New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-15
SCIENCE AND RELIGION.
Lord KeIUin's Testimony Coming
after a Generation of Agnosticism.

land. Thirty years ago Darwin Huxley, Tyn-
dali and Herbert Spencer were the leaders Of
intellectual revolt against religion and their
followers were proclaining upon all creeds
mouldy relics of superstitious ages. A new
millennium of free thought and agnosticism was
heralded by these scientific leaders who con-
cealed with difficulty their contempt and pity
for the childish beliefs Of credulous humanity.
The pendulum. having reached scientific athe-
ism. has been swinging back in the arc OF IN
tellectual movement toward religious oeller
rapidly than good people slumbering
peacefully in church pews under dun mechanical
preaching are aware. An aggressive opponent
Of the Higher Critics, Sir Robert Anderson,
after extended cross examination Of extrem-
lists like Professor Driver and moderate ration
alists like Professor Cheyne. is moved to repeat
DR.. Pusey's words: At know not whether the
open blasphemy OF the eighteenth century Is
more offensive than the cold blooded. patroniz-
ing ways Of the nineteenth" Whatever may
be the trend Of religious polen1ics at oxford
and Cambridge. the antagonism of scientific in
vestigators to the traditional beliefs of hui
mainly is not what it was when Professor Tyn-
dali proposed a prayer gauge and Professor
Huxley took up the cudgels against Mr.. Glad
stone and attempted to discredit the creation
story in Genesis. The foremost man in British
science now dissents strongly when agnostic
views Of the origin of life expressed.
This protest was made at the close Of a lect-
ure on Present Day Rationalism." delivered
by Professor EensIow. It subsequently
emphasized in short letter to THE Times"
Professor Henslow had stated that modern sci
ence neither affirms nor denies creative power
in the origin Of life. Lord Kelvin replied that
science positively afirms creative power and
makes every one feel a miracle in himself 1t
was not in dead matter. he added. that men
lived, moved and had their being. but in crea-
tive and directive power. which science COM
PEELED them to accept as article Of belief.
Modern biologists were coming once more to
firm acceptance of something. and that was
vital principle. Agnostics they might be in
science. but they only knew the Creator in His
works and were absolutely forced by science
to admit and to believe with absolute confidence
in a directive power. Lord Kelvin made a rig
orous application Of the logical law Of excluded
middle. and contended that there must either
be scientific belief IN creative power or accept
ance of the Ciceronian theory of fortuitous
concourse of atoms. Because biologists could
not escape from the conclusion that there was
original creative power when they studied the
physics and dynanics Of living and dead mat
ter, science was not antagonistic to religion. but
a help to it. "a million of millions Of millions
OF years would not give them a beautiful world
like ours
Lord Kelvin had put this inc!sive inquiry: us
there anything absurd to believe that a
number Of atoms by falling together Of their
own accord could make a crystal a sprig Of
moss, a microbe living animal7" On re
Election he perceived that crystal was an IN
fortunate illustration, since in structure 1t diff
fered from the cellular formation Of which
plants and animals were made He accordingly
FASTENED to admit that a crystal might result
from a fOrfI1i+0us concourse OF atoms but
tended anew that a similar explanation could
not be offered for the origin. existence and
growth of plants and living beings, for which
scientific thought was compelled to accept the
idea OF creative power. Lord Kelvin closed his
brief but weighty confession Of faith with this
striking passage: Forty years ago 1 asked
LiebIg, walking somewhere in the country, If
he believed that the grass and flowers which
we saw around US grew by mere chemical
force. He answered: No, no more than I could
believe that book of bot"1y describing them
could grow by mere chemical forces Every
action Of a human free will is a miracle 10
physical and chemical and mathematical sci
ence." This is emphatic testimony from the
foremost man Of science in England respecting
the creative mind as the only possible source
Of life. It differs widely from the scientific
atheism of Darwin. Tyndau. Huxley and Spen-
Ger, which was accepted quarter of century
world.
Mr.. Spencer, who was content with describ-
ing the mystery Of life as the unknowabIe, is
now silent figure looking out with dreamy
eyes upon the sea a. Brighton. Professor OAR
wins theories Of natural selection and the sur
vival Of the 1ttest are accepted without reserve
by religious teachers who look upon evolution
in the natural world the parable of evolu-
ton in the spiritual world Professor TyndalPs
Belfast address lies neglected on the top shelf
of the modern library; and Professor Huxley's
bout with Mr.. Gladstone over the Mosaic cos
mogony is forgotten like his earlier plea for the
substitution Of a pair of chimpanzees for Adam
and Eve The higher critics excite the
ire Of orthodox controversialists as English
apostates masquerading in the rags and tatters
OF German rationaIsts and converting the Chris
tian gospels into romance pure and simple. The
agnes ,:cs are now within the household of faith,
editing encyclopedias of Biblical lore. explain
ing away miracles and reducing the Scriptures
TO merely human documents The attack by
scientific writer's has been suspended. Atoms
and ether. which once left room for ghosts,
now exclude the creation Of a world by fortui-
tous combinations The origin of life without
the impulses and resources of a creative mind
is now regarded by the Nestor of the British
Association as profound mystery, but
an unscientihC and impossible hypothesis. Mira
cles are not only in the Bible. but also in every
plant with the vital principle of growth-in
every human creature swayed by free will.
Lord Kelvin. who has summed up in a few
lucid sentences the new attitude of science to
religion. has been conspicuous for the wide
range OF his intellectual activities and for his
practical ability as an inventor. He has been
an ali round man Of science; pre-eminent alike
as q mathematician and an electrician; minis
tering to the requirements of submarine teleg-