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6
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
h
and nearer has she boci drawn upon tho
ecionliflc basis of lousoning, while, n'
cioli slop, liuvo tin? boundaries between
Science niul Religion boon nioro dourly
defined. More itml morn of the edicts of
Bolonco has sho bi'on compelled to adopt
its law. Shu is sensible of this and dreads
Science. Science Is sensible of it and dc
episi's Religion. Religion is still inclined
to ."ctlU- all questions by exclaiming, "Thus
Biiith tliu Lord!" "Great is the mystery
of godliness," is considered a sufficient
argument lo ostai'lish tliti credibility of
any human conception of Divinity, or his
uttribulos, however gross, distorted, or tin
worthy of man, much less u God. Hut
the Church is slowly beginning to realize
that sho must quote something besides her
creed to prove her creed. Sho must cite
something besides tho Bible, to prove tho
statements of the Scriptures; lor the
probability of these is the very tiling in
question. Sho is beginning to perceive
that all sceptics are not fools nor knaves,
find that the mind without the element of
nceptioism in it is little superior to passive
Matter; for scepticism is the purilleatorof
Religion, and tho establisher of Science.
The day is come, when reason must be
used, even in tho religion of Christ, if it
hhiill still prevail. Let Religion pruneolf,
(is soon as may be, every sensuous
human conception from her only
really religious element, the conviction of
the existence of Tho First Principle, and
the great hone of contention will fall. No
doubt the pruning process will be painful;
it will terribly lacerate human pride, and
human sensibilities.
' Religionists aro also ery much prone
to dodge the legitimate conclusion derived
from facts, because they would be perilous
Mo preconceived and cherished ideals, and
would lead to scepticism, materialism, fa
talism, or atheism The only true philos
ophy for the investigation of truth is to
enquire, What ti, not What outht to be.
lleligion too seldom applies this ride, but.
with craven weakness, bogs the qucsthn,
by first allirming what ought lo be, accord
"ing to certain preconceived dogmas, and
-then concluding that facts do, or must be
forced to conform thereto.
Take one or two examples.
Should you predicate a law of liar
mony in the Universe: namely, that there
uro a mutual dependence and a harmonious
development in all Nature's processes, in
all things and verities: For instance, in
Psychology, that all iiitolligciic, whether
manifested, as so-called instinct, in the
brute, in mnii, or in the Infinite, is but u
degree, or mode of the Absolute Intelli
gence. Or thai the Potentiality manifest
id in tho phenomena of .lectricity, mus
cular action, light, magnetism, is a mode
of iho Absolute Force. In shirt, when
you proclaim the grand law of ttcnlutio,J
i i...... .I..., :i i i:..., i... il
uuu ainm nun it iiiiiura u sujirri'ii mill
in ro iuconcchnblc author than ihe time
honored and time-mouldy, Orthodox con.
ceplion; when you show that each of iho
millions of suecussive degrees of develop,
menl in mind and matter, according to the
fcimplo law of harmony, constitutes a
,greater mystery, a more wonderful miracle,
ihun tho Fiats of Genesis; Christianity
will acknowledge it, but with a very great
reservation, both mental and expressed.
.6ho will admit that it looks reasonable, it
niay be true, sho hopes ii is; but, if so, it
ougJU not, must not demolish the fond ide.
al, which has so long been dearly cherished,
of tho original Bin, primeval purity, and
Adamic felicity. Tho iconoclast of this
ideal is the Antichrist. But you persist
in Insisting, that the question is, " Is it Ihe
truth?" not, "Ought It to be the truth V"
You grant that, perhaps, Evolution, when
oleaily carried out to its legitimate results,
inii annihilate the doctrine of the fall of
man, and consequently play sad havoc
with Christ, Regeneration, and tho Iiuinac
ulalo Conception. In icply religionists
point triumphantly topei-.onal experience,
and asseit that thousands of good men of
undoubted veracity and sound judgment,
testify, that they have experienced the I
joys and happiness, consequent on accept
ing Jesus as the atonement and Saviour.
They have felt ecstatic transport of soul,
inellable, spiiilual joys, and the spirit of
the Redeemer resting sweetly upon their
hearts, in direct answer to prayer. You
acknowledge that the testimony is unim
peachable, so far as the phenomena mani
fested in such cases aro concerned. It is
folly to deny personal experience. You
believe that individuals do feel such joys,
and experience such emotions every day.
Hut you suggest that the cause may be
something else; that the emotions felt
may have been produced in the mind ac
cording to psychological laws; perhaps
the morbid or abnormal action of tho
mental faculties. They may have origi
nated in an extremely powerlul action of
Die will in fine, from excessive Faith.
Will and Faith have made the experience
real, though both the cause and the emo
tions were within tho mindentirely sub
jective. Hut now behold your adversary
is horrified, and finishes Iho argument in
a summary manner, by hurling at you tho
convenient malediction If ye doubt, ye
shall be damned.
Again, should you declare that the ab
stract theory of Ihe Universe and Involution
render the very idea of a Triune God, and
direct Revelation inconceivable, and that
such an idea does violenco to the con
sciousness of an indefinable First Cause,
Rel'gion turns away in abb orencc from
you, pities your ignorance ind depravity,
and hurls the dogmas of the Hible at your
recreant head the very tiling vou ask her
to reason with you about. Is ii not prob
able thntjliucvokitioii of Scripture may I
bo true, in solar as it lias been the only
languagoofVlho mysterious, intelligible to
man, or rather the only interpretation
which the imperfectly developed, finite
mind could give to ihe revolution of tho
Infinite, and yet bo a false interpretation,
when compared with the more refined
conception of a Being, utterly mysterious'
and unconditioned?
But Science, or rather Liberalism, is no .
guiltless. She is quite liable lo ignore '
"the soul of good" in the deformity oft
Religion, and exercise little charity. AJ
groat deal of tho "free thought" of the '
day is downright, narrow-minded bigotry
ami prejudice, For example, noi long !
since wo heard a t. denied gentleman and
teacher of Icltori, in our own city confess,
that when tho woman of Canaan besought
aid of Jesus, and he said, " It is not meet
to lake Ihe children's bread and to cast it
lo dogs," ho did a deed of sollis'.i inhu
manity, and unworthy even of ageiuroiis
hearted man. Now any candid reader
must acknowledge, that Ihe whole history
of Jesus, and this incident in particular,
show that he meant to include all, Jew,
Publican, and Canaanilo, in ihcphin of
redemption. And right bore arises the
greatest peril to tho disciples of tho Now
Philosophy. I now speak of the average
man in society especially Ihe young.
The most pitiable spectac'o I know of, is
that of a young manor woman and there
are many such among us proud of his
independence and freedom from Iho slav
ery of Creed, und yet rushing to the ridic
ulous extreme ol Atheism or Fatalism. I
have known persons, who, becamo tho III
hie taught the necessity of virtue, or the
doctrine of moral obligation, in other
words, the mind's power lo discriminate
between right and wrong, would deny thai
there is any virtue, any conscience, any
standard of rlglil. This is blind folly, the
legitimate fruit of ignorance.
Thus it is seen, as was concluded, in tho
outset, that it is the evil in each that onus
es the conflict in Religion and Science.
How sad and absurd lor an intelligent be
ing to array the faculties of his mind
against themselves his consciousness of
(lie super-human, against liis actual knowl
edge of nature's laws! One is as evident
ly a constituent of our being as the oilier
Without either we would be something
else, than the human, While on the one
hand, it must be admitted that Religion
has always and valiantly clung to an ulti
mate and grand truth, on the other hand
the existence of an olllco for Foilh must
not be denied. Says Sir William Hamil
ton : '"We are thus taught the salutary lcs.
son, that the capacity of thought is not to
be constituted into the measure of exis
tence; and are warned from recognizing
the domain of our knowledge as necessiir
My co-exlonsive with the horizon of our
faith." Ho furthermore alllrms that it is
the greatest wisdom in Science to recog
nize an existence which lies beyond the
reach of philosophy.
"It must bo co Pluto llion rensoneet well I
JJIsu whence Hits pleasing hopo, tills fondduelrc,
This longing nllcr huinorlnlllyi
Or whoue.o this sucrol dread, mat inward horror,
Of fulling Into nntight ? Why shrinks the soul
Unci; on her.sulf. uml tnrtle ut ilustruotion?
"PN tho divinity Hint mlrs within in.;
TIs Ilcnvon Itnolf, thnl points oat n huronftur,
Mitl Intiiniitwa eternity to num."
Behold, then, amnesty and sweet peace
will rest upon this mental strile, when
Faith and Knowledge, Science and Nosoi
once shall embrace, and acknowledge the
sisterly bond which unites them.
0. E. II.
(For tho Hesperian Student.)
Cciitoiinlnl .
One hundrud ywirs iigo to-duy.
In CongrofK mut, mulct gathering fray,
Tho ho.iry bond- of blood-bought etrnnd.
To break the tics of tyrant bnud.
Which bound America to foioign lands.
Whon poul on pol afar was honnl,
And muffling drum ami huet'nliig trtind.
Wore echoing from yomlur sky
Kucli friend unto hits friend drew nigh,
And snid, with freedom lot us die.
Then Ihr and wldo our troop wore pent,
Though Kngllnh bulls tholr rohtinut- rent.
'.Mirt hcruem of douili and c.-irimgi u-d.
And piilo-fticed m-n. whuxo heart hud bled;
Yel freedom triumphed o'er tho dead.
Hill lluw the ei II, ' of Mill- are o'er.
And we by Icing- re ruled no tnoio
Shonld not our heart In joyful ming.
sing prnUii to Uod and all III throng,
To Whom our freedom Uk' belong t
J. C V. McKhmion.
Proceedings of the Board
EEvg-cnih.
of
Tho recent session of tho Hoard of Re
gents was an eventful one. Much business
of importnnco was transacted. Wo give
below a summary of the more important
proceedings.
The library and cabinet committee roc
ommended the purchase of the "North
American Review " for tho library.
The Chancellor was authorized to pub
lish the usual catalogue.
Tl was provided that each student, n
(he future, shall pay five dollars before
entering the analytical class.
Tho Chance! lor ami Professor AiMicy
wore authorized lo publish a catalogim i,r
the I. -ind and Fresh walor Shells of Ne
braska, as soon as possible.
The names of Prof. Geo. McMillan
Prof. H. C. Burgess, H S. Taylor, 'Ionry
Blake, and Prof. Darloy wore pre tMitcd
as candidates for tho chair of Modern
Languages. Prof. McMillan of Iv.-ntuckj
Was elected.
.Mr. J. S. Dales, of tho class of 'Ty, Wll,
chosen Secretary of Iho B mrd. Tho
choice was a wise one; Mr. Dales is well
qualified for the position.
Mr II. Culberlson was elected foreman
of the Farm. Ho is a graduate of an
eastern institution, also, of our Agricultur.
al College. For the last year ho has been
foreman of the gnr.len. Prof. Thompson
having resigned itis position as Dean of
tho Agricultural College, Mr. Culberlson
will perform the duties of that Chair for
the ensuing term. We sincerely congrat.
ulnto Harvey on his appointment. Ho is
worthy of all confidence which the Re
gents may repose in him.
An appropriation of $iriOus made for
the purpose or representing tho University
at the Centennial.
Regent Tuttle presented iho following:
liexolml, That the faculty submit to the
mwl meeting of the board, some plan,
whereby all students may be allowed the
privileges of" the library alike, if practica.
oio Willi Hit safely of tin- same.
UKSIUNATIONS OF OIIANCKM.OU IIRNTON
AM) IMtOF. THOMPSON.
To tho Honorable, the Jiourd of Jlcornts of
tho Uiricerxfty of Nebraska:
In accordance wilh a notice given at
the Inst meeting of your honorable body,
I hereby lender to you my resignation us
Chancellor or the University of Nebraska,
lo take efloot at the close of the current
year, July, 1870.
This resignation is offered at the pres
ent meeting in pursuance of a purposo
long since formed, and that the Hoard
may have ample lime boforo the opening
of the next j car lo scout o my successor in
olllco.
At the close of this college year Iho
University will have completed five years
from its opening, and these probably the
most trying years of ils history. From
the first theio have been grave embalms
monts, arising from Iho defective construc
tion of the building, the impoverished
condition of the country, and fiom (lie
largo outlays made necessary in Ihe proper
opening of the University. '
in so short a time, and under such ad
voioe circumstances, to have organized all
classes ol Ihe University; to have gradua'
ted icn stiidfiitu including the senior
class ol the present your and to liavo
reached an attendance of nearly one Imn
dred and bi.i3" students, wilh concord and
olliciency in the Faculty, and entire har
mony between ihe Faculty and so largo a
body of Mudonts is u work of no small
magnitude.
Having completed tho time, and the
work proponed to mysoif on comiugto the
University, I desire lo be rolievod at the
close or tho prtsent college year of my
duties ns Chancellor, that I may accopt a
position ofl'eied me in tho University of
'Indianapolis, an institution now of ample
resources, and one which 1 have had tho
honor of serving forjfourtcen consecutivo
years.
I desire also to take this occasion to ex-