Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-31

There IL aproluund philosophy underlying
mans sympathy with nature, which has
been brought into clearer light 10y the theory |
OF evolution, aud the able uaturalists that
have written ON that subject Previous In
the promulgatiOn ot that theory tho relation
between man aud nature was regarded AS cN-
ternal aud mechanical, at least so lar as
science is concerned. The natural world
was regarded us the platform simply on
which man is the actor, or as the house IN
which, for u time, he has his residence \
deeper relation was, indeed, felt 10y the poets,
tut their descriptions of it were looked upon
aS imaginary aud not real.
But the discussions on evolution have
brought out moro clearly the organic relation
that suhssts between man aud nature. This
internal relationship has to do not merely |
with mans physical nature, but with his |
spiritual nature as well. eor a long time, |
following the system ot Doscartes, most |
thinkers and writer's held To u dualism be- |
tween matter and mind. These were regard |
ed rs entirely different Substances, 80 radical |
was tho difference conceived to be, that for n
time IL WAS supposed that one could not act
upon tho other. This Va, carried 80 far that
II became question whether body aud soul
i'll the constitution OF man could act upon
each other at all. 4 great philosopher,
Malebraucho, held tho view that they cannot
act upon each other, and that IL Is the immC-
dtale power of God acting upon both that
harmOuizos their activity.
But tho great progress made in recent
times III natural science has brought IN a
more spiritual view OF the material world
| Matter is now regarded in its fundamental
| constitution rs force, and between this and
mind, while a difference exists, there ~ no
IN ia tat
a higher iorm Of existence and activity than
! the other, and in profound sense they both
| constitute one universe. With this change
| in the view OF matter and the material world
| closer union between man aud nature is
| held even in the sphere of science. Nature
| is not merely the platform for human life
| but It l., on the one side at least, the wom b
| out OF which his being is evolved. Tho earth
| is his mother.
| In the processes of creation every step
| looked forward to man aS the aTChOtype
| Nature below man may be regarded ~ the
| broken fragments ot humanity. Each stad-
| ium of existence in the ascending series looks
| forward to man as the epitome of the whole
| world. Hence there il something human
| everywhere in nature, aud something of ma
| ture everywhere in man. The voice OF
| prophecy may ho heard throughout all the
processes OF the natural creation, just as
| clearly Is the voice OF prophecy may be
| heard in tho onward NOV vements oi human
| history. There Is also a symbolism III nature
| that rests upon the intimate relation between
the physical and spiritual worlds. Light IL
| the symbol Ot truth, air Is the symbol Of
| spirit. Indeed so much Is this the case that
| a large portion OF the words in human Ian
| guagc have a double meaning, or are applied
| To spiritual things, because of their resent
| blanCC tu physical things. Thus there is one
| word, JHcnfuu, in ,'Teek, 10 designate air
| and spirit, aud in some passages the meaning
| can he syertained only by careful eNamina-
| tiOn OF the context.
| In one OF his finest articles on "The Won
deriul aturo OF Man." tho late Rev. DR.. !.
| W. NeVu treated this subject most pro,
| foundIy. We recall the likeness no 81
| graphically described between the mountain
ranges of the world and the skeleton OF the
human frame, between the winds in nature
and the action oi the lungs in breathing, the
streams of water that ever How on aud under
the earth, and the circulation OF the blood
and the electric currents in nature and the
. | currents of nervous force in the human body.
This correspondence reaches also to the
mind, as may be seen by comparing tho in.
, stincts and ingenuity OF animals with the
activity of the human mind.
, | Nature beauty can be full y understood onl y
as we study this profound sympathy between
man aud nature. The beauty of inorganic
, nature i'll light, air, water and earth, rest
/ | largely upon the prophetic aud symbolic
, character of nature. And the expression o
| the natural world rises higher when we come
, 10 organic nature in the vegetable kingdom
and, most of all, in the animal kingdom. The
degree of beauty for WsthetiC taste is meas
: | ured by the capacity for fellowship between
man and nature. The winds and the wave,
, are companions for man. Still more IL this
the case with the trees, and most OF all will
animals. All this NAV, indeed, be taken il
| intuitiveiy by the aesthetic sense without un
, derstanding the philosophy of 1t, but the
. | great progress made in natural science has
7 certainly done much TO Increase our appreCi
alton OF the beauty of nature. Ought not the
| g. cultivated
cation more than it is We try to attend I,
physical, mental, and little TO moral cul
, ture, but what becomes of the phantasy and
| the realm of th3 beautiful 1t does not re
quire a knowledge of high art for this there
is spread out before US realm of natur,
beauty, which is, for the most part, a closed
| volume,
Its healthful to our spirits to cultivat.
this deep sympathy with nature. And from
| this point of view we may see that the stud y
of natural science has a profound spiritua
| basis. 1t is sometimes said that the study o
| nature, having to do with material things, is
lower than the study of mind, and that II
tends to materialism but that depends al
| together upon the way in which We study ma
| ture. 1t was the dualistc philosophy o.
| Descartes that did much to bring in this low
| view of nature. In the system of natura
| philosophy taught by Schelling al entirely
| different spirit was introduced. With hin
| nature became the shrine of the infinite, anC
| his students were carried away with enthusi
| True, his teaching was tinctured with a ten
denCy to pantheism, but the progress in nat
| ural science has served to correct that There
| is intelligence of the highest order in nature
and the study of natural science brings, or
| should bring, us into healthy commun ion
with this. We come here into communion
with the intelligence and plan of God in ere
| ating the universe, and with proper guild
ance this should lead to reverence for the
| great Architect.
| The study of mind is now being compile
mented by the study of nature. The science
of psychology is greatly aided by the study
of physiology. Altogether we think the
| evOlutionists, however much error their the
ory may contain, have done a good work in
developing the deep organic relation between
man and nature This sympathy with ma
| ture should be cultivated. 1t Is restful to the
| human spirit to commune with natures
great mysteries and her great beauties.
Much may be done by attending to this In
children. They may be led out day by day
| to admire the green fields, the waving gram,
| the variety OF flowers They can be taught
| to love the songs of the birds and the great
| variety of the animal Kingdom. They should
| be awakened to the grand and sublime in
| the towering mountains, the rolling sea, the
| starry heavens, and even the terrible thun-
| der storm, the tornado and other dynamic
| exhibitions OF nature, may have terror dis.
| placed by sense OF sublimity. Nor should
| we, in our opinion, shut out nature from our
| pictures of the heavenly world. The Bible
speaks OF Z" new heaven and a new earth,"
| "a ,,f. - ba yar nf n Fa a.,