The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-04-07
END OF THE CONTROVERSY.

END OF THE CONTROVERSY.
The sudden death OF DR.. St. George.
Mivart i'll London last Sunday night,
as he was preparing to be a guest OF
| the Authors club, removes from the
controversial arena distinguished
| English scientist whose name has been
before the public for many years. He
was 72 years old on the goth OF last
November, and was apparently in good
health when his spirit took its flight
| from its frail tenement OF clay.
He was a remarkable man in the sci
entifc world and was one OF the great
est biologists OF the century Had he
confined himself entirely to science and
avoided medding in theology he would
have had more peace of mind in his old
age. F[e successfully met Darwin, Hulk
ley and Tyndall on their own ground
and refutcd their theories scientifically
as DR.. Ward and others had done phil
osophically. In 1874 he joined the
| Catholic church and remained in its
| bosom to the last, Notwithstanding the
fact that Cardinal Vaughan had inhib-
| tied him from the reception OF the sac
raments in consequence OF his assaults
upon its dogmas.
He repudiated Professionalism and de-
clared he would be a Catholic even un-
der the ban OF the English cardinal
One OF the last productions from his
prolific pen appears in the current
North American Review, which shows
his contumacy and stubbornness in
yielding to ecclesiastical authority.
Had he lived much longer the probable
ity is that he would be formally excom-
-municated by the church of which he
had been an eminent but not an obcd-
ent member for fifty-six years.
Some time ago he attracted the at
tcntion OF the religious world by his
publication entitled Happiness in
He'll" which was placed on the index
expurgatorious" in Rome Lately he
attacked the inspiration and authen-
ITCHY OF they f-iptures and was rapidly
becoming more skeptical in believing
the articles of faith as taught by the
Catholic church. He not only char
acterized the inspiration of the Bible,
the immaculate conception, everlasting
punishment, the creation Of man, the
universal dcluge and other scriptural
narratives as unworthy OF credence and
revolving to common sense, but con-
tended that the councils OF the church
had erred, and that the papal encyclicals
on faith and morals are not infallible.
He even went so far as to assert that
the Catholic church OF the ages is 'es
sentially petrifed and not progress
i've church." In view Of his strange and
cratic declarations on dogmatic the
ology. oil which he possessed but a
superficial knowledge, according to his
own admission, Cardinal Vaughan was
| fully justified in calling him to order
| and demanding remuneration OF such
hctcrodox opinions. Professor Mivart
was e-cminently a controversialist and
had mastered natural history. His re-
searches covered an extensive field, in
GLIDING apes, reptiles, fishes, birds, and
insects. He also devoted much atten
ton to psychology, mental philosophy
and ethical questions. He refused to
accept the theory that natural selection
was the cause of evolution and believed
that the formation OF new species was
due ito one mode of action of that
plastic innate power manifest on all
hands in organic nature.
In the discussion of these questions
he was never intericred with by the
ecclesiastical authorities. They recog-
nizcd him as a scientist OF great ability
and encouraged him in his labors. He
was created PHI. D. in Rome and re-
celvcd the degree OF M. D. from Lou
vain University, where he filled the
/ chair OF professor OF philosophy and
natural history at the invitation OF the
Catholic cpiscopate Of Belgium. 1t was
when he intruded into the domain OF
theology that he got into clash with
Cardinal Vaughan. He was mere tyro
in theology and never studied the sub
ject.
The correspondence between him and
the cardinal of Westminster resulted in
his inhibition, and but for his sudden
demise he would have eventually been
accommodated, for recently he in
dulged in bitter denurciation OF the
church itself. 1t is sad to think that a
man of his scholarly attainments had
toward the end of his life become so