THE HARMONY BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 101, 18 April 1908, Page 6

THE HARMONY BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

To the Editor. .Sir —Tin 1 .trray of illustrious wituo-svs cited i.\ uw lu prou- tbe harmony li.tue-'u ivlijj.iii ami j.li\ -j. ;iI ~i ji.itnr.il .li.'ht received Imi -ram eun-ideration m tlu* bauds ot \uiir i-i.Trc-poiidcut "1.i.." Ik*

arhtrarily ruled their t.'-tiuioiiv out oi court on tin* ph-a thai liny lielonued to the |u-t Thi- mo'lr ut procedure i- not. in my opinion, indie.itivc 01 th*' calm -.rietitili. ioui<l. out | ruber Ixtray- a Massed and iirejudiecd j di-[)ositiuu. lo i;t"t a lair anil iiiip.irtial ■ erdiet «<■ uiu-t not Lave a [laeked jury oi -iit-h a- i- likely t-» iiri'ii|.. ) irn*s|Ki.-ti\e of the nu-tit- ul the ■. ->■ ;u ! ;-lie. J'fi I'li-ilii' :i lull -y 11! 11.■ -1- ol oil i.-iltli- '|Ue-t ii 01 - I ii- ■

view- oi ni.i'NT mind- who I'idlovvesclemiiic pur-nits mu-t u»»t i vet looked nr wn-ltcd . i vrii ; ,t<»ng they ha*c lung Urn numbered among., the dead. Ono ui iU«' moii\e-which deici milled Dr. Donnert to uikc his iusinu live book. fiom which 1 i[U<>U'<l. was t> sileuce lhi' hois*- ami l*<.t >iin;,' oi cei tain pseudo---ienii-u v. ii.j ucr- comin ally proclaiming their atheistic and ma t«mliatic opinion-. ami calling on lit world to U-t*'U with astonishment an awe. Empty vessels make the im»s Sound!. When "Mi." comes to deal wit the scientists of List century who? name* 1 cited. he brands them a- -pu cialists and seems lo consider them o no weight. forgetting that specialia.i tk>n is the necessary condition to ai real progress in natural science, withou which little satisiaciiun and rcliaol work can be accomplished. I'hysicu or natural science may be compared t< a large tree with a great number <> branches all growing out of the sam stem, and all mutually correlated. Thei* will be the astronomical, geological chemical and biologual branches. Nov it must be obvious to anyone who know ought of these Urauches. that uo stu dent, be hU talenl-5 and industry eve so remarkable, can hope to master mor than One of them thoroughly. The as tronomer must go to the biologist fo his biology, to tin* chemist lor hi-* chen istry, to the geologist for his g*'«dog\ and vice versa. In otuer u«>i\|s h must perforce i>e a -piviaii-t of soni' kirnl and must not po-e as an author ity outride his own ticld. J)Oe? thi debar or disqualify t lie in as witness to the harmonv between religion am science t Tb e idea is preposterous. Pas tenr, tbe devout Christian, who died ii 1895, was a specialist, and still lie ha tilled Europe and America with hifame, and conferred, through hi- discov eries, Listing heiieiit* on France am humanity, Hi* death resulted from pa? alysie brought on by incessant labor i: the domain or scieot-ilie research, an the newa of it was received as a cala mity throughout the whole civili-e< world. Ilis funeral may he regarded a the final triumph of intellect over mat ter. Material force in its most in, posing form paid homage at his btei The French Uepnbbr walked behind il and the Imperial and monarchic throne- were represented by their am bassadors. He gave ihe <,-uieiu- to th thwry of spontaneous generation by de monstrating that lite nm-i tome fr<u life, thai the biith of every living bein; known to science postulate* a living bein from which it is generated. This applie to the lowest a- well as to the higheforms of life. Now a lew word* as to J Ilacekel, of biology in th University of -Jena. His flalwrate ii vestigations on sponges and hydrohave made him deservedly famou amongst scientists. It must. ho\\e\ei be always borne i n mind that his baltli lybius. his arch-molluses. and pro-man malia. are mere figments of the imagir ation. Nevertheless as long a* tiie Jen proles-or remains within his own *pher of biology, and coutents him-elf wit expounding the truths of s< donee, h captivates our admiration by his grea ability, industry, and genius for origin, re-earch. but when he passes the inn tiers of biology and enter* the domai, of mrtaphyMo. philosophy and religiui he undoubtedly earns the contempt o every thoughtful student by his glariiij alrsurdities. According to this profouni thinker the conceptions "i genius an but the result of the clash of atoms an. the impact of molecules; thrills of gra< itude. pleasure and pain are but tin osfiltaiion* of particles ot brute matter, thought i* I Kit the secretion of tie brain or the product of nervous electi: (ity. Professor Mivort, his Kuglisii contemporary, who died a few year- ag->. devoted much time to the study of bi»logy and lived and died a thrift. Fi ial!y, !i-teu to Mr Divid toll, the di* a-«r.uioiner. on the limitation oi science. In his presidential addre-s to the llritish As-ociation ou July rJUt. l!Mi7. at u-icester. he .says; "Ihe -tar» are the enn of the Creator. Whence have they all come? Are the-*' hundreds of millions of stars we

arc able to ob-erve the sole occupant *»f -pace. or are tl»t*v but a small item in st vaster universe of which we have no knowledge?' lli- answer is clear and unhe-itatiug: **\\e do j not know." Sir David. you ale | only a sp»-«iali-t. ami that circumstance j account? for tour ignorance.—-! am, etc . ! CHRISTIAN AN I) SCIENTIST,