The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-04

Calico was right or wrong, whether
the earth actually revolves about
the-sun or the sun about the earth.
That Is scientific matter with
which religion. as such. has moth
Ing whatever to do, and which
should not have given it the slight.
est concern. ~ ~ 80
THAT this same controversy.
which dates from the time OF Au-
gustine, nearly 1000 years ago,
should have appeared again in al
enlightened a. country as America,
Is one OF the most amazing phe.
nomena Of our times. Z. -.
Losses to Churches.
Should the movement succeed.
the church would inevitably soon
lose all its most vital elements and
society would be obliged to develop
some other agency to serve as the
great dynamo of injecting into hu.
man society the sense of social rc.
sponsibility, the, spirit of .aItruism.
OF service, of brOtherly love. of
Christ-likeness; and Of eliminating
as far as. possible the spirit Of
greed and 'self-seeking.
Leaders of religion are not to
blame. Science is just as often
misrepresented as Is religion by men
or little vision. Each interprets the
Bible, for example, essentially liter.
ally. instead of historically, the
one to support, the other TO con.
denim.
Both may be assumed to be
sincere, but the one il wholly I'M.
acquainted with science, while pre-
Stunning TO judge it; the other is in
almost complete ignorance Of what
religion Is, while scoffing at il. l
am ready to admit that it is quite
as much because of the existence
OF scientists of this type as Of their
counterparts in the field of re-
hgion, that the fundamental con.
traversy has flared up today. and
1t Is high time that scientists recog.
nized their share of the responsi.
bility and took such steps as they
can to remove their share Of the
cause.
Leaders Deyoutedly Religious.
1.-THE first fact. which seems to
me altogether obvious and undis.
puted by thoughtful men. is that
there is actually no conflict what
ever between science and religion
when each is correctly understood.
Newton, whose life centered
about 1880; Faraday, living about
1880; Maxwell, 1870; Kelvin, 1890.
and Raleigh, who. died year before
last: were, every one of them, de.
Vout followers Of religion.
II was Kelvin. who first testi.
mated the age Of the. earth at some.
thing like a hundred million wears
without seeing the least, inconpata.
putty between his statement and
the first chapters Of Genesis.
In 1887, at the verv height. NJ
his powers, Kelvin wrote: 7 believe
that the more thoroughly science IA
studied the further does it take us
Lyin anything comparable to
&ttieism. Again, in 1903, toward
the end OF his life, he wrote: IL
YOU think strongly enough you win
De forced by science to the belief in
500 which Is the foundation Of all
religion. You will find it not an.
tagonlstic, but helpful to religion
Evidence Up to Date -"
can bring the evidence strictly
up to date. One naturally begins
with the man who occupied the
most conspicuous scientific position
IN the United States, namely, the
president Of the National Academy
OF Sciences, who Is at present both
the head OF the Smithsonian Insti-
,tutlon IN Washington and the presi.
Gent or the American Association
Tor the Advancement Of Science, Or.
CHARLES d. Walcott,s one of the fore.
most American students Of the, evo.
luton OF life in the early ge6loric
ages. He.ls personally known to rue
viction. .-tt--.' 80 wi
"The same is true, OF Henry Fair.
ileld Osborn, director OF the Amerx
ican Museum of National History
IN New York, and one Of the heaf
known opponents of evolution in the
country. Another rival for emf.
nence In this field is Edwin G.. Conk.
lin OF Princeton, who. Is recently
published articles has definitalv
SHOWN himself prepayment of the
religious Interpretation OF life N
!, In the same. category I know also.
from direct correspondence.S that I
may place john G. Merriam, presi.
dent OF the Carnegie Institute In
and Americas foremost
paleontologist; Miachel Pupin, the
very first Of our electrical experts:
John Coulter, dean of American,
botanists; A. A. and w. A.. Moves,
foremost among our chemists: James
B. Angel, president OF Yale "TL,,.
versity, and an eminent psychOlo.
gist; ID. G. G. Abbott, no.. ~
tary Of the National Academy II
Sciences, eminent astronomer and
active churchn1an; and 80 on through
the list Of most of the sciep.is'-
of sDecialM hrfRnence I'm this ooannfrr -