Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-02-28
School Situation Better
SCIENCE AND RELIGION.

To the Editor OF The DAILY IflDune-
Sir: A short time ago an editorial
appeared in your paper entitled Sci
ence and Religion "a Sunday ser
mon
To some of the points discussed in
vour article, we wish to take exception,
particularly to the case of Gallleo. also
10 the case of science and the church
as YOU have stated them.
We seem to have got from history
different impressions of those matters.
We wish to exchange ideas and discuss
those questions in fair and friendly
manner.
Our motive is to bring out the exact
facts in those cases. The case Of
Calico must be clearly stated in order
that the public be enabled to read 1t
Understandings.
Calico was an Italian scientist. He
was not opposed by the ecclesiastical
authorities at Rome because of any
scientific discovery which he made; his
discovery was as yet but a theory, a
scientific hypothesis. He got into
trouble not because of his discovery.
but because he insisted on proclaimins
It as an established fact and interpret
ing the Scriptures accordingly.
Thomas Huxley, who we are sure
cannot be accused of being prejudiced
in favor Of religion. wrote to st.
George NIivart November II, 1885:
II gave some attention to the case
of Calico when ! was in Italy and
I came to the conclusion that the pope
and college of cardinals had rather the
best of it."-("Life and Letters IL
page 1877.
The Catholic church merely insisted
and insists upon a distinction between
fact and theory and is this not the only
scientific position to take? Otherwise
our alleged sciences would be only an
anarchy Of unreliable ideas.
The Catholic church never condemn
ed fact in science after it had been
adequately proved as such; on the con-
trary. the church is and has always
been a parton of the sciences and his
tory bears US out in the truth Of the
statement.
Pope Leo XIII says in his encyclical
August 4, 1870: I'VE declare that
every wise thought and every useful
discovery, wherever it may come from,
should be gladly and gratefully wei
coined"
Or aside from our declarations, if
one chooses to investigate at first
hand then read some of our Catholic
scientists, of which we have many
second to none, among which are Nal
pighi, founder of pathology; Scbwann
founder of the cell theory; Pasteur
founder of bacteriology; Johanne Null
Ter, founder of modern physiology.
Huxley describes the latter as the
greatest anatomist among my contem-
poraries. = (Hume, English Men Of
Letters page 1889.
For further data on Catholic scien-
lists see Edward J. Menge's The Be
ginning of Science page 200. Mr.
Menge has taken this particular Bit
of information to which l refere you
| from the eleventh edition of Encyclo
pedia Britannica.
You refer to Huxley, Darwin Max
! Muller and score Of other scientists
as staging a new mill with Revelation
by putting forth a theory Of evolution
We are unable to get a clear idef
of your meaning here, as Revelation
has no quarrel with those men, and has
not been affected in the least by an,
discoveries made by them.
Those men may have been fighting
Revelation, but as yet, because of an,
! injuries received from their blows
Revelation is not aware of it.
Evolution is no new theory; four.
teen hundred years ago st. Augustine
taught all that is rational in the evolu
ton Of today; his theory is sufficient,
comprehensive to provide for all thai
has been fairly established up to date
and all that in all probabilities ever
will be established.
PATRICK Fl. GAFFNEY.
Chairman of the Press and PubIicit,
Committee National Catholic Wei
| fare Council.