Norishemorehappyinhisrationalisticexplanationsofthewholemassofmyths。Hesupposesaterrificstorm，inwhichthelightningkindledthecombustiblematerialsofthecities，aidedperhapsbyanearthquake；butthisshowsadispositiontobreakawayfromtheexactstatementsofthesacredbookswhichwouldhavebeenmostseverelycondemnedbytheuniversalChurchduringatleasteighteenhundredyearsofitshistory。NorwouldtheexplanationsofSirWilliamDawsonhavefaredanybetter：itisverydoubtfulwhethereitherofthemcouldescapeunscathedtodayfromasynodoftheFreeChurchofScotland，orofanyoftheleadingorthodoxbodiesintheSouthernStatesoftheAmericanUnion。[446]
[446]Forthesemostrecentexplanations，seeRev。CunninghamGeikie，D。D。，inworkcited；alsoSirJ。W。Dawson，EgyptandSyria，publishedbytheReligiousTractSociety，1887，pp。125，126；seealsoDawson’sarticleinTheExpositorforJanuary，1886。
HowunsatisfactoryallsuchrationalismmustbetoatrulytheologicalmindisseennotonlyinthedealingswithProf。
RobertsonSmithinScotlandandProf。WoodrowinSouthCarolina，butmostclearlyinabookpublishedin1886byMonseigneurHaussmanndeWandelburg。Amongotherthings，theauthorwasPrelateofthePope’sHouse-hold，aMitredAbbot，CanonoftheHolySepulchre，andaDoctorofTheologyofthePontificalUniversityatRome，andhisworkisintroducedbyapprovinglettersfromPopeLeoXIIIandthePatriarchofJerusalem。MonseigneurdeWandelburgscornstheideathatthesaltcolumnatUsdumisnotthestatueofLot’swife；hepointsoutnotonlythedangerofyieldingthisevidenceofmiracletorationalism，butthefactthatthedivinelyinspiredauthorityoftheBookofWisdom，written，atthelatest，twohundredandfiftyyearsbeforeChrist，distinctlyreferstoit。HesummonsJosephusasawitness。HedwellsonthefactthatSt。ClementofRome，Irenaeus，Hegesippus，andSt。Cyril，“whoasBishopofJerusalemmusthaveknownbetterthananyotherpersonwhatexistedinPalestine。”withSt。Jerome，St。Chrysostom，andamultitudeofothers，attest，asamatteroftheirownknowledgeorofpopularnotoriety，thattheremainsofLot’swifereallyexistedintheirtimeintheformofacolumnofsalt；andhepointstriumphantlytothefactthatLieutenantLynchfoundthisverycolumn。Inthepresenceofsuchacontinuouslineofwitnesses，someofthemconsideredasdivinelyinspired，andallofthemgreatlyrevered——alineextendingthroughthirty-sevenhundredyears——hecondemnsmostvigorouslyallthosewhodonotbelievethatthepillarofsaltnowatUsdumisidenticalwiththewifeofLot，andstigmatizesthemaspeoplewho“donotwishtobelievethetruthoftheWordofGod。”
Hisignoranceofmanyofthesimplestfactsbearinguponthelegendisverystriking，yethedoesnothesitatetospeakofmenwhoknowfarmoreandhavethoughtfarmoreuponthesubjectas“grosslyignorant。”Themostcuriousfeatureinhisignoranceisthefactthatheisutterlyunawareoftheannualchangesinthesaltstatue。HeisentirelyignorantofsuchfactsasthatthepriestGabrielGiraudetinthesixteenthcenturyfoundthestatuelyingdown；thatthemonkZwinnerfounditintheseventeenthcenturystanding，andaccompaniedbyadogalsotransformedintosalt；thatPrinceRadziwillfoundnostatueatall；thatthepiousVincentBriemleintheeighteenthcenturyfoundthemonumentrenewingitself；thataboutthemiddleofthenineteenthcenturyLynchfounditintheshapeofatowerorcolumnfortyfeethigh；thatwithintwoyearsafterwardDeSaulcyfounditwashedintotheformofaspire；thatayearlaterVandeVeldefounditutterlywashedaway；andthatafewyearslaterPalmerfoundit“astatuebearingastrikingresemblancetoanArabwomanwithachildinherarms。”Soendedthelastgreatdemonstration，thusfar，onthesideofsacredscience——thelastretreatingshotfromthetheologicalrearguard。