New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-01

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. we Justly say, to his fa:e That is pre-
clsely the case. Extremes meet, and Mr. swnourhes
His conception q freedom Is, az we have said Wholly
TeStye and as such or tbe nshSf prneps
nature Ia indeed the moral reflex oil the RESPONSE
moral nereeptons superior to sense we
shonld have claim to freedom ana couu ahe no use
on The duty Of every G man to improve tho
utmost TO attain the highest possible 1epse 81 81 fnI
thus that Of means end the end being progress
in virtue and knowledge truth ana rno Mr Evil
destroys the ration Il basis Of freedom with him Il sim
last resort the overthrow OF M law and order, of all
listing moral rules and established government It is
which would soon make wild work of human life ami hu
man society. Enlightened reason and conscience are
principles reach under the guidance of these powers
are often. 1t Is true narrow and mistaken Bn' ne
good and wise men, the very discipline of lfe Tn,y
strive 70 enlarge and purify their knowedse anG n'h
liberal. and true But because they do not at One
illuminate everything, Mr.. Swinburc would cXting9sh
these supreme guiGing lights Ill the pathway 81 NE Il
impulse Of appetite and desire, If blind ar It least dcn
itc and with tho heat and imnaticnce OF weak ana
p"hti"aI and reeons are the reflex in society Of reason
and CONSCIENCE in the imdvi uai These Institutions par
,ake no doubt OF Human mpsrtection and are oitea
patriotism and true craftsmanship is 10 iGl-
prove them and make them more and more h:tcd 10 81
swinburne and his friends seek to destroy them alt
yctheI, and substitute in their place the aggregate OF
public Not the no6ly organized Commonwealth, The
vision OF which kndlcd Millions disciplined na<ination
and reused al the austcre enthusiasm OF n9 atdre pdV
mere forut6S conccusc Of inpulSve and fiery atoms
Tlis II established Mr. Sinhurnes principles, would
supply be anarchy OIGtuiZrd made operative ana sJs
trnatcilly employed for destructive purposes. In fact
The condition OF France ana especially OF Paris dnLn5
the last three months and at the present tle Is we ocsa
possible commentary on the political nncleS no'e
Tle spirit Of the book Is in harmony with It's weak pas
fionatr, and negative philosophy. Many o. tle ems
much of volume appears TO US Justly exposed to IN
qualified reprobaon not on TIE mere ground OF oPln
ion for honest opinions be egtnatcly held, and he
opposed defended in the proper way. II M, swim,
ut Pathcstic Ii" is o. course at perfect liberty to
bold them. II hC ciHoses 10 drny me r'ay OF moral
dis lucons he can in like This, long ~ he
confines himself to tue speculative side OF The question
the calm aud philosopher! stntgnsn OF his heoret
Llgotcd denuncloEs Of the central religious doctrines
held by the great majority OF his u.s. dT to
taste and good feeling; And that he should Tevilc III
oci,e of a far deeper dye. Tins, however, he repeat
cdly does in his last volume. In the opening poem, The
true comp. ratiycy lin and philosophical one, AMI
though the philosophy OF the poem would suggest su-
eide the only consistent course TO he pursued by
rational bcngs, our complaint would have hccu com.
rIatiycy goundess If It's higher philosophical tore had
bcen kept NJ in the poems That iOrw BIt ms If iar
enough from being ut case; tnG GameG tone Is SION
araiS ' The truth 'f Mr. ana
not philosopher at ali; lie is not even thinker; he
captions that he finds most ecnid-to bis peculiar
m,,c and in doing the snriler and harsncr tones of
quotations., and if we had, the most pertinent hiustra-
tiuns coad not be quoted But nowhere in his writings
las Mr.. Swnburne SHOWN an aniulus 80 envcnOmed,
spirit 80 weak and essentially scctaran, used language
50 incorporate and proianG as In TINS volume SIch
Hymn Of Man. are thoroughly fanatical in their wild
and blasphemOus inolerant atheism.
the writer Darwin is far from being clear or con-
sstent with himself He looks with favor on the general
doctrine Of evolution set forth by eminent modern
physliss hut is shocked by the religious consequences
OF MI. Darwin's theory of Natural Selection"
This doctrine of evolution ia strangely exaggerated.
both opponents aud supporters being looked uon
Ivy the destroying the Foundations OF their rcG
ions belief, and by The other AZ an oN"rWA hr arSi-
ment in favor OF MATERIAL IN. We canao see tlHt 1t mas
the least bearing in way the other. That man
brought into being by TIE operation Of secondary
lay, need not alarm the Ost nld sian ana ne
validity OF The direct arFnmYnt ir9n The physical t" the
remarks cliVave creation is not superna !ural act
bit is limry the Divine action by and through natural
mode of REGARDING phenomena which consistent theist
uiust necessarily accept and Which an aIhGisnG hecVtr
deemed supeThuOus by any naturalist, eau
be s9ST@ to the G BY ns cUnSa%
action of which it prcsupposes" Evolution pure ana
TrliS S It cavSs the orgn Of LIE as great mystery
aud Wont r IS ever, aud presents n""lrr NrN I" tho
wnnlr,rs capacities, and made item subject 70 laws
OF bD. which may include variations, JGst as thry IL,
clude Reproduction by natural causes i deals solely
with the woIAiag of these laws which We have been
able TO detect by our limited Insight hrO natrrc; and 1t
cannot cXrljn the phenomena without me VIII OF a.
rrCiEg IAtc g."c. The naturalist who tdncies That he
can the order OF the unvcse to the ConNnnllonS
Hy The working of some principle which lie has ohted
upon. have very high opinion OF his own powers
oil analysis and the ln&tcrast VINO THINKS tpt' 'h"l
I, no necessity FOR God in the world, Is mcr as ca,
ing what he cannot prove. The 0HHS prOOdHW fe3ts
wA them; and unt they can explain the phenomena by
the Working OF tci O%n principles few viii be incind
TO nut III mere negative philosophy, unsupported ny
Tie doctrine of evolution may be the only reasonable
explanation Of tie difference. and -ciuDlnteS OF pnS
ii ANIMALS and OF tn,ir distribution in space ana time
But nevertheless il Ilust be admitted that its truth is
Vt very far from bg proved. 1t may bt provisional
hghrC law But we arc confident that evolution brought
nbuu; solely by Of natural selection according to
Tie views OF Mr. Darwin. is capabl" Of O1ng dspr0yed
u the very case which he has chosen test OF has
theory and which Mr.. Waice, co-foundcr of the theory
expressly excepted from the actOn OF Wt lie De-
licVes 10 DC law to the rest OF the organic world
But the application Of the argument to the origin Of
tie spiritual powers Of presents different issue,
the magnitude Of which IT Is Impossible TO ovcreSnate
II ouy humanity be merely the natural product OF tine
modified faculties Of brutes, most earnest-minded mel
will be compelled to give up those motives by which they
have attempted TO live noble and virtuOus lives, as
founded OH mistake; our moral will turn out to
be mere developed instinct, identical in kind with those
Of ants or bees and the revelation Of God to and the
hope of future life peosurable day-dreams invented
for the good Of society If these views be true revO
ton in thought is imminent, which will shake society to
its very foundations, Ivy destroying the sancy Of the
conscience and the religious FOR sooner or later
they must find expression in mems lives" The whole
paper presents remarkable instance Of confusion Of
thought and nychcIencc of statement and viii CON
Tribute little to tie further eucdation of the subject
4 Descriptive Catalogue of the American Edu-
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remarkable for the richness Of its contents and the
beauty Of its typographical execution. 1t contains the
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