Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-11-17
science VS.. Theoleg,.


In its last issue the Interior. under the
heading ''Men of Science Turning Tbao-
logians, " presents the following:
"One of the most marked features of the
times IS the extent to which our leaders of
scientific thought are giving their atten-
ton to the discussion Of deep theolooical
questions. Although they do it in no yery
friendly or graceful spirit, vet the fact that
. 1t Is 50 often and so largely done Is a tseit
acknowledgment to the supreme interest
OF these questions. 1t is an involuntary
but significant homage which the skeptieal
scientific culture Of the age is paving to the
Bible and to Christianity This IS espe-
Gslly the case with these distinguished gem
helnen whenever they take the lecture field
undertake to popularize science by direct
address to the public. They can not well
keep their hands of. No subject in the
world Is sO.interesting, so absorbing to the
great mass OF mankind. The people are
everywhere ready to hear it discussed, and
even to applaud the lecturer, though he
may do it with no good will to Christianity
and the Bible.
Hence it Is found that our great leaders
of the purely physical or mateTialistic sci
ences, no longer content with the limited
domain of their predecessors of former
ages, and no longer shut up to the narrow
precincts OF the study and the laboratory,
are perpetually stepping over the border
which divides science from religion. and
venturing boldly into the realm Of philoso-
phical and theological inquiry.
almost every man Of them processes
not to do this, but to deal exclusively with
facts, stern, hard, positive, undeniable, alb
solutely=demo strated, physical or histOri-
cal facts. But before these gentlemen are
through with q course of lectures, often be-
fore the close of q single lecture, they are
fairly across the boundary, and graphing
with the deepest problems of God and i'm
Mortality, creation, life and death, free
will, fate and providence. They are not
only telling US how this world was made,
not only explaining to US the facts of exis-
tence, but tellirg US whence and how al
existence came back through the inter-
minable abysses of the past. There would
seem to be such charm in those eosmo-
logical, theological and Biblical questions
that they find it impossible to let them
alone. ..-
"AnOther illustration Of this unconscious
complimentary homage to religious ques-
tions has Just been furnished in the lectures
of Prof. Huxley in. New York. He pro-
iessed 10, accept notnlng put estaohshed
iacts, sucn, Ior example as lhe hlStOrleaI
'gelatinoHs mass, and then some ages prior
70 t1at gaseous or nehulous mass; and
ne u1sSlal.neu S ueCeIlhS a4y OP!ulOu aOOIs
the Mosaic cosmology, c0nnnlnS nlmSeI
merely to the Mlltonlan theory, But be
fore pe was q9ne with the nrst lecture ne
was found very thQroughly discussing THIS
same Mosaic or biblical account OF creation
and holding 1t up in somewhat grotesque
and ridiculous light. Yet there was no
part OF the learned lecture which seemed
to afford higher enjoyment, if not instrue-
ton, to the large audieree than this discus
sion Of Mosaic cosmology. Well, we are
rather pleased to see the scientific men OF
oar day in the role Of theologlAns. II they
do not play the part very well, still there IS
wisdom in multitude OF eounselors. 1t IS
not the first time that Saul has been found
among the prophets. -
The wonder turns in this case on the
large scientific eomPlaeeney which can re-