HARMONY BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 95, 10 April 1908, Page 4

HARMONY BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

T.. i lie Iv.iiln,. Sir.-- Vmir corn-hoiident ".1.(1.." in !.:•• rour-e of in- r.-iii.ivk-i or strictures upon Mime remark* made by the l!ev. Air. Flanagan during a 1.'.-lure on .Monday evening, wnuld seem to imply that there is a warfare between science and Christianity. This position can hardly he iii.int.iiiicd wli'ii we tulje a survey of a large number of scientists who lived in different ..aiuln. * and at different period- io the l,i*tory of the world. A German I'roiestant writer named P.. IKmuert ha- made an exhaustive study of the religious opinions of three hundred -avanl-. The most illustrious name- i : ut hive appeared during three t-eiiiiirii- !i.,\ ■ been -elected—men principally distinguished in the natural sciences—botany, geology, astronomy, etc. Dr. DonncrCs work was published last year, and is an interesting record. For the first ]«riod of his investigations, including the tifteenth, -ixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, the author cites the names of eightytwo men. noted leaders in their particular douiain, seventy-nine of whom were believers in Christianity. Among those are Newton, lluyghens, Leibnitz, (!alileo, and Copernicus. In the second period, the eighteenth century, lifty-five. names are given—five infidels, eleven whose religious views are unknown, whilst thirty-nine admitted and professed their belief in Cod and in revelation. Amongst the most illustrious of these last occur the names of Herschel, Linnaeus, Wernen, Boorhaave, and Bradley. The third period embraces the nineteenth century. Here the number of savants is increased. Dr. Donnert gives 163 distinguished names; of this number 124 were believers, 27 held indefinite religious opinions, and 12 were infidels. Amongsl the latter are the names of aueh materialists at Tyndall, Huxley, and Vogt; amongst the indefinites are placed Arago. Darwin, and )A Place. Among modem scientists of unswerving Christian faith are uutuliered Hermite, Fu.-teur, Huay, Faraday, Dumas. Le Verrier, Cauehy, Ampere, Yolta, and many others. In live of the 3'W names given in Dr. Donnert's work there are 242 with religion* convictions, repudiating the doctrine of materialism and loudly proclaiming the harmony bel«eeu Faith and Science. When "I.C.' assert, that all our most distinguished biologi-t- contradicted U.rd Kelvin for having the audacity to differ from Haeekcl. I fear le- falls into Ihe mitake for which he condemns the Kev. Mr. Flanagan, that of exaggeration. To say that "all our distinguished biologists'' agree with Ilaeekel is simply cortrary to facl and "has no other effect than to loner one'* estimate of the intelligence or knowledge of the person who makes Mich a statement."—l am etc., SUENllsl AND CHRISTIAN'.