The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-10-15
AGNOSTICIsNI.

=
"AgnOSuclSm, says Father Gerard :.
I- and recognize the attitude OF mind
It denotes as the most formidable an
tagonist Of Christianity at the present
day. ii IS doubtful, however. the Je-
suit goes on 70 say, whether the ma
Jority Of those who use it 10 describe
oven their own position. attribute 10
it its proper sense.
Very many signify by the term that
they are ATHEISTS, believing that sci
enee has disproycd the existence Of
GOD. This is, however. a misappiica-
zion of the term; for the agnostic in
Gulscs in no dogmatic assertions or.
denials. His attitude towards the di-
inc architecture OF the world and God
is simply that he does not know
agnostc His principle is that true
knowledge can be obtained only by
means or sensible experience. ! -
touch. sight hearing and so on. and
that All that is outside the sphere of
human sensibiliN is beyond the sphere
on scope OF human knowledge.
Huxley, the FIRST to style himself bv
this name declares for example. thar
ITO occupy ourselves with such mat
jers is as futile proceeding as To in
guire what are the politics Of the in
Hanitants of tho MOON
No doubt. says Father Gerard, our
iuteIieCt is limited--very limited. Yer
il is patent that in no single branch
of inquiry can the mind stop where
observation and experiment cease tt.
be available, and were it to stop there
id would inevitably deprive what OBJ
eervation and experiment have taught
ID Of all possible significance Physics.
for example, deals with Matter and
Force. OF the former we know but
little, and of the latter just nothing at
alI We see its results without being
able TO ascribe Il cause. As the Scien-
fist. Lloyd Morgan. says:
Physics knows nothing Of force as
an Efficient cause of the accelerations
with which it deals The planets are
I'M motion round the sun; the MOLE
guleS of crystals move in an orderly
fashion. What makes either planet or
molecuie move we simply do not |
know, as men of science Under as f.
slenable conditions, they do move, and /
there's an end on't-for science
But the limitations of science are I
not confined to the extra-terrestrial /
world. What about the phenomena of /
The mipd-aeSthetic emOtiOnaliSm for .
example, that science is unable to de- .
fine or even guess at? The sense of 4
beauty humOr and other manifesta-
toms of the soul2 Why the emotions
We experience on hearing beautiful
music, on seeing Hamlet, on reading
soul-sJirring poetry Read. for eX-
ample the Grafton of Mark Antony,
even The Raven; listen to the Jewel
song in Faust or to the Spring Songs
Of the great composers. and Try. now
ever great your scientific attainments
be, TO explain your sensations from
The point Of consideration Of mole
rules and atoms. Even the agnostic
] Irr,- 1far- .1~ll Il
,ept the spiritualizing Influences that
The ineXplicable or the unknownable
undoubtedly convey to US throughout
emotions and aesthetic senses is part
# the higher and better education of
man. He says: We live in a world
which is fun Of misery and ignorance,
and the plain duty of each and all of
is is to try 70 make the little corner
ne can influence somewhat less miser-
lble. somewhat less ignorant than it
vas before he entered it,
The natural theOlOgian argues from +
Nature to Natures God in the follow
ng way: Taking the three factors of
he Universe. namely. matter. force ,
nd mind, We find this state OF things: T,
The philosophers or materialists see as
UGH as they want to see and no more
'hese three mysterious entities lie
qUally behind the veil. are equally
conceptions Natural
henomena bear witness to the exist
nee OF all three i'm exactly the same .
-ay. namely. by special characteristics !
rom which we necessarily infer the
Xistence Of each. From the reality of
nese phenomena, we infer a real
asis: from their actual occurrence. we
lteT an agent or power at work force;
rom their orderly character. we infer
controlling and guiding influence. I
amcly mind. Why are two Of these
lferences valid, although they point
D things behind the veil and the ;
lird is to be regarded as invalid. be-
luse it. too points to something be =
ind the veil? If we are able to read o
ne existence of two of these things in q
leir effects. why not Of the third as
cll2 The evidence is as plain in one ;
lse as another"
The special and exclusive strength of c
le Catholics position is manifest. $
ys Father Gerard. He does not stand q
one. or merly rely upon his own pri- =
ate and eprsOnal discernment He
as with him the Communion of the
lints the millions wro for goo years
every region of the earth. in every it
zee and class of society have found \,
ace fer their souls where he finds it, o,
I'd recognized the workings Of the W
me spirit which he recognizes. over %,
ld above ali this is the supernatural X
rtue Of faith which enables US to II
lieve without doubling whatever VI
ID has revealed. Vi