THE STRUGGLE FOR REALITIES. 



375 



Conflict between Religion and Science." But the inade- 

 quacy of this definition has been generally recognised, 

 for the conflict has chiefly lain between religious institu- 

 tions and the progress of knowledge. 



Andrew Dickson White calls this " the struggle be- 

 tween science and dogmatic theology, 

 The struggle the conflict between two epochs in 



between science , , . , , 111 



and do ma i evolution of human thought the 



theology. theological and the scientific." This 



idea was years ago crystallized by him 

 in these memorable words : 



" In all modern history, interference with science in the sup- 

 posed interest of religion, no matter how conscientious such in- 

 terference may have been, has resulted in the direst evils both to 

 religion and to science, and invariably ; and on the other hand, all 

 untrammelled scientific investigation, no matter how dangerous to 

 religion some of its stages may have seemed for the time to be, 

 has invariably resulted in the highest good, both of religion and 

 of science." 



From the standpoint of history, this struggle has 

 actually been one between organized theology and un- 

 organized science. Preconceived notions of theological 

 science became entangled with crude notions of all 

 other sciences. In the experience of a single human 

 life there is little to correct even the crudest theology. 

 From the supposed greater importance of theology in 

 determining the fate of the individual man, theological 

 conceptions have dominated all others. Throughout 

 the ages the great churches have been the stronghold of 

 conservatism. Religious bodies have formed the great 

 organized army against which the separated bands of 

 science hurled themselves apparently in vain. 



But as I have said before, the real essence of con- 

 servatism lies not in theology. The whole conflict is a 

 struggle in the mind of man. It exists in human psy- 



