The Daily Missoulian., 1914-06-16
(By N. j. Lennes.)

Last evening at the university au-
ditorium DIR. c. j. Keyser of Colum-
bia university delivered the first part
of his discourse on Science and Re-
ligon, before one of the largest audi
ences of the year. The lecturer
started by affirming that while science
is a complex of concepts related ac-
cording to certain logical laws, re-
ligionis not body of concepts, but
a body of feelings as emotions. Since
no scientific description can ever con-
vey the character of an emotion to
one who has never experienced it
(only lover knows love) it follows
that the emotional experience of re-
ligion as a subjective phenomenon
can never become the subject of sci
entific inquiry. However the objec
tive side of religion-its creeds, tenn
pies and rituals-are increasingly be-
coming subjects of scientific inquiry
1t is with this phase of the subject
that the present series of lectures pro-
poses to deal.
Religion and Ignorance.
1t has come to be very generally
accepted theory, the lecturer stated
LIldJ TellSlOIl llOuIISIttS Ollly III lhS
realm of human ignorance, and that
as science clears the field religion re-
treats from it. Thus in early days,
If field failed to bear, grain offer
ings were made to the gods and real
or imagined wrongs were made right
to bring back the fertility of the
field. Today we resort todeeper
plowng and other means devised by
scientific inquiry to achieve the result
sought.
Coupled with the theory that re-
ligon is possible only when Ignorance
exists there is a theory of the linn
itless possibility of human mind to
conquer the unknown. These two
theories taken together are supposed
by many to lead to the conclusion that
religion is doomed.
Unknown is Infinite.
For the sake of the argument the
lecturer admitted both of these theo-
ries and then went on to show that
at any one time there would still be
an infinite unknown realm and that,
therefore, at any time in the future
there will be an infinite basis for re
ligions.
Various possibilities were consid-
cred. 1t is not necessary to suppose
that everything movable is hu-
manly movable any more than 1T is
necessary to suppose that everything
which is humanity movable is know :
able to the horse or the dog or the
cat Hence even if it be supposed
that all the unknown is movable II
is not certain that it is humanity
movable. This contingency would
leave a realm permanently unknoW-
able to the human mind.
1t may be possible that the realm
humanity movable is finitely bounded
so that while human knowledge will
continue forever to increase it will
still remain within a permanent finite
bound. Again, it is possible that the
realm of human knowledge may be
limitess as infinite and still fail tc
include all that is movable. The
modern doctrine of infinite in mathe-
matics furnishes the analogy on
which the supposition is based. One
may remove an infinite number OF
numbers from the set of all integers
and still have an infinite number OF
them left. Thus removing all ever
numbers would leave all the odd mum
bers which constitute an infinite set.
Finally, even if the whole realm OF
the unknown is humanity knowablt
and if knowledge should continue tc
increase so that any given proposition
whatever would some day be known
still at any given time the realm o.
the unknown Quantity that is infinite
noW) would remain infinite.
Hence, under any supposition W.
can make there will always remain al
infinite unknown realm granting al
the while that the realm of the un
known is infinite noW.)
Race Not Eternal.
But it is not to be supposed tha
the human race is to go on in al
eternity on this earth as it is now