THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN THE PAST YEAR. 137 
abreast with the physical sciences, interpreting by the hght of each new fact, each 
new form of truth in nature and the symbol it presents to be read. 
It is hard to tread in the paths of this field of inquiry without crossing the 
lines of religious thought and belief, or creed — a department that oiir Association 
does not propose to enter. But in the widest sense all these — psychology, biology, 
and kindred topics — grow out of scientific facts. A truth in nature, the knowl- 
edge of which is science, is a whole and universal. The discoveries in electricity, 
as we have seen, are modifying our views as to the constitution and functions of 
the Sun itself. And as the Sun is the source of support for all forms of life, it is 
a legitimate hypothesis to assume that it may have an influence in the origin of 
life. As what we call electricity is now known to pervade everything in nature, 
flowing out from, returning and controlling, the suggestion logically arises, whether 
it does not disclose to us, if not life itself, the law of life in all things. It is not 
necessary to introduce mere matters of faith or belief as to religion into the ques- 
tion, nor on the other hand should we hesitate to grapple with the problem from 
anything connected with it. The man who will reject a fact lest it disturb a 
belief, is of as little use in matters of religion as in science or economy. Had 
this been so in the past there would have been no science — in fact religion, as we 
have it in this age, would have been impossible. 
In this direction we have had in our own city recently a very significant 
event — the task undertaken by one of the ablest of modern platform advocates, 
of reconciling the latest achievments of physical science with the teachings of 
revelation. The importance of this occurrence is in the fact that scientific truth 
can no longer be discarded by anybody, but must be accepted when found. All 
departments of intellectual activity must stand in logical relation to the truth, 
whatever it be. There is not power enough on the earth to-day, if combined all 
in one, to crush out the humblest truth, in whatever department it maybe found. 
This is the most important and influential fact of the nineteenth century. 
As recognized by the distinguished advocate referred to, underlying all 
knowledge in this direction is the problem of life, its origin and its destiny, and 
this was the burden of the argument on the occasion we refer to. If, then, it is 
the obligation of religious thought to be reconciled with scientific truth, it is not 
improper for us to follow out the lines of inquiry that truth may suggest. And 
there was one very marked feature in the argument of the distinguished gentle- 
man referred to, that recognized the very foundation inquiry of this age in philo- 
sophical science. It was the question raised by microscopic research with bioplasm 
— as to living matter. This substance is the same in all forms of life, vegetable 
and animal. The legitimate scientific deduction from this fact is the query: If 
this is so, is not all life the same, governed only in its phenomena by the form of 
matter through which it is expressed ? 
In this inquiry we do not touch upon religious faith, which is based upon 
miracle — for this assumed there is an end of investigation — but our inquiry is for 
the law. It is an axiom of the mind, that nothing can be ascribed to miracle if 
the cause can be found. And it is the highest conception of science that what is 
