SCIENCE IN " BONDAGE " 91 



the theories which men of science build up upon 

 the facts which they have brought to light. 

 Some of these theories do appear to contradict 

 theological dogmas, or at least may seem to 

 simple people to be incompatible with such 

 dogmas, just as the people of his time Protestants 

 by the way, no less than Catholics did really 

 think that Galileo's theory conflicted with Holy 

 Writ. In such cases, and in such cases alone, the 

 Church holds that she has at least the right to 

 say that such a theory should not be proclaimed 

 to be true until there is sufficient proof for it to 

 satisfy the scientific world that the point has been 

 demonstrated. 



This is really what is meant by the tyranny of 

 the Church ; and it may now be useful to con- 

 sider briefly what can be said for her position. 

 We must begin by looking at the matter from the 

 Church's standpoint. It is a good rule to 

 endeavour to understand your opponent's position 

 before you try to confute him ; an excellent rule 

 seldom complied with by anti-Catholic contro- 

 versialists. Now the Church starts with the 

 proposition that man has an immortal soul 

 destined to eternal happiness or eternal misery, 

 and she proceeds to claim that she has been 

 divinely constituted to help man to enjoy a 

 future of happiness. Of course these are opinions 

 which all do not share, and with the arguments 

 for and against which we cannot here deal. If 

 a man is quite sure that he has no soul and that 

 there is no hereafter there is nothing more to be 

 said than : " Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow 



