New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-31

defines to be "a continuous adjustment of internal
| relations to external relations
Respecting the Importance of Mr. Herbert Spen-
GERS contributions to this investigation, Dir. Tynda
expresses himself in strong terms, and OF some OF
his leading doctrines he gives an abstract, singu-
larly lucid and condensed. He has thus arrived az
the point which he proposed to himself at the outset
of this address Molecular force has been shown 10
be structural; there remains to take but one step
and proclaim it creative; and here we reach inc
threshold at which science has halted. Prof.
Tyndall crosses it with step not less firm than IL
is bold:
The orginaon OF life point lightly touched upon,
II at all by Mr.. Darwin and Mr. spencer oas
length to "prmordal FORM" but ne does h "
far as remember how he suppose, tas be
words OF celebrated author and divine VINO d nau
gradually learnt TO see that It Is Just as hoois
forms, capable of sedevelopment into othef anu y,
u to believe that He required ,dt Tes OF al His
laws" What Mr. Darwin thinks OF this view OF a ,ne r
does not Introduce his "primordia form by creative
act do not know But the question WI rsga I'd
TO the diminnton OF the number of created
forms, one does not see that much advan5 ,;eS
t seemed the object OF Mr. Darwin to SET
aside firmly associated with the creation OF leT
forms as with the creation OF multitude. NC neou
clearness and thoroushness here Two courses anu
only possible. Either let us open our doors eo' t
the conception of creative acts. Or abandoning lneh 10Y
rs radically Change our notions OF matter five look at
matter as pictured by ana the assonte @
possibility OF any form of life coming out OF II wSu , ~
sufficient render other hypothesis preeraDe; pu.
the definitions OF matter given In our TEXTBOOKS were
intended to cover it's purely physical ana mecha0a
properties And taught have been to regard these
definitions as complete naturally and rightly reject
the INDUSTRIOUS notion that out OF such matter any FORM
pete Everything depends the answer to be gwen TO
this question. Trace the line OF life backward ana see
approaching more and more to what we call the purely
physical condition We reach at length those organisms
which have compared to drop, OF OIL snspenued IA
mixture OF alcohol and water We reach me prologes
OF Haeckel, in which we have type distlngushaDe
from fragment OF albumen only by lts nney granular
| character" Can we pause here We break magnet,
and find two poles in each Of its frag nents we con-
tnue the process of oreaking put hoMeVer sna tme
| ty of the whole. And when we can break no longer
cnas Are we not urged to do something similar in
case of life Is there temptation to close to some
seen 70 do ali things spontaneously of herself without
the meddng OF the gods T. or with Bruno, when lie ue
which philosophers pictured her to be, but the
universal mother who brings forth all Things Us te run
| OF her own WOMB T.
| The questions here raised. continues Prof. Tyn-
dali. are inevitable They are approaching us with
accelerated speed, and it is not matter of ndlf-
ference whether they introduced with reverence
or with irreverence. He at least hestates no longer
| but plainly weghtily, soemnly says:
| Abandoning all disguise, the confession that reel
bound to make before you is that pol0ng the VISION
backward the boundary OF the experiment eV
| dencc ana discern in that Matter which We In our
| ignorance, and Notwithstanding our proiesssd ieyer-
ence for its Creator have hitherto covered with Oppro
brum, the proMise and potency OF o'ery form anu
| quality of life.
That if not openly repudiated by the Association,
| dates new departure Repudiated or not by the
Association it expresses so nearly the convictions Oh
the greatest of its members that do not know that
any merely official action, any dissent bya numer-
zeal majority, would be of much moment. Prof.
| IN ato IN hearers
that the "materiallsm" thus enunciated might be a
| different thing from what they supposed, and he
raises the question of the actual existence of an ex
ternal world independent of sensations That any
thing answering to our impressions exists outside of
ourselves. is not fact but an inference to which all
validity would be denied by deast like Berkeley
or a skeptic like Hume" He quotes, ALSO Herbert
Spencer's opinion that our states of consciousness
are mere symbols of an outside entity which pro-
dnces them and determines the order of their sue
cession but the real nature of which we can never
know and adds:
In fact the whole process OF evolution is the manfes
tatlon of Power absolutely inscruabie the intellect
of man A. litein day in the days Of JOB can
man by searching find this Power out. Considered
Fundamentally it is by the operation OF an insouOle
mystery that life Is evolved. species Differentiated and
mind unfoded from their prcpotent elements in the i'm
measurable past There 49, you VIII ooso'e' ho very
rank materiaism here. -,
This at first sight does not seem to break the force
of the original statement 80 far as 1T bears on the
main issue between Science and Religion Tor what
is called such) But am writing under the influence
of first Impressions and it does not belong to to
speak on such matter. Certain 1T Is that Prof.
Tvndall is no mere votary of Science to the excu
sion of other manifestations of natural activity.
Awe. reverence and wonder are to him things
woven into the texture of man.. and the love OF the
beautiful physical and moral in Nature, Poetry, and
Tba al n aturp nd Itl re 10
ious manifestations are equally real to him, and then
follows passage which sounds like rebuke to
some of his own colleagues.
There is also that deep-set feeling Which, since the
earliest dawn OF history ana probably for ages prior TO
ali history, Incorporated itself In the religions OF the
world You who have escaped from these religions INTO
the high ard dry light OF the understanding may de
ride them but in so doing you derlde accidents OF
form merely, aud fail IT, touch the iInmOyabe basis OF
tIe religious sentiment in the emotional nature OF man.
To yield this sentiment reasonable satisfaction Is the
nrobem OF problems the present hour And groesque
In relation scientific culture as many OF the religions
Of the world have been and are-lahgerous. nay de-
structve the dearest privileges OF reemen AS some
of them undoubtedly have been ana would, II they
could be again-it will be wise TO recognize them
the forms OF "A force miscbievous. II permitted
TO inrude the region OF knowledge over
which it holds no command but capable of being guided
nv liberal thought robeissues III the region OF emotion
which it's proper sphere Ii Is vain to oppose this
| force with view to its extrpaton What should
oppose tho death necessary is every attempt TO
found upon this elemental bias OF mans nature sys
fem which should exercise despotc his intel
| ect do not fear any such contamination. Science
has already 10 some anu III
will Ieaven il and more should look upon the
mild light science breaking III upon the minds OF the
youh O Ireland and strengthening gradually TO the
1erfect day, as q check to any intellectual
Spiritual tyranny which might threaten this Island than
tne laws of the swords Of emperors. Where
"a the cause fearl We fought and won our battle
even in the middle ages why should we doubt the Issue
OF "a conflict nowl
It is not in Prof Tyndals nature to doubt in such
a matter The position of science he sees to be i'm
pregnabe, and he says expressly and with note of
warning:
All religious theories schemes, and systems which en-
brace notions of cosmOgony which otherwise reach
INTO ts domain must in they do this submit 10
the control OF science and relnquish all thought OF
trolling It, Acting otherwise proved disastrous IN the