The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-05-09

1,G,OS-A GLANCE AT TIE kfNonp VIZ
rur rAsT-DARwISIsM DEFINED AND
ITS SUPPOSED RELATIONS TO RELIGION
SPOKEN oF-THE OUTCOME,
Professor BENJAMIN Peircr, OF itar'aI"
University, delivered discourse u. ,"n
E;rs. church the Rev. DIR. Eslls's) Suhuis
a,tnr,non on "The Conflict between SCI
once. and Religion" He spoke Substantially
as follows: 49,: ,,u,ntc,I Irosi-
,;on enharrasscs me. l can Only pi"s ',',
INV thoughts and words may nc 80 $50"
ms 10 be in harmony whh rue suu s,,,;,;a,
.nra,ccs IN which these walls are iaii,hia'.
: o,", scientific volume which undertakes
- ;nvcstio-atc the principles OF all the mo-
,;nns n the universe. and which comes TO
.nn conclusion that .. there is one God ana
science is the knowledge OF Him: re-
.ontIv read the report OF a sermon by aver!
,,nn,;,ar preacher. in which found the pass,
&c {. cave science TO the devil. Ii VIII
ho,c enough to do there" Is this the true
.,nctrine. after we have had the light of.1hc
~osnel for nearly two thousand years. to 60
h,rt 10 the darkness OF primitive isno-
rancey God didn't make tho hight and &c
clare II TO hc good and ill it with the most
wonderful powers. so that II Shouiu 'iNi''
man to its study TO be deiilSloh anu u
snare. To maintain such doctrine "outo
be that that would most delight the aa'er-
sarv. 1t would be that which Wou'u ulNe
oyar into honest skepticiSm all the honest
seeEers after truth in physical science. IL
would be utterly at variance with the doc
trines which we have had from almost all
our pulpits in this city for SO many years.
Science and religion are born OF the same
house. and that house is not divided against
itself. There will at all times be an appa-
rent conflict between them arising from de-
fects OF human nature, but all tins cenilic'
originates in the deficiency OF our knoWi-
edge. not In the greatness OF 1t. Inc con-
flict has had different sources III dihereht
times, VARYING with the age ana WIN the
state of knowledge. and with the character
OF the discovery that may have been made
in physical science; but wherever an!
truth in science has by any means Whatever,
got incorporated into religious statement
il is not possible to bring forwarda truth IN
opposition to that; 1t Is not possible 20 sbahe
that which was received as truth once
bv scientific men and thus mas paSseu
into religion, without seeming TO snake
the foundation OF religion. We may bc
sure. from all the experience that we have
had. that the time will come that all ne"
truth will be changed from being considered
to belong to the adversary to be the strong
est support OF religion itself Go back to
that earliest OF all religious statements that
we haye-that Of the first chapter OF Gene
sis. 1t now appears strange to any thlnk.
inc, man that that should have been placed
in hostility to science; for what is it: LOOK
at it as statement. 1t begins with state
ment that in the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth, and that the earth
was without form and void. That GOD ere
ated the heavens and the earth all sclehtlhC
men hold. That the earth was ever with
out form and void was scientific state.
ment. The ordinary statement OF science al
the time when this was written was that
there was a chaos, and it Is that chaos only
which Is alluded to. Again. subsequently
it is said: "Let there he armament III the
midst OF the waters, and let 1t divide the
waters from the waters, and Goa MADE the
armament" For many ages it was scien-
titic teaching that there was armament.
Ptolemy believed in armament, and that
the stars were all attached to that frnla-
ment. That was the popular scientific state,
mcnt. That was the received statement
with all scientific men; and, unless it had
been the object of this world to declare
what scientific birth was, it was not its pro-
per province to reverse that statement. The
object Of this chapter was to declare that
which is declared throughout, that this
ornament. whatever it might be, was
the work OF God And so, when
it is stated afterward that the earth
shall bring forth grass, bodybuilding
seed this sounds. like the latest enor-
mitv OF science; but it meant nothing
OF that kind at that time. That the earth
did seem to bring forth grass from its own
power was the natural observation OF all
men observing at that time, and 1t was the
natural statement, therefore, to nave maze,
but sill that was not the statement mere.
The statement here was that God made this
earth, whatever it might be, and that was
the sole object OF it. Viewed as cosmoS-
onv, we must remember that there was no
other form of science at that time. All the
cosmogonies which were of human origin
were coarse, but observe how wonderfully
this, viewed as a cosmogony, is cleared
from all that coarseness. It's object was to
declare to the Jews that all this universe
came from one Being, its creator, the only
power that was worthy to be Worshlpped,
and that whatever was worshipped by other
nations was merely created thing.
The next form Of scientific conflict was
that with regard to the stability OF the earth.
This had been the scientific teaching which
had been incorporated into religious ideas
and forms, and when scientific men came
forward and discovered that that was not
true, it is not remarkable that the religious
world was not ready to be instantly carried
away from this truth which 1t had received
from science. And so 1t has been suisse
ouentlv with the idea with regard to the
antiquity OF the earth. There are clear
views in science that the earth has all anti
guilty, would say now, probably OF 1901
0OO.0G0 OF years. II, therefore, you insist
upon it that these things are at variance with
religion. ! will say it is your mistake. And
so with regard to the antiquity OF man, you
must change your Interpretation OF the re-
lIgious record.
But now, how is it with this last, most
terrible doctrine of the adversary, which
we may include in the single name OF OAR
winism: First, with regard to Darwin
himself. From all that ! can know Of him,
he is one of the purest-minded men thai
YOU ever met with-one OF the men most
DESTROYS to have the truth, and nothing but