The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-09-23
MATERIALlsM'S EXPECTED TRi-
UMPH.

About the year 1875. in the Uni
versity Of Leipzig, Professor Wilhelm
Wundt established the first psycholog-
ical laboratory in the history OF the
world. Within quarter of CEN
fury, the. voice of Wundt was heard
around the world; in the newly found
ed Catholic University of America it
resounded through the person of one
of it's distinguished deans; some 40
American universities established lab
oratories for psychological research;
to claim competence in this field was
to establish connection with Wundt
and with Leipzig: in most universe
ties psychology took on growing
and exclusive physiological exclusive
aspect.
Laboratory Science.
To apply the methods of experiment.
tai laboratory science to psychology,
to subject mind to measurements,
really this a triumph for materialism.
Man is only thinking machine;
thought is a nerve current. a vibra-
ton, a secretion; indeed, the soul has
no powers other than those of the
chemical and physical world! New
Investigations of the physics and
chemistry associated with vital phe-
nomena, the romantic theory, or more
precisely, hypothesis concerning the
evolution of species itself, apparently
demanding meehanistic explanation
of the origin of life, it's unqualified
votaries proclaiming mans "'fish-like
ancestor" with consequent difference
between man and brute of degree, but
not Of kind, a generation grasping at
the novel as at the necessarily true
all these seemed to presage the dawn
of a sorry day for the traditional and
honored teaching that imam is Gre
allure composed Of body and soul and
made, to the image and likeness of
God" Thus 40, 30, 20 years ago, to-
day by those who do not know, was
and is momentarily expected the en-
thronement of the materialist's denial
of the spirit. Within our own state
one will meet those who deny the
freedom, of the will and live in world
that sends men to Jail, but not re-
volvers; one will meet those who
pirate learnedly about brains think
ing, forgetful that the brains fate is.
the same as that of the rest of the
body, forgetful that such physiology
does not allow to man even the min
imum future existence of Nirvana.
And of these some bear the proud
title of Doctor"
Meaning of Spiritual Substance.
In her opposition to materialism,
the Catholic Church is relentless; the
Vatican council mathematics the
that besides matter there is nothing.
Some may talk about the Church
Stacking freedom of thought. The
freedom to err is not worth anything;
liberty in negative sense is not to
be considered; if it is valuable, it
liable things unhindered. The ques-
ton of the spirituality of the soul is
so intimately connected with that of
Immortality, that all that we can say
about spirituality is opposite, indeed.
The spiritual is recognized by activi-
ties that transcend the operations of
inorganic forces and such vital phe-
nomena as are only vegetatiye or SEN
sitive in character. Specifically, there
is a spiritual element in man, if the
mind can do and does things impossi-
BILE to matter. If mind does certain
things impossible to matter, then
whatever spirit may be, it is a prin-
cip1e of action and of life enjoying at
the very least intrinsic independence
of matter No one denies that every
single higher operation in the human
has its physical correlative; there is
no thought without parallel brain
activity-no volition without an ac-
complaining sensible emotion Paral-
lelism is not identity. If but mind an
act without dependence upon matter
such also will be the possibilities OF
it's existence, which is the same as
saying that the soul of man is capable
of surviving after the dissolution OF
the body. The soul is not a mysteri
GUS reality. 1t reveals itself to me
in consciousness and in the English
language calls itself "T." The 'T' per
sists ever the same at 10, 20, 70 years
At 70, It is the responsible term OF
the acts of the body that was at 10
and long since has ceased to be. In
the ST" converge the most diverse &C
tivities, pain, pleasure, hunger. the
vision OF the dawn and its intel
lectual Interpretation, the hearing OF
the symphony and the reasoning OF
the nature of sound, sense experience
and the formation of ideas, emotions
and highly disinterested spiritual vo
litions. OF these operations, some
are performed in and through the
vitalized material organ; others are
what we term spiritual operations.
spiritual operation will be the Ike!
to the spiritual nature of the soul
The spiritual soul of man contain!
the powers of the lower forms OF life
plant and animal. How to demon
strate that the soul possesses actlyi
ties that are impossible to matter i
to prove that the soul is not 1mmers
ed in. matter, is capable of independ
ent existence, can survive after TIT
death of the body. That it viii sur
vive is another consideration.
Modern Triumph for spiritualisn1.
THAT fhis is old doctrine. is appre