The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-05-25

hundred of scientific men do regard the
Migratory theory of sound, etc., as worthy
'ot their confidence ergo, ninetv-nine out
of every hundred of scientific men must
accept the theory of Evolution as worthy
of their confidence.
One of these syllogisms is Just about as
absurd as the other
In conclusion allow me to saw that 7
have no sympathy with the bold cas-
symptoms of Darwin, Tyndall, and
others, on which they base their theories
of Evolution; but 1 have Just as little
sympathy with the generally bold as
sumrtions Of MILFORD Hall on which he
attempts to re-establish scientific theories
long since xploded-even if he is "on
our side" as to Evolution.
AS regards my views of the doctrines
of Sound, Light, and Heat, 1 am neither
afraid nor ashamed to stand on the same
platform with Tyndall, Helmholtz, and
Mayer, however widely 1 may differ
with them on other subj ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Evolution. j. l.. CAMPBELL.
Washington If Lee University.
P. S. After the foregoing communica-
ton had been sent to the editor, the Gen.
trail of May 18th, came to hand, in which
appears on article from Mr.. Hall in reply
to Prof. Humphreys criticisms on his
book.
Against the charge of materialism, :"
as regards the human SOUL he says: eff
any onesprinciple, more than any other,
is reiterated in my book, almost to mo
notony, it is that the life or soul is an
'nanaate'7at substance, the exact counter
part OF the physical organism"
1t is gratifying to be thus assured that
he believes the souls, which he calls in
corporeal bodies y x x possessing organic
structures, by which they are to "see,
hear, taste, and smell" and therefore,
must possess the essential organs by
which such faculties are to be exercised
and enjoyed" are composed of some kind
OF anamote17at substance, Notwithstanding
the fact that they can, as he says on page
6!, literally, not fguratively, "clasp hands
with the angels, can play upon a harm.
can shout hozannas, etc.
AS to sound, which he seems to regard
as the analogue of the soul, he again SAYS
it " is an aaacoaporeal substance passing off
from the sounding body in pulses, etc.
On page 5 of Preface to LIST edition
(dated June, 1877, 8th decade, etc. the
author of the Problem" says, eff sound
is thus absolutely proved to be a sub
stance, there can not be the shadow of
scientific objection raised against the sub
stantlal or entitative nature of life and
the mental powers"
AS this is the key to his solution of the
Problem of Life, it becomes us to note
the kind of incorporeal substance out of
which his newly discovered SoaI,ad-esseace
is made. On page l19, he speaks of "the
emission of that peculiar substance we
call he should have said 1, MILFORD Hall,
call sound; again, page 154, Sound
consists of substantial corpuscles.' Then
page 1876, he says of the sound-pulse:
The gradual weakening of its tone y i y
may be and probably is due to the de-
crease In size as well as number of the
sonorous atoms which constitute the sound
and enter the ear" (This sounds very
like Lucretius.) On the same page lower
down, he says: Returning to the as
sumption of sonorous co7puscles, etc." 1t
is well to call it an assumption for
assumptions constitute the most impor-
tant element of his whole discussion of
both soul and sound.
But what are ATOMS" corpuscles"
and molecules?
" AToM-an ultimate indivisible particle
of matter. > Webster.
" CoRPUsCLE-a minute particle, or ply
steal atom; one of the very small bodies
which compose large bodies, etc." ID
" MoLEcULE-one of the invisible par
ticles supposed to constitute matter of
any kind. III.
MILFORD sound-substanee (his own Pc
culiar property, being made up of atoms, .
corpuscles, ETC., must be material; but it
is happy thought that he does not be-
lleve the soul to be material Then what
becomes of his logicP
Again l say, Messrs. Editors, if we can
find no better science on which to base
the defence of our Christian faith, than
that on which MILFORD Hall bases his
theory Of life," we are in very dan
gerous position
Prof. III. w. Morris book on Conflict
of Science and Religion" covers the whole
ground, and is not liable to the objection
of specializing in novel theories based on
mere assumptions, like Halls book.
J. L. @.
W. d L. University, May 18th.
Devotion, NOT GLooM.-Try to take
ob x,;ov,,o &c 1,~.~