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Show THE PASSING OF MATERIALISM. That wo aro dono with materialism and atheism as philosophies Is asserted assert-ed by Professor Borden P. Bowno of Boston university in Tho Homlletic Rovlow (Now York, Jonuary). What Professor Bowno calls In his title the "Passing of Mechanical Naturalism" Is discussed In this nrtlclo in connection with Professor Haeckcl's two works, "Tho Rlddln of tho Universe" Uni-verse" and "Tho Wonders of Lifts," published nt an interval of six years. Both sot forth what Professor Bowno calls "noivo and confidential materialism material-ism and atheism of tho good, old-fashioned old-fashioned typo," In which tho soul Is "tho physiological notion or function of tho brain" and "tho thought of immortality im-mortality Is absurd," while tho notion of God "has long been exploded and no longer Imposes on educated people." peo-ple." Thcro Is, hpwovcr, tho writer thinks, great significance In Haeckol's attltiulo during theso six years. Though "still fully persuaded In his own mind," ho recognizes, that tho tldo has changed. Professor Bowno writes: "In tho 'Rlddlo' ho (Hacckcl) complains com-plains that many havo fallen away from tho faith. Virchow, like tho foolish fool-ish Galatians, was bewitched in his later years, that ho should not oboy tho truth, hi Bols Raymond also, who for a tlmo ran well In tho ways of monism, afterward erred and strayed from tho way and In his famous fa-mous 'Ignbrablmus Speech' gave occasion oc-casion for tho enemy to triumph. In 18G3 Wundt published his 'Lectures on tho Human and tho Animal Soul.' In this work ho walked worthy of his i high calling In monism, but thirty I yours later ho published a second edition, edi-tion, which was largely a recantation of tho first. In tho preface Wundt speaks of tho fundamental errors of tho first edition and says that ho 'learned many years ago to consider tho work a sin of his youth'; it 'weighed on him as a kind of crime from which ho longed to free hlmsell as soon' as possible.' Haeckel says of it: 'In the first edition ho (Wundt) is purely monistic and materialistic in the second edition purely duallstlc and sprituallstlc.' When tho 'Rddlo of tho Universe was written George Romanes was still supposed to bq faithful and was highly applauded, but In tho 'Wonders of Lifo' Haookel admits that ho also was very far gone from original monistic righteousness and had even adopted 'mystic religious relig-ious views.' "But nono of theso things move the professor, or seem to awaken the slightest doubt on his part of the soundness of his own positions. On tho contrary ho stands llko Abdlel, 'faithful among tho faithless,' and ready to challengo tho four corners of tho intellectual world to dispute his views. Ho finds a charltablo excuse for theso defections. Men aro subject to 'psychological motamorphoses' with advancing years. 'Tho experiences of later years sometimes have tho effect, ef-fect, not of enriching, but of disturbing disturb-ing tho mind, and with old age there comes a gradual decay of tho brain, just as happens In all other organs. It was such a 'metamorphosis' that turned tho critical Kant of tho 'Critique 'Crit-ique of tho Pure Reason' into tho dogmatic dog-matic Kant of tho 'Practical Reason,' and led him to proclaim tho 'three great hallucinations' of God, freedom and immortality to bo indispensable practical postulates In life. It was a similar metamorphosis that transformed trans-formed the Virchow of tho 'Collected Essays on Scientific Medicine' into tho Virchow of tho famous address on 'Tho Liberty of Science In Modern States.' Similarly with Wundt and many others. In Romanes' caso the matter was further complicated by illness and grief at tho loss of friends, In which 'condition of extreme depression depres-sion and melancholy ho fell under mystic influences which promised him rest and hope by belief In the supernatural.' super-natural.' But In all of theso cases It Is pointed out tho earlier views have far greater probability. For tho attainment at-tainment of truth 'tho organ of the mind, tho phronema, must be In a normal condition,' whllo It Is well known that deep emotional disturbance disturb-ance and painful experiences often distort the judgment and cloud the pure light of reason. Thus tho professor pro-fessor keeps on good terms with himself him-self while exercising charity -toward thoso who differ. It may be added that ho shows no signs of a coming 'psychological metamorphosis' in his own case." But tho fact Is, Professor Bowno assorts, as-sorts, that theso so-called "psychological "psycholog-ical metamorphoses" of other scientific scien-tific men aro simply Indications of tho march of science, which has moved away from Haeckel without his realization of that fact. Science, Professor Bowno thinks, Is now simply sim-ply descrlptlvo; it has turned over to philosophy tho business of casual explanation, ex-planation, and philosophy is realizing that such explanation cannot bo mado "on any mechanical and Impersonal plane." In other words, if we aro to credit tho author of "Aspects of Theism," The-ism," materialism Is old-fashioned and "mechanism," as an explanation or tho things that bo, is a back number. I'tcrnry Digest. |