The New York herald., 1874-09-20

| leys and Spencers would be contented with
Denying, rashy and suicidally, the very existence
OF spiritual substances and the very possibility OF
| a moral order founded on the notion of o God
who Is at once Creator, Lord, Governor and Judge
| OF mankind modern science, thus identified with
materalism usurps the place Of the old Persian
Gnosis Of Mani It afilrms that science alone
'knows." that to its disciples belong the monopoly
OF knowledge. and that philosophy and religion
can teach nothing.
This Is. regret TO say 1t, deplorabe excess,
ruinous alike to the reputation Of true natural
science and to the minds and hearts Of the rising
generation.
1t Is fatal to the best interests OF the race that
such scientific materIalism as that of huxley and
Maudsey should be kept before the public mind.
or that such moral filth as that afforded by the
Beecher- -T1lton- -MouIton controversy should be
poured out in a weekly deuge for so long time
The two roots of society are our young men and
young women. This filth poisons through them
the whole society OF the future Preudices cre-
ated by false intellectual notions are like poi
sonous gas which fills the lungs, prevents the en-
trance OF Gods vital air and causes the death OF
reason. 1t is hard to say which Is more baneful to
the youth OF our day and country OF these loath-
some details which should have been submitted in
closed court room TO tne Judgment OF select
says that there IS no SOUL that there is no God, no
Judgment. no hereafter for the vIrtuOus or the
wlcked-ln a word. that there Is no such thing as
virtue or justice or even truth.
For is 1t not Que or the latest conclusions OF the
school Of such moralists as Spencer and Taine
| that we have to set aside the antquated notions
Of truth, &C., and to build up anew our reason our
conceptions and the very language In which until
this day the human race has expressed itselI on
all that Is fundamental in knowledge ana morality
! The corruption OF the heart Effected by prema-
| ture knowledge of moral evil Is fearful enough to
contemplate; but the corruption OF the intellect
other light, with the notions OF the new material
ism, is an irremediable misfortune. The wounds
Of the heart may be cured. but know no antidote
| for Intellectual asphyXla.
| Be 1t known, then, that modern science is i'll
| ferior to the old doctrine OF Epicurus and the
gross dualism OF Mani, If 1t should be made to
| teach mankind this exclusive Monism which
SAYS that nothing exists but matter ana material
| forces; that every atom OF matter is seexistent,
eternal, endowed essentially with the forces neces-
sary to constitute lie when placed IN the requisite
conditions. Life IN its wonderful variety here on
the surface OF our planet, In the human individual
and In human society, originated IN these material
OF these material atoms, their aggregatons ana
the combinations OF these manifold forces Is self
existent and sel-suiicient. There needs no pri-
nal cause to produce 1t and no future supra
mundane lie to complete 1t and perfect the lie OF
man as we see 1t here.
Tame, t,uta Q,tdntt, as 1t now stands before US
stripped OF mask and Disguise is but a rehash OF
Eplcurean materlalism, as 1t attempted to account
! for the origin and destinies OF the universe, as
we'll as for the nature OF things and the duties OF
! Would 1t be believed that this system, which ap-
! peared in Greece some three hundred years be-
| fore Christ, and was looked upon as the shame Of
the old pagan philosophy, Is, IN Its every principal
feature, Identical with the materlalism, usurping
the name OF science, which now claims the exclu-
sive homage OF the intellect OF ChristendOm alter
nearly TWO thousand years OF Christian ciyliZa-
| tionP
| or course the adherence with which the theory
Of the Grecian philosopher was held even by his
pagan contemporaries s not proof OF its alb
soIute. ialsehood. His moral specuations, too,
may have, because either misunderstood or i'm
perfectly understood, cast dlscredit on his COS
mogonic and Genealogical explanations They
LrNtnn mo nf oil hnif
moral code appeared to be based on present en-
joyment. Even so Mr.. Tyndall and Mr.. Huxley
lent men in their private life. and, were IL otner-
wise, this would not prove their marerlalism IN It.
self TO be devoid OF truth.
What IS Intended to be shown here Is that the
general scientific explanation OF man and society
and the universe held out to US by them as the only
one deserving the attention of grave men Is not
new one, not one discovered by them, nor
prove BY them TO be a whit more complete or sat-
m obesity by the old Grecian OF 400 years ago.
! Our modern scientists have not been fortunate In
calling upon us to break up our idols and worship
at the affairs OF the science. 1t Is only long
| buried mummy from the cemetery Of the ancient
PHILOSOPHERS That has been exhumed and galvan-
ized into sembiance Of life, and dressed in mod
ern robes and set up In the sanctuary to take the
place OF the living and eternal God.
Thanks, U scientists Your new religion ls after
all, but an ancient ana shortlyed superstition. We
must be forgiven If we prefer the faith ana the
fcan read " lth o pleasure which never pals
upon the interior sense every one OF John Tyn,
Iaow,edee more attractive and accessible than
be. Ee is equally fascinating whether he lead me
| on through the theories Of light and heat and mo-
tiOn or describe the mountain glOr1es OF SWitzer-
| land or explain how Its valleys were scooped out
could sit Tor hours at his feet and listen to his
| lures or gather fresh knowledge from his beauti-
fu experiments and apt Illustrations. In all this
John Tyndal Is the prophet Of science and the el6
quent Interpreter OF nature
But how the halo vanisnes from his brow when
he now stands forth to the world as the disciple Of
Epicurusl Why not continue to teach us, as he
has done hitherto, the mysterious laws which
govern the material world. and leave to the
French disciples OF Voltaire to deride the ancient
! faith OF Christendomf
Moreover, the new science Is inferior to the
Manichean dualism, which attempted to account
Tor the origin Of the universe and for the existence
here below OF moral good and evil and their an
tagOnlsm.
Manicheeism, even in its best forms-because
1t showed itself in the civilized world almost con-
tempOraneOuSly with Christianity-drew down on
its followers hatred and persecution. But. whether
viewed in the primitive theory OF the man VINO
be believed t. be an honest effort at solving the
greatest problem OF existence ana OF life. 1t was
superior to the materialsm OF our day In that 1t
did not deny God and the SOUL but in some respects
unduy exalted both above the material world. 1t
was superior to It even IN accounting for the origin
Of moral evil. 1t resenbed 1t IN that 1t made
matter uncreated, sef-existent and eternal. And
Tynoall, who now appears as the high priest or
accusation which no Manicheean ever yet made,
and that Is. to have considered matter and the
body as accurSed and unholy
This IS only one little instance among many in
which the Professor errs by going into the sphere
OF theology The Manicheeans considered matter
to be essentially uncean, and held that any spirit,
created or uncreated soied itself by coming into
contact with matter. And this doctrine which
led to many social errors was one OF those which
the Church condemned even IN these sectarians.
But the Church has ever taught that all that God
has made Is good OF ltse and pure and that moral
evil only comes from the transgress1on OF the
Divine commands and wrong use OF created OBJ
jects. The human body she considers as an in
tegral part OF the human personality, as created
good aud holy sanctiied still more by her
ments, as the living temples OF God Himself, and
destined In the future life to share the SOULS in
comprehensive glory AMI bliss
Thus modern science, precisely because she has
left ner true sphere and ollOws the wrong path IN
pursuit OF knowledge, like q child that has
found its way into one the catacombs OF ancient
Egypt. Far away from the light OF day, 1t takes
the long buried dead fol the living, the old Tor the
new, and Its own fanci@ Tor the eternal forms or
things.
Epicurism or Mauich,eism, dualism OF the past
or Monism OF the present, ye are only oiscon-
tented spectres with Which false science would
u p