New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-19

spOndence between the order OF human concept'o"s
and the order of the phenomena, as Ncwtohs ois-
cOvery was an immense extension OF the corIosPo""
ence in space The one has enabled us 10 sans' our
mental sequences TO phenomena as uis'"n'
as the Milky Way; the other carries BACK
tho ed;n,tmen.s till they comprehend the birth
of tho Solar system" The announcement OF the
law of Evolution il only the most recent phase OF
nroeess which has been going Oh from the dawn OF
sneeulatIon concerning the phenomena OF tie UNI
yerse-tho process of substituting what may 10
called dvnamica habits Of thought for stacal hao-
it's Every theory Of the Universe implies COM
pex group of subjective relations that are more or
less completely adjusted to objective relations.
Every man possesses some such theory, however
vague and shadowy it may be- But among uneuu'
Gated persons, the crude current theories Always
suppose that the general arrangement Oh thlngs Is
the same everywhere as it is witnessed oy tnem III
their immediate environment. Their philosophy Is
not adjusted to the remote facts in time and space
which only thorough education could have addeo
to their experience. They take o statical view
of things. Until within the last three or four gen.
erations this satlcal view shared alike by cui
tivated and uncultivated people. On the other
hand the DYNAMIC view represented bYt doctIlho
of Evolution which regards the Universe ana every
thing which IL contains as presenting ulneienV
aspect from epoch to epoch. results from tue uIus'
ment of our theories to longer sequences Ia INC
p.st "In no other respect IS the present age so
widely distinguished from former ages as in this
habit Of looking at all things dynamlcallY' IL 70
shown in the literary criticism OF Sainte-BeuVe and
the art criticism Of Tame, and IN the hstorica
criticism of Mommsen OF Baur. no less than IN
Mr Darwiu's science, or Mr.. Spenc RS philosophy"
The Doctrine OF Evolution, IN which this dynamicai
haiti Of viewing things is reduced 70 system, repre-
sents also the most extensive indignation OF corresponds
that has yet been achieved The orG
EATON OF scientific truths by philosophy has al aon4
Deen progress in THE kind o. Indignation: From inc
very st crude observations and the earliest eosmcai
theories that succt ednS observations nave an
along had their results incorporated Win the oosloi
theories, or else new cOsmica theories nave Dtcn
framed which, by including the results OF more maIlc
observation, have superseded me ora ones =" t aS
the progress Of philosophy has on the Whoe kept pace
vii M that OF scieHce But between tho earlier ~ stems
and tbe more Inodern ones there marked diff renee
I'm The extent TO which special truths in different depart
ments OF science are made 10 support ava lius' VIC
each other For the gaps In the scientific knoSedge
evpIhezed in older systems considerable that
order to make synihesls at all was ueres''tlt "
ineorporse a large amount of hypOtI enc Al speculation
when was not ouly unverled but uuyeritabl so that
relations between science and Philosophy were mcu
less coherent than Today the interdepeud
puce Is more complete than ever before. Our cOsnc
theories rapidly modified ny tho lncorpnIaton OF
the results OF cOuatless new OD,ervatons IN I uepdrt
mcuts OF science ana phos Ierabing more ana
more from ODtoOgca tpecuiat0ns.is becoming more ,
aud more thoroughly ldehlneu WIN cosnOIoky ~ 20
recognizing and more fdV tnai Its proper business
is 60 oversee ana coordinate those seemingly separate
groups scientific truths which sceutno spccIdlsS
not the leisure and often neItAr tDe uesfe BOT tue
/ ability 10 coordinate, And obviously Ire Philosophy
most completely organized after tins manner. cousl-
tues the complete iDtegraton OF c0rrespOnOehces
between the order OF conceptions hnd me orler ul e
pomena Ii constitutes Integral BODY Of knOwedg",
the various members OF when are ~ Ouce more uis
inctly demarcated rOm each other and moTeluuhaey
| dependent upon each other 'h@h III any previous
| system.
With regard to the bearing of the Cosmc Philoso-
ply on the problems of religion and morals, when
| the system of COmte sets aside as unworthy the
attention of scientific thinkers, MIR. Fiske remarks
that they cannot be ignored by any philosophy
which seeks to establish harmony between human
| knowledge and human aspirations. The theory OF
| Evolution as expounded by him, brings us 10 the
conclusion that the phenomenal Universe is the
manifestation Of q Divine Power that cannot be
identified with the totally of phenomena. Besides
the sphere assigned 10 morality there Is wider
sphere TO be assigned to religion. The central prob
lem of religion is of course the problem OF thelsm
Evolution as has been already stated. considers all
phenomena as the sensible manifestations OF d.
vine Power mmanent ia the Cosmos The question,
says the author is not whether there exists God
The Cosmic Philosophy, he repeats, is based upon
the affirmation of Gods existence and not upon the
denial of il, ike irregOus Atheism or the ignoring
Of it, like non-reigous Positivism. The question is
whether the Divine Power works by methods analo-
gous to human methods. But this is point inca
pable of proof disprOOf from mere sylogisn, and
cannot be decided with mathematical certainty.
The only course is to examine the arguments on
which the anthrOpOmoIphlc theory Is founded, and
to inquire whether they are of character TO be
satisfactory to thinkers who rigidly adhere to the
doctrine Of Evolution. Mr.. Fiske enters into pro-
tracted discussion to show that those arguments are
untenable resting upon unsupported theories of
causatioD, upon mistaken conception of law, and
upon theological hypothesis Of which the evidence
fails in the hour of need The doctrine Of Evolution
4. .I,o. ~ 10 mp,
morphio theory, but also reveals its limitations
when thus closely scrutinized" he remarks, 3" the
hypothesis appears as important morally as it is
intellectually 1t is shown to be as incompatible
with the truest religion it is with the truest Sci
ence. Instead of enhghtening 1t only mysiiies us,
and so far from consoling ii tends to drive us to
cynical despair" Mr.. Fiske prOte. Is against that
construction of his views, which would represent
them as the denial of the Divine Existence, main
tanning that the outcome of his argument is phase
of theism which is higher and purer than the COM
mon anthroponorphic conception.
10 those wnom the hsoits OF thought which science
pervadug and aiSnstaiUng Power eernaiy and every
where manifested in the phenomenal activity OF the uni
Of all, without wnOm the world would he tue shadow
Of vision, aud thought itself woull Vanish-o these
tue conception OF presiding anturopOm rpac VIII Is
gross ana painful conception Even were the highest
Phenomenal conception which can he framed, II would
still be inadequate to represent the IneffAbe Reality
But do not and cannot know even that tue high
Hegel rash with all the NETS ysiciahs rash
wheD he said tbat Humanity Is the most perfect
type Of existence Ia the universe Our knowledge OF
CUsmOs has been apty compared by Carlyle TO the
knowledge which mInnow m It's native creek Of
the outlying ocean. or the lnnnmerabe combinations
of aud ucarnations OF force which going
within tue bounds Of space, We know lew OF
the simplest those only which are confined TO the sur
face OF our little planet. Aud to assert that among
them all there may not be forms OF existence Tar
transceudiuG humanity humanity itself transcend the
crystal the seaweed certainly the hignt OF
Tantabe ASSUMPTION.
Think this mold az hopes and fears
(1uit Gadn ier thanh sus