The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-07


q Tbs New York Times II the only pepper on
tige lisl which seems 70 aye rsaa %
professor TyndsIl,s iate ado dress VIII ears 4
Il doss him rs more thar jnstice u the fos
lowing article lSsS ssf
The Naw 1Kassriaaiesa. 80
In his inaugural ddress. BET the British
* asac;ation prof ssor Tyndaii has dealt with
deener and 8prnyar prob tenis than IL has been
fine custom, OF his pred cessors ii the prest,
Y,nn,iaf chair TO handle. He has attempted 20
And the ultimate point TO which reason may
I,nrsue It's investigate ions into the sources OF
natnral phenornena and ID doing 80 hasinga.
.defi territory W hich has .beeQ commontyin
Guided within the domain Of metaphy slcs.
il jsa notable evidence Of the expansive
.ness az modern science that. the early
e;repk specuIatiops about the origin OF be-
inc. which not many years ago were re-
oarded by physicists as being consplcu,,
ems INSTANCES of a waste OF, intellectual
power upon, subjects incapable OF scientinc
Observation-Disclosures. should be thought worthy
.sf the close and critical exposition OF man
lke professor Tyndall. The president OF
rha British Association did not, indeed; go
hack cutie as far as Thales, who Is the con-
nacfit,g link between the nameiess sages OF
Eaypt and the beginnings of philosophic
tIlnnqht in Greece. But he does link tbe
rhrsicaIe philosophy Of to-day with the
atomic theory Of Democritus, the material.
ism of Epicur,fs. and the exposition of the
philosophy Of tie latter by his great dlscI-,
r,le. the Roman poet Lucretius. La tact,
Professor FTyndall will have 1t that after
more than 1000 years Of restless and al
most continuous investigation, physical set-
epce finds itselfsepce more face to face with
the problems which engrossed the attention
OF the men who, historically speaking, made
the earliest contributions to its discoveries.
! Professor r ynaalI attacks these questions
with Characteristic boldness, but beyond
making sotnewb vehement defense Of the
right of physical science to deal with the u.
timate problems of being, be can hardly be
said to have robbed them Of single diff
Guilty. What will be considered the most
Startling part of the address Is the following
personal aVow val which 1t contains:
abandoning all disguise, the confession
that feel bound TO. make before you is that
J. proIong the vision backward across the
boundary of the experimental evidence, and
discern in that mutter, W hich We in our ig-
norance, and Notwithstanding our professed
reverence for its Creator, have hitherto COW
cred with opprobriun, the promise and po-
tency Of every form and quality of life"
This is certainly a close approach to the
Lucretian maxim that " nature is seen to do
all things spontaneously of herself without
the intermeddIing of the gods" But Pro-
lessor Tyndall is too close areasouer not to
perceive, and too &ir-minded man not to
point out, the place where the materlalistllc
philosophy breaks down. After the utmost
preongation, intellectual vision rests upon
the original Incorporated atoms of oxy-
gen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and What
mot, which represent the furthest analysis
iof matter which science has reached, let
the mind set about forming an intelligi-
bic conception of bow, out of any possible
combination of.>;such dead atoms, can be
formed the living, sentient brain. z" The
issue Of consciousness from the clash Oh
atoms" is. indeed, the mystery to which no
mechanical combinations lend usa key. A
result which, shows US: ia the compound
something which was not in the material
parts, throws us back, even onlhe principles
Of Il rigidy scientific method, upon the un'
known poWerin whose creative act We must
seek alike for the origin of our prlnordial
atoms and the mysterious energy which has
clothed them with sensation and thought.
As Professor ,Tyndall remarks, There
is. no very rank nateriaiism here, !"
though we may question the utility OF plac-
ing between reason and the Deity any such
arbitrary symbol as "a cosmical life," in
which the phenomena of physical nature.
as well rs those of the human mind. have
their uasearchable roots" The Professor
touches more philosopic ground when he
SAYS, a little further on, that while we can
trace the development of nervous system,
and perceive its steadfast relations with the
parallel phenomena OF sensation and thought,
1--WE try to soar into vacuum the moment
we seek to comprehend the connection be
tween lhem." l
On the whole, Professor Tyndalrs "ma-
terialism" is OF decidedly reverent type,
however much it may be likely, in the
bands of half-instructed and presumptuous
eXpositors, to be made to appear as denial
Of the spiritual element in the universe.
The man who stands in the front rank OF
modern physicists may be pardoned If he is
ulSpOSeu W OFeIldlc VIC dCulcf ekuCutS W lCu
may be expected from scientific method
when directed to questions that lie some
what beyond its pale. He may also claim
the apology Of enthusiasm when he gives
1.-THE mild light Of science, higher place
among civilizing and elevating agencies
than, Judged from past experience, it can
fairly claim. But whatever be his views
about the true place of revealed truth in the
scheme of the universe we cannot regard as
a dangerous foe to religion the thinker who
utters such maXims as these: "Mr. Buckle
sought to detach intellectual achievement
from moral force. He grayely erred, for
without moral force to whip it into action
the achievements of the intellect would be
poor indeed" ct would set forth equally
the memorable advance of mans understand
ing in the path of knowledge, and the un-
quenchable claims of his emotional nature
which the understanding can never satisfy"
A SIMPLE REAEDy.--Every one accustomed
to travel by rail has noticed the crowding
and jostling that takes place between those
who want to get off the car and those who
want to get on when the train stops at q
station. The passengers who are at their
journeys end ought to have the right Of way