The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-04-18
RELIGION AND SCIENCE.
PRESIDENT MOTIONS BELIEF ~
THE SUPERNATURAL.
He Finds No Difficulty in Reconciling 1t
with tho Methods and Conclus
sions of Science.

Sir Allow me 10 express WIN a"
possible courtesy my dissent, both as a
man Of science and a professor OF re-
ligion. from the sentiments embodied
in the article on Religion and Science
in your issue Of to-day.
In the first place. as a man OF
science / would protest against The suB-
gcstlon that the methods j. conciusihoS
of science are in any way INCONSISTENT
with the acceptance Of the supernatural.
What is the supernatural in the view Oh
science except that for which nothing
that we know or have deduccd in the way
OF law or the observable succession OF
phenomena will account? In other
words, any inexplicablc phenomenon
until an explanation * discovered i
supernatural. l.. g., beyond the appllca-
ton OF what we call natural law. The
ainhow was a supernatural phenomenon
prior to its explanation. and in my opih-
ion the Matching Of a chichen from an
egg is Just as much beyond the reach OF
our present scientific knowledge as 10
its cause and origin as the restoration u
vitality to a dead BODY.
Unless. then. the man Of science IS as
sumed to believe his knowledge to be
final and complete (Which ! am conn
dent that all men Of scince Will disaVoW)'
n ie not reasonable TO assert that to him
| anything claimed by enlightened belieN-
| ers In historic religion as the foundation
Of their belief is Inconsistent with a
| strict adherence 10 the methods n re-
suits of scientific study. In other words
the man Of science studies the phenome-
I'd which are within the ever-enlarging
range of his powers of perception II
deduction. and he would be simply aban-
doning the methods Of his own subject
If he went beyond this range 70 deny the
existence Of tina which Is outside Of MS
present horizon.
To make my meaning plain, l had best
take a concrete ease. The man or true
science. as I understand him, IS not ana
certainly need not be al atheist. Win
out pretending to know now the universe
came into existence. he does rot beAeNe
that IL is eternal or created Itself. He
is therefore entirely at liberty 10 assume
as the only remain ne hypothesis. a
creator. who must ~ce:taiily be super
natural. o..
Again. the man Of science finds himself
surrounded on all sides by forces. the
origin Of not ono Of which from sravita-
ton 10 thought has he made the least
progress in explaining. we know no
more to-day than did the arst man by
what means rhe sun reaches out through
millions 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 are omnipresent throughout
the universe. omnipotent as controlling
evrything and omniscient as adapting
their influence to the ever-changing con-
neuratlons Of the bodies on which they
act. What is more. the man OF science
sees that these forces In the past have
acted In the direction Of all evolution
from the lower 10 the higher physically.
intellectually. morally.
In view of all this. what more consist
ent with the methods Of sound scientific
induction than the foundation OF an hypo-
thesis that the supernatural creator OF
the universe was and is the supernatural
but immanent source Of the past n
present forces Of the universe? The man
of science, OF course will not claim that
he knows this in the way that he knows
that an unsupported weight will fall TO
the ground. but he can accept this hypO-
thesis as freely as he does that OF the lu-
numerous ether and proceed with his IN
~vestigations of phenomena and their rela-
tions as freely I'm the presence Of this SUI
%pernatural final cause as he can proceed
in his Investigations OF the phenomena OF
light IN the presence OF the hardly less
transcendental hypothesis OF the lumi-
niferous ether with its supernatural
properties.
The conflict between science and re-
ligion only arises when one party or the
other transcends his W limitations and
assumes a knowledge which he does not
possess. Thus, when theology claimed
that facts of science were taught by the
Bible. and denounced those who said that
the earth's motion and not the suns
caused day and night, because the Bible
taught the contrary, a conflict resulted
whose consequences we're most disas-
trous. SO, again, when certain men of
science assumed that because they could
not find in the range of scientific research
evidence of a future existence none such
was possible. they likewise went beyond
their controlling limits in placing isno-
rance as a foundation for conclusion. and
another onfict was developed.
In the words. however. of John Fiske,
in that admirable little book. "The Des-
tiny Of Man" p. 10 Of the twenty-second
edition. 'TYhe materialistic assumption
that there IS no such state OF things" a
future life. "and that the life Of the
soul accordingly ends with the life OF the
body. is perhaps the most colossal in
stance OF baseless assumption that IS
known to the history OF philosophy"
The past conflicts OF science and re-
ligion have been fought over errors on
one side or the other arising from dog
matism on each side as 10 matters out
side Of its own range Of knowledge, and
in my opinion, in place OF an inevitable
conflict in the future, we have reason "a
look for a gradually developed and perfect
agreement as each comes nearer the
truth by extension Of knowledge. In the
eloquent words with which Mr.. Fiske
conclues the book above referred to 'the
future Is lighted for US with the radiant
colors Of hope. Strife and sorrow shall
disappear. Peace and love shall rest su'
preme, the dream Of poets, the lesson Of
priest and prophet. the inspiration Of the
great musician is confirmed in the light
Of modern knowledge; and as we gird
ourselves up for the work OF life we may
look forward to the time when in the
truest sense the kingdoms OF this world
shall become the kingdom Of Christ. and
He shall reign forever and ever. King Of
Kings n Lord Of Lords
HENRY MORTON.
President Stevens Institute Of Tech
nology.
March II, 1897.