New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-18

4 YOUNG MANS OPINIONS.
I,AyENIf DE la SCIENCE. Par Ernest Ecnan.
= 1yi. ~. NJ. 54I Paris: CAlmanu Levy. New
York I. ". Christcr!.

L'AVENIR DE la Science Par frne.t EcNan.
-yo d. ~. 54I. Paris: CAlmann Levy. New
York T. ". Christeri.
Forty wears ago VI. Keenan, then young man
inst entering upon his intellectual career, wrote
with all tie posltiycncss aud dogmatism Of youth,
a hook which the good advice Of MS friends caused
him 10 withhold from publication. They thought
il too heavy and solid, and not authoritative
cnouoh 10 overcome thosc defects. II would ~
pel the public and lie heavily upon the reputation
Of the author. who, in France OF all countries,
could not afford 10 be considered dun, tedious
writer After forty years N. Kcnan gives TINS
book 10 tie world and in a preface whose sty e
and matter equally reveal the distance lac has
travcrsed during that period ne states ms reasons
for So dealing with "a work the fruits oil when no
one sees more clearly than himself. NJ Renan
has reached the conclusion that If hc did not dc
strov The manuscript somebody would be sure
f. nnblisb il after his death. He could not,
however bring himself 10 destroy it, because, with
all lis cruditicS, il indicated tolrrabiy Just
prcsciencc: because many Of IT'S forecasts have
been realized: and because it still seems 10 him
that the lines of progress are In the directions
/ marked ont so long ago. Whether these con
sidcrations are enough 10 Justify the prcScrya-
ton Of the book is a question which the reader
must answer for himself We have found the
/ as for what il forcshadows. 1t contains all the
/ germs of of NJ Remains mature intellect, IN TACT,
/ and his progress from these beginnings can bc
traced with perfect ease by all VINO are lalhili'r
/ with his later work.
The preface is in itself a delightful essay, and
/ certainly by a writer who retains little 10 re-
! mind one Of the youth who composed the body
| of the book The latter is an elaborate gloriiica-
ton Of science and at the same time funeral
Grafton over the grave Of theology Some would
say the grave OF religion, but that would not
he fair 70 NJ Renan the younger, whose contcn-
tion il was that science was itself truly faith
, and that the defenders Of theology were them
selves the scrpticS and atheists. In his view The
! future u science was the future of humanity. III
/ 1s4s the revolutionary sentiment OF l1s0 stI
| hummcd and buzzcd in the ears Of the youna
/ nhilosopbcr. and with the ardor. intolerance anC
confidence Of youth, il seemed 10 him quite un
necessary. while pulling down all barriers I,
/ scientific progress 10 create any substitutes fol
tbc things and beliefs destroyed. Science, he
thouqht. would be all-suflcing. 1t would more
tbon fill the gap made by the elimination o
/ "suncrstition" II would console and fortfy NJ
/ loss than enlighten the world Forty years -
/ studv and experience have greatly modified thi
/ arroponcr OF adolescence, and now in his preface
he confesscs: (" | must say it frankly, | canno
imagine how. without the old dreams. II Will b
poSsible 10 relay the courses Of "A noble and hapP'
life. The theory that the truly wise man Will |"
he who. refusing to look far ahead restraints III
perspective within the circle Of material pleasure
this theory, say, is absolutely repulSiye Al
that he can suggest to-day is that Science WI
always remain the satisfaction OF the highcs
desire Of our nature. namely, curiosity Bu
here there is n wofnl begging of the question: 10
gether with an assumption which cannot be al
mitted.
NJ Renan is not an irrcgious man, though Ii
may haze been the cause of irreliglon in other
The quest of truth has been the fixed purpose u
his life and his views Of science include element
of poetry imagination and reverence which oil
ferentiate him sharply from the Positivlst schos
all of whose intellectual methods are. as ma