SCIENCE AND RELIGION 221 



religious convictions, but this shows a misunder- 1 

 standing of what is meant by science and by reli- 

 gion. Science establishes conclusions which the 

 religious mood may utilize, just as philosophy 

 utilizes them, and transfigure, just as poetry 

 transfigures them; but it is the common con- 

 fession of the scientific mood throughout all the 

 ages that we cannot "by searching find out God." 



But is it not much that Science discloses more 

 and more fully the intelligibility, the orderliness, 

 and the progress! veness of Nature? These are 

 big intellectual assets. Is it not much that Science 

 discloses more and more fully the wonder of the 

 world the immensities and the intricacies, the 

 changing order and the orderly changes besides 

 all the beauty in depths and heights which the 

 unscientific eye cannot see? These are big emo- 

 tional assets. Is there not practical value, too, 

 both of encouragement and warning, in the sci- 

 entific view that it is an ascent, not a descent, 

 that is behind us and in front of us too, we hope? 

 Everything seems to indicate that it is an increas- 

 ingly controllable future that lies before us here, 

 and it surely adds zest to our life to feel that we 

 can share in the "increasing purpose" of evolu- 

 tion, in the working out of what seems like a 

 great and beautiful thought. 



It is also fair to recognize that Science has 

 done well by Religion in eliminating much that 



