GALILEO.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1838, 23 November 1874, Page 2

GALILEO.

W. BWANSOir v ESQ., K.H.B.—THE B.Ci

CHTTBCH.—THE FBOGBEBS OF BCIBNCB. When imperfectly educated and inveterately prejudiced enemies of the Church have a mind to prove that she is an enemy to science, the case of Galile* is ever ready tdthVir hand. A celebrated member of the Legislature and a secularist, Mr. W. , Swanson, threw the case of Galileo in mjr teeth a short time ago, when justifying his views as a secularist. These gentlemen tike good care to tell only a part of Galileo's story, and of the relation of the Churoh^td his lystem of astronomy, for the bfsjp^asons, perhaps, because they do not kaow the whole story. We are' all; aware' that a half-told story is very convenient for certain dishonestpurposei, and to suppress part of the truth is often the worst form of direct falsehood. Jt: ii trait.; that Galileo was persecuted in one sense, and it is trjip that his great priadece«s,6j;, Ooperniciis, was" als.o, persecuted by calumnious tongues, if not otherwise, and that in both cases ecclesiastics were the persecutors. But Galileo taught his system for years in the Italian Universities, with the full knowledge of dignitaries of the Catholic Church, and when in the full bright of his - fame as" § teacher' ' of $h« 'Cpperpigan

system of astronomy, ths then Pope received him in llonie with overy public mark of friendship and honor. A successor of this Pope not only adopted Galileo's system, but by his thorough knowledge of it, turned it to a most valuable practical purpose.- By moans of it he introduced a more correct computation of time, the benefit of which the Christian world, with the exception of 'Russia, enjoy at this day. The present is called the G regorian Caleiidar, in* honor of the eminent Pops who introduced it; Galileo's great predecessor, Copernicus,, dedicated his immortal work on "The revolution of the Heavenly Bodies ■' to Pope Paul 111., because he said/his Holinest was, of all men living, the best qualified^ by his profound knowledge of, mathematics, to judge of its merits, and to defend his reputation froth ignorant: and- malipiput tradtfeers. I have never had an opportunity of seeing in full the report of the judicial "proceedings of the Court before which Galileo was tried at Rome, and should like if any of your learned, readers would say where such copld be obtained. Individual ecclesiastics—and, I presume even ecclesiastical Courts of inferior jurisdiction —may meddle with thing! they do not Mtajjderstandj and go far out of their depth. :Certabl-it is, the Church, as a leading authority, does not pretend, and never did pretend, to pronounce with.infallible certainty on pure questions of physical science. If Galileo ,wai persecuted, the

Church, in her corporate capacity, was not the persecutor. Her Popes and high dignitaries—Catholic king's, princes, and noblemen—have been among the most zealous and munificent patrons of sdience and' learning in past ages. They may be so in the future. It i»,a notorious fact that air the great Universities in Europe were founded by Popes, or under their auspices, without Ijhe'aid of: education rates or taxes. Our own matchless Alfred led the way— a Catholic Sovereign, thelatchet of whose shoes even Q*een Victoria would not be worthy to untie. — Laicv ■•■"■ . ' .. ...... -P.S.—Modern Protestant scholars and philosophers,. while reaping all the advantages which their Catholic predecessors in past agps have given them, often turn round, and with base and black ingratitude, reproach them, and the Church which patronised them, as the enemies of all progress. Mr. W. Swanson does not pretend to be a scholar or philosopher, yet he makes misuse of the little knowledge he possesses to misrepresent and blacken the character of the

Koman Catholic Church and her clergy —ff.Z. Tablet; -1-