THE NATURAL SCIENCES: THEIR NEWNESS AND VALUE. 483 
the domain of nature ; while the sciences of language, figures and so forth have 
grown hoary with years of maturity. 
The order of development of the various branches of natural science would 
be from those of tangible matter, as physiology, zodlogy, botany, mineralogy, to 
those of intangible matter and the phenomena and forces of matter—for which 
reason chemistry is hardly a century old and meteorology is yet in its childhood. 
The course of progress has been from molar to molecular—from worlds to atoms. 
—from simple to complex: evolution is the term to apply to the growth of knowl- 
edge as well as to the growth of material order. Hence the natural sciences are 
new—and are new of necessity. 
And just here let me throw in a word on the subject of the inspiration of the 
Scriptures. Modern research as to the history of the earth has developed facts. 
which most harmoniously agree with the record of creation as given in the first 
chapter of Genesis. If it be acknowledged that all the observations of many men. 
for many years were necessary to unfold the order of development of the earth, 
and that the facts in the case have only lately come to be known, viewed from a 
natural standpoint, then whence came the wonderful information of the writer of 
the book of Genesis? Certainly it was not of human origin. Therefore we are 
driven to the conclusion that it was of divine origin. I think this a very power. 
ful argument in favor of the inspiration of the Scriptures. 
Having discoursed at some length on the newness of the Natural Sciences, 
let us come now to the subject of their value. We now enter upon ground over 
which many mighty and stubborn conflicts have been waged, the combatants 
being the adherents of Imitative Knowledge against the followers of Nature. 
Because the [mitative Sciences are almost as old as the race of man, of course 
they have almost up to the present time been foremost in the minds of men. It 
is a well-known fact that any party in power has always struggled to keep down 
an opponent, though the success of either meant the same good for all. Follow- 
ing this law, the advocates of Imitative Knowledge have beheld with jealous eye 
the growing favor of the Natural Sciences; and the war yet goes on, though with 
diminished fierceness. 
To-day I plead the cause of Nature, and claim for its sciences as important 
places in our schools as are now occupied by the sciences of language, figures, ~ 
etc. Please note well that I do not ask for them more prominence, but equality 
only. 
Let us compare briefly the methods of study and results obtained in each, 
course, and then we can better compare the value of them in their influence upon 
the human mind. 
Here is an old fashioned school. The principal duties are spelling, reading, 
arithmetic, grammar, etc. Day after day and year after year the children gather 
in with their printed books and con over the pages of uninteresting matter. 
Long wordy rules are memorized and recited, but the recitation is. that of the 
parrot; the philosophy of them is not understood at all. How well we all remem- 
