Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-16
THE UNITY OF KNOWLEDGE.
Fifth Address of the Series on "Agnosti
cism" by Rev. B. J. H. Shaw.

cism" by Rev. 3. J. H. Shaw.
"The Unity of knowledge" was the
theme of Rev. B. j. H. Shaw at the
First Congregational church Sunday
evening. He said in part:
Three hundred years ago French
man named Descartes began an intel.
lectual movement which has grown in
extent and power and is destined to
becOmedominant wherever thoughtful
men are to be found. Descartes was
dissatisfied with the scholastic philoso.
| ply of his time. he did not feel it to be
true. He was anxious to get close to
something that would be real to him.
He began by doubling everything that
could possibly be doubted, then to
ascertain if anything was left that
could not be denied-any unassa liable
certainty. He found sure truth in
his own existence as a thinking being,
this was to him an immovable fOun.
dation, an indeStructible reality. He
therefore began his philosophy with
the well-knOwn principle II think,
CIOiC l. CAlSC. VIC lCdIil OI1c
of his diScOurSes the method he used
for the discovery of truth.
He says, II determined to seek no
other knowledge than that which /
could discover within myself, or in the
great book of the world"
| mention the name Of this great
Frenchman because of the importance
OF his work and its influence. The
distinctive work Of the men who be-
long to this school Of philosophy, is the
rediscovery of the inner life OF man.
The stronger intellects recOiled from
the scepticism Of the 18th century, the
mechanical view of nature did not
satisfy them, they turned away from
it to the study of man. DeScarteS
saved the impulse to this study of
human nature-that impulse has
never been weakened but grown in
strength, until today it is the most
powerful, being the main force which
determines the direction of modern
study. The dominant activity Of the
most thorough student is to investi-
gate man. He begins to see the wis
dom of that ancient COUNSEL
know thySelf," that it promises to be
the most fruitful and valuable of all
studies. Though the investigator; has
only just got to work he has discovered
facts sufficient for a new science.
The truth is dawning upon us that
psychology will give us the clue to
the right solution of many problems.
This science has, therefore, a deep and
far-reaching significance. believe
the highest and noblest outcome Of
this study will be the gift of new and
grander religious faith to the world.
The student who can read it's deeper
meanings and see whittier it is leading
knows that it will inspire higher
reverence and beget faith in the real
ity OF spirit.
Hence man is becoming the centre
OF an intense and ever-deepening inte-
rest. ~.
What is man then? What is the
power of man? We can ask no more
important question, for the extent and
nature of his knowledge depend on
the kind of power he possesses and on
the measure of his capacity. IL
We saw in the last lecture that
knowledge is law of thought that
not u:,til we understand the relation
ot things and see their meaning can
we claim to know anything. There is
no intelligence in Sense-impre>SiOnS,
they convey no idea of themselves. not
until the mind combines them by it's
own wonderful power, building up
ideas out Of them, have they any value
for us.
knowledge therefore is spiritual
reality. The laws of science represent
what the scientist knows. He uses
the word law to set forth the relation
and meaning of the facts he has
studied.
The law is not a fact given to him
through sense-impression, he does not
see 1T with the outer eye, it is an in
tellectual conception, and one that is
necessary to explain the facts. He
observes certain consequences follow
from the contact of certain natural
objects and he infers the law of cause
and effect. He notices the regularity
of cause and effect and he infers the
uniformity of nature. No intelligent
man ever thinks of doubling or deny
ing the truth of these laws though he
does not see them, and knows them
only by thinking them.
Thought, then, is the one great
reality: it is more reliable as an
organ of knowledge than any of the
senses. We find they can neither see,
nor convey the whole truth of things,
there is realm they cannot enter and
facts hidden from vision which has
no power to penetrate surfaces.
Though the organ of sight has a won
derful power and performs a great
service, there is something more mar
veiOuS and precious, something even
closer to us, and to which we owe more
for all our highest wisdom. A little
reflection will convince us that our
own thought is closer to US than any
thing else and is therefore the greatest
reality.
1t is only in our unrefiective mo-
mentS that it seems otherwise and
that what is visible and tangible
appears the most real. 1t is this
habitual contact with things which
leads us to speak of matter as hard
and stubborn fact, and yet an idea has
greater power of resistance. Massive
frockS, high and thick walls may fol-
awhile defy an enemy. but they are not
| invulnerab BILE, but what enemy ever
Overcame man fortified by an idea
sacred to him as life, in which he
believed with all his heart? Such an
idea is powerful enough to resist al
Opposition.
The more we know ourselveS-the
! nature of our inner life, and the forces
which are mightiest in their influence
over us, the more clearly we shall
recognize those forces to be spiritual
The problem. Of life is not, "Can we
know there is spiritual world?" We
live and move in it by every act Of
Thought. The only real problem is {
Ipractical one. Do we think it il