New-York tribune., 1872-02-29
FREE RELIGION.
THE INTERPRETATION OF NATURE.

o
UALL-wE FIND IN NATURE THE REFLECTION
OF OUR MOODS AND rHOUGHTs--THE GOD OF
SCIENCE ALONE NO PRESENT HELP IN TIME
OF TROUBLE-OUR ORIGIN MIGHTIER THAN
OURSELVES.
IFRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRiBUHBl
BosroN. Feb. 25.--One of the ablest men in the
Radical Camp-one whom they most willingly put Tor
ward IA an exponent and leader-is the Rev. Samuel
johnson OF Salem, who spoke TO good audience H
Horticultural Hail. this afternoon, on the Interpretation
Nature" The keynote OF his discourse was that man
brings with him what he fnds in Nature. and discovers
in her, expressions varying with bis own moods' Ms
states of culture and of belief cannot do justice In
brief abstract his long able essay but think In
taking note OF the presentation OF Free Religion whch
this Processes TO give ought at least to SEND you
some OF his leading ideas.
When poetphilosOpher would take us to the root
Of thought and things, he writes Of Mature" When
our thsology and piety come out into mature liberty
they turn champions of this that stands for the
perfection OF the Whole. 1t is rOotword for sin
certy; for the at and becoming for the simple. gonu
inc, graceful and free IL means the spontaneity OF
childhood and the perfection OF art 1t Is our tribute 10
genus exponent Of unverssty in every great step
OF human progress. Thus IL implied the close relation
between man and nature Tho highest ideal OF man IL
to realize his own unity with the Universal Order and
his Interpretation OF the sensible world records the
phases OF his aspiration. The world means what we
make It.; we Its alphabet and ts key;
We receive but what we give,
And In our light alone does Nature live: -
Ours ia her wedding garment, ours her shrouu'
We're there no infinite thoughts, there would be
for bOundless space for the worlds or endless
time for their processes 1t by right OF his own ideals
that man bids the worlds meaning change and grow
This was what made bis childish fablinR prophetic
yshnu strding the earth and sky in two PAGES to dis
prove tho claim OF the OF evil to rule the world
Confucus announcing himself his birth 10 be lord OF
the Unyerse-the stars and the chimes doing homage TO
the infant Chrstt but the ideal in man maintain
ing his claim to treat Nature his patrimony 1t spoke
"a confidently his earliest presentiments as III MS
latest science rejects claim Of evil to have It's
way with world and finds natural strife and havoc
but the incidents OF development The very obduracy Oh
law ia our guarantee JUSTICE you not what ele
ment danger and uncertainty would DO introduced
into the world by the first miraclef Science has not
only justified Nature but emsncipated man; YET the
courage for the step in the prophetic impulse In
the human soul which preceded all Sciences and made
possible. The fine accord between man and nature
made Hellenic faith a worship OF light and JOY so
that Nature seemed beautiful play OF immortal
mind and death itsef, Natures invitation good
hope" to heroi and Athenian sage. as now to
the braves Of all. This serene truth broke up at
last In a terrible "No," when establishment took the
place OF sefrespect Ideal naturssm had reached its
hight 800 years ago. in that moment OF free impulse
not unlike own, when tho old p0lyhesm was being
put away and Christianity had not yet been enthroned
socs had perhaps the nobest form Of respect
for mans relations with universal order that the
world has ever seen. But 1t was moment OF violent
reaction against atureworship, and self
abatement had become o passion. Men sought escape
from themselves and cried out to be saved by miracle
age and for long ages to come, stoca sefre-
spect had give way TO Christian selfabasemen Ma
ure curse and supernatural Christianity was 70
deliver man its burden. For centuries 1t prescribed
art or it with hagsard Chrsts and hdeous
sainthood. The Roman Catholic. which has strayed
arthest OF all churches from the primitive Christian
idea has the that jealousy OF nature and art
which leads desoendants OF the Purans to wish to
shut secular libraries and unconsecrated green fields
away from the man on MS sundays lest ne cheat
| God Of His time.
The mystery DEATH the inekorableness OF nature.
had begun to weigh mems minds before Christianity
came The old poiytheism had taught immortality and
final good symbols. and essayed In its Mysteries"
forth the triumph Of faith fate. Christianity
associated inevitabeness OF nature with moral
evil proposed to deliver from it by miracle and
Messiah miracle did not always appear when most
needed Christian solution OF natures mysteries
proved inadequate. Ouly two paths could lead to the
required Interpretation. The imagination must recon
cile them with the ideal the understanding must
plore without fear Hence two fresh directions OF
thought-to aesthetic and moral sentiment, and TO posi-
tive science. Modern sentiment and modern science
began their Interpretation Of Nature in the middle
and the Church stood by aud launched thunderbOlts
at them. To-day they have learned to do with
| out the Church. The Interpretation OF Nature by
is often claimed the distinctive achievement
modern thought. And hOW radical a religious eman-
cpation Ia involved in the idea OF development by law
need not here be explained But Science was himself
the Titanic offspring Of imagination and faith, and
should not dsonor his parentae. Since he s
concerned with the order phenomena tests knowledge
by UNDERSTANDING and derives it FROM experience, 1t
must be fully recognized that these his limitations
well said. they who prize experience ex-
cusvey that experience Ia but the half OF expe-
rence" II we conceive the laws OF evolution, de-
yeopment" genesis" production" and the like,
coming 10 us through observation and experience alone
and give the themselves meaning but such as
supply and yet take them as the sole data
for the explanation and deoitton Of facts, it will be to
mistake the mechanism OF the universe for its
soul and the processes OF Nature for its sub
| stance. Any development implies au origin
| mlghtier than itself The million-seedef tree
s not the product seed IL Is the concentration Of
and earthhe child OF what Is infinitely greater
than itself that Of the material atom which was cast
into ground. so let the ape. and welcome have
grown into tho Yet man, none the less involves
not spehood merely but at least much greater spir
uai force his manhood Ia needed to explain
the advancing spiritual element that in him. If the
lower accounts for the higher have metamorphosis
OF FORMS ransmigraton OF atoms ladder whose sands
drop and are replaced nut only aGe atoms %
bran what tho physical nexus accounts for, shall
its separation dissOlvef fne UttinR pniO-
sophca atoms high may they shall never utter
the words immortal mind"
DO YOU ask What theni If this life be ALL il IL there
fore vain 7" BY But the fact remains that
the persistence OF physical atom OF force is all the
merely scientific method has TO say Of immortality.
Nor can II take oognizsnce OF high moral
ideals the substance OF personality and
rst ou its authority, behind which cannot go any
more than can raise himself IN basket by the
handles Definitions OF life correlation"
bnston" or adjustment OF forces" are inadequate,
for they leave out the chief tactOr-msu himself IL Ia
we that stand bere OF conceptions OF nature
Given the personality ls ITS ideal vision Why should