New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-11
In Address to British Association He Says
He Is Convinced Memory and Affection
Do Not Terminate at Death.
SCIENCE CAN EXPLAIN THE OCCOLl
Believes That Disseminate negences meaning the Souls
of the Departed) Can Exert Influence on the Living
and That Gradually We May Hope to Attain
Understanding of Larger Existence.

Birmingham, England, Sept. 1O-Sir
Oliver Joseph Lodge delivered the
inaugural address at the meeting OF
tho British Association at Central Hall
tonight. The building was crowded to
it's utmost capacity, there being IN at
tendance fully three thousand men ana
women prominent in various branches
Of science.
Lord Rayleigh. past president of the
ROYAL Society, presided in the absence
of Sir Edward Albert Schaefor, the re-
firing president.
Published forecasts of the presidents
address intimating that he would
make statements Of a startling char
actcr concerning immortality and the
proof of life after death, although pub
lcly denied by Sir Oliver himself,
caused the address TO be anticipated
with lively interest and listened to with
profound attention.
His subject was Continuity and,
summarized in his own words. his ar
yument was:
"a marked feature of the present
scientific era is the discovery of and
interest i'm various kinds of atomism
SO that continuity seems in danger Of
being lost sight Of.
Another tendency is toward COM
prehensive negative congratulations
from limited point Of view.
Another is TO take refuge in rather
vague forms Of statement and to
shrink from closer examination Of the
puzzling and the obscure.
Another is TO deny the existence of
ANYTHING which makes 10 appeal TO
organs of sense and no ready re-
Spouse to laboratory experiment.
Against these tendencies the su-
thor contends. He urges belief IN
ultimate continuity as essential TO
science; he regards scientific concen-
tration as an inadequate basis for
philosophic generalization; he believes
that obscure phenomena may be eX-
pressed simply if properly faced; and
he points out that the non-appear-
ancc Of anything perfectly uniform
and omnipresent is only what should
be expected, and is no argument
against its real substantial existence,
1t was in his concluding remarks
that Sir Oliver touched upon the ques-
tion Of life after death. when he de-
~ N *
now regarded as occult can be OK
amined and reduced 10 order hy the
methods Of science carefully and per-
sistently applied" and that already
the facts SO examined have convinced
me that memory and affection are not
limited TO that association with mat
ter by which alone they can manifest
themselves here and now, and that
personality persists beyond bodily
death"
Furthermore, Sir Oliver declared the
. evidence TO my mind goes TO prove
that discarnate intelligence, under
certain conditions. may interact with
rs on the material side and that 1--WE
may hope to attain some understand
ing of the nature Of d larger. perhaps
ethereal. existence and Of the condi-
tions regulating intercourse across the
chosm."
PROGRESS, but with Skepticism.
In the course Of his remarks lead
ing up to these interesting declara-
tions, Sir Oliver said:
eliminating from our purview, Us
is always necessary, great mass of
human activity, and limiting ourselves
10 a scrutiny on the side Of pure
science alone, let US ask what in the
main is tho Characteristic Of the
promising though perturbing period in
which We live. Different persons would
give different answers. but the answer
] venture TO give is-rapid progress,
combined with Fundamental skepu-
cism.
Rapid progress was not character
istic of the latter half Of the nine
teenth ccntury-at least, not in
physics. Fine, solid dynamical founda-
lions were laid. and the cdifice Of
knowledge was consolidated; but
wholly fresh ground was not being
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