INDUCTIVE REASON AND FAITH 271 



James calls "supra-physical," and says they "lack the 

 demonstrative security of the mathematical and physical 

 sciences," he seems to completely ignore the process of 

 induction, upon which the laws of living beings are 

 based. New truths, t'.e., facts, are added to our know- 

 ledge every day. Formerly plagues and zymotic diseases 

 were thought, on a priori grounds, i.e., deductive reason- 

 ing on insecure data, to be visitations of Providence. We 

 now know that they are due to microbes and insanitary 

 conditions; and if natural science has not the" predictive 

 power of mathematics," it is a pretty safe conclusion that 

 if vaccination ceased the small-pox would flourish. 



Inductive evidence is practically equivalent to a 

 Demonstration. Prof. Jones admits that " the age of 

 Faith in natural science is also an age which believes in 

 God ". Whence arises that faith in science, if it be not 

 itself inductive proof? 



Apart from growing Rationalism, this may be true ; 

 but the growing Ritualism indicates a degeneracy from 

 faith, through belief to credulity. But if there is a faith 

 in natural science, it is simply because inductive reason- 

 ing is regarded as conclusive. Even in the exact sciences 

 it is present. We interpret all the physical phenomena 

 of the rocks seen in the various strata deposited through 

 geological ages of the past by induction alone. 



Prof. Jones seems to me to ignore inductive evidence 

 when he says : " We do not seem to have the necessary 

 data for dealing with God, freedom and immortality". 

 " Reflective men are not able to give a reason for their 

 faith." 



With regard to the first, Evolution has greatly 

 strengthened Paley's argument, which is mainly con- 

 cerned with biological facts, while the moral argument 

 is as strong as ever or stronger. 



