The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-03-06
Contrast Between Results Log
ical Conclusions and Force
of Consequences.
THEME OF ADDRESS BY
REV. FRANK FAY EDDY
Fidelity Important to Our Log
ical Convictions, Says
the Pastor.

! At the services of the First Unitarian
society Sunday, Rev. Frank Fay Eddy
| drew a contrast between the results of
| mems logical conclusions and the force
Of consequences. Miss Emily Larson de-
lighted the congregation with her solo.
Evening and Morning" The anthem by
Unity quartettc was entitled Babylon"
Mr. Eddy said In part,
No Lack of Logic
There is no lack OF logic in the world.
No one knows when the sylloglsm was
invented, but we have n right TO suppose
that men made assumptions and deduct
ed conclusions from them long before
they had named the process. Deductive
logic never helped tho cause OF truth
along very much. because after all II IS
only method OF drawing a straight line,
II is very convenient but the same set
OF facts may be Variously interpreted
and every Interpretation becomes a new
premise from which new deduction can
be made Suppose certain cures are re-
ported as resulting from a pilgrimage TO
the shrine or a saint. The deyout be-
lever I'm tho saint and the religion rep
resented In the pilgrims Will point 20 the
occurrence as miracle. The scientist
Will catalogue IL as a more OF less au-
thentlc instance OF mental healing: the
sccpuc Will call II hoax. So each makes
his own deduction.
Importance Of Induction.
Not until modern times did men begin
to realize the Importance OF establishing
the major premise by induction. or the
method OF Instances Bacon did not in
vent lnductiye philosophy. He simply
emphasized Its fundamental Importance.
or course. so far as men had knowledge.
they acquired II by observation and com
parison In all ages and in doing so they
were using the inductive method. Tho
thinkers or ancient and medieval times
never saw tho Importance OF estahl shing
their major premise by an accumulation
OF facts they were sllpshod and care
less; they had never learned the patient
fidelity OF experimental science.
1t Makes Difference.
This change OF emphasis is making
an almost nconCtiyable amount Of dif-
ference I'm our intellectual and spiritual
world. The logic OF facts. or the lnduc-
tive method Is insistent We can use tho
deductive syllogism as a plaything. but
when We are confronted with a serried
army OF facts marshaled In order we are
forced TO a conclusion. Thus certain con-
illusions become practically Inevitable
and II we are still unable TO say what Is
things are true.
Logic Does Not Rule.
Yet after all the splendid results OF
inductlve and dcductive philosophy have
brought forth their fruit in men OF the
nooler type, We sadly realize the logic
does not rule the world. We recognize
this state OF affairs when We say. ms we
often do. that some discussion Is aca-
demic and not practical. In society and
In our own lives we are forced 10 realize
Oft N that the logical and Just thing has
To walt on circumstances. That IL TO
say, inevitable consequences defeat logi-
cal conclusions.
Parable of the Tares.
Jesus teaches this lesson in his par
able OF the tarcs I'm the wheat Life Is a
evil man SOW their seed. and we must
wait for harvest seasons 10 separate the
good from the evil. The law Of conse-
quences must have it's way We cannot
make today what we will because our
fathers ate their sour grapes yesterday
The lesson Is that Of strong patience and
unfaltering endcavor. Jesus himself had
been compelled 10 learn II. He possessed
In his gospel the logic of righteousness
but he could not absolye his people from
the consequences Of their past. or the
Romans from the results Of their aggres-
siyc centuries Of conquest"
Broad Generalizations.
Mr. EDDY then went on 10 show that
practically all cultured and educated peo-
pie OF the present day admit such broad |
generalizations In regard to man and his |
world. Broadly speaking these may be !
said to be % that man IS living In uni |
verse that Is 10 his faculties lmmeaSur-
able. (2) that man ls OF u growing typo,
with his higher faculties only partially |
developed, (3) that man is an animal but |
one with a distinctive spiritual clement |
These are inductions that cannot be- |
evaded by any one who is acquainted |
with the abundant evidence collected by |
monern science.
Certain Deducations.
From these lnductions certain dcduc- |
tions seem not only 10 logically be posi- |
BILE, but inevitable. Combining ourselves |
TO the domain OF religion some OF these |
would be that such a man In such a uni !
verse must need an inclusive thought OF /
God to be harmonious with his wide uni |
verte. His Idea of revelation should con- |
ceivc OF continuous process whereby |
the story OF the divine immanence IS read |
as an unfolding tale. 1t would De q /
story OF God revealing himself n c.zcrIy
sequences and not in the closed canons
of holy books or In miracles than tran
scend law. Its Christ thought would |
seem logically to be that of develop
ing human ideal personallzed In many In
splred prophets and leaders. His church |
would be frankly considered a human In
stitution, but one that expressed and cul-
tvated the noblcst aspirations and most
sublime ideals OF that humanity Such |
would seem to be the logical deducttns
from the broad premises named. Some
such religion as this logically deserves |
TO possess the world. The facts of the
as this inevitable.
Religious Ideas Current.
Yet the religious Ideas current in soclc-
~ are etill those which talk OF and talk
to limited God: a kind of enlarged man
In heaven or to a deiiied Christ or a Vir-
gin Mary. All revelation important to
is conceived TO be found be-
tween the lids OF the Bible; the church Is
as an institution with a pecu-
liar and divine beginning to guard and
dispense the merit purchased by Christs
crucihxion to undcserYng sinners All
these conceptions are entirely Illogical IL |
H. IL u.alf u u