The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-05

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SCIENCE AND 1MMoRTAL11,Y. BY WIN
Osler, NJ. ", +. r. 8. Fp. 81. Ilough-
ton, Mifflin & Co., Boston Price,
IS cents,
In 1893 the George Goldthwait 1nger-
soil lecturesh!p was founded at Harvard
for the purpose Of giving once a year q
lecture on tho Immortality of Man, Since
that time leading philosophers and theolo-
CLANS, among whom were Josiah Boyce
John F1ske, Benjamin 1de Wheeler, VIII
liam james and Rev. George a. Gordon,
have filled the chair. But until DR.. Osler
spoke no leading scientist had accepted an
Invitation to deliver the lecture.
DR.. Osler's lecture Is an incisive state
ment Of his personal opinion OF the public
state OF mind on this question. but 1t is on
the whole nugatory and disappointing
contribution to the tremendous issue in
volved in Immortality, for 1t takes ITO ac..
count OF the philosophical bases Of mn,or-
tally, being content to give n brilliant re-.
view of tho present attitude Of western
civilization.
AS he Views the world to-day 1t Is d.
vided into threo classes The Laodiceans.
who, while accepted belief in immortal
lty and accepting the phases and forms
of the. prevailing religions. live practical
~ uninflucnced by IT, except so far rs
1t ministers to Il Wholesale dissonance
between the inner and the outer life,
and dlffuses an atmosphere Of general IN
sincerity Tho Gallionans, who, like
Gallo care for none Of these things and
live wholly uninfluenced by thought Of
the hcreafter-form second group larger
perhaps to-day than over before IN history.
These put the supernatural altogether out
ms mr. n rnr m
only one Of the many inventions he has
sought out for. himself" a third group
even small and select whom Dr. Osler
calls Teresians after Saint Teresa, lays
hold with the author OF Fad tn upon eternal
life as the controlling Influence In this
one.''
Having apportloned mankind into
these three classes Dr. Osler discusses
the leading characteristics OF each class
as he has found 1T in his own experience,
the problem as he sees 1t being the IN
quiry whether mankinds conquest OF ma
tture has made the individual more or
less hopeful Of the life beyond the grave
and his conclusion Is that practical
Indifference Is the modern attitude of
mind: like the Laodlceans we are neither
hot nor cold. but lukewarm;' and the
giddy. self INDUCED pleasure seekers ' ct
tho top Of tho so-cnlled social scale
those butterflies whose aspirations are
bounded by stocks and Jocks and fight:
ing cocks, whose delight Is bridge, and
whose care is for THE things Of the
world, arc cited as examples of church-
going Jaodiceans. So too. IN ordinary
parlor conversation, In the pulpit, and
in the press the immense Importance OF
the question Of Immortality Is deliber-
ately ignored. Of the attitude OF man
kind generally he says, like Oliver Wen
dell Holmes I'VE may love the mystl-s
cal and talk much of the shadows but
when 1t comes to laying hold of them
with the hand Of faith we arc not Of
the excursion. n.
The polity of States and the conscious
direction of governments, both OF which
{ In no way regard the future existence
OF man as a factor TO be conslderca'
mentares on the waning interest Of
nodcrns in this age long question TO
the objection That the question sof fu-
turc existc;.aes has never. with possible
execution OF Il the scrusades. affected ma
tor al NE, and That the real locus ana
20 wer Of the belieiZ Is III the heart OF the
wtliciais never m ore CT early
seen than when the Sfso5ourn e. an ti'.s
worldly tcaravansa,ai lis about to fare
forth from Its accustomed warmth ana
comfort to the misty darkness Of the
hereafter, Dr. Oslcr cites his own ex-
per,iencc at five hundred death beds, as
showing how little the average man
thinks of such questions when brought
close to deathbed. j IN only ninety cases was
bodily pain or distress OF one sort OF
another suffered, eleven showed mental
apprehension. two positive terror, one
expressed spiritual exaltation, and one
bitter rcmorse.
All of which lead our author to the, for
him, inevitable conclusion that the ex-
istencc OF a future life is not demon
strable from the spontaneous Gull OF the
human heart for immortality as THIS NOR
tai life neared Its end. Rather he found
that man went needless or aputhetic TO
meet the mystery that lies behind creeds,
CONCERNED tosthe last only with the needs
OF this llfe, and still struggling
and racing for comfort. riches, ana
ha ppiness. $50 man hath no pre-eml-
nence over the beast, and. as the "riter
Of Ecclcsius.es said thousands OF years
ago, "as one d!cth, SO dleth tho other.
The Gallonians. who care lor none
OF these things" form. IN Df. Cs!er.s
opinion, larger class IMAM !, ever nnn nctV ,ns
in the history of the world. 4 ne I'M
seen but powerful influence OF modern
science on the concept Of life held by the
preceding generation, the eitect OF the
general acceptance Of evolution ana tthe
denial Of the existence Of the SOU py
modern psychology, which seas m con
seriousness only materihl liiet'o1'i p,1.
have all combined to create an ever IN
creusing body Of men who concern rnra them m,
selves only with the duties, lhbCrs ana
lows of this mundane life. The ERECT OF
science has been to minimize al1lios.
to the vanishing point the importance OF
the individual man, while slVing ~
preme Importance to the cosmic ana
biological forces which in tn their ne m!sh m.
,erests, aims, and aspirations of SIN
gle life.
Lastly comes the lessening band a, 9 Of en- =,
dreams, and walk tho ways Of this
world untroubled and serene ~ mo
consciousness Of the, al-lsupportlns
everlasting arms. 10 these At Is given
to snow the mysteries, for they have
and tried pasea ~ eels ensas , dla
ransnn cannot underestimate In EeW
luminous sentences Dr.. osler sketches
the irreooncllablo difference between inc
reasons of the head and the emoGons OF
Tia heart and concludes I'm our tens