Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-07-30
Science and Theology.

From an article by Rev. L. I. Mum
ger, on Immortality and Modern
thought in the Century for Nav. we
quote rs follows: when chemistry
put the key of the physical universe in
to the hand of science, it was we'll
enough 10 give up Il century 10 the
dazzling picture it revealed. 4 cen
fury of concentrated and universal
| gaze at the world out of whose dust
we arc made. and whose forces play in
the throbs OF our hearts, is not too
much; but after having sat so lone be-
fore the brilliant play of elemental
ilames, and seen ourselves reduced to
simple gas and force under laws for
whose strength adamant is no measure,
we have become a little FESTIVE and
take up again the old questions. Sci
| ence has not explained us to ourselves,
| nor comprised us in its rctort nor
measured Us in its laws of continuity.
I lou have shown me of what | am
made, how put together, and linked
my action TO the inyariable energy of
the universe; now tell me what | am;
explain to me consciousness, thought.
will, desire, love, veneration. ] con-
fcss myself to be all you say, but |
know myself TO be more: tell me what
that more is. Science. in its early aud
wisely narrow sense, could not respond
to these demands. But it has enlarged
its vocation under two impulses. 1t
has pushed its researches until it has
reached ,erges beyond which it cannot
90, yet sees forces and phenomena that
it cannot explain or even speak of
without using the nomenclature of met
aphysics. In recent able work of
science the word spirit is adopted in
to tho scientific vocabulary. Again,
physical science has yielded TO the ne
ceSsity of allying Itself with other sell
enees finding Itself on their borders.
Chemistry led up to biology, and this
in turn to psychology, and so on to So
GEOLOGY and history and religion, aud
even TO metaphysics, whose tools it had
used with some disdain of their source.
In short, it is found that there is no
such thing as specific science, but
that all sciences are parts of one uni
versal science. The broad studies of
Darwin and Herbert Spencer have done
much toward establishing this con-
victiOn, which has brought about what
may be called comfy of the sciences,
or an era of good feeling. The chem
ist sits down by the metaphysician and
says, Tell me what YOU know about
consciousness; and the theolooian list
ems eagerly to the story of evolution.
Unless we greatly misread the temper
of recent science. ii is ready to pass
over certain phenomena it has discov-
cred and questions it has raised to the
ology. And with more confidence we
may assert that theology is parting
with the conceit it had assumed rs
queen of the Sciences and-clothing
itself with its proper humility -is ready
to accept report from any who can
aid it in its exalted studies.
This comfy between the sciences, or
rather necessary correlation, not only
leads to good feeling and mutual re-
spect, but insures a recognition of each
others conclusions Because that
which is true in mans spiritual life
must be true in his social life; and
whatever is true in social life must not
contradict anything III his physical
life. We might reverse this, and say
that no true Psychologist will define the
physical man SO rs TO exclude the So
ciaI man; nor will he so define the So
clal ana political man as to shut out
the spiritual man; nor will he so de
fine the common humanity so as to ex-
clude personality. lie will leave a
margin for other sciences whose claims
are as valid as those OF his own. If,
for example, immortality is a neccs-
sary coordinate of mans moral ma
ture, -an evident part OF its content
the chemist and Psychologist will not
set it aside because they find no report
of it in their fields. fit is part of
spiritual and moral science, it cannot
be rejected because it is not found in
physical science. SO much, mt least,
has been gained by the new comfy in
the sciences, that opinions are re-
spected, and questions that belong to
other departments are relegated to
them in a scientific spirit. y