New-York tribune., 1873-06-17
COMMENCEMENT SEASON
u,,,pnrN SIDNEY COLLEGE.

FARMvTILE, Va, June lo'-lhe doth COM
ercemen, exercises Of Hampden-Sdney College began
on Sunday With the preaching OF the Daceaanreae ser
-, ,, tho paw VIM u Markland o. Baltimore. The fol-
-, a. have been occupied by the anniversaries OF
en- ,,,rv societies and the commencement exercises
r c,nal feature OF the exercises the address he
O., ,h society Of the Alumni by Gen Roger Pryor "of
IegYork at present, but Of Virginia always" Gen.
or on returning to his old home after absence Of
,cht years was warmly welcomed by his old constu-
nts whom he represented in Congress years ago. Has
spb,eci was THE Religious and the Secular Culture
In referring TO the tendencies Of modern scientific iu
yestigauon he spoke follows:
AT first the investigation Of physical phenomena was
illumination and the revelation Of a law OF harmony
pervaoiuc and regulating all the operations Of nature,
proof Of an overriding Providence. In the moment OF
bis Triumphant research he gave way to no exuta
ton Of vanity instead uncovered his majestic brow
I'm recognition Of the wisdom ana goodness on
God 50 Faraday ielt as ne TAn M III hunl tSl,act ~
irreprcSsihe and the men OF science began 70
Vaunt the iufalibuy Of their inducuon-the omnlPo-
tence Of their analysis. Observing nyara6e reia,
ton OF smtudo ana sequence IN all the phen9nona VI
nature they dcnv the Intervention OF Providence ~
the economy Of the material unycIse and pray OF WIN
Dr. Iynda becomes impertinont ap0stI0Phe. - In
mood Of cOmpleissnce 10 the creed OF hulnandI,, i
they admit the hypothesis Of God, they GkS S
10 degrade Him from His soyeregni{ aBu 20 D,nu
finn in the ietters Of His own law,tS Ie IN, nS
tnology hcd leus inpotsnt asiSs 1S hence over
the fortunes OF man, thai MI. Buckle inoarnites
abstraction. ana suppOsco Iht sduo uVOhau-
pre and The miscarriage OF a letter. There Is
difficulty, their own method ln accounting lOf lIe
uhrnouen Of force without the suppOsit0n Of ante
ccdent iu concerning eject without cause; but the
adrout involved in the conception OI ctea-
Tor they htsteu 20 repair by putting Deity In commits
sion ana running the uuN Oh the principle OF evO
$500 htr Hsrnrrt spencer | know repudiates the
rnpulation u atheism, but the distinction between no
ft ,N y r roo subtle for alprehcnsion is plainly of
no moment 40 the welfare OF humanity. Equally on
either the0Tt whether OF blank atheism or OF COD re
tird fr1in l interest and activity in the economy
a. uuIye +,
man abandoned 60 tie orpuaudgc OF despair Ana this
ne the first principle OF ts positive phlOsophy-the Al
b.hty Deity skuJug from tue hight OF scleuce! Nay
lie hSnothesis 5f special creation it Is incumbent
science 10 explain the pAenomeDon OF man by the
process Of induction, and accordingly Ut. Darwin
traces his pedigree upon the principle OF natural Sc
lection and, 10y ultimate analysis. discovers his gen
esis IN prOtOu Thus does tIo philosophy OF ra0u
aiism GIspaTage less than Deity aud degrades
BAN from his proud pIeemlnence 10 an equally Win
the ape ana conIaeIhiJ WIN 'Ic Itptie' Au az III
has origin his after progress 5 development Is I'M
peod ana dfrveg o. 40 otdeI taan the aetIon OI una
OF every human nope Destiny. working by the agency
ol natural selection" decrees premature death 70 al
Nho' whether from ly s',i i - % ,- 90, ~
Dty, OF moral lnapdtude are uuaDie OF thet own re-
Viva OF the ,est only humanity gradually aScends TO
the summit OF PERFECTION hvuce WhOsogver OF what
law is an Obstruction " tue improvement OF the race
and, therefore, ah Tie schemes Oh DeneEO
atiun OF diseased mor,auY-au our asy 4ums for
tho insane, an our hospitals Tor the invalid
many iuptilt ats ID tag perectUhty Vi man, and
iD the postivsia1 OF civilization there is voice for
Charity In aid 0t t-e eulsacy Of this natural law
artificial expcdicut Is employed, and strpcuure, for
duced the political lusrumCntaiIty of human reSCn
GRAFTON. Tna Is 20 say perfect humanity Is 10 Oe de-
Ideal man Of the mlcnium to behold the result
Of the same process which produced tue Berkshire pig
Then, too, since n. happiness Of the individual is the
irbt the sE.Dtc sCai cniiEtsned reason enions the
TIU - D tI 90 q IL
terest Vfor sympatEziug friendship, aud Tdlemache
alpauL5 HA4 .o4 'H '-0 ''iSruNV VI OaoeI oupuelA
aud audaciOus, for, hitting tho vail that en-
m SERIOUS problem of lie bv Inc theory Of sp0utaneous
ecneraOu ana b. chemical combination realizes the
ir4m II Frluae en-, aud himself becomes the crea-
tcr Mr. Darwin tells us that the human miud with all
graud attributes of thought aud emotion, Is but the
science according Nj. Lttre, is the outcome OF animal
Instinct, auG rcA the wsY Of SONS torpid brain,
tdlcyus lhd Oi-heI C'ih moves VnS STATS ana IoIs
tbe thuuueT Even ne ucYUul spirit OF Matthew Arnold,
len alone TO tuc gt of secular culture, attain 10
ioter conception OF Deity han the something, not
arseyes, which makes Tor ieOdsless aud can pro
pound no better definition o religion than morality
touched by emotion Further sun; as the logic of the
Positive science ignores at. pAtuOutAa not COgnlztOe
oy observation aud Tccs every generalization not es-
abhshed 'y an induction OI VeiAtI I@ct the necessary
consequence the reduction OF all existence TO mate
rial FORM ana the negatOn OF mans spiritual beng.
Thought Is but al operation OF the BRAN; emotion a
neryOus pU.sauOn; ana since function ceases when
structure IA destroyed, nothing Of man survives the
ica h Of his body. Ia q chorus OF mdde camOr, the
disciples OF The Positive philosophy al assure Us that
perspective Of destiny reveals abode Of immortal
SPIRITS Instead the uaireSm OF .rauss closes the
nothing Dcyold the 1ute and Phenomenal and, as all
experience proves the unlYeroahty ana uniformity Of
law then every impulse Uf YutJu IS determined by
nutecedeuts and with the freedom Of his WILL loses
hls moral responsibility
physics. which Its experimental method vigorously
fetrIc. NJ ;ss scIeuce usurps upon tno province OF
the trausOt aUd iupOJsy applies its principles
spirit of man nlgnt be resoy1d ia cruci6e and some
S. we what ptabie plight humanity is reduced
ly tie pAOsopAy Oi hatiouasm; No God 10 sustain us
by the Uounties MS Providence; conscience 70
guide through the labyrinth Of hiei no liberty Of
ohOice between good and evil fear OF retrIDuuOn
le tie fures Oi hceutOus passion; hope Of umOr-
tauty to eIid the dark cloud OF earthly existence
tradition O hcayeuDorn lineage 10 mold Us erect above
Of tie ncId; 10 charity TO saiye the wounds
afflicted man; 10 sentiment O pley 70 soOtLe the agl-
taOns OF the troubled spirit ana iuil exhausted nature
u the repose u OAss5Hl Isi,A Upon what tragic
catastrophe TINS Goldcss thioseHy Is iated TO precp
ldte mankind cannot Oe huO"h tl the curtain iaus,
but 70 mat having cOoiOunded the dlstlnc
OF right aud wrong, and qIeucued Tie light Of
science, aud bhgheu the lHu-thces Ol IaIth, ana en-
tnrODed sell the object OF al homage aud aggran-
the source Of all enjoyment, ana bounded
existence 0y tue nlts % eaI'h aI1 Withholding from
suffering innocence and uuIequted wOr1h the hope Of
reparstion hereafter; that having thus accomplished
tne deinIIl zaOn Oi man aH lJoSod liu rom the re-
straints VI religion, aud inhamed him with the re-
sSn'~Sn - as rise hfp''Gi a Ieped revolt ho raBs &
society, and rgenact larger theater and with
peter success ne ouages and atrocities OF the athetc
Commune OF Paris. Tue tendencies tow ard such a
calamity visible in every direction. what mean the
mOlteflhgs Ot tho surgng masses OF Europe and the
Nortl; uc suIen spurings al authority their frantic
atlachs on tle safeguards Of property their blasphem
rild reyel IN the saturnaia sense-what mean ali
these volcanic came thrOos' IL they do not portend some
ultimate outcome and continuation OF the Positive
science present aspect mug but retsrng 70
melancholy refrain OF history, that irreiigous cu
descry he approach Of tho dismal procession tsI ever
attends tno triumph OF the inndel philosophy
Though ainid the OaCkHoss Of te gathering gloom We
need not, must not, abandon ourselves to despair