Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-05-29
.AgasSiL and God.

ABasslz was PROFOUNDLY Ignorant Of, or
profoundly Indifferent TO, DR.. Hodges the
illogical system; the Princeton "scheme of
salvation" he never studied but touch
him on the point whether God Almighty
should be prayerfully recognized by the
Investigators Of bis works, and he always
famed up in eloquent exposition of what
he called the "Divne Ideas" on which the
whole scheme of creation was planned
God, with him, was always mmanent in
the universe. The successor of Aristotle
was an unconscious Platonist. 81 don't
care" he seemed to say, chow many sep
aratc centers there may have been of the
creation of plants, animals, and the differ
cnt races Of men ; that is nothing to me, as
long as the plan existing in the Divine
mind was carried out and as 10 any valid
scheme of classification, | consider it not
as conlrivance of the human intellect TO
formulate its knowledge, but rs a discov-
ery-a means of interceptinS the Divine
plan of creation as it existed in tie thoughts
of Cod The doctrine OF the mere physi-
cal connection Of animated beings by the
process of reproduction and gradual varla-
ton Of species through millions of years,
he received with bursts of Homeric laugh
ter; he said, as a seologist and paleontolo-
sist, that the "missing links" were no.
where discOvtrable in the geological record;
but his real controversy with the eyolu-
tionists was in his subordinaton of matter
10 spirit. The most exact of observers was
an idealist. He cid not believe the world
as worth living in if its operations were
not directed by the Lord of heaven and
earth. His science was curiously blended
with quaint and natural piety. OF The
p uzzling theological questions relating TO
tue fall Of Adam, he knew nothing and car
ed nothing; but he excelled most clergy
men in being a dogmaiist on the being of
God, and he never undertook au original
invest CATION into the realms OF the un-
known without instiuctively breathing a
prayer for aid TO the Father Of Spirits. 1t
is to be supposed that this grand, genial,
jovial naturalist, whose mere presence in
company was, as Emerson said, "a ies ivi-
ty,' will, in the end, have some justice
done to the singular depth of his simple
piety. He held Darwinism in a kind of
horror, because he thought il would event
ually lead to scientific atheism; and,
thorough going scientist as he was, he con-
sidered the improved and, as he believed,
disproved theory TO be eventually fatal,
both to science and To religion. Mo of
his friends, scientific, theological and liter
ary, tried 10 convince him that his fears
were imaginary and exaggerated. Don't
trouble yourself with Darwinism, but pur-
sue your own course in your own way"
We were once present at dinner where
Agassiz was the most conspicuous guest,
and where this advice was given. The
great naturalist twred' his napkin in his
hand, paused, smiled bcnignantly to all his
friends, listened somewhat nervously to
what they had 10 say, and answered: "You
don't know what this new tendency of sci
encc will lead to. God will go out of the
universe as fast as Darwinsm comes in. If
the theory we're demOnst rated by facts, l
would be the first TO sustain il; but l can't
give up God Almighty for an ingenious
hypothesis, when know there arc facts
which contradict the hypothesis. l am, first of
all, man of science; follow whtherso-
ever science leads but get enraged when
am voted an old iogy and man behind
'no "Sc, Hcc"use uccIIHe 10 accept inc
ory which my generali2ed knowledge and
my daily Investigations forbid me even TO
tolerate" We have sometimes thought
that Agassiz would have lived twenty years
longer had ii not been for the mental irri-
tation and fret excited in him by the SEEM
ing triumph of DarwiIism There was
something amusing in the glowing terms
in which he praised Darwin as a naturalist,
who had added, by his original invcsliga-
lions, to the facts of botany and zoology, as
conIrasted with the lelentlessness with
which be assailed Darwin as n framer of
theories.-E. p. Whpple.