The New York herald., 1874-09-13

human consciousness the waters or the ocean
along the line OF the Equator. Whether they pro-
pose to speak again and to destroy the
deusion OF centuries we are left in doubt.
Until they 40, however, we can 90 to church as
usual pay our pew rents grumble at the sermon
and feel that this is very decent world alter all
How exceedingly considerate OF them not to
destroy our faitn all at once. We can never be
sufficiently grateful to them or not having ex-
posed The hollowness OF the whole thing and lett
us nothing but the ragged edge OF despair on
which to hang our harps Tyndall seems TO be
under the impression that If he becomes an
avowed materialist that fact settles-or, rather
unsettles-the laith of Christendom, while Huxley
cherlshes the fond deusion that if he proves to his
own satisfaction that the frog whose brain he ex.
sected is a type OF the human biped we are all TO
form IN single file, and like sheep to Jump tue
fence which the reckless goat cleared at "a single
bound Both OF these Caesars paused, however. on
the DRINK OF the Rabcon. They have not yet leaped
into the MOOD, nor quite made up their minds
whether they will paddle their way across stay
l't,e 10 longer i on TINS SIDE. ihey seem to be
the Ills they have or fly to others that they know
OF one thing we leel reasonably sure. namely
that the logical consequences OF Professor HuX-
lev's new theory, whether they be the scarecrows
OF ioos or not, would have an immediate practical
eject on the police courts OF New YORK. Our
shrewd lawyers have played the dodge OF emo
tlonal insanity on our jures with remarkable sue
cess. Hall the rOgues whose necks should feel the
tension OF a Manila necklace have already been let
loose upon society to laugh in their sleeves at the
creduhty OF the common North American judges
and to ply their trade OF murder ana robbery.
They ought to pass vote OF thanks to Professor
molecular change or which the prisoner is not re-
sponslbe. caused ny a kind Of temporary abnor-
| sovereign remedy. When he wants money, and
lays MS neighbor to rest on the sidewalk by means
OF a sandbag applied to the frontal BONE the man
| Is not TO be held accountable iOr the act and be
rudely taken to prison. but is to be regarded with
a "a Ia - a min
cerebral hemisphere has been tampered win, il
not entirely paraiyzed. lie Is an automaton,
tam degree OF irregularity; ana the old saying
| that there's screw loose somewhere is literally
| true.
| In proof Of his theory OF moral irresponsibility
the Professor cites the case OF French sergeant
by bullet which shattered mis- lett parietal bone.
Durng the healthy days OF this promising conva-
lescent lie Is an honest man. but when he feels the
paralysis consequent upon his wound he is as dis.
| honest knave as ever walked. That parietal
occupied by his conscience, and whenever he pil-
fers he pockets OF the hospital surgeons they re-
gard the theft as the result OF undue inflammation
and let 1t pass
| II the learned Professor should ever saddle the
| star OF empire which rolls toward this Western
World ana take trip to America he would find
that most OF the occupants OF public offices have
! had their parletal bones more or less fractured.
The cerebral hemIspheres OF great many men
| are out Of order just now, and most OF our poll
tcians are acting under an abnormal condition of
1t is very ridiculous and not little sad that the
gentlemen whom we justly regard as scien-
tltic teachers should think 1t necessary to attack
religion There is little enough it in the world
| AZ best, but what little there is ought TO De let
alone. The common sense OF man kind Insists that
robbery and felony are crimes that ought TO be
punished, and II . thief had stolen the pocket
book OF Professor Huxley on his retirement from
the Belfast meeting the molecules OF the lecturer
|. would have fastened on the coat collar OF the
pickpocket in spite OF MS learned theories and the
audience which cheered the speaker would not
have listened moment to the theirs plea that his
lett parieta bone was out Of order. After All
founded on the worlds sell-respect, crime Is
crime, that police courts and prisons can't he dis
have no right to the undisturoed possession Of
parietal bones and molecular changes
Science and Religion Friends, Not
Enemies.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
1t Is surely good work to lnculcate on scientists
and theologlans alike the value and absolute
necessity Of the largest berality and iOrbearance
1t benOves scientific men to refrain from attacks
on revered opinions. Let them pursue learessly
their Investigations. Not one particle oil the
truth discovered and established by them but will,
when shown in Its full relation to the entire sys-
tenn OF natural ana revealed truths, contribute to
shed lustre on the connected whole. Christians
nave hotuine 10 apprenenu from the labors and
discoveries OF true science. For at bottom there
is not one OF the theories now put in an
parent hostility to revelation that the Church has
not discussed again and again in her schools, rom
the days OF Origen and his disciples to the day
when twenty or thirty thousand students In Paris
were set in cOmmOtion by the contradictory theses
ON creation, maintained with such perfect liberty
around the chair Of Thomas Aqulnas.
We have thus come to the very point to which
wish TO bring those believers who entertain a Sc
cret dread lest the scientific theories of the day
about the eternlt Of matter should turn out to be
true, and thus UPSET the very notion of Creator,
Let tear one leaf from the history Of medieval
philosophy and present it to your readers for a
Sabbath morning study. Its moral may serve as
| an antidote against more than one POISONOUS
doubt hereafte.
In the eatChrstian schools of the thirteenth
| century the nrn who, like Thomas Aaulnas, Duns
Scotus and lonaventure taught theology and
philosophy in he name and with the sanction Of
the Church, n: only made 1t a rule, in their own
| doc trinal exposition, to set forth every adverse
cOsmogonic sstem, before giving the orthodox
sta tement; bit compelled their pupils to discuss
these variouBystems publicly. Nor did master
and scholars deem that they were serving the
.Inddel tneoies," the Weak points ony. Thew be
were especlay careful TO find the strong points,
and to suppos them , with the most powerful argu-
This has evr been the method pursued age after
age in all thtgreat schools or Christendom by the
| great teaChig Observation-Disclosures Dominlcans,
| Franciscans no Jesuits. The writer can testify
with unfeignd admiration, to the spectacle which |
ne Wituesse Ior yeats III framing sch0Ol or
seminary ioEhe young men OF a renowned re-
| ligiOus sOci'y The chief endeavor of the emf
nent prOfegrs OF theology and philosophy was
not only TO tablish every truth as 1t came before
them IN COule IN the most victorious manner but
| to array agGst every theological and philOsOph-
cal pOsitiOnle most formidable objections offered
by science 1.-THE past and in the present. Modern
objections vre presented with rare candOr. IL
| seemed the ne absorbing duty OF the professor
that over afinst each dogma OF revelation should
stand in all 3 naked might what appeared con-
| Trajectory nth. 10 the most terrible objections
| every answ hitherto given was stated its strong
and weak pnts laid bare to the Students eye.
Each schAr day the masters thesis was taken
| up and susined in evening disputatiOn by .wO
| students scessively and the most victorious OBJ
jectiOns sualned by others OF the class. once
| month thisame exercise OF disputatiOn was per-
| formed wi peculiar sOlemnity. Now, on each
Oc aston iras the religious duty oil the .'obect-
Ors' to stW out the most unanswerable argu-
ments agast each thesis. and to present them IN
the iorm Wch could best make them resistless