Hesperian
Student.
VOL, s.
University or .Ycbtutafia,
NO 11.
jicoiSinuu
Qui noiiProilolt. liollolt.
187.
lror. Tymlull'N AddroHM.
The Into address of Prof. Tymlall at
Belfast, if not the most important coniri.
bution to scientific literature made during
the year, has confessedly produced more
controversy and asperity among scientists,
than any other production. It was a
bombshell thrown from the entrench
ments of science, causing great alarm,
though doing but little execution. The
chief cause of this quivering excitement
is to be found in the fancied danger which
a great name lends to a dangerous douma.
It is common to suppose that because a
man has achieved eminence in a single
line of investigation, his opinions arc well
nigh infallible in every other. It by no
means follows that a successful investiga
tor of material phenomena, will be equal
ly successful in the realm of mindand
spiritual forces. The subjects in these
two great realms and the processes of in
vestigation in each being totally un ike,
it Is presumptively true that tho man Hio
by taste, bias, and hate has gained emi
nence in one of these directions, will be
thereby disqualified for safe and trust
worthy labors in the other. Universal
knowledge and universal aptitude belong
1o no man, and the " ne ultui crcpidam" is
just as properly applied to Prof. Tymlall
as to any other man. His claim to be
heard and followed in one department,
does not therefore establish his leadership
in other departments of research.
A urotest has been raised against the
wholo strain and tendency of thoaddiess,
which is held to be one of materialism,
and implicit denial of an intelligent Au
thor of tho material universe.
The purpose of this short article is to
point out 6ome of tho more obvious short
comings, and the inconclusivoucss of parts
of Die address.
1. At the beginning of his address
there is a "svpprcsxio vert" which has all
the effect of a misstatement of fact. The
impression is sought to be conveyed, that
the prevalence of anthropomorphism, in
respect to the origin of tho universe, forc
ed the leaders of scientific speculation to
adopt the " pregnant doctrine of atoms
and molecules."
From the hislon of speculative thought,
it is evident that the earliest school of phi
losophy, the Ionic, was thoroughly mater
ialistic. Synchronous with this and an
tngonistio to it, there arose another philos
phy which denied that water, air, .or fire
were causes at all. II held in opposition
to materialism, that tho "fo apclran" or
the " noun" was tho efllcient cause of all
phenomena. Anthropomorphism as an
element of philosophy, and as effecting
the development of speculative thought
was of much later date. From the oarli
est ages, the great doctrine, which ascribes
the origin of all things to an injinilo in
telligcnce, commanded thehomago of the
oftiest intellects, such as Anaxagoras,
Xenophaucs, Socrates, Pluto, etc., and as
the sti earn descends it widens and deepens,
refreshing and fertilizing the arid realm
of metnphysiccal speculation.
This lino or philosophical thought is
entirely ignored by this eminent physicist
in his sketch of the history of philosophy,
and its studious suppression hits the effect
to mislead the uninformed.
2. As the notions commonly entertain
ed with respect to tho nature of matter,
stand in tho way of a belief which ho is
about to profess, he must needs modify
and readjust them. Matter is no longer
inert, lifeless, and subject only to median,
ical laws, but it possesses a " potency to
originate every form and quality of life."
As if startled by so audacious an assertion
he hastens at once to qualify and explain
Casting his eye beyond the boundaries of
experiment, as he says, he discerns "a cos
mical life" in which matter and soul have
thin roots, and of this 'cosmic life' nothing
can be known. The attempt would "be
as lutile as to try to lift one's self by his
waistband". This "Power manifested in
ovolution is absolutely inscrutable to tho
intellect of man". This Power, or J ife is
keep it about his person, he anxiously
searched for some safe hiding place. All
at once his look brightened; he stepped
to the chimney, drew out the stove pipe,
and then, as there was no fine guard,
thrust the parcel into tho unused Hue of
an adjacent room. In less than half a
minute the pipe was replaced, and no
casual observer would have noticed that
it had ever been disturbed.
"When the ranchcros had done their
work at the bridge, they relumed, accord
in to agreement, to the crossing of the
trails below the old fort to meet Kelly and
Wardlaw, where they were to deliver up
the clothes of their victim, and receive
compensation for their services. When
they reached the meeting place, Diego
gavo the clothing to Kelly, who seized
them eagerly and began to feel them all
over, vainly searching, with many an oath
for the coveted treasure. Diego demamkd
the money that was due to him. Kelly
accused him of not having passed over to
confessed to be beyond the boundaries of him all that had been taken from the body.
experiment or observation, and belongs to
the category of the Unknowable.
Now Science has to do, and only to do
with that which may be known and veri
fled ; hence this "Power absolutely inscru
table" to us docs not belong to tho realm
of Science at all, and why need Prof. Tyn
dall trouble himself about itV Why need
lie warn others oft' this ground when he
has no title to an inch of it ? So that af
ter all there may be a God, an infinite in
telligence, a cosmic Hie perchance he may
be, au all devising, creative mind.
When, therefore, he "abandoned all dis
guise" and ostensibly announced a new
doctrine and definition of matter, with
such a llourish, lie lias really given us
nothing new on the subject. The nature
of matter is as mysterious as ever, and its
capabilities to produce life ot every qual
ity are only conjectures, confessed with a
simplicity that would be amusing were
they not accepted by some as demonsti ti
ed and incontrovertible facts. Some
things remain to be said on the nature of
matter, as far as it is known to modern
science, and on the evidences of design,
or the Ideological argument, as seen in
nature, which must be resorved for anoth
er time. A. It. B.
What Became of Blini.
jy c. v. m.
Concluded.
CIIAlVriJK V.
WHAT HKCAMK OK HIM.
After Dr. Mantor and Gilbert Van Zaiidt
had retired, Kelly made all possible haste
to Wardlaw's. Rousing him at last, by
knocking repeatedly, the door was un
fastened and the two w ere soon engaged
in an earnest consultation, the partial re
sult of which we have already seen.
But they had, unfortunately for them
reckoned without their host, as it were.
For Dr. .Mantor had begun as soon as ho
entered his room, to look for a suitable
place in which to secrete the precious
parcel. Fearing, lie hardly knew why, to
Diego indignantly denied the charge. Iu
his passion of mingled disappointment,
suspicion, and anger, Kelly, losing all
command of himself, threw the lie upon
him, drawing his revolver. Immediately
the report of a single shot rang out upon
tho air. By the next Hash of lightening,
that for u moment dispelled the darkness
of the stormy night, could be seen a horse
dashing away riderless over the prairie.
Kelly had not fired.
When Dr. Mantcr cimo to himself again
the almost resistless current of the river
was bearing him rapidly down stream.
The icy coldness of the water had restor
ed his consciousness. And bewildered as
he was, not oven knowing in what manner
lie had met with his misfortune, lie struck
bravely out for the bank. Borne hither
and thither by the eddying waters, now
hurled against the rocks in the midst of
the rnpids, now imprisoned by masses of
lloating debris, ajrain and again drawn be
neath the surface by strong uuder-currents
he finally struggled to the bank, and once
more was safe. The cord, by which the
weight had been attached to his body, had
worked loose and bad freed itself "both
from the stone and his feet. Scaling the
steep hauk he, witli much difficulty found
his way to the river trail, which he follow
ed back to Tokoma as rapidly as his
nearly exhausted strength would admit.
Arriving at the house of a friend, lie was
cordially welcomed and was provided with
comfortable clothing, food and shelter-
After his recovery from the ensuing ill
ness, Dr. Mantcr heard of the discovery of
Kelly's body and the disappearance of
Diego and the ranchcros. But so sudden
had been the attack upon him, that had it
not been for their subsequent course of ac
tion, he would have been utterly unable
to fasten the deed upon the ranchcros or
even to identify any one of his would be
murderers. As soon as he was able to
leave his bed ho returned to tho hotel, and
aain was in possession of tho treasure
that had so nearly cost him his life. Drop--
ping a letter to his nephew, Zanle, lie
straightened all liis allaiiH, and nnule haste
to follow his letter by the next stage.
Two days and a half of jolting, jarring
and rocking bacitwards, forwards and
sideways, then with a few more days of
steamboat and railroad travel, Dr. Planter
found himself comfortably ensconced in
Zantc and Alvin's cosy suit of rooms.
But the strain had been too great.
Mouth after month of a gradual butstcady
decline followed, and upon his graduation
day Gilbert Van Zandt was the sole pos
sessor of the ill-starred treasure.
The wedding was at Mrs. Galigni's.
And the happy couple didn.t go to tho
continent. Zante had a'.wnys had a desiro
to travel in Egypt; it was at last satisfied:
Returning from the pyramids he fell a vic
tim to the climate. Poor Madge had left
htr country a bride, returned a widow.
But as the years rolled by, her old suitor,
Alvin De Puy, sued again; and this time
not iu vain.
Many a cold winter night, as the family
were all seated around the glowing hearth
fire, has Alvin De Puy told tho story of
his college days to some chance visitor as
Three Lives for One Fortune, or Drexel
Manter and What Became of Him.
ECHOES FROM NORMAL HALL.
FKOM OUlt HKGUIjAK COHUKSrONDKNT.
Our Principal elect, Rev. A. Freeman,
D. D., arrived Tuesday, Nov, 24. He will
not take charge of the school, however,
until the beginuiug of next term, Jan. 7.
Several of our students have left us iu
the last few weeks; most of them to teach.
The first-unniversary of the dedication
of the building which we now occupy
was celebrated in Normal Hall, Dec. 2,
and 11.
Wednesday evening, Dec. 2, we listened
to four original productions prepared by
the members of the "fourth year class"
and ton declamation and select reading by
two members of the "first year class"
Thursday evening the exercises were
composed of the following: First, a re
port of tho progress made by the school
duriug the first term of this year, by Prof.
Wilson, acting Principal. From tho re
port we glean the following: Number of
students in tho Preparatory Department
145 ; number in the Normal Department,
05; total number enrolled in both for this
term, 210. Examining tho catalogue fox
the year 1S73-4, Ave find that during the
entire yaar there were enrolled in the Pi e
puratory Department, 144, and in the Nor
mal, 80. The present year Is only about
one third gone, and yet our list shows but
14 less enrolled than during tho entire
year of 16753-4. Prof. Wilson said he had
received a grout many letters from young
men and ladies on the frontier who had
intended to come to the Normal this year
but have been deterred from so doing be
cause of tho failure in crops. Had it not.
been for this, tho building would, ,hayo,
been crowded to its utmost.
Second, short addresses by tha follojy-
1
A
