The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-01

The Scientific Recognition Of God.
SssHIons IRON Prot IyudAllI RsSVui Article, 10 The
Fonh'ghtlJ EsrirN
II @ked to deduce from the phySical
interaction Of the brain.moleculCs the
least OF the phenomena Of sensation Of
thought, we must acknowledge our help
lessness.
The mechanical philosopher, as such,
will never place state Of consciousness
and group Of molecules In the relation
OF mover and moved. In passing from
the one TO the other We meet blank which
the logic OF deduction Is unable to gil.
Physical considerations do not lead TO
the final explanation OF all that We feel
aud know.
We meet a problem which transcends
any conceivable expansion Of the powers
which We now possess.
We may think over the subject again
and again, but It eludeS all intellectual
presentation.
Having thus exhausted physics and
reached It's very rim, a mighty mystery
still looms beyond Us. We have, In fact,
made no step toward Its solution, We
Try 10 soar in a vacuum when we endeav.
or to pass by logical deduction from the
one 10 the other.
Religious feeling is rs much a verify as
any other part OF human consciousness |;
and Against it, on It's subjective side, the
waves OF science beat IN vain.
could see TINT his (Carlyle's) corten.
ton At bottom always was that the hu.
man soul has claims and warnings which
physical science cannot satisfy.
1t seems high time 10 him lNirchoW 10
enter an energetic protest against the At.
tempts that are made tOproClAim tho prob.
lens OF research as actual facts, and the
opinions Of scientists AS established SCIENCE.
We ought not, NirChOw urges, 10 repre.
sent our conjecture a. certainty, nor our
hypothesis as u doctrine; this is inadmis.
sible.
The burden Of my writings In this
connection is as much recognition oil the
weakness oil science " IN assertion Of its
strength.
Il asked whether science has solved, or
is likely in our day To solve, the problem
OF the universe, must shake nv head in
doubt. Behind and above and around US
the real mystery OF the universe lies un.
solved, aud, rs far ~ We are concerned, Ia
incapable OF solution. Tho problem OF
connection OF body aud soul is ~ insolu.
bic in It's modern form rs il was In the IRE.
scientific uges.
There ought to DO a clear distinction
made between science in the state Of ny.
pothesis and science in the state Of fact.
And inasmuch us it is still in its hypoth.
etical stage, the ban or exclusion ought TO
fall nPon The theory Of evolution,
Alter speaking Of the theory OF evolu.
ton applied to the primitive condition of
matter ns belonging 10 the dim twilight OF
conjecture, the certainty OF experimental
inquiry is here shut out.
Those who hold the doctrine OF evolu.
ton are by no means ignorant Of the un.
certainty Of their data, and thew only
yield TO u provisional assent.
In reply to your question, they will
frankly admit their inability to p0int 10
any satisfactory experimental prooi TINT
life can be developed, save from demon.
sIrablc antecedrni life.
| share NirChOw's opinion That the theo.
ry Of evolution in its complete form in.
wolves the assumption that, at some periol
or other Of the eArth's history, there oc.
Cured what would now be called sponta.
neous generation. agree with him that
the proofs OF it are still wanting,
| hold with Nirchow that tile failures
have been lamen,able, that the doctrine ia
utterly disCretlitcd.