The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-14
NJ. REN.IN ON COMYISM.

PARIS. April 2s.--Tho reception OF the emf
mont chemist. NJ. Pastour. at the Academic
FRANCHISE was Of unusual interest from tho
fact that both the now conner NJ P0stcur and
tho Academician to whose lot 1t fell to ro-
| ply to the speech. NJ. Renan. were mon OF in
contestablc genius. Very often in these
Acadcmical ceremonies which appear. never
thclcss. to have peculiar and incxhnustiblc
charm for certain public it happens TINT one.
| If not both the speakers. may belong to the
ranks OF mcdiocrity Yesterday such was far
| from being the case and both the speech of NJ.
| Phsteur and that OF NJ. Renan were remarkable
! pieces Of literature. According to the custom
OF tho Academy. NJ Pastrur was required 10
couch his speech in the form of pancgyric Of
his predecessor in the illustrious Assembly.
| the lexicograph"r Emilio Lttri. LittrG rs the
! reader must bc aware. was an ardent disciple
OF AuGuste CONT" and II Jealous apostle of the
| Comtist or postivist philosophy. NJ. Pastcur
severely criticised this philosophy. aud NJ
| Renan followed suit to Il certain extent.
! Toward the age of forty. Littrt came under
the influence of Aucdstc Comic: and up
| to the end lie doubtless esteemed the high
| est in the employmcnts of his laborious
! lie his role of sincere and porscVCrins
disciple of Comc NJ. Pastcur reminded his
! hearers that the Fundamental principle Of
! Comiism was to abolish all metaphysical re-
searches rs to first and final causes. to bring
! all ideas and theories down to facts and T.
| attribute the character OF gertrude only to
| the positive demonstrations. This system
! comprises also classification of the sciences
and pretended law of history which is re-
| sumcd in the affirmation that the conceptions of
| the human mind pass succcssiVcly through
three stages the theological the metaphysical.
! and th0 scientific or postivist. NJ. paStcur de-
clnred that he had arrived AT a far different
| innate of Comtism from that Of L,tri. He
explained Littr,''s error 10y the fact that his
! studies had been confined to history lam
| guaGcs, and scientific and literary eruditiun
! the facts of which all belong to the past.
| For such researches the method of observations
is sufficient, though often that method can
not produc" rigorous demonstration. I'll.
| method Of experiment. on tho other hand
admits none but rigorous demonstrations.
! The eNl"rimcntcr, the man Of conquosts over
! nature is constantly coming 10 facts that have
not been manifested before. and which exist.
for the most part only potentially in the laws
| of nature. The unknown in the possible.
and not in that which has brcn such is its
! domain. and in order to explore it, We have
the help OF that marvellous experimental
method which eliminates certain facts. pro-
| vokes others. intNrrogates nature, forces her
| to reply, and does not stop until the mind il
rI -, Ii,i.: Ii =, ~ ~
| that they cunfoundnd this method with the rn-
| strictcd method Of observation. The condi-
tons of the daily result Of the labor OF tho man
| OF science form his mind to attribute an idea
| Of progress only 10 an idea Of invention. NJ
| Pasteur fails to lind any invention in posi-
| tvsm. not even in the hierarchy of the
/ sciences. or in the law Of til" thrr. stages Of
bistnrv which ,,rc I,., ,,ro,i,,n,il,,.
| vitbont ,nu.h inror,,,,,., p,.i.i,.:.,,, ,L.,,,
/ ,s IL orr,r M, ne,v ida, l.,,,o- VI la,,our -
sor,,d and ,iis,rustfuI
NJ E.nnu in Lis turp r.,.r,ttoI that Ji,,r;
/ had suIutoI a. his master n man ,yh, thnus,h
in many r,.nerts ronsi,l.ruhl., c.rt,i,ry ,IiI
not dosrrv, such homage NJ u.nnn n.r.nr-
nllv was ms Iittle iucIincdn. N pnst,ur IN H..
f,vnr,hI IN Can't. ,;ho scru,ol :, bi,,, .,,,,,r
ally 10 ren,at in bad -tyI. what hnJ n,an
thought ami said n.r,r him i, very GOOD .t,.I,
Inv D.srnrt.s I,lrmi..rt c,,,lnr.ot md
La pln.. n u,nnn .onf,ssn,I that In, was mn,
,,Ic IA ru,l,r .,u ;usti,. T., Cont, SIN
ha continued IT Gamma, holm h.ir,, Need
when see so many man If ,yortl, In E,,,,,.,
i'm ENGLAND and in Amrric, meant hi n,,nc,u
their standard With tn. latitude that hny,
a,luptrI i'm matters roncnrpin.. TIA, l,uu,u mind
lam bod TO believe that NJ Cont. will Ia, g, h,,j,,
! in tho iu;ur, and that H.. will o,.runv ~, i'm
portant Mac. in TN, history Of uhiIo,nuhc I,
will be- an error ] admit buy tn. futur. will
commit many other errors. Humanity ,ynnt.
nanes 10 serve Ms typos and leaders: +, do,s
not show much disarmament i'm H. choice"
Nevertheless. with the vagllcnrss and nIrci-
sion which characterize. his intellectual otii
tude. and with that desire 10 So. all si,lcs of a
subject and to seek in each side only the mar, Of
truth that il contains NJ Roman does hoy carry
his condemnation of positiv"nnss SO lar ~
w. Paetcur Indeed he hardly CONDEMNS il
at all. In this very speech he conirs.e.: In
religion and politics when | lind myself in
presence of llNcd ideas l am alwuY, OF the
opinion OF my imterlncutor. In thrs. delicate
matters each one is right in some pools"
The main parts of the speeches OF Mn. Pas
teur and Renan are too coscly reasoned too
full OF subtle and delicate distinctions AMI re-
ilncmcnts to admit OF abbreviation or analysis
We will cite only one more passage from the
speech OF NJ Rrnan in which he speaks IT criti-
cism. III attenuation ofsonc remarks Of NJ. Pas
tcur, NJ. Renan defended the excellence Of" Lit
: