New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-21
RELIGION AND SCIENCE.
PRESIDENT MORTON's BELIEF IN THE
SUPERNATURAL.
HE FINDS no DIFFICULTY IN REcoNcILING 1T
WITH THE METHODS AND coNCLU-


sroNs OF SCIENCE
To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Allow me to express with all possible cour-
tesy my dissent both as Il man of science and
professor OF religion from the sentiments embodied
in the article on Religion and Science" in your
issue of to-day.
In the first place a man Of science | would
protest against the suggestion that the methods
and conclusions OF science are In any way incon-
sstent with the acceptance OF the supernatural.
What IL the supernatural in the view OF science
except that for which nothing that we know or
have deduced In the way OF law or the Observable
succession OF phenomena will account! In other
words. any inexplicable phenomenon until an ex-
PLANTATION IL discovered Is supernatural. l. e. nc
yond the application Of what we call natural law
The rainbow was a supernatural phenomenon prior
to It's explanation, and In my opinion the hatchihg
Of a chicken from egg Is Just as much beyond
the reach OF our present scientific knowledge az 10
It's cause and origin as the restoration OF vitality
TO dead body.
Unless. then. the OF science Is assumed 10
believe his knowledge to be final and complete
(Which confident all men Of science VIII dis
avow). II IL not reasonable 10 assert that to him
anything claimed by enlightened believers In his
torc religion as the foundation of their belief Is
inconsistent with IL strict adherence TO the meth
DDS and results of scientific study. In other
words. the man Of science studies the phenomena
which are within the ever-enlarging range of his
powers OF perception and deduction. and he would
be simply abandoning the methods OF his own sub
ject II he beyond this range 10 deny the eX-
istence OF that which Is outside OF his present
horizon.
To make my meaning plain, had best take a
concrete case The man Of true science. as |
understand him, is not and certainly need not be
an atheist Without pretending 10 know how the
universe came into existence, he does not believe
that 1t IS eternal or created itself. He Is there
fore entirely at liberty to assume, as the only re-
naming hypothesis a creator. who must certainly
be superna tural
Again man Of finds himself sur
rounded all sides BY forces the origin of not one
OF which from grayitaton to thought has he made
the least progress in explaining. We know no more
to-day than did tho first man by what means the
reaches out through milliors Of miles OF space
and holds the planets to their orbits. and the
same Is true OF every other form Of force. We
only know that. judging from Their effects. these
forces omnipreseut throughout the universe
omnipotent controlling everything and omnis-
cient as adapting their influences tho ever-chang
ing conhguratiors OF the bodies on which they act
What is more. the of science secs that these
forces in the past have acted IN TIE direGtion Oh
an evolution from the lover to the hlSher physi'i-
l., intellectually. morally. .
In view of all this. what more consstent with
the met ods Of sound scientific induction IMAM the
foundation of hypothesis that the supernatura!
creator Of the universe was and Is the supcrnat.
urnl but lmmcuert OF tho past and present
forces Of the universe? The man Of science OF
course. vii. not claim that he knows this IN the
way that he knows that an unsupported weight
Will fall 70 the ground. but he can accept ms
hypothesis freely he does that Of the lumi-
niferous ether and proceed with his Investigations
OF phenomena and their relations as freely in the
presence OF this supernatural final cause as ne
can proceed in MS Investigations Of the phenomena
Of ligh, In the presence OF the hardly less tan-
scendents HYPOTHESIS Of the lumnfeFcts ether
The conflict between science and religion only
arises when party or the other transcends ms
own limitations ami assumc- a knowledge Wilcn
he does not possess Thus. when theology claimed
that facts Of science were taught by the Blole anu
denounced those who said that the carth > inotob
AMI not the suns caused day and night. becaus ,
the Bible taught the contrary. connie resu 80
again whom certain men of science assumed that
because they could not md IN the range OF scleI-
the research .vidence OF Il -, hir1 ,5.ir
such possible. they likeNise wrnt peyon' ,.,vI
controlling limits In pacing ignorance as toun-
dalton for conclusion and another connect was de-
In the words, howexer Of John Fike in that IA adj
nirable little book. The Destiny Of Man. p ITO OF
the twenty-se cond edition, The materialstic as
sumption that there L. no such state OF things "a
future life) land that tho life Of the soul accord
ingy ends with the life OF the body. IS perhaps The
most colossal instance Of baseess assumption that
l. known 10 the history OF philosophy.
been fought over errors one side or the other
arising from dosHatsm on eaca si1G as 10 ma az M =
outside Of It's own range OF kno"'eost ana IN n h
opinion. in place az an inevltabl" conflict IN the
vcloped and perfect agreement az rd,h cOHigS
nearer the truth by extension Of knowledge IN
the eloquent words with which Mr tl7he conGSae
the book above referred 70 the future Is lghtei
for us with the radiant cclors Of hope. Strife and
shall dsappear Pace ana oye Sn af +et
and prophet the inspiration Of the great musician
is confirmed in the sht OF modern hn1W de S
and As We grid ourselves up for ,he WORK OF nIe
we may look forward the time when IN the truest
sense the Kingdoms Of his Word sai f DcCoile ,r
kingdom of Christ. and lie shall reign forever ana
ever. King of Kings and Lord OF 81, I r9Sis Oh n
President Stevens Institute Of Technology.
March H. 1885,.