114 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



such — not the mere committal and re- 

 citation of text-books, but a practical 

 and systematic exercise of the mind in 

 observation, inference, judgment, and 

 the weighing of evidence — will meet 

 the present requirement as nothing else 

 can. Much may be done by the diffu- 

 sion of scientific knowledge to dispel 

 tlie ignorance which is taken advantage 

 of by practised charlatans; but people 

 cannot learn every thing, and there are 

 many things of which the most intel- 

 ligent must remain ignorant. There 

 ought, however, to be no difiiculty in 

 learning how to deal with the claims 

 and pretensions that are put forward, 

 even though the facts involved are not 

 understood ; and this is simply a ques- 

 tion of the criteria of truth and of 

 cautious habits in accepting proof. 



THE PROGRESS OF THEOLOGY. 



In our oflSce as chroniclers of the 

 progress of scientific thought, we are 

 called upon to record some further and 

 marked concessions to the position that 

 the doctrine of Evolution is not an anti- 

 religious doctrine. For the last fifteen 

 or twenty years since this theory has 

 been definitely enunciated, and sus- 

 tained on scientific grounds, there has 

 been vehement protest, on the part of 

 many theologians, that it negatives all 

 possibility of religion. The leaders 

 have not hesitated to make up theissue 

 between religious belief and a doc- 

 trine of science which simply depends 

 upon accumulated evidence. The view" 

 supposed to be so fraught with dan- 

 ger has, however, been steadily mak- 

 ing its way in the minds of those 

 most competent to judge of its truth ; 

 and now it is beginning to be per- 

 ceived that the alarm was groundless, 

 and that, though Evolution be estab- 

 lished, the great questions of theology 

 remain just where they were before. 

 A favorite position has been that the 

 conception of Evolution is inconsistent 



with the idea of Divine design in Na- 

 ture, but it is now acknowledged that 

 the only effect is to substitute a larger 

 for a narrower view of design. Dr. 

 McOosh, in his lectures, a year or two 

 since, put the question on this broad 

 ground. He said, virtually, "Establish 

 whatever facts you please in regard to 

 the workings of Nature and the order 

 of the universe, and behind the whole 

 phenomenal scheme I find the Infinite 

 mind by which it was all designed." A 

 new and very able work has just ap- 

 peared, entitled "Darwinism and De- 

 sign; or. Creation by Evolution," by 

 Mr. George St. Clair, F. G. S., in which 

 the whole problem is elaborately dis- 

 cussed from the new point of view. 

 The author takes the same ground as 

 Dr. McCosh, and argues ably against 

 those who hold that Evolution is de- 

 structive of teleology, or the doctrine 

 of ends and purposes in Nature. He 

 admits that it is inconsistent with the 

 old restricted interpretations of tele- 

 ology, but claims that it only substi- 

 tutes a far more comprehensive princi- 

 ple of the same kind. We note tliat the 

 Nonconformist^ the organ of the Eng- 

 lish Dissenters, and one of the stanchest 

 orthodox periodicals, gives in its adhe- 

 sion to Mr. St. Clair's positions, and 

 highly commends his work. An arti- 

 cle in our present number gives the 

 argument upon this subject of Prof. 

 Jevons, the able English logician, to 

 the same purport, and also the sub- 

 stance of an address by a distinguished 

 divine of New York, illustrating simi- 

 lar views. The present aspect of the 

 case thus becomes interesting. It looks 

 as if theology itself were about to take 

 a great advancing step, which it has 

 stoutly resisted, but has been at length 

 compelled to take by the advance of 

 scientific research. After a few^ more 

 such experiences it is to be hoped that 

 our friends will begin to recognize that 

 theology is also progressive, and that, 

 so far from being an enemy. Science is 

 a helping friend of true religion. 



