36 THE REV. CANON R, B. GIRDLESTONE^ M.A., ON 



direction. For myself I cannot help thinking that one reason why 

 so much progress has been made, is that those who desire to 

 reconcile science and religion have been bold in grappling with 

 difficulties. Now there is a very great difference between boldness 

 and i-ashness, and I think we all feel, as members of this Insti- 

 tute, that while we should be very bold in grappling with difficul- 

 ties and very bold in carrying our investigations into various 

 departments of science, we should ever be strictly on our guard 

 against drawing rash conclusions, whether those conclusions 

 be in favour of the Word of Grod or whether they seem to be 

 opposed to it. 



Mr. D. Howard, D.L., F.O.S., &c. — 1 think we must all agree 

 with our Chairman in what he has said as to the great value of 

 this paper. The chief difficulty which one feels in discussing it 

 is that one agrees with it so entirely, and it is always easier to 

 attack thaa it is to agree. 



It is a wonderful thing to look back thirty years and to see that 

 cei-tainly the course of thought has not made against but for a 

 sound religious faith. I do not say that nothing has been 

 changed. One cannot view any branch of science without remem- 

 bering a good deal of change. There is hardly a matter of physical 

 science upon which we have not more or less altered our opinions ; 

 but progress from immature to maturer knowledge has tended not 

 to increase, but to diminish the gulf between religious and 

 scientific modes of thought. There has been always that ancient 

 though certainly not commendable habit of mind that has regarded 

 any new discovery as a weapon with which to attack religion. It 

 is a very old habit of mind, in fact almost as old as scientific 

 thought, and the vei'y fact that it still exists is nothing to make 

 one anxious. We have passed through a great change in modes 

 of thought, scientific and otherwise. 



Looking back upon the " confused noise " that is necessarily 

 associated with battle, we find that in a large measure the con- 

 fusion has been in the rival armies and has not belonged to the 

 real progress of thought. Scientific and religious thinkers have 

 learnt to understand one another as far as they have been willing 

 so to do. 



There is nothing more easy than not to understand — but where 

 Ihere is willingness I think I may say that reconciliation has 

 followed. 



