Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-04
PROBLEM FOR SCIENTIST
Task to Construct a Greed on Which
All Men Can Unite.
KEYNOTE OF HYsIoP LECTURE
Outlines Aims and Needs of the Amer
lean Institute of Scientific
Research Before wom-
ans Club.

Science must reconstruct a creed by
which all men will unite their beliefs and
in which all the best elements Of Chris
tianity will prevail was the keynote OF
the lecture delivered by Prof. James
Hyslop, secretary Of the American Institute
for Scientific Research, at the First Con-
gregational church Tuesday evening under
the auspices of the philosophy and ethics
department of the Omaha Woman's club.
Prof. Hyslop began his address with a
short statement of the aims and objects OF
the institute which he represents and the
methods of its work. The present need OF
the institute was an endowment fund that
its work may be extended. His present
visit to the west was to endeavor TO influ-
ence the public toward the needs of the
institute. There was an imperative need
for about $4,000. The department of psychic
research was but a part of the larger plan
OF scientific research and to enable special
localities to make special scientific investi-
cations was another needs for this endow-
ment fund. The functions of the institute
were divided into three parts: (a) for re-
search intp abnormal pathology, mental
diseases, which has not yet been organized;
% physical research, now organized, and
(c) heredity. prenatal influences and all
facts related to the human race. Section D
had not yet been organized.
simply Search for Facts.
THE college is not as well qualified for
this work as would be an independent in
stitution." said Prof. Hyslop. The insti-
tute will not be equipped with any faculty
or lecturers, but will be devoted wholly to
the ascertainment of facts, freed from any
propaganda or any creed. Our plan Is to
collect facts and leave them for scientific
deduction afterwards without invoking any
prejudice
He went into an extended analysis Of the
early stages of the Greek and Roman be-
liefs, all of which had a greater or less
tendency toward monotheism. theism and
deism, but all OF which was completely
revolutionized by the introduction OF
Christianity. He showed that for centuries
the philosophical world had accepted the
doctrines and teachings of Ptolmey regard
ing the movements Of the earth and plan
cts, because there were none to controvert
them. AS Copernicus and Calico showed
the fallacy of the Ptolmaic theory so did
Christianity show the fallacy Of existing
religious beliefs.
THE belief in the Immortality of the
soul has had a tremendous influence upon
the civilization OF the world. 1t was the
establishment of the individual, and it was
Christianity that gave to the individual
his distinct part in the world rather than
as a part of the whole. We adjust our
conduct to our beliefs whether they be OF
a physical, business or religious character.
Materialistic Beliefs.
after the Protestant m there
arose two fundamental beliefs, one being
the indestructibility of matter and the
other the permanence of motion. These
were the essentials of materiaIism and
seemed to directly controvert all that
Christianity had wrought. This was more
particularly the fundamental principle OF
skepticism. It was based on the doctrine
that matter was eternal and spirit but the
function" -lj
Professor Hyslop then proceeded to show
the relation of psychology to physiology
and the property of physical phenomena,
THE great question he concluded, was
can we isolate an individual soul and can
ism? We are too prone to cast aside
psychic phenomena as sporadic and not
worthy of investigation. All knowledge is
derived from sense of perception. Science
Is our present day authority. Aristocracy
and philosophy have gone. There will
ultimately come an uniformity OF beliefs,
and in the words of one OF the most emil
nent scientists of France: Science must
reconstruct a creed by which all men will
unite their beliefs, and in which all the
best elements of Christianity will pre-