The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-11-28

| pie the beginnings of science and of re-
ligion are apt to arise from the same
| feeling, curiosity about natural phenome-
ma, and from rude attempts to explain
them. Hence there is no conflict till diff
terent explanations are thus evolved,
as, among the Greeks, the polytheistic
and the philosophical. There is little
doubt that paganism would have gone to
the wall and Athenian civilization sur
vived; but it did not survive, and the
spread of Christianity was fatal not only
TO the pagan faith, but also to the pagan
philosophy, which contained ali the
science that then existed. With the re-
vival of learning Mt the time of the Re-
nascence came the first real conflict. Says
Professor Shaler:
1T was the misfortune of the revived
natural learning that it was to certain
extent, and very naturally, associated
with the curious body of beliefs COM
monty known as the black art with
wltchcraft, sorcery and magic. The pref
udiccs due to this association. combined
with the fear of an Independent expla-
nation of nature, quickly led to an as
sault by the Roman church upon the
new faith. 1t may fairly be said that
the attack of the church was in n CON
siderable measure warranted by the NOR
al degradations which came in the train
OF the Rcnascence; there can be no uues-
ton that the effect of this movement
was to liberate men, not yet completely
rid of the ancient Roman vices, from
the needed restraint of canons of con-
duct which had served to lift them out
of their original degradation, and that,
IN the ant-Renascence movement, the
church was, from its point of view, act
ing wisely. The point of importance for
us is that here began the first important
conflict between the Christian religion
ana natural science. AS thus set, the
battle was destined to continue down
to our own century with little change
in the objects of the contention. On the
side of the men of science it was claimed,
in effect, that the Interpretation of ma
ture set forth in the tenets of the church
was unreasonable, or at least insufficient
to account for the facts; on The other
hand, the defenders of the faith claimed
that the scientific view denied the in
spired account of creation, deposed in
telligence from its control of the universe
and destroyed the beliefs on which alone
1t was possible to found the moral con
duct of the individual or the safety of
the social order. The natural issue of
these contentious, waged as they were
with medieval bitterness, was the insti-
tuition of an enduring feud between the
| followers of the two interpretations of
nature. The Roman church. because of
its tradition of imperial power and its
long-continued control of the secular
strength, made free use of coercive meth
DDS in the suppression of scientific opin-
ion. The naturalist Button, in the mid
die of the last century, was compelled to
publish a groyeling recantati0n of the
philosophical views contained IN his eX-
cellent theory of the earth. The Protes-
tant churches, though less imperous in
their method, had their own effective
ways of administering discipline to the
men of the new Interpretation. Social
pressure to the point of ostracism was
often used to defeat the activities of
those who were suspected of heresy in
their opinions as to the organization of
the world.
"Whoever approaches the study of this
great conflict in the manner of the natur-
alist will be sure to feel little resent
ment toward the church for the severity
with which it has dealt with the innova-
tors. To the men of science the function
of the ecclesiastical body Is clearly seen
to be conservative; its province is to main
tain the good that has been won, to rest
upon tradition rather than to explore the
unknown. What the church has done
in it's opposition to science, so far as the
blllTlL VI lut uCllOH 10 tOHctIHtuy HIS DttI
clearly in it's province, and in accordance
with the traditions which are at the foun-
dation of its characterization which
served to bring society through the trials
of medieval times and made 1t ready
for modern development. Moreover,
looking at the history of the conflict from
the point of view Of the inquirer, 1t may
be said that the opposition of the theolo-
gians to scientific methods of thought
does not appear to have had any perma-
nently i'll effects on the development Of
those modes of exploration. Here and
there individual students were silenced;
but no branch of natural learning can be
cited which seems to have permanently
suffered from the repression, or the dras-
tic criticism. to which it has been sub
jected Whoever carefully notes the ten
dency toto extravagant conjecture which
characterized modern science, In the CEN
turtles of development before our own,
will be likely to agree with me in the
opinion that the evils Of repression, due
to the action of the church, were in
great measure, If not altogether, com
pensated by the greater care In exploring
the grounds of their beliefs, the more am
! pie verifcation to which inquirers were
subjected.
II have spoken Of the conflict between
: religion and science as thing Of the past.
This view of the matter Is warranted by
the Slngulnrly RAPID growth OF the loler-
ant motive, which is evident alike among
theologians and professional naturalists
in every field of inquiry. Although,
among IL few of the elders in these walks
of life and some narrow-minded of the
: younger generation, there may be found
J echoes of the combat, the war Is clearly
! over. 1t remains for the historian to note
the influences which have brought about
this reconciliation"
Chief among these infiuences,says the
professor, is the vast enlargement OF our
: views of life-we are predetermined.
There are also secondary influences, such
as the lessening of scientific c0nceit and
the acknowledgment of spiritual as well
as of material nature.
: "Those Scientific mem who regard the
matter closely are likely to he driven to
the conclusion that the Christian religion,
embodying rs it does the the motive OF
sympathy and the moral code that relateS
! thereto, is fairly to be considered as III.
highest product Of all life. Thus, quit
apart from all questions of the. supernat
! ural, indeed, we may say, in spite OF that
claim, the essentials of the Christian re-
!. ligion are attracting and are destined IN
larger measure to attract, the minds OF
those investigators who have the unbiased
habit of truly scientific men,
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| ~