight thousand feet high2 the    
flood prevailed one hundred and fifty   
days1 and abated two hundred and        
twenty-five2 and if this abatement was  
done by the wind1 it must have blown an 
ocean of water from the entire surface  
of the earth1 one hundred and           
twenty-five deep1 every day for eight   
months6 ,all the hurricanes that ever   

blew1 blowing at once1 would be the     
gentlest zephyr of a summer's eve1      
compared with such a wind as that2 and  
by what possibility could such a craft  
as the ark survive the storm8  ,a       
question1 proper to be asked is1 ,how   
were the animals supplied with light8   
and how did the attendants see to wait  
upon them in the first and second       
stories of the ark8 ,there was but one  
window1 and that only twenty-two inches 
in size1 and it appears to have been in 
the third story4 ,it was a day when     
kerosene was unknown1 and tallow dips   
were uninvented4 ,how did these animals 
live in the darkness8 and1 above all1   
how did ,noah and his family supply     
their wants8 ,it could have been no easy
 or pleasant thing to wait upon hungry  
lions1 tigers1 crocodiles1 and          
rattlesnakes in the dark1 to say nothing
 of the danger4  ,how did they breathe8 
,there was but one twenty-two inch      
window2 the ark was pitched within and  
without with pitch2 ,the ,lord shut him 

in4 ,talk of the ,black ,hole of        
,calcutta3 it must have been pure as the
 breath of morning compared with the    
condition of the ark in one day4  ,where
 did they obtain water for drink8       
,supposing all the additional water     
needed to drown the world was fresh1    
when mingled with the water of the sea1 
as much as one-tenth of it would be salt
 water1 and this would render it utterly
 unfit for drink4 ,provision must       
therefore have been made for water2 and 
a space certainly half as large as the  
ark must have been taken up for the     
water necessary for this immense        
multitude4  ,the fish1 mollusks1        
crustaceans 7such as our crabs and      
lobsters71 and all corals1 must have    
died if such a flood had taken          
place1--the fresh-water fish from the   
salt water at once added to their proper
 element1 and the salt-water fish and   
other marine forms from so large an     
addition of fresh water4 ,for months1   
there could have been no shore3 what is 

now the margin of the sea was buried    
miles deep2 and all the fucoidal        
vegetation1 upon which myriads of       
animals subsist1 must have perished1 and
 the animals with it1 if the change in  
the constitution of the water had not   
killed them4 ,every time a man swallows 
an oyster1 he has evidence that the     
,noachian deluge did not take place4    
,the plants must have perished also4    
,how many of our trees1 to say nothing  
of the grasses and feeble plants1 could 
endure a soaking of nearly twelve       
months' duration8 ,some of the very     
hardiest seeds might survive1 but the   
number could not be large4 ,the present 
condition of vegetation upon the globe  
is another evidence1 then1 that this    
deluge did not take place4  ,when the   
ark landed on ,mount ,ararat1 and the   
animals went forth1 how did they        
subsist8 ,as they went down the         
mountains1 the carnivorous animals would
 have devoured a large portion of the   
herbivorous animals saved in the ark4   

,beside the lions1 tigers1 leopards1    
ounces1 and other carnivorous mammals1  
amounting to eight hundred and          
ninety-two1 there were in the ark six   
hundred and sixty-six eagles1 for there 
are forty-eight species2 one hundred and
 forty-four buzzards1 fourteen hundred  
and forty-two falcons1 one hundred and  
forty hawks1 two hundred and            
thirty-eight vultures1 and eight hundred
 and ninety six owls4 ,what chance would
 a few sheep1 rabbits and squirrels1    
rats and mice1 doves and chickens1 have1
 among this ravenous multitude8 ,how    
could the ants escape1 with ant-eaters1 
aard-varks and pangolins on the watch   
for them as soon as they made their     
appearance8 ,there were as many dogs as 
hares1 as many cats as mice4 ,how long a
 lease of life could the sheep1 hares1  
and mice1 calculate upon8 ,before the   
herbivorous animals had multiplied1 so  
as to furnish the carnivorous animals   
with food1 they must all have been      
destroyed1 after all the pains taken for

 their preservation4 ,noah should have  
given the herbivora1 at least a year's  
start1 especially since the vegetation  
of the globe was so deficient4  ,but we 
are told that the species of animals may
 have been much fewer in the days of    
,noah2 and1 therefore1 much less room   
would be necessary4 ,a single pair of   
cats1 say some1 may have produced all   
the animals of the cat kind2 a pair of  
dogs1 all the animals that belong to the
 dog family4 ,such an explanation might 
have been given when zoology was little 
known1 and geology had no existence2 but
 there is no place for it now4 ,animals 
change1 it is true1 and all species have
 probably been produced from a few      
originals2 but the process by which this
 is accomplished is so slow in its      
operation1 that we have no knowledge of 
the formation of a new species4 ,we know
 that lions1 tigers1 and cats of various
 species1 existed long before the time  
of the deluge1 and dogs1 wolves and     
foxes2 and we find mummied cats1 dogs1  

and other animals in ,egypt1 as old or  
older than the deluge1 so little changed
 from those of the present time in the  
same locality1 that we cannot recognize 
any difference between them4  ,you seem 
to forget that all things are possible  
with ,god3 he could have packed these   
animals into an ark of one-half the     
size1 brought them altogether in the    
twinkling of an eye1 and returned them  
as rapidly4  ,and you seem to forget    
that the account in ,genesis gives us no
 hint of any such miracle4 ,noah was to 
take the animals to him1 and to take    
unto him of all food that is eaten2 and1
 as ,hugh ,miller remarks1 the expedient
 of having recourse to supposititious   
miracle in order to get over a          
difficulty insurmountable on every      
natural principle1 is not of the nature 
of an argument1 but simply an evidence  
of the want of it4 ,argument is at an   
end when supposititious miracle is      
introduced4 ,but1 if a miracle was      
worked1 it was not one1 but ten thousand

 of the most stupendous miracles1 and   
entirely unnecessary ones4 ,this1 the   
,rev4 ,dr4 ,pye ,smith saw1 when he     
said1 ,we cannot represent to ourselves 
the idea of all land animals being      
brought into one small spot1 from the   
polar regions1 the torrid zone1 and all 
the other climates of ,asia1 ,africa1   
,europe1 and ,america1 ,australia1 and  
the thousands of islands1--their        
preservation and provision1 and the     
final disposal of them1--without        
bringing up the idea of miracles more   
stupendous than any that are recorded in
 ,scripture4 ,the great decisive miracle
 of ,christianity1--the resurrection of 
the ,lord ,jesus1--sinks down before it4
  ,it is a favorite method with the     
advocates of special revelations to show
 their agreement with the operations of 
natural law1 till a difficulty is met   
with that cannot be answered1 when they 
flee at once to miracle to save them4   
,but1 in this case1 miracle itself      
cannot save them4  ,geology furnishes us

 with evidence that no such deluge has  
taken place4 ,according to ,hugh        
,miller1 ,in various parts of the world1
 such as ,auvergne in ,central ,france1 
and along the flanks of ,etna1 there are
 cones of long-extinct or               
long-slumbering volcanoes1 which1 though
 of at least triple the antiquity of the
 ,noachian deluge1 and though composed  
of the ordinary incoherent materials1   
exhibit no marks of denudation4         
,according to the calculations of ,sir  
,charles ,lyell1 no devastating flood   
could have passed over the forest-zone  
of ,etna during the last twelve thousand
 years4  ,archaeology enters her protest
 equally against it4 ,we have abundance 
of ,egyptian mummies1 statues1          
inscriptions1 paintings1 and other      
representations of ,egyptian life       
belonging to a much earlier period than 
the deluge4 ,with only such             
modifications as time slowly introduced1
 we find the people1 their language1 and
 their habits1 continuing after that    

time1 as they had done for centuries    
before4 ,lepsius1 writing from the      
pyramids of ,memphis1 in #ahdc1 says1   
,we are still busy with structures1     
sculptures1 and inscriptions1 which are 
to be classed1 by means of the now more 
accurately determined groups of kings1  
in an epoch of highly flourishing       
civilization1 as far back as the fourth 
millennium before ,christ4 ,that is one 
thousand six hundred and fifty-six years
 before the time of the flood4 ,lyell   
says that ,chevalier ,bunsen1 in his    
elaborate and philosophical work on     
ancient ,egypt1 has satisfied not a few 
of the learned1 by an appeal to         
monumental inscriptions still extant1   
that the successive dynasties of kings  
may be traced back without a break1 to  
,menes1 and that the date of his reign  
would correspond with the year #c1fdj   
,b4,c42 that is nearly thirteen hundred 
years before the time of the deluge4    
,strange that the whole world should    
have been drowned and the ,egyptians    

never knew it6  ,from the ,types of     
,mankind1 we learn that the fact is     
asserted by ,lepsius1 and familiar to   
all ,egyptologists1 that negro and other
 races already existed in ,northern     
,africa1 on the ,upper ,nile1 #b1cjj    
years ,b4,c4  ,but this is only         
forty-eight years after the deluge4     
,what kind of a family had ,noah8 ,was  
amalgamation practised by any of ,noah's
 sons8 ,if all the human occupants of   
the ark were ,caucasians1 how did they  
produce negro races in forty-eight      
years8 ,the facts again compel us to    
announce the fabulous character of this 
,genesical story of the deluge4  ,no    
intelligent person now believes that it 
was a total deluge3 ,buckland1 ,pye     
,smith1 ,miller1 ,hitchcock1 and all    
,christian geologists1 agree that it was
 a partial deluge1 and the account can  
be so explained4  ,how strange that ,god
 should dictate an account of the deluge
 that led everybody to a false          
conclusion with regard to it1 till      

science taught them a better4 ,but let  
us read what the account says1 and see  
whether it can be explained to signify a
 partial deluge4 ,to save the ,bible    
from its inevitable fate1 such men as   
,buckland1 ,smith1 ,miller1 ,hitchcock1 
and other ,bible apologists1 it is      
evident from their writings1 were ready 
to resort to any scheme1 however wild4  
,i read 7,gen4 vi4 #g71 ,i will destroy 
both man and beast1 and the creeping    
thing4 ,how could a partial deluge      
accomplish this8 7v4 #ac72 ,the end of  
all flesh is come before me4 ,i will    
destroy them with the earth4 ,how could 
all flesh be destroyed with the earth by
 any other than a total deluge8 7v4     
#ag72 ,i do bring a flood of waters upon
 the earth1 to destroy all flesh wherein
 is the breath of life1 from under      
heaven2 and every thing that is in the  
earth shall die4 ,not only is man to be 
destroyed1 but all flesh wherein is the 
breath of life1 from under heaven1 and  
every thing in the earth is to die4 ,can

 this be tortured to mean a partial     
deluge8 7vii4 #ai72 ,and the waters     
prevailed exceedingly upon the earth2   
and all the high hills that were under  
the whole heaven were covered2 and all  
flesh died that moved upon the earth1   
both of fowl1 and of cattle1 and of     
beast1 and of creeping thing that       
creepeth upon the earth1 and every man4 
,all in whose nostrils was the breath of
 life1 of all that was in the dry land1 
died4 ,and every living substance was   
destroyed which was upon the face of the
 ground1 both man and cattle1 and the   
creeping things1 and the fowl of the    
heaven2 and they were destroyed from the
 earth1 and ,noah only remained alive1  
and they that were with him in the ark4 
,had the man who wrote this story been a
 lawyer1 and had he known how these     
would-be-,bible-believers1 and at the   
same time geologists1 would seek to     
pervert his meaning1 he could not have  
more carefully worded his account4 ,it  
is not possible for any man to express  

the idea of a total flood more          
definitely than this man has done4 ,he  
does not merely say the hills were      
covered1 but all the hills were covered2
 and lest you should think that he      
certainly did not mean the most         
elevated1 he is careful to say all the  
high hills were covered2 and lest some  
one should say he only meant the hills  
in that part of the country1 he says    
expressly all the high hills that were  
under the whole heaven were covered4 ,he
 is even so cautious as to introduce the
 phrase whole heaven1 lest some one in  
its absence might still think that the  
deluge was a partial one4 ,to make its  
universality still more evident1 he     
says1 ,all flesh died that moved upon   
the earth4 ,this would have been        
sufficiently definite for most persons1 
but not so for him2 he particularizes so
 that none may escape1--both of fowl1   
and of cattle1 and of beast1 and of     
creeping thing that creepeth upon the   
earth1 and every man4 ,to leave no      

possibility of mistake1 he adds1 all in 
whose nostrils was the breath of life1  
of all that was in the dry land1 died4  
,can any thing more be needed8 ,the     
writer seems to see that some           
theological professor may even yet try  
to make this mean a partial deluge2 and 
he therefore says1 ,every living        
substance was destroyed which was upon  
the face of the ground1 both man1 and   
cattle1 and the creeping things1 and the
 fowl of the heaven2 they were destroyed
 from the earth4 ,is it possible to add 
to the strength of this8 ,he thinks it  
is2 and he therefore says1 ,noah only   
remained alive1 and they that were with 
him in the ark4 ,could any truthful man 
write this and then mean that less than 
a hundredth part of the earth's surface 
was covered4 ,if not a total flood1 why 
save the animals1 above all the birds8  
,all that ,noah and his family need to  
have done would have been to move out of
 the region till the storm was over4 ,if
 a partial flood1 how could the ark have

 rested on the mountains of ,ararat8    
,ararat itself is seventeen thousand    
feet high1 and it rises from a plateau  
that is seven thousand feet above the   
sea-level4 ,a flood that enabled the ark
 to float on to that mountain could not 
have been far from universal2 and1 when 
such a flood is accounted for on        
scientific principles1 it will be just  
as easy to account for a total flood4   
,the flood was only intended to destroy 
man1 and therefore only covered those   
parts of the earth that were occupied by
 him4  ,the ,bible states1 however1 that
 it was intended to destroy every thing 
wherein was the breath of life2 and your
 account and the ,bible account do not  
at all agree4 ,but1 if man was intended 
to be destroyed1 the flood must have    
been wide-spread4 ,we know that ,africa 
was occupied before that time1 and had  
been for thousands of years1 by various 
races4 ,we learn1 from the recent       
discoveries in the ,swiss ,lakes1 that  
man was in ,switzerland before that     

time2 in ,france1 as ,boucher's and     
,rigollet's discoveries prove2 in ,great
 ,britain1 as the caves in ,devonshire  
show2 in ,north ,america1 as the fossil 
human skull beneath ,table ,mountain    
demonstrates4 ,hence1 for the flood to  
destroy man alone at so recent a period1
 it must have been as wide spread as the
 earth4  ,even according to the ,bible  
account1 the garden of ,eden1 where man 
was first placed1 was somewhere near the
 ,euphrates2 and in sixteen hundred     
years the race must have rambled over a 
large part of the earth's surface4 ,the 
highest mountains in the world1 the     
,himalayas1 are within two thousand     
miles of the ,euphrates4 ,that splendid 
country1 ,india1 would have been        
occupied long before the time of the    
deluge2 and1 on the flanks of the       
,himalayas1 man could have laughed at   
any flood that natural causes could     
possibly produce4  ,how do you account1 
then1 for these traditions of a deluge  
that we find all over the globe8        

,nothing more easy4 ,in all times floods
 have occurred2 some by heavy and       
long-continued rains1 others by the     
bursting of lake-barriers or the        
irruption of the sea2 and wherever      
traditions of these have been met with1 
men with the ,bible story in their minds
 have at once attributed their origin to
 the ,noachian deluge4  ,but ,jesus and 
the apostles indorse the account of the 
deluge4  ,granted2 but does that        
transform a fable into a fact8 ,they    
believed the story just as our modern   
theologians believe it2 because they    
were taught it when they were children1 
and had not learned better4 ,jesus says 
7,matt4 xxv4 #cg-ci71 ,but as the days  
of ,noe were1 so shall also the coming  
of the ,son of man be4 ,for1 as in the  
days that were before the flood they    
were eating and drinking1 marrying and  
giving in marriage1 until the day that  
,noe entered into the ark1 and knew not 
until the flood came and took them all  
away2 so shall also the coming of the   

,son of man be4 ,if the man had regarded
 the story as false1 he never would have
 referred to it in such a manner4 ,and1 
in this manifestation of credulity on   
the part of ,jesus1 we can see the very 
false estimate placed upon him by so    
large a portion of the people of this   
country4 ,let the truth be spoken1      
though ,jesus and all other idols be    
overthrown4 ,so he would say1 if alive1 
or he was not as good and intelligent a 
man as ,i think he was4  ,by this story 
the ,bible stands or falls as a divine  
book4 ,it falls1 as we see1 and takes   
its place with all other human fallible 
productions4 ,for knowledge1 we go to   
,nature1 our universal mother1 who gives
 her ,bible to every soul1 and preaches 
her everlasting gospel to all people4   
,transcriber's ,note3      ,minor       
typographical errors have been corrected
 without note4 ,variant     spellings   
have been retained4 ,hyphenation has    
been standardised4