The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-15

Tar POPULAR SCIENCE MoNTHLT.--.We mo-
fsced Yesterday the July No. Of tbs valuable
neriodics,. In its issue of this week the
RELIGIOUS Herald OF this city, takes proies-
sor YopAASs, the editor Of this monthly 70
task as follows:
Professor Youmans defends himself from
the charge Of denying the creation OF uiat.
ter. He had said cit Is no5 regarded %
Fundamental truth Of physical science, ai ,Nl
!. Fundamental law of nature, that force, nke
matter. Is never created nor destroyed, ioIs
saanns "a be pretty plain denial OF c'tt'
t,on Rn, let us hear the professors eSpia,
po,;on of his position. What we deciateu
a. reward TO force we assumed I'D re-
asrd 10 matter. that so far as science
Knows. It is never either created OF oe.
s,royed., This may be sound science but
IL is bad logic. The proposition Is: IL ~
a fundamental truth, that natter Is neVeI
created The proof IS: so iar 81 scienee
knows il is never created, IL Is soPnism
OF which logic furnishes no example. II -
positive conclusion drawn from ignofahce.
Pu. into sy logisiic form 1t runs thus:
whatever is not known to science 10 not
true.
"Science knows nothing OF creation.
IUeFP!OTP, Icdtluu NV ~
"If this reasoning is sound, alas at what
concln.iou may we not arrive? See PIP. 365,
1867
we think the Herald does Professor You
MANS Injustice. 1t is "now regarded as
Fundamental truth Of physica science, ana
ga fundamental law Of nature, that force'
"like matter, is never THAT is, now.a-da!s }
"crea,ed DOR destroyed" That dictum does
no, touch The question Of creation "In The
beeinnins.n Professor YorMASs speaks OF
the present tine-of what men now kno"
and see. Plainly he is entitled to speak ior
himself. "Wljat we declared IN regard 10
"force we -umed in regard 10 matter tha''
$50 far as science knouS, it is never now
"a.days. for science touches the present ana
"the tangible particularly either created or
e DESTROYED" We think this is good science
and good logic. The Professor might have
added that the Bible teaches US that
the world with all that isin 1t was created
This we firmly believe. We just Us hrmiy
believe that so far as science knows "lnatter
is never Created For science cannot no.
derstand creation. Science is possible only
after creation. Science touches and apprc-
l.nds only created things. The HeratPS
syllogism, therefore, Is faulty because its own
logic is at fault. Professor iouMAEs has
never asserted that whatever is not known
to science is not true" His position is that
science teaches nothing as to creation. And
this is true.
.Wequote Professor YoUMANs's own words:
ave did rot say that matter is eternal.
We did not say that matter never was
created. For these are questions beyond
the limits OF science"
Professor YoUMANs says nothing as to crea'
ton because science teaches nothing on that
point. 1t is AS if blind man should say,
My senses teach me nothing as to color
know nothing of Color" He does not deny
that there are colOrs. So as to Professor
YouMANs. He says that science teaches no.
thing as to creation; for the reason that
science cannot touch, nor probe, nor under
stand anything until after It's creation. lie
declares in express terms that he does not
say that matter is eternal; nor that it was
never created; yet the Herald charges him
with trying to prove that there was never a
creation!
The Herald makes blunder when it at
tempts 10 classify distinguished scientists
with materaists. These scientRts i'll
establishing the truths as they lave es-
tabIished them that neither matter nor
force is ever destroyed; that all force o..
every sort is indcstructible though mu-
tablc-lhat nothing is lost, in a word
have almost demonstrated the immortality
Of the soul for surely that which is supc-
rior TO all other things upon earth cannot
be annihilated, since it has been demonstra-
ted that nothing material is ever lost-that
none of t.ese inferior things are ever ami
Inflated.
We beg the readers pardon. We had no
intention when we commenced writing to-
pen dozen lines.