Year: 1877

the solemn opening of the Academic Session


of the Laval University by the Pope's Del


egate to the Church in Canada, Mgr. George


Conroy, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmscnois,
| occurs the following:


The masters of modern science may be
divided into two schools, perhaps equally
brilliant in scientific attainmente, but
strikingiy dissmilar in their method of ap-
plying their knowledge. For example, the
Newtons aud the Seccbis are certainly not
lees distinguished in discovery than the
Comics and Tyndals, and yet bow widely
different is the general spIrit of their re-
spective teaching. The former as well as
the latter devote Themselves to the study
of the phenomena of the physical world,
and seek by patient and skillful research,
to establish the course of natures laws
but at this point their methods diverge.
The form or do not refuse to take account
of the existence of eouroes of knowledge
other than the science which is their own
proper pursuit. They are willing to admit
that outside the physical order with which
they occupy themselves and independent of
it, there exist other orders of meta ph y yeical,
moral and theological truth which cannot
be ignored. The latter, on the contrary,
practically canonze physical science as the
sole criterion of truths and single source of
human knowledge, and proceed to fashion,
exclusively from its data, philosophy and
cosmogony of their own Now, ask,
which of these methods affords the better
evidence of a strong scientific spiritf ls
not the whole attitude of the latter towards
the circle of human knowledge narrow, ar
rogant, and fanatical, while that of the for
mer IS broad, liberal and catholic?


1t is the Office of physical science to es.
tablish facts, not to construct theories. TIE
fabric of The material universe has, indeed,
many aud marvellous secrets to unfold con-
cerning itself In the phenomena it pre-
sents, the man of science may scarcely read
the history Of the stnpendous changes
wrought, and to be wrought in it's condition
by mighty cosmical forces; but there is
one secret concerning which, by the very
necessity of the case, these phenomena can
furnish no information. They are silent
and must forever be silent as to the origin
of matter. 1t is true that, from the consid-
Grafton of visible creation, the right mind
straightway ascends rO the Creator bat
this ia an argument of an orCer other than
the phys:c Il, and, rs such, it 10 contempt
uously rejected by modern science. And
yet, this came modern science insists upon
extorting from the physical the one secret
these facts can never reveal.


They declare the verdict of science to be
that matter is eternal. It is o patent fact
that the school of science which follows the
latter of the methods described above has
sooner or later every where ended in mate
rialism. In Germany, in France, in Italy,
anu III cUKl6uu lt0 l0Au0E5 u6V0 D0COm0 Gn0
prophets and apostles of materialistic doc
trines. Now, if we inquire into the cause
of this painful and scandalous result, we
shall fnd it to lie in the principle from
which the iniidel scientific movement takes
it's start it is the principle which asserts
that there exists but q single order of
knowledge, namely. the natural. It will
not brook the existence of a metaphysical
order of knowledge with a domain of truth
peculiarly its own. 1t refuses to notice the
spiritual phenomena presented by mans
nature in the facts of human history; it
and it's ineradicable faith in world to
come. Aud above all it rejects the super
natural, nay, it arrogates to itself the
honors of the divinity itself. "In the arid
deserts of the desolate Olympus" said Te-
renzi Mamiani. a few years ago, "there
now reigps no God but science" 1t is se-
riously maintained by the later philosophers
that Science ia the last end of man that
the relations it reveals are the only moral
law; that man is to order his lite not to
God and a world to come, bht to a vague
and shadowy happiness to be won for
man through Science. Like Herod, it de
mands that man shall receive it's die a as
the voice of God, and that the Objects of
mans faith and hope and love snai be
cast down forever at its bidding; but in
the very moment of It's hiasphemy 1T begius
like Herud to give birth withlD itself to the
loathsome instruments of its own dissOln
tion. To deny the spiritual order is 10 deny
God ard the science that denies God in
evitably develops a dark aGd drear mate
rialistp, which degrades thought to a mere
function of matter, and reduces man TO the
Level of brute Aud is this the evidence
of the strength OF the scientific spirit
which, we are told, comes of the emaDcl
patton of science from religion Is it not
rather q proof that there is no security and
no strength for science but in the assertion
of two fold order of truth, human and
divine and that the human science which
refuses to walk 10 due conpanionship with
its heavenly sister, will soon lose even the
earthly comelness on which it prides it
self, and sink far below the level of human
dignity


PRAYERS EOR THE DEAD.