, 1873-12-14
NATURAL SCIENCE.


NATURAL SCIENCE.
t,ncturc BY nr. n. a. Abbott Escforo tho
Philosophical Society.
A meeting of tho Chicago Philosophical
Society was held Inst evening In tic hall in tho
Methodist Church Blcrk, tbs President, Trof
Huvou, in tie chair Tho minutes of tho pro-
vio,1s meeting having been road, DR.. n. a.. ABB
bott delivered lecture on Natural Science:
1ts AdyautageB Not Antagonissic to Truo
Religion"
Tho Doctor aot1nod natural acioncs IN it's
broadcast Borso to 10 H knowledge of thIpgn--of
substances; tho nature mud laws Of matter alid
motion. 1t treated moro OF the material universe,
and lesa Of the metaphysical. Theology, pol
itics, md kindred subjects woro not included
under the head Of uaturat 6cioncc+ 1t treated OF
tho laws of lie phenomena Of tile universe, OF
Witch We formed n rnrt. 1t treated OF man
chemically. nnato,nically, md physiologlo-
ally; instructed hiu In tue GUAM
| tity and quality Of food necessary
to bo takon in order to secure tho highest phS8-
! biological condition, both mental antl n'uacular
1t taugllt n1an how to secure beauty, health. ntt
| strength. It measured oceans, mud surveyed
| contiHouts. mud stoppcl not ut THO contlnes OF
| earth, hut eaimatod the distance between tho
| ea,tl, and tho sun, and weighed !ho planets.
| Dy means Of sciouco, man was quite at home
| among tio stars.
sciepco atoppcd not upon tho surface Of tho
earth but dived down into tho oi ntoftof ,;a3a na
up tltoir untold hidden wealth. In tile
| great laboratory Of God, tho elemsnts Of
tho rock and the precious metals wore mo!t ed
| and interminclcJ, in ordor that tho Que might
be hold and preserved by tho other. scienco vas
NJ we bud knowledge of ecienco We hnd, IN an
essential sonse, knowledge Of ood: 1n tho
usual acceptation Of this term, man, by mvnns
| found in tho enrth. Tho energies Of nature
were substituted for tho power of human MUSCLE.
| Tho lecturer illustrated tho immense advGn-
tagc Bcieuco Ind been to the world practically,
by referring to the stoam-eng'nc, the printing,
mountains rivcrs, and lnkcs hud raised our city
| feet and reversed tho curreut Of our river
had nearly driven dangerous and lonthsomo dis
cases from tho world; gaye lib artificial llmhg.
eyos. hnir. teeth, md ovcu new noses Of flesh
nnd blood If VIC 10 desired. lie adtfcd many other
pertinent illustrations. Deprive man Of tho re-
suits Of sccnce, mud the dial Of human progress
| would bo rolled luck thousands Of ycafR. 1ot,
with au Of these discoveries. a1d thousands OF
| others not liptcd at, man l,ad but picked up
loro aud thoro grain OF sand, wliilo tho rl,ores
Of the great stream OF the universe "ele unox-
| 10 every reasonable question tlloro was an III
telligont answer. w,icl, either SIC or our poster
ity might know by the exercise OF scientific
thought. 40 SCIENCE was hut knuwi-
edge OF Gods deu1inGs, one would suppose
tbat it would meet with no systematic
I oppositton except from evil persons. Wo worb
compelled, however, 10 admit that tho chief sop-
poBition came from thos0 set apart to teach tue
rcat Of ~ tic wny to God. Science and true
religion welo as ono tlloy both canlo from and
lotl to God Nun was q religious bei'g If one
| defined religion as dovotion worship; tro3abiy
no two philosophers would give the hame dehni-
ton.
Tho religious faculty was gift from tha
lug As something higher than ourselves was
:s Of Is rss IL: ~. S:S:sss eeas s
as old NJ man. III tho barbarieln Of tile past
tl,ia faculty. like all others We possesscd, had
been tho slave Of ignorance.
| The religion OF Zoroaslor was, porhaps, tlt
! Oldest Ct which We had any 1lluwletgo. Like
tho leaf of Tho mod est fcr1t that Ind left n i'm.
, press upon tho coal measures, so had nuest o
taught his follow ors made its impteas upon sue
ccedug pgea, u invoke and worship benovo
i, lence, purity, aud .wyolthy liic," cal;
said ''za% Baaahap cs,snes resoion mss man, !.
: thoro Ia no hnowledgo." sooyates, Plate, Coniu
cus, aud many others, Who livcdlong before tht
Christian era. uttered many ro!jeioug, truths
: was hotter for their having lived III it, Religion
might outgrow 4 ,uel's intellectual strength
= aud oyershatow his Other faculties 80 az 10 ret.
:. dor him not only uaee5s to his fcllow.man. bn
p an Injury to his racs. Having zeal w'thou
U knowledge he bcconaea bigoe.
In tho horticultural world, the quality o
9na ana hsai a;av In q H. he rSg0nS ft aesSsi wSs
). upon culture und reflection. IN The, htcsk viii
!; ter the careless ohscryor would say that the tre
WIS not only destitute Of eayos. but pos 5esasot
y not oven tic germ Of one. But in Ilo little but
Fn. Ia 3u
Y flueneo to bocouo developed into the full Leaf
" II it waR tluo tlat this germ OF religion waB Vi
- - why's with us. as wae Tho love Of music. on.
" waiting favorable Influences to daycop it. hos
- Irrational it would scom to seok it., or expnot
= to como from afar; or to be hammered iuto IL
l" by aome atedga-ha1tmer proccsa as null wa
!, lrlveu luto wood, Let 1t bo doyelopcd AM
- cultivated. Let sdonco Gnd reason educate an
~ ~ bcicnce was not antagonisllo to trio roligo'
y. but hal souao tines been made to appear as tA
~ enemy OK religion. No discovery of any trutl
y il, seience ever cid or eyer could s'!aho tho foun
Y t'at,ons Of aisgle t,Ntl i'll science Or religion
" To dony this proposition, was to admit tat Go
~ ~ somewhere contradicted God somewhere else
a. From tho earost times to the present, rc1igio
ap S had bee" undergoing process o. publication
~ phya'eal olro1s Which ignorapco sought to pei
of i,otuato. The man Of scionco had nothiu
9. to fear from tue investigation Of a1t
R9son veseatssa aa Msas coaa aaa but sstaSs Gfs
!, hie position, II it welo fulso, lle, above b
H. ot!ore, waa willing and ansiouA to know it, thu
" lio might abandon it. For DO laid no theory tt
l. day tlsat lo would aot gladly rellnauish lo-lol
10 row, it wero proven untrue, Theology la
u. IT, not shown this ljbosality It w.h willing tht
aa you Investigate, provided always that your col
W W olusons !aa yon to lndorso tho "TAitty~1ln
~ ~ Articles"
"a Mem Of scicace throughout the world aul
~ toctcl each othevs' results t0ilo most scarohhl
~ axamillalloua, aud error was niorccssly oxpose
g. and rejected as aoou Iii discovered. Tho tim
H. when ai Intelligent people could dispense wit
r. T. the kiud offices OF tue clergy was e
" ~. distant II 1t ever cnzno ut al
~ But the coming preacher would be FREQ nun.
free to search aud free to preaol tho trutl
20 Science, instead Of betug MI eramy, Ind bocon
=. tic beat friend OF Christianity. sceuco was 1T
IT, antngoniatio to any religion Which onjoin's
Is, which man gaincd olearer kpoylodgo Of lin
y self Of tue relations llo sustained to tue I'LL
le yerae to lis fellow.nson and to hls Creato
Y. ~. t., +1,o, tot,Jn NnftI =