CHAPTER XI. 



SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY SUSTAIN THE RELIGIOUS 

 CONCEPT 



I CONTEND that science, philosophy and electric 

 evolution sustain the religious concept. 



The infinite and eternal power that animates the 

 universe must be psychical in its nature, and any 

 attempt to reduce it to mechanical force must end in 

 absurdity. The only kind of monism which will 

 stand the test of an ultimate analysis, says John 

 Fiske is monotheism. The highest development of 

 psychical life is the end for which the world exists. 

 To the materialist the ultimate power is material 

 power, and psychical life is nothing but fleeting 

 colocations of natural elements in the shape of ner- 

 vous systems. The psychical nature of God and the 

 immortality of the soul harmonize infinitely better 

 with cosmic philosophy. Prof. John Fiske says : 

 " Evolution brings before us with vividness the con- 

 ception of an ever-present God, not an absentee 

 God who once manufactured a cosmic machine cap- 

 able of running itself. It makes God our constant 

 support and nature His revelation, and when all 

 its religious implications are set forth it will be 

 seen to be the most potent ally Christianity ever 

 had in elevating mankind. The progress of evolu- 

 tion now is to bring out the higher spiritual attri- 

 butes and to set the whole doctrine of evolution in 



