New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-06
TYNDALLS PHILOSOPHY.
ITS RELATIONS TO RELIGION AND ITS
THEORY OF TIE ORIGIN OF LIFE.
NOT ALL THE FAMOUS Professors OPINIONS ~
BE ACCEPTED-THE BELFAST ADDREss-lM-
porrANcE or THE STUDY OF THE
CORRELATION or FORCES


poErANcE OF THE STUDY OF THE
CORRELATION OF FORCES.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
sr. Tho letters Of your London correspondent Ny
Smaey are always interesting as well as 'hs'
reading coming they do from most lnt'"seii'
,hxerv4r who has mastered TIE ar. q stating his
views IN q. way 20 command respect ana uSu@Ay aS-
sent, ard hts two letters on Professor lynda" are
no ,ycoption 10 the rule With what he has 70 say
In praise Of Profcsso. Tyndall, both as man ana
scientist, heartily agree. Although pHoiouhdiy us
senting from some Of his conclusicns 90 SO WIN
cut animosity and with nothing but admiration Tor
his purely sciertnc work. Nothing can he further
from the truth than the notion that either religion
or metaphysics has anything to teor from the prog
ress Of physical knowledge. Nothing IS to b" feared
r. the matter but the misunderstanding q "ither
physical or metaphysical truths. II the doctrine 81
the correlation Of frees cculd have been c'refuilY
studied by Professor TynNll's the logical cpn nents
in the essays taat subject in Fragments Of Sci
euce" before writing their structures on the Belfast
address they might have written witA less acTnonV
but with more intelligence: and by having s. me
knowledge Il his real position they would nave men
able to substitute rcfu.ation for denun ton. much
T. the advantage their cwn cause. While we might
have been spared 50 me items Of misinfCrmation re-
garding Professor Tyndalfs alleged changes OF po-
sition which have been sprung at not too long IN
tervals upon an unsuspectiug public by the religious
PAPERS: and We might also have been spared s0me
ieaitimate deductions which have been accepted in
high quarters genuine scientific dcta-as for az
ample when a distinguished theological professor, in
work "Jhe Philo sopaical Bisis of Theism.'
after showing now impossible it Is 10 interpret mental
phenomena I'm terms Of mechanical law. proceeds to
quote with approval from L1ng's History OF Ma
terialisn" Testatement e position CT Dubois
Raymond to the effect that mind which should
know for a very short p riod f time the positions
and f all The at in the universe would
be In position TO deduce from these by the opplca-
ton Of purely mechanical principles tho whole past
and future. down to such particulars as the wreck
Of the steamer President the identity Of the Iron
Mask-teaChiHE that Is. that the course OF human
history uld be predicted upon principles which
confessedly inapplicabe 10 mental pnenomena.
Upon purely scientific questions Professor Tyn-
dalls opinions were of great weight. and the rea
sons upon which they were based We're usually 50
clearly stated as to leave the reader no alternative
but to adopt them great example Is his reluc-
tat p1t uecislNe cohueiAia con OF the uoctIlne Oh
'The Constitution Of Nature. the leading object
many theological writer's have followed Faraday. of
supposing that gray!;ation forms an exception 10
TO the deluson which it exposes. and whicn has
often done duty in the writings Of theologians as
a bar to the universal application Of correlation.
But it does follow mat all Of Professor Tyn-
fnn opinions are 20 oe man OF scf3c
a scientific dictGm. Science is not an ipse
fessor Tyndall may have believed in his anti
theologlcal positions which nay be said to have
sincerely he may have intended that address to
its devotees TO the rest of the world Of thought
and tn the more we sbd Rs own Mg
that the intention was not realized
mention the name of the chief lay authority who
speaks SO confidently OF the bearings Of the doc
er"ed humanity from TIE beginning to be re
GREETED however. not because the name OF the
author would have added the necessary element OF
accuracy to the remark 50 much as That it would
the incapacity of the learned world to c9mprehent
the principles underlying the Belfast address; Let
Tynda in passage just preceding the celebrated
avowai of belief in the mechanical origin Of life
.But the anthropomorphsm which It seemed his
CAT aed @ the S ST9son no of fea ssaf as w the
creation of a multitude. We need clearness and
possible. Either let us open doors freely to the
conception Of creative acts or, abandoning them;
we look at matter as pictured by Democritus and
books the absolute lmpossibli;y of any form Of life
coming out of it would be sufficient to render any
Of matter given in scientific textbooks were
intended to cover its pnEey physiGal and mecnani
gard these definitions as complete. we naturally
of such matter any form of life could possibly
70 set up authority. either lay or other in
the matter without taking this passage into account
Is to reckon witnou; ones host-io solve problem
Mthout considering It's most essential factor; Dut
whoever does teks this Passase into account WI
e Never in eveuon M as ook at N 10 of them
any definition Of matter to be permissible to Pro-
relation Of forces: but unless we can find other
than purely physical and mechanical properties in
matter, I'VE naturally and rightly reject the mon
sroqs notion that out q it any form o. life Gond
in ar the ma orn Of t
of matter could be amenable to correlation except
by the fact o. being physical and mechanical, How.
then, the Indispensable enendation be made? Or
how could we identity any property as belonging
to mater By n the the fact 2sr s BENZ Sf
this ssRpDSsd to hSo% 10 @ 1PSn
ing correlation or abandoning the field and to trans
contention Of which is the suffcency of mechanical
laws TO explain the facs Again the reprobaied
but the 1--WE PROPORTIONS In which DemocTItus I'M,
parts to Us his notions regarding matter are said
general statement OF the atomic philosophy
held"-the atomic philosophy being described at
from which it may be doubted WHEELER thcor,'
o. the material universe would be capable OF scen-
tfc statement" 1t is. OF course. implied that Pro-
fessor Tyndall had formulated the emendailon Of
evolution would be q. monstrous notion which We
When challenged here he could only specify the
molecular forces as the requisite ultra physical and
nre-rnechenical properties but the molecular forces
OF matter differing from any other properties "on.y
IN the sInallness Of the masses and the completely
In due course Of time after the delivery 81 this
ton. and there was published along with it as
thus revised the essay from fragments OF
por;ant feature Of the revision was change Of the
language above quoted. with n view 10 eliminating
Contradiction is not removed. though stated in less
garng terms than before. The purpose Of the
essay is set forth the view OF the best
scientific thinkers the same mechanical theory OF
life which the address had pronounced "a mon
strous notion" The American publishers Of Pro-
fessor Tyndalis works when inquired of as 10
whether the two were published together on Pro,
fessor Tyndais motion their own, replied
that the essay was appended to the address for
the purpose OF explaining more fully and decisvey
his exact position than there was room 10 do In
the address; and no; long afterward there was
published u fifth edition of fragments Of Science
In which We're included. along with the revised
address, number Of essays OF the same import
the mentioned, each OF which was com {,
mended the attention of the reader further
develOpmen. and defence of the address. Walca
contradcts them. The queer impression has some
how gained currency that Professor Tyndall
tablisnei Belfast a departure In thought,
which somehow menaces the permanently OF the
theological conception OF the world. No attempt
has been made TO reconcile this impression with
the passage above quoted and the contradictions
with which X is associated. is i. likely tina;
any will be made but it is extremely likely. Judging