New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-22
THE ORIGIN OF MAN.
DIR. HOPKINS ON THE sCRIprURAL VIEW

|
tFRoM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT THg TRrBuysI
| NEw-HAvEN, March 2O-Ex President Mark Hon
kins of Williams College delivered three lectures a,
ac0urse of six lectures The Scriptufal View q.
Man, fcfore the Yale Divinity School, during IN.
sast week. series of lectures on The Distinctly.
Merits of the Several Denominations" by the Rev
Henry Ward Beccber, is promised the students.
The lecturer began first lecture by saying that,o
subtle and pervasiye skeptical thinking that tho
course must DO prefaced by cursory examination OF
the grounds Of belief. The assumption Of ones II.
istence had right In necessity; one must begin In h,
thinking with that assumption or not begin az all. O,s
might say knowledge OF selfexIsence came thrOa
con ,ciousness, but that confusing middle term;
more properly knew his existence. as he knew his
feelings directly and by stress D; necessity Bat. reaL
izing the fact being at once upon though.
too stupendous for the finite mind to gras-that
thing should be! Tie whole reality of this thought
perhaps dawned upoo comparatively few; but, 10 ono
form another, was always breaking III on the mind.
Brutes contrary. never came to this wonder
corning being; If they-nd tne same was true OF many
men-wondcred anything. I; was at the novelty Of the
combination, aud at the mystery OF the existing Of
that thing
But much alarm was felt certain quarters because
the facts OF Christianity little caplb Of thai
yerncation which and philosophy were demand
ing Before oeJng much troubled 1t were best to nos
how science aud philosophy lay on groun as incapable
OF veritcatiOn But II one now a1mtteI his own eKis
tence, one next came 10 KNOWLEDGE II ex,ernalty.
Something all about that resisted one an1 the treat
facts ~ inertia and of the incOmpresslOty OF maer
INFINITELY yaried and might affect such
way might pr0DerIyPo called suuJectve Buy Oaes
knowledge or the matetu world was NOT more through
motion than ones knowledge OF other lntellgences
Raa.zng stcncc one would look out on nls fellows
Science had divisions which mast ever Oe kept
separate but which, by INDUSTRIOUS lai'ey, were Ior.
ever being confOuuGed The Drst division was aOssct
mathematician science OF the absolutely
necessary. The otaer division was that Oh pnysea
silence which could only observe aud W, ~ uothe,lsA
guide. but nowse as par OF it,el I.rsiorg pys.
cal could 20 no WHIT iurther nan " huSe way
absolutely known; whereas tue moDstr0us anu ever
recurring fallacy l 10 cIong pay sci.o'g ,
the authority or abstract science. O1r we 10 mD
finally the worthss,ness ot pror IN u1iyefse
whose truths entities. aud not ngDents o. hb'e
and yielssi tude- besct brain.
In i, second lecture Dr. Hopkins said that the search
for ground Oh which To proceed III tne iFrssnt
examination. II had oeeh agreed tat kuo"elee " sou.
Of the external world. and Of other lnehlsehces was
NJ science-t had been conceded that in three
lines thought which TIE mind must study entities.
search for final cause. and II nOt no" maj cAuss
to be found At tn outset however !, @as 70 70
as,a nei"my TO- science bnt rataer TO phl"so
phy. Science positive ana had Ohy 70
do with things kno%1 ent Philosophy wen so sa ,ous
ago as IN Ccero's time IL dcfneG' knowledge Of
tue cosmos" THIS distinction Oet"ccu the two realms
OF science and philosophy was most important 20 Ts
of winch Prof Tynda in his Belfast address might 10
TAKEN either pretended naS 1t could hnd MAJ cause,
or allied Itself most flacous way with philosophy
that endeayor These things were 10 oe SAID thcn' o
ID lie had perfect right to upon the search
for a first cause would enter thereon as phios-
Opher, but he had no right TO eLttr thereon ~ q
scientist with his presge IS scleotist a' lis IN
dorsement ,
"a lie has had 10 whit the advantage IN his search
a na through his scientific ittainments. lac
or qualifications from chose decided III POSITIVE science,
ana for that very reason he might oe les wei ganoa
than yersed in physics; forlt was wrI'kItwh
facC that mathemaclan, for example vas 10y MS ~
stract studies inttel TO De physicist and tcs '9a,
| .ttlf that IN
their Labitual attention 10 the kaowL we're wen Aea
| to deal with truths more spiritual 80. ,....
81 IL could DC urged that Prot. Tyndalls intimate
acquaintance with matter especially quihiei MN lor
the search for The central Theory OF mitertAe atomic
theory-on witch he based has arguments was thns
| Of the purest conjecture. . ,,.
| Prof Tyudal also showed his ignorance In assigning
religion to sphere OF the feelings. lis higher and
only efficient sphere was that OF the Will So az ln no
A., DerversiOns Of the true religion were narrow, 0ut
The lion OF tue Bible and OF true Proe't1n'sin ss
narToT, Buy the trul ana sen u not, ;, Fryss
ali ,II"z .II;i4 I'm, shtl make you iree' IL was
claimed by many as By Pse5ifent ry.. - fciiIw,
| Intelligence was known directly az 0nvg 49,,
beings While is might be true, there were nc olc~
tons to it tnst some men were Atheists ana tuat te
existence Of Cd was matter Of perpetual dispute IL
would rather nat Sae binding or Cod was at eass
limited TO moral conditions wAlcn wClI .e4FS Yfoapr
therefore the gnt that IN thee be Darkness 40" seA'
| Is that darkness"
In his fourth lecture Dr.. Hopkins said that to know
what IL, one must begin VITA man to account oi @nas
Is must begin WITH God. On tne search Tor "nds
is or Tor common ground on "hien 70 conduci ~ ,
Inquiry, the preceding lectures had examined he Dss
knowledge, defined
OF science, hid seen tho nldequacy OF the Latter 70
discover nndl cause, and Dy the LcthOd RON aoOF5
mad added God 10 the "c0nmOn ground" Tue OAly
remamug step to inquire into the essential laws u
belief In doing which help would d. ndd ny ccIiy
lines Ia lie directions OF Mna ." whence" How T.
and 'WnyP TLeSe propositions, Is tue result Oi saen
inquiry. would command assent: -
one cannot believe contradiction or an absurdity
O. One cannot believe proposition un.ess IL Is easier
Ii tins respect the speaker was nationalist reason
must judge. Instance, OF the genUlneness ana mean
INA nn We tod
firmly convinced IN bOtn particulars the revelation
ana ali other known truth "ee u DC hed Oy tnat com
B. One Cannot believe what he does Mt understand
Ths proposition needed especial EMPHASIS just now lOc
under YagucuCss statement AL kinds OF dIacles ana
disp0rtiag themselves. ME Spencer. iOi
n owI proceeded 10 assert: Lie the continuous ad
justmeuJ OF internal relations 10 external relations
and asked DO you believe tdat - 10 when Nj. Iyn
dali aud the rest assen.ed and auded the a0den wAcd
could make ingenious IA drfniiion upoI winch also
the speaker putting on MS philosophers cap, a WIZ
gravity OWL wOulu define IN turn: Toe Doll
In OF water in telKette is the continuous Adjustment
internal relations 10 external relations, aBd ASA MI
spencer, DO yOu believe that " But, IN truth, Dota
dehEltoDs meant nothing; or. If meaning Anything
IL Is rational to believe facts on evidence whether
they be explained Or not. No could explain 'He
northern lgh's out everybody accepted them On PAL
pablo evidence I'LL.
the mole cannot &c conceived III WOdiu DC tdt'oha'
for instance. TOR man wac Ind never heard OF electro
magnetism 10 believe on due evidence that Language
could DO Transmitted from Ne"-fofA 10 LOuuoa ~ al
Instant 49,
o. II Is ratioua W peeFo !'VIS oa o'tII hc nan
uncq vita the law Of the pAral.ax 10 believe
evidence the tact that the OK the EARTH parallel
to itself, yet pointed 10 the pole sdf rom
opposite sides OF the earth's orbit.
Persons setting out with, I" 4 will believe nothing
which | cannot UNDERSTAND" and staggered IN tLe4r
resolution by the seeming inconsistency thereWNa Vi
tho hfth and sixth propositions should bear IN nlAd
that they were confusing the spheres OF the what aug
the how, which, AT the outset, seen % ne utterly
distinct. Where, then. II miglt be asked, was tue
great conflict between faith and reasonY IL was NO
wnere, II would thiak clearly. This might seem
Ver
aud the equally great but that was AL thre
N,AS ~ ma one