XIV. 
THE STABILITY OF TRUTH. 
‘*Grau, theurer Freund, ist alle Theorie, 
Und griin des Lebens goldner Baum.”—GoETHE. 
WITHIN the last few years three notable assaults 
have been made on the integrity of science. Two of 
these have come from the hostile camp 
of medieval metaphysics, the other from 
the very front of the army of science 
itself. Salisbury, Balfour, and Haeckel 
agree in this, that “ belief’ may rest on foundations un- 
known to “knowledge,” and that the conclusions of sci- 
ence may be subject to additions and revisions in accord- 
ance with the demands of “ belief.” To some considera- 
tions suggested in part by Balfour’s Foundations of 
Belief and Haeckel’s Confession of Faith of a Man of 
Science, I invite attention in the present paper. 
The growing complexity of civilized life demands 
constantly more knowledge as to our material surround- 
ings and greater precision in our recog- 
nition of the invisible forces or tendencies 
about us. We are in the hands of the 
Fates, and the greater our activities the more evident 
become these limiting conditions. The secret of man's 
power is to know his limitations. To this end we 
need constantly new accessions of truth as to the uni- 
verse and better definition of the truths which are old. 
334 
Assaults on the 
integrity of 
science. 
The secret of 
power. 
