The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-18
CARDINAL GIBBONS
Answer to Thomas A. Edi
sons Denial of Immor-
tality
Columbian Magazineo

Cardinal Gibbons aversion to con-
troversy is very well known; it was re-
luctantly,, in view of the wide public
ity given to Mr.. Edison's opinions on
the soul, on God and other matters
touching religion, Mat he consented to
receive US and comment upon the ut
terances of the great inventor.
When we were ushered into his
study, we found the venerable pre1ate
busy at his desk. Active, alert, Wig
orous. he shows few traces of age;
yet he is now completing fifty years
of ministry, of hard, unceasing labor
and great achievement, a period to be
f1ttingly marked this year by the cell
ebration of the Golden Jubilee of his
priesthood. He greeted US with
kindly courtesy that made us feel i'm
mediately at home
your Eminence has read Mr.. Edi-
sons interview?'' we suggested.
Carefully, very carefully he re-
piled, with elaboration. "And re-
greet exceedingly that he has given
such views to the public; for / ad-
mire Mr.. Edison's genius. Some be-
little him as a mere mechanic. I have
no patience with such a view for. no
man could achieve what Mr.. Edison
has without extraordinary mentai
powers. He is the representative of
American inventive genius and has
brought glory upon our country in
d
vel, and, as well, benefactor of the
race. He has been intensely devoted
to his pursuits; and he has paid the
penalty, just as Darwin did, just as
so many of our great men do. OAR
win bemoaned at the end of his life,
you know, that his intense devotion
to scientific investigation had afro
phied his sense of poetry, OF music,
and know not what; I would add
his sense of religion, for the religious
spirit, if not cultivated. will die, too
So has it been with Mr.. Edison; he
has MANNED his own mind, just as
Darwin did, by a too one-sided exer-
else of its powers. He talks with
great freedom, and may say. with
not little contempt of theology: but
one suspects that he has been too ocL
cupied, and perhaps too contemptu-
Gus of theology, to devote much time
to it's study. One suspects that his
acquaintance with it is almost limit
ed to fragmentary "reminiscences of
sermons heard in boyhood days.
Your Eminence, then, finds him
very sceptical?''
"sceptical?' the Cardinal smiled.
"Not in the least In fact. he is as
tonishingly dogmatic. Seer" he. said,
as he took the January Columbian,
and pointed to several marked pas
sages. Assertion, assertion every
where. Freely given to the public.
The proofs? He does not offer any.
Such q procedure is not expected of
indeed. of Pope, for it is a Pope's
office to decide and define while he
leaves it to theologians to discuss and
prove. Even the Pope does not dog
Matte until the question has been
discussed for centuries and settled by.
the voice of experts. But here is a
scientist who proclaims dogmas to the
public; and he seems to ask us to be-
1ieve them-becauSe he believes them
If he spoke as the head of school, he l
might refer us to their arguments; but
I do not know for whom he speaks.
Not for the materialists, because he
believes matter cannot explain all;
not for the idealists, for he believes
in matter; not for the monists, evil
IDENTIFY; not for the agnostics, for he
acknowledges Supreme Intelligence;
nor for the Pantheists, so far, at least,
as he reveals his mind. In fact I
cannot place Mr.. Edison. I do not
know any school that could claim him.
All can be sure of is that he dogma
ties on his own account
''Your Eminence will kindly point
out some instances of this dogma
tism?''
Certainly, with pleasure. The most
striking is his fundamental assertion
that cells have intelligence. Mr. Ed
ison does not prove this: he does not
try to prove it; he asserts it, over and
over again, and perhaps some simple
people will believe it is true. Proof,
proof he says. THAT is what I have
always been after And he claims
to accept no scientific fact without
the final proof Now, who ever prov
ed the existence of an intelligent cell?
There is not scintilla Of proof, not
assertion. Assumption, mere base1ess
assumption" the Cardinal said, with
a wave Of the hand.
81 will read you another of his as
sertions: "A mans intelligence is the
aggregate intelligence of the innumer-
intelligence of a community is the ag-
gregate intelligence Of the men and
women who inhabit it. If you cut
your hand, it bleeds. Then you lose
cells, and that is quite as if a city
lost inhabitants through some tremen-
dous accident -
The Cardinal paused. us it true
that Mr.. Edison assumed the respon-
siblity for this interview He was
assured this was so. He seemed
very puzzled
''Of course. Mr.. Edison does not
impossible If my hand bleeds,' then
according to his theory, lose part of
nv intelligence. If I lose my hand |
then 1 lose more intelligence and as
one of my friends put it, an appalling
loss of mind would go with the loss
of a leg or when a stout man reduces
flesh.
"All these remarkable consequences
are strictly involved in Mr.. Edison's
expression of his views. Assuredly
he rejects them; but that only proves
the striking looseness of his language |
We theologians are used to precision
of terms and strictness of reasoning. |
One OF two more interviews like this !
and the world would have new idea |
of scientific accuracy -
land Mr. Edison's real view?"
"Mr Edison'S real view seems to
be that a mans intelligence is COM
,,oSod of tho comhipod intoJlioannos ne |