The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-15

Iney cannot DC put INTO Inc press-they caan0t be
submitted TO the experiments of the philosopher
and therefore they are nothing, Again, he has
told us, in spirit of hostility to the Church. (and
hence he is an object of admiration of the Fren,h)
that the cosmographers who discovered the rotundy
Of the earth were prosecuted by the fathers of tho
Church. Now, would lot man fancy from this
declaration that all the fathers of the Church had
assembled in concave. and had arraigned those who
discovered the rotuudity of the earth Every one
knows that the fathers existed in all ages and how
Is 1t that the fathers Of the Church. in body con-
demned the cosmographers Again, why should the
iatneIs condemn the cosmograpAers tor asserting
thst the world was round, when they knew it them
selves But there is malgnity in this declaration Of
hacon, which, perhaps, to the transient observer,
lie not apparent. The man wished to side with the
prejudices against the church. He had heard, pro.
baby, that IN the eighth century there ques-
ton regarding certain Irish priest, called vi
gilus. who had maintained the sntipodes or some
thing similar. lie was not understood at the time,
Like other great men, and he complained of to
the Pope, for saying there was another sun, and
another moon, and another people, under the world
Such doctrine We would all reject. Therefore,
zance OF it, lest it might induce people to deny the
univers atty of the church. What occurred dur.
ing the investigation we know not but certain it is
that vigillius was promoted to an archOishopric;
and any one who takes such promotion as punish
ment, must look upon the mater differently from
what do. The Pope, therefore, is vindicated
from this charge OF having punished the cosmo-
graphers. In the same manner, it is charged
against the Catholic church that il p 1nshed CALI
leo, for asserting that the world revolved,
ard the charge is just as wanton as the other.
The church never even took cog nizlnce Of CALI
leos doctrine. No; it was not within her sphere.
she was not sent to teach how the world reyolves,
but TO teach us to go to heaven. The church has
never epcroached on the sphere Of science and is it
1T very strange that men who make these charges
should be ignorant ef the fact that Copernicus the
first discoverer of the system, wrote work on the
SUBJECT, which he presented to Pope Paul the
lhnd, ard was invited to 20 to Rome and receive
ha DopttF II
l bis was before Gallileo in existence. How
them could the church punish man for what was
approved by the church previously? 1t is strange
that these charges should be made against the
church, as if it were the enemy of the diffusion of
light, when, during the existence Of the Catholic
Church, science has been its especial object. In
Europe and in England, before the sixteenth CEN
tury, the Catholic Cathedral was the college of the
poor, and we all know that the monastics were the
friends OF science, as well the guardians of the
poor Even Luther, who was a member of the st.
Augustine order, and Calvin, were learned men.
Who taught them? Were they taught by the Refor-
nation! They were educated In the Catholic ,hurch.
How, therefore, is it, when the Catholic Church
teaches even her enemies, that she should be held
up rs the opposer of science and Of the diffusion
OF knos ledge! fear may be tempted to go be-
yond the time provided for a lecture of this kind;
and will, therefore, summarily state the objec-
tians must hold lie Announces himself as the re-
!geus pontif OF the senses, and not an unskilful
interpreter Of their oracles that, in the senses,
everything in nature has to be studied, and Bacon
is to be the great pontif of the manipulation. He
proclaims physics august other of sciences SO
that when natural philosophy did not exist in the
world, there was no sci ence. Is that worthy of
philosopher He claims that Christianity and
theology withdrew great minds from the science
OK physics and he says, in so many words, that
theology devoured great minds since the introduce
ton OF Christianity. Can this be true I! Did the
science! Certainly not. Therefore, how can any
intelligent philosopher, one born in Christianity,
dare to accuse the Dlogy and Christianity of alien
atng the intelligence Of man from the natural
sciences he natural sciences are merely to enable
US to get along in this world; and it is mistaken
notion to imagine that there ever was period when
there was q deficiency of natural science for the
time, or for the wants Of society Fifteen centuries
ago, society was not deficient in kno Wedge sufi-
cient to clothe themselves and build houses. Nay,
more, it Is very certain that in what are called the
dark ages, there was more knowledge Of arehitec-
tue, painting, and other rments of science and
more real scoveries in science than there have been
since. And Bacon, in the sixteenth century, to tel
as that physical science is the mother Of all science
an has given US nothing by which we can improve
our knowledge OF science | affirm there is more
philosophy in one page of old Roger Bacon, the
Eonk, than there is in volume of Bacon, the lord
Old Roger Bacon himself proposed to the sovereign
P9ntlf reformation Of the calendar, which gave TO
Gregory the character Of Reformer of the caen lar
Roger Bacon was a metaphysican. He was
O. man that made great discoveries in science.
lie discovered; or prepared the way for the
and EYE glasses Here then, We have poor monk
who lived three hundred years before the other
monk who IS superior to this great father Of natu
raj philosophy. But there is something yet more
important he has COMPOUNDED pure metaphysics
with mere natural science He denies that the soul
is spirit, and maintains that the sensual soul is
hothng but matter and a body, with the distinc.
ton that it Is more attenuated and less visible
than matter. Now, 1 ask, shall we allow any
man to be called philosopher who would divest
US Of an immortal sou-who would level US to
the brute But this is not all. According to
Bacon, nature is the supreme cause.-the cause of
cause.-the Supreme Being Now what is Nature
According to him, il can be only physical nature;
so that this nature is to be made the god Of faith
because the cause of causes have cause itself,
and must be eternal, and If IL is infinite, 1t is God
Thus nature Is tho God that made us, according
to this philosophy. How is IL possible we can
submit t0 be guided by such ignus faiuus as this,
and that we should be taught only what mad men
can think Of, that this nature which surrounds u is
our God, our Lord, our Saviour. DO not fancy that
this was mere cursory observation. On the con-
trsry, he is not at all pleased with Almighty God
because he says, IL Dc had made the starry frma-
ment, an individual or being that knew something
Of beauty would have made the stars 10 represent
some figure as circle poygon, or something else.
OBJ, master OF science as IL AmightyG God is not the
wise architect! Nc, he has MOTT was nobody
who made it : IL was chance, because Bacon him
self says that although the formation Of the world
is not eternal, matter is How is this philosophy
to be taken at the present day Is this philosophy
that will be cor sonan with the institutions of the
country Does this oracle deserve to be called the
great father OF science after this Is he worthy to
be called great man, and leader Of science No,
it canpotbe Therefore, | say it without affecta-
ton, that ] cannot comprehend how Bacon has
merited the name Of philosopher. But he did re.
ceye that merit from the ency clopedists Of France
and the mystery is increased when see these 1o,
trines in the pages Of Bacon. He was an English.
an. and therefore IL Is natural he should be
attractive than If be asFrenchmsn. Bacon
is therefore, adopted by the French as their great
is bold up to the odum of the rising generation.
After some further observations the lecturer con-
cluded.
Mercantile Library Associa tion--I.ecture