Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-09-26
RELIGION AND SCIENCE.

Az |
In an address delivered by Hon. Horace Mann,
of Antioch College, before the Christian
Convention, at Cincinnati, Ohio, we find the follow
ing eloquent exposition of the relations of Theol-
ogy and Science =
mot less disparaging to Gods wisdom, though
less destructive to his goodness, was the geolog-
ic theory invented and put forth IN l539.-only
eighteen years ago-by Rev. DR.. Pye Smith. in
order to reconcile the then common Interpretation
of the first chapter of Genesis, with the demon
STATIONS Of geological science. DR.. Smith conceded
80 much to the science as to admit that our globe
had existed for countless ages, and had been inhab-
tied by various races of animals, before Adam
was created but, for the sake of vindicatilg a
literal Interpretation Of the Mosaic account of the
notwithstanding to which, sun, moon, stars,
planets, animals, and man himself, were created
not quite six thousand years ago, and all within
the compass of six diurnal days, twenty-lour
hours each-he maintained that somewhere, per-
haps in some central province of Asia,-no one
knows its latitude, and no geography or geology
has discovered any trace of it,-there was u spot
some ten miles square, like the District OF Col
umbia, where, while all outside of it, in the other
parts of the globe, was life and light, there reign.
ed for a time only death and darkness amid the
welterings of a chaotic sea and which at the
divine command was penetrated by light, and &C.
cupied by dry land, and ultimately ere the end
Of the creative week. become a centre IN which
certain plants and animals, and finally man him.
self, were created Now what n disgraceful in
stance is this of the tenacity with which theologi-
cal preconceptions are held, in defiance of philo-
sophical truth To suppose that while all the
geological eras, one after another, were passing
through their immence cycles, and while all the
rest Of the earth was advancing to q state of prep
aration for the residence of man IA little preserve
of chaos, somewhere, should be carefully fenced
in and choicely kept, until six thousand years ago,
when the work was there done in six days which
it had elsewhere occupied countless ages to perfect;
and that Moses Bnew all about this six days work
but did not know about the other or, If he did
not know about it, kept his knowledge to himself!
How cficacious would be the union and co-opera-
ton Of true religion and true science in prevent
ing such record of shame from being inscribed on
the pages OF history.
Every body knows the effect of continued in
ter-marriages among persons related by consan-
%guinity. The cognate blood. uneuriched and un-
stimulated from other fountains, soon breeds
weakness, disease, and imbecillty. just so it is
with a sect that shuts on. truth because it was not
embraced in the scheme of it's founders. Tie ideas
of such a sect have no alternative for their con-
tinued existance but to breed in and IN. and this.
By O psychological law, as immutable MS the
physiological, soon begets q progeny Of faith err.
roneous, absurd, imbecile, and idiOtic.
"But how can we WOO Religion to wed Science?
How can we reconcile Science, so long estranged,
and now, | fear, more estraIged than ever, TO es-
pouse Religion and thus accept the only bride
groom that is worthy of her queenly beauty and
her magnificent dowry ?-nuptials at which the
Son of God himself might rejoice to he present,
and the ~splendor of whOse celebration would com
pei those who live by the waysides and hedges o |
of error to come to the marriage feast.
Il answer science is not sectarian. 1t does
not confue itself to any segment of the circle Of
philosopbic truth. bu. seeks to embrace the entire
circumference. AT the present day a bigot in sci
ence cannot live. Its pure empyreaD air either
exercises the demon of bigotry out of him, OF
sends him and it after the swine of the Gadarene,
to be choked in the sea of oblivion. Let any mar
at this time in any scientific body or association
in Chrlstendom, defend any dogma on authorit,
of his government, or by any decree of old coun
ell, or assembly, or sanhedrim, against the facts O
observation and the results of ex experiment.. and b
is considered MS disappearing against the 'highe
y law and his words accounted as vain b~abbling
He cannot be heard to set up theory against fac
=, authority against experience, or the tradition of
! thousand years against the demonstration OF ye'
terday. The only reigio ron, therefore, with While
science will freely and rejuicingly consent to liv
, and to work, is an unsectarian religion. An
other union is forced and unnatural, involvin
discord, dishonest compliances and a s%uspepsio
q of progress in the pursuit of truth. In fine, an
a other union is not wedlock, but concubinage only
a Science has no creed OF articles of faith which
4 man must subscribe before he can be allowed
4 enron Ill DutD6 us q ioiio"Oisb hu W Ouoi ihS u
' ceptable contributions at her shrine. Science we
:, comes ak new truth, all honest lovers of truth, an
Z all honest inquiries after truth from whateve
quarter they may come and the recommendation
p of her ~votaries is, not that they have attache
, themselves to the school of Werner OF Hutton,
Newton or Laplace, but they hare not. The grea
. book of Nature is her Bible. Devoutly she b'
r lieves in that. ''Tis elder Scripture. writ b
Gods own hand and she suffers no one to shut
up in order that he may open in its stead som
ccsmogony of the heather. And therefore SC
: enee demands of religion that she, too. shall low
|. truth supremacy not Talmuds. nor acts of Parl
!. ament, or DEGREES of Councils or Synods an
that shall subject the old Interpretation to ever
new test which the continual evolution or unrol
T. ing of Gods providence shall supply.
"Scisnce ia the interpreter of Nature. 1t re'
t erently inquiries it listens to know it seeks
a its knocks 10 obtain communication ; and then q
that it does is reverently to record natures PR
I cesses, and accept them as true. And it deman
f that religion shall proceed on similar e~xegetici
r principles"