New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-11
Mr.. HUXLEY.
AND HIS NEW VOLUME OF ESSAYS ON A
GREAT CONTROVERSY.

Questions Macmillan & Co.'s new They will
nevertheless attract a kind of attention very
different from that bestowed on them when thew
appeared In the pages OF the Nineteenth Centurv.m
as all but two did, II may be said of them. a
a whole that they embody Mr.. Huyleys Latest
views in the great controversy 50 often described
as conflict between Religion and Science. If,nv
one writer ever baptized it by that name hc
must have been an ecclesiastic, keenly alive =.
most ecclesiastics are. to the advantage dervah,.
from question-begging title. The men AZ
science. often less worldlywise than their spirtu.
allied opponents, long allowed it TO pass Mr..
Huxley, with the instinct and experience OF tho
practised disputant, prefers TO describe it a. q
struggle between Naturalism and Supernaturalism.
Gambetta once said There is no Social Cues
tion-there Social Questions" The author Of
this volume reverses the cpigram. The Contro.
vcrted Questions OF his title page disappear In the
Prologue, or are reduced to one,-to the" Contro-
verified Question. Nor is this, again, mere varia-
ton upon the old theme how far Religion and
Science can be reconciled or how much Of
Genesis scientific student can believe; or how
much of the rest Of what is called Revelation.
Mr.. Huxley, though he deals with such questions
at some length broadens the issue. After giving
historical definition Of the two antagonistic
terms. he states the issue thus
whether this difference OF the fortunes Of
Naturalism and of Supernaturalism is an indica.
ton of the progress Of the rgress Of humanity;
Of fall from, or an advance towards, the higher
life, Is matter OF opinion. The point to which
/ wish to direct attention is that the difference
exists, and is making itself felt Men are growing
TO be seriously alive to the fact that the histct
evolution of humanity, which is generally, and.
venture TO think not unreasonably, regarded las
progress. has been, and is being accompanied) by
coordinate elimination Of the supernatural
from its originally large occupation Of mems
thoughts The question-Ifow far is this process
to go?-s, in my apprehension, the Controverted
Question OF our time.
In other days. question so broad as this, in
volviug many philosophical and historical issues.
would have been handled If at all. in an elaborate
treatise; or would have been in mind capable, as
Mr. Huxey's certainly is, of continuous effort and
Of proongel concentration upon a particular subject
of thought From very early period his studies
or tastes led him far aield. lie is Biologist.
and the term is perhaps wide enough to cover any
form OF mental activity. He has himsef-on2
ago-deined it the science OF the phenomena
OF life In the strictly scientific world 1t Is
commonly employed in much narrower sense.
and imagine the students at South kensington
might be considerably astonished il their pro-
fessor's physiological demonstrations were inter.
sper.ed with a criticism Of miracles or q dis
cu.sicn of the relative antiquity and authenticity
of the Synoptic Gospels. man might be biolo-
gist, and great one, and not concern hiineH
with such matters.
Mr.. Huxley could not but concern himself with
them All the problems Of life have an interest
for him. There is not an essay in this volume
which has not to do with theology philosophy.
morals II his FAM Ill science had not overtopped
other claims to celebrity he might have been known
as a metaphysciaD, as critic, as a philosophical
thinker and thinker in other matters not
closely connected with physical science.
When was a mere boy says this singular
physiologist with a perverse tendency TO think
when | ought to have been playing, my mind
was greatly exercised by this formidable problem.
What would become Of things if they lost theu
qualities? As the qualities had No objective ex
istenee and the thing without qualities was moth.
ing the solid world seemed Whitfield away-to my
great horror
lie had mastered pescartes and Berkeley befon
he was twenty. There familiar instances Of
precocious mental development, not always main
tanned in later years, but nobody could say OF
Mr. Huxley that, as he is completing his seventh
decade any falling of is percepiib!e in vigor Of
mind or readiness for combat. lie may, for aught
know, he really engaged upon some elaborate
wcrk in which his gent Controverted Question
is u be treated with fulneSs. No inGrmity OF
WILL like Coleridges. would prevent him no bodily
weakness, like Pascals. Meantime, he likes 10
keep his shield hung out and his lance in rest
for all corners: and strikes into the hattle wher-
ever he sees al opening, and foeman worthy Of
his steel
lie offers it is true, kind Of apology for his
h,l in NJ RI,
Describes. in his own manner. as often useful.
eomctimes necessary. and always more or less Of
an evil.
1t is useful when it attracts attention to
topics which might otherwise BE- neglected; and
when as does sometimes happen, those who come
20 see contest remain to think IL is necessary
when the interests Of truth and of justice are
nc stake. 1t is an evil in SO far as controversy
always tends 10 degenerate into quarreling, to
swerve from the great issue OF wha: is right aud
what is wrong TO the very small question OF VINO
is right and who is wrong
Upon this last point much might be said. but
will make only two remarks; first, that the pre-
vaing taste for personalities is fact that most
writer's have 10 take account Of and. secondly.
that no man knows better than Mr.. Huxley the
value Of what Sir George CornewalI Lewis
called the influence Of authority in matters OK
opinion. 1t is not merely because such essays as
these appeared in popular magazine OF hlsn
character that they had q bearing; nor because
Of their authorship: nor because of Mr. liuxleys
mastery OF an engaging literary method. IL Is.
10 no small extent, because they are both con-
troversal and personal There are not more than
three of these papers, if so many. in which the
writer is not dealing directly with an adversary.
In all of these. the tone is polemical, avowedly
SO. and whether it he n duel or not. somebody -
sure 10 come in for a shrcwd blow as he passes
Mr. Huxley is an expert in these contests;
master Of all the chief arts so far as they are
manly arts, of controversy. II he is not
.,l,.,or 10 IL hccouso he il contcninV for other