New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-11
Nsn7lork Dailp Gribn,re
DIR BUSHNELL HIMSELF 4 NATURALIST
LETTER III.


Sir: The pbIos ,phic enorai!y Of Dr. Bashnsl'
book, IS We have already sesD, recess.tated By hi
hsslogc CTedo Il order 70 virjic,,e the strictly
personal d.pe.sure Of Col sgsrs, sin not Hs spirt
ual aversion to IT, mind you, which s all true, bat tia
Hiera, personal wrath against il which his theolog'
traditions slege the Doctor is Of eoUrse logically bounc
to sbso.vs the creature, morally, of al Dependents
upon the ere.'or; for il woad be msniesty 1nris
cot. in God TO punish crea.lre for say exercise Of
power which flowed from Himself. He is bound, IN
ether words 10 affirm .he crestdre's iniepeniencs q
God 10 al the extent Of lis .ra lie. II IS this utter
eredsly Of Dr. Bushnell. to speak, this uuq les:iOn.
irg allegiance of bis 10 creed or TO whs Others have
believed before him. that son. explains the prodgou.
pbilosopbic cradkes Of he book, AID cisfsurss j.
everywhere with a childish sudscity Of ststement
which Is sgnaly Ont of keepog " III DR.. Bs insllec
tual pith and you'd ir fact, b. very shocking IT, Ike
ell eblii.h sulacities they not 20 uusPsskaoy
innocent and UNCONSCIOUS.
The method which DR.. BGshnsn adopts = combs.
Nsturssm and Iec.ll the Sapern,tur to hnm.n re
ccgnitiOn denNds very special attention if you would
tsimsts the genuine worth Of his book. |. consists 10
rev definition Of Nature and tie Sopsrp,tra, by
which nan as moral force becomes turnei over to
the credit Of tie Supernatural, and animal, vegetable
ard mir era are made TO confess themselves the exelu
| five dtniIers Of NatGIe. To be natural, says DR..
Bushnell lie to he a THING, devoid Of selfierived
force or dependent on others. To be supernatural is
ID be q POWER instinct with sel'derivei force and
Independent. OF Others. This definition gives the Doc
tor an easy victory over his antagonist If the later s
silly enough to accept it; bec.u,e whenever the latter
peeps, the Doctor has only TO drown his voice by
citing his definition which exhibits man IS moral
force, aud Therefore according TO the Decor an isie
PENDENT one, and consequently sup.rHaiural oce,
since it is the Of nature to be dependent.
But suppose the Doctors sntsgoLs: to be not quite
so silly. Suppose him to reject the defaton. Sup
pose him TO deny tbs. moral existence is in any
convertible with ,uperstursl exstsrce affirming,
the contrary tlat, while II implies in man life
donbtedly superior to the life Of the animal it by no
means also implies life superior to nature, bat rather
perfectly coihcdent with nature far as man himself
i. conce med morality being the logical dGerentio o.
human raiure everywhere, or its sole distinction from
the mineral vegetable and animal nature what then
Why then, plainly, it results that the D0cors defni
ton involves apapsbl. Fetio priaciP transparent
logical fallacy which very few words will slf'e to
STOW.
The fallacy consists in giving fret such definition
of nstare as quietly robs il Of the main element which
cooy making th. stolen natural force do duty an
exclusively supernatural one. OF course, the atic'
doubtless most unconscious one on DR.. b part,
growing entirely out Of the Stress Of theoogc tsmp.a-
tom lie too shallow to pass muster for moment The
naturalist will freely allow al that DR.. Bu,hrel ia
pleased 20 allege Of the difference between moral and
suimal le or Of the superiority Of tas hunan form TO
all the other forms of nature just he would simi;
the relative superiority and iDlerorty OF these lower
forms inter &C. Bot this is not to exclude the hu nan
form from the form. OF n,ture. Il is only 10 Assert It's
prominence among ,uch forms Whist right has DR..
b. thus TO limit nature by the animal form, and rob her
Of her crownng or highest form which is the mor, or
human oue' Had the naturalist been con'sDfng
that God created only animals tbs. nat involved
no higher form, of life than the animal, th.n it woud
have been strictly appropriate in DR.. b. 20 aege what
he has done. Bat the naturalist discains this. lie
claims the humsn form a. al inseparable part Of nA
ture and when he Gays that God create, only nature
10 does not mean parts. rsnrs bat universal nature
commencing With her lowest form, which !, mineral
and ending with her highest which is human or mo-al
II i, no reply DR.. Bushnelrs PSI, in th'se circun
stances to allsge that is superior to the animal,
or that human nature by virtue OF lie moral quality
tanscends all the lower forms Of nature and stamps
man her browning work. He state', doubtless, what
/, perfectly true in itself but what is pslpsb.y rrse
want TO the matter 10 hand. In short he utterly
lodges III. reel question at issue between himself and
bis opponent siroitly substituting another which gives
him an easy triumph and then marches CT drums
bestirg ard bsrnsTs flying with tue air Of Wellington
at Waterloo.
As here 60 in many other, and those the most
striking passages of his book for example, in his
Genial Of personal devil and al his speculstions shout
angelic existence, DR.. Bushnell betrsys considerable
familiarity with the writings Sweienborg, or, az all
eyenu for am warned by that very significant and
dvertipg little intsijection-"I believe on psge
ss that the Doctor IL pred.po,ed to De very wary Of
any aduissons on this point with suudry books which
ere more or le,s tIctured with Ssedenborss phoio-
ply. But Eowbere in references 10 this same phOsc
ply is the old adags 80 incumbent-Dripk deep Of he
PeriaH ,priag or drink no, al ALL Had DR.. Bushnell
observed this maxim under the circum.tanc., he
would never hive fathered the extraordinary and
almost incredible tiEsue Of Inconsistencies and absurd
ties which arr now abOu. to call the readers attention
TO- For hefe dismiss the nstar.ss controversy with
Dr. Bushnell, srd take up tie SprlualistG do rot
mean o! course the pteudo ,piritusst or abiep2sf,
who looks upon spirit di,tillstion from msttsr,
oil il. d-i l.tioa from lard; who looks upon ste.
rial existence as primary and ,pIitG1 &c secondary or
deriystive bat the true Spirtusis, with whom 'pnt
inysIa ably pIeeede, m.ttn and produce, it, d.; Bash
nell h.no quarrel. properly speaking, with tie p''ado-
spiIitua,t but rather alegi.iD.te rivalry I. any one
may ZEE who consus those dsplorable later p:g.s Of
his book, where miracle mongsrns Of tie lowest
Roman Catholic pattern is exhibited with Hairet
that sheds food, Of light upon the Doctors theologc
position. HI, sole quarrel Is With the true sP.ritasst,
and consists 10 the effort to defy human nItare by