The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-22

T'stimOuy Of EngIish Scientific Mcn
number Of leading scientific meu of England
in view Of the present biblical agitatious thor,
lave signed tkc following
DECLARATION.
owe, the undersigned students of the natural
sciences, desire 10 express oar sincere regret that
researches into sCItLuliC tru,h are perverted Dy
some iu Uur own times into occasion fIr casting
Cuubt upon hc truth ani authenticity of the
Holy nuilurCE No conceive UAl IL is impJs-
SiDle iUr the Word of God as written ia tho
hook Of gaturc, ard Gods word written ia
Hoy scripture, b. co ItrauiCt one another, how.
ever much they may appear TO oiler. We
are nut fJrgeiiui that physical science l. not
comilg.c, nut is only IN q condition Of pro.
gteSs, and that ut present our infinite rot5)n
ennbCs us only 10 see as through glass dlrhly,
and We confidently believe thdt time will
come when the Two records will be seen
TO agree IA every pHtcular We CamO. but
uCpOte that natural science should b. looked
upon with suspicion by many vino DO not make
a study Of merely on a, Couu. Of The unadylseI
manner IN which sIHG are plLciug 10 in pDDsltiJn
10 Holy Writ We believe that Il 10 the duty of
every sCcuunG StuUtn. TO luvc tig2te nature
simply for the purpose of CuCidIIiug truth, AMI
that ii be uCs that some OF hi, results appgAr %
be in cOntra dctiOn o. tire Written Word, orrather
10 his own interpretations of it, which may be
erroneous, he should no. pr,sumptuDu,ly affirm
that his own conclusions must b. right, aud the
statements OF Scripture wrong; rather leave the
two side by side Ii it shall please God to ALLOW
us TO see tue manner in which taey may Dc recon-
cica pnd inst. ad of Insisting upon the seeming
differences between Science aud the Scr ptures il
would be- rs well 10 rest In faith upon the points
ia which they aarte. II
Upwards OF two hundred and ten names have
already been received, iuCudingthitty +. Il S.,
forty NJ. D.s, ETC.. Among them are tue foll)w-
ins:-IhOmGS Anderson, NJ. D., J. II. BalfJIr,
Nj. D., Thomas Bell, J. 5. BJwUr5ank, LID,
Sir David Brewster James GIRisher, Thomas
Rymer Jones, James p. Joulc, LID, Rplert
Main, Lieutenant Colonel Sir HeAy C. Rtwlin
son, hOmas Richardson Ph. d, Henry D.
Rogers, IL D., Adam Sedgviols, NJ. d., Alfred
Snee and John StenhOuse, LID"
Two eminent men, an astronomer aud an
author, have, however declined to sign the de-
claration, and write AS follows
LETTER FROM SIR JOHN HRRsoHEL.
"COLLINGwoOD, September 6, lS5t.--Sir:--I
received some time ago declaration for sigma
tuTe Identical with It's wording, or, at all events
in its obvious puIpOrt, with that you have sent
me. considered that the better course was 70
put iC aside without nOiCe. But 9nce ig 10
pressed upon me, and to prevent the repetition
Of a similar app al, it becomes necessary iOr me-
distinctly 10 decline signing IL; and tj declare
that / consider the act of calling on mo publicly
to ayOW or disavOw, 60 approve or disapproye in
writing, any religious doctrine or statement, how
ever carefully or cautiously drawn up lin other
words, to append my name to a religious IN lui-
testo) to be an infringement Of that social for
beaGanCC which guards the freedom of religious
q
At the same time, l protest sg0ns. my refusal
to sign your Declaration being construed uto
aprOiussinn Of atheism Or inddclity. My snli-
ments on tie mutual relations Of the Scrip
ture AID Science have long been before the world,
and | see no reason to alter or add 10 them. But
l consider this movement simply msChievOus
having direct tendency (by putting forward y
new shibbOieth, new verbal test of religious
partsanship) to add fresh element OF discOrd 30
the already too dlscOrdlut relations of the Chris
tan world. l do not deny that care ana caution
are apparent on the face Of the document am
called on q subscribe. But no nicely of wording
no artihce OF human language, will suffice to dis
criminate tue hundredth part OF the shades of
meaning in which the most worldwide differ
ences Of thought on such subjects may be in
yolyed OT prevent the most gently Worded and
apparently justiiabe expression of regret, SO em-
bodied, from grating on the feelings OF thousands
OF cstimablo aud wollintentiOned men with all the
harhRcss Of controversial hostility.
81 am, sir, your CbedlGnt servant
81 f. W. HRRscuEL.
"CArEL IL. BERGBR, EsI."