840 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



THE GLADSTONE-nUXLEY CONTRO- 

 VERSY. 

 "TTTE yield the considerable space 

 VV in our present number which is 

 necessary to complete the discussion 

 between Mr. Gladstone and Professor 

 Huxley as the chief parties, on the sci- 

 entific status of the Pentateuch, in its 

 claims to embody and anticipate in an 

 extraordinary manner the great results 

 of modern science. Mr. Gladstone ar- 

 gues that the statements made thou- 

 sands of years ago in the book of Gene- 

 sis in regard to the manner and order 

 in which this earth and its living tribes 

 were produced conform so remarkably 

 to the grand results of modern scien- 

 tific research as to form a powerful 

 argument in favor of the divine in- 

 spiration of the old Jewish chronicles. 

 Professor Huxley takes issue with this 

 conclusion, maintaining that there is 

 nothing like the wonderful agreement 

 alleged, as sufiicient to constitute a 

 "plea for a revelation from God," but 

 that, on the other hand, the disagree- 

 ments between the two records are so 

 great as to bo irreconcilable. 



This is an old and hard-contested 

 controversy. At first, and for a long 

 period, the Bible, as a paramount and 

 infallible authority, became a powerful 

 instrument in the hands of bigotry and 

 intolerance for the repression of sci- 

 ence. For a long time the facts of 

 observation and the proofs of experi- 

 ment were of but little weight before 

 the authority of Scripture texts. But 

 theologians at length discovered that 

 this was untenable and indeed dan- 

 gerous ground; as, to plant the Bible 

 squarely in the pathway of advancing 

 science, would be certain to destroy its 

 influence. The lead at last had to be 

 given to the truths of observation and 

 experience, against which it was of no 

 use any longer to quote Scripture. But 



then came the task of reconciling bibli- 

 cal statements with scientific truths, and 

 for a long period an immense amount of 

 ingenuity and learning was expended to 

 show that the Bible is in perfect har- 

 mony with science, and that all its most 

 striking and important results are to be 

 found there, expressed or implied. But 

 neither could this ground be maintained ; 

 and after generations of heated contest 

 the great controversy gradually settled 

 itself by the general acceptance of the 

 principle that the Bible was not given 

 to teach science, and is therefore not 

 to be judged by scientific standards. 

 Hence, the present discussion seems 

 now rather anomalous — the revival of 

 an antiquated subject — which derives its 

 chief interest from the eminent charac- 

 ter of the parties engaged in it. Mr. 

 Gladstone is, however, an old man, and, 

 though still in great force, ho repre- 

 sents ideas and phases of thought upon 

 this question that were far more ab- 

 sorbing and ascendant half a century 

 ago than they are now. 



EDUCATION IN POLITICS. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the " Ne w York 

 Times " sums up the functions of the Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction of 

 the State of New York as follows: 



The duties imposed upon the oflBce re- 

 quire a man of education and of positive parts 

 to satisfactorily discharge them. The act of 

 1854, which created the office, defines its du- 

 ties at considerable leiipth. It gives this oflBi- 

 cer general superintendence of the public 

 schools of the State. It requires him to visit 

 them, to inquire into their management, and 

 advise and direct in regard to their course of 

 instruction and discipline, lie apportions 

 and distributes the public moneys appropri- 

 ated by the State for the support of schools, 

 examines the supplementary appointments 

 made to all the districts by the School Com- 

 missioners, and sees to it that each district is 



