The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-09-20
Brown Throws Open Her Doors to
Her Students Today.
PRESIDENT ANDREWS LECTURES
His Topic Was "Ths Ten dency OF Mod
ern Science In Resp, p,ct to Mems Re-
ligious Conceptions and Convictions"
II Was Listened to With Attention.

Brown university commencod touay
with chapel exercises at 9:i0 q. m.
After the usual exercises President
Andrews delivered an address on The
Tendency of Modern Science in Respect
to Mems Religious Conceptions aud Con-
victions." He said:
The subject in one form or other 10
10 trite that / must explain why touch
It. Certainly no harm 10 the
cause OF religion Is intended.
You remember the good confession
witnessed by that oil Oxford janitor,
who averred that he was still
believer, though he Eat heard
every one of the fifty or so
hampton lectures In defense Of christian
ity. May each auditor weather the ad-
dress this morning with as little harm.
On the other hand 1t 10 not propose to
bolster religion by assailing science.
These so-called apologies for religion are
really attacks and do more harm than
good. A few years ago pro-
fessor at prominent theological
sem nary was accustomed to make
such attacks. When he started of the
embryo theologians us, ID to chuckle and
say to one another. "Now Darwin aud
Huxley will have TO take It. tomorrow"
taxing up the main subject:
Fiist-That many eminent scientists
are not believers.
Second-There is science and there is
sciolism. Beyond question propqrt rtions
not truly belonging to science are Oft en-
put forward.
Third-In quite the same wav certain
theological convictions are held. which
are clearly the results OF superstition
ana unclear thinking.
Fourth-Decadsnce of faith which over
takes such a. are unable either to disbe-
lieve science or to redress their religious
thinking.
Fifth-The positiveness of mordern
science. The principle Of Compile and
Kant involves q skepticism fatal to all
science.
Modern science Is natural instru.
mentality for the promotion of religious
truth. A scientific influence, almost
religious is, that she inces-
sanity trains her pupils to look
beneath the surface Strictly part Of
religion is that love of truth for its own
sake which science inculcates. Science has
overtbrown radical skspticism. which can
never come hack. The utter impossible
ity of knowledge and the futurity of all
pretense thereto were the old tenets
OF skepticism. These tenets science
makes impossible. It Is now admitted
that any proposii ion OF general skepti-
csm must needs be contradictory and abb
surd.
Scien 9 brings all things into relation
with each other. The deep-lying cause
of scientific economy is to be found either
In q plurality OF beings or In q
single being. But primiordialitv can
not be plural so long as you speak of a
plurality of first beings You are en-
countered by the question, how their
plural,ly Of forces joinel hands
to accomplish unified result.
This problem cannot be solved.
This le ds US to admit that the original
fact 10 not plural hut singular and that
the universe is held together and made
into harmonious whole by one funda-
mental force.
The conviction OF religion Is
deepened by the theory of evolu-
tion. Evolution does not account
for origins. It cannot. Darwin
made no pretence of explaining the be-
ginning OF life. He simply attempted to
exnlain the rise of the species. But how
far could merely mechanical
evolution proceedi AS has been
said the survival of the
httest does not explain the survival Of
the fittest. To the best OF my thinking
the only rational or tenabls notion OF
evolution is that which makes It
simply the slow march of crentivc
energy. / believe, therefore, in evolution,
both cosmic and biological. finding the
doctrine positively theoreic.
The work that science does then Is not
harmful but helpful to religion. Relig-
ious teachers therefore should beware
how they apply the truths OF sciene