beacon lights of history-iii-2-第72章

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golden　vessels　I　have　stolen　from　the　Egyptians。　　If　you　forgive

me；　I　rejoice。　　If　you　are　angry；　it　is　all　the　same　to　me。　　The

die　is　cast；　the　book　is　written；to　be　read　either　now；　or　by

posterity；　I　care　not　which。　　It　may　well　wait　a　century　for　a

reader；　as　God　has　waited　six　thousand　years　for　an　observer。〃



We　do　not　see　this　sublime　repose　in　the　attitude　of　Galileo；this

falling　back　on　his　own　conscious　greatness；　willing　to　let　things

take　their　natural　course；　but　rather；　on　the　other　hand；　an

impatience　under　contradiction；　a　vehement　scorn　of　adversaries；

and　an　intellectual　arrogance　that　gave　offence；　and　impeded　his

career；　and　injured　his　fame。　　No　matter　how　great　a　man　may　be；

his　intellectual　pride　is　always　offensive；　and　when　united　with

sarcasm　and　mockery　it　will　make　bitter　enemies；　who　will　pull　him

down。



Galileo；　on　his　transfer　to　Padua；　began　to　teach　the　doctrines　of

Copernicus；a　much　greater　genius　than　he；　and　yet　one　who

provoked　no　enmities；　although　he　made　the　greatest　revolution　in

astronomical　knowledge　that　any　man　ever　made；　since　he　was　in　no

haste　to　reveal　his　discoveries；　and　stated　them　in　a　calm　and

inoffensive　way。　　I　doubt　if　new　discoverers　in　science　meet　with

serious　opposition　when　men　themselves　are　not　attacked；　and　they

are　made　to　appeal　to　calm　intelligence；　and　war　is　not　made　on

those　Scripture　texts　which　seem　to　controvert　them。　　Even

theologians　receive　science　when　science　is　not　made　to　undermine

theological　declarations；　and　when　the　divorce　of　science　from

revelation；　reason　from　faith；　as　two　distinct　realms；　is

vigorously　insisted　upon。　　Pascal　incurred　no　hostilities　for　his

scientific　investigations；　nor　Newton；　nor　Laplace。　　It　is　only

when　scientific　men　sneer　at　the　Bible　because　its　declarations

cannot　always　be　harmonized　with　science　that　the　hostilities　of

theologians　are　provoked。　　And　it　is　only　when　theologians　deny

scientific　discoveries　that　seem　to　conflict　with　texts　of

Scripture；　that　opposition　arises　among　scientific　men。　　It　would

seem　that　the　doctrines　of　Copernicus　were　offensive　to　churchmen

on　this　narrow　ground。　　It　was　hard　to　believe　that　the　earth

revolved　around　the　sun；　when　the　opinions　of　the　learned　for　two

thousand　years　were　unanimous　that　the　sun　revolved　around　the

earth。　　Had　both　theologian　and　scientist　let　the　Bible　alone；

there　would　not　have　been　a　bitter　war　between　them。　　But

scientists　were　accused　by　theologians　of　undermining　the　Bible；

and　the　theologians　were　accused　of　stupid　obstinacy；　and　were

mercilessly　exposed　to　ridicule。



That　was　the　great　error　of　Galileo。　　He　made　fun　and　sport　of　the

theologians；　as　Samson　did　of　the　Philistines；　and　the　Philistines

of　Galileo's　day　cut　off　his　locks　and　put　out　his　eyes　when　the

Pope　put　him　into　their　power；those　Dominican　inquisitors　who

made　a　crusade　against　human　thought。　　If　Galileo　had　shown　more

tact　and　less　arrogance；　possibly　those　Dominican　doctors　might

have　joined　the　chorus　of　universal　praise；　for　they　were　learned

men；　although　devoted　to　a　bad　system；　and　incapable　of　seeing

truth　when　their　old　authorities　were　ridiculed　and　set　at　nought。

Galileo　did　not　deny　the　Scriptures；　but　his　spirit　was　mocking；

and　he　seemed　to　prejudiced　people　to　undermine　the　truths　which

were　felt　to　be　vital　for　the　preservation　of　faith　in　the　world。

And　as　some　scientific　truths　seemed　to　be　adverse　to　Scripture

declarations；　the　transition　was　easy　to　a　denial　of　the

inspiration　which　was　claimed　by　nearly　all　Christian　sects；　both

Catholic　and　Protestant。



The　intolerance　of　the　Church　in　every　age　has　driven　many

scientists　into　infidelity；　for　it　cannot　be　doubted　that　the

tendency　of　scientific　investigation　has　been　to　make　scientific

men　incredulous　of　divine　inspiration；　and　hence　to　undermine　their

faith　in　dogmas　which　good　men　have　ever　received；　and　which　are

supported　by　evidence　that　is　not　merely　probable　but　almost

certain。　　And　all　now　that　seems　wanting　to　harmonize　science　with

revelation　is；　on　the　one　hand；　the　re…examination　of　the　Scripture

texts　on　which　are　based　the　principia　from　which　deductions　are

made；　and　which　we　call　theology；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　the

rejection　of　indefensible　statements　which　are　at　war　with　both

science　and　consciousness；　except　in　those　matters　which　claim

special　supernatural　agency；　which　we　can　neither　prove　nor

disprove　by　reason；　for　supernaturalism　claims　to　transcend　the

realm　of　reason　altogether　in　what　relates　to　the　government　of

God；ways　that　no　searching　will　ever　enable　us　to　find　out　with

our　limited　faculties　and　obscured　understanding。　　When　the　two

realms　of　reason　and　faith　are　kept　distinct；　and　neither

encroaches　on　the　other；　then　the　discoveries　and　claims　of　science

will　meet　with　but　little　opposition　from　theologians；　and　they

will　be　left　to　be　sifted　by　men　who　alone　are　capable　of　the　task。



Thus　far　science；　outside　of　pure　mathematics；　is　made　up　of

theories　which　are　greatly　modified　by　advancing　knowledge；　so　that

they　cannot　claim　in　all　respects　to　be　eternally　established；　like

the　laws　of　Kepler　and　the　discoveries　of　Copernicus；the　latter

of　which　were　only　true　in　the　main　fact　that　the　earth　revolves

around　the　sun。　　But　even　he　retained　epicycles　and　excentrics；　and

could　not　explain　the　unequal　orbits　of　planetary　motion。　　In　fact

he　retained　many　of　the　errors　of　Hipparchus　and　Ptolemy。　　Much；

too；　as　we　are　inclined　to　ridicule　the　astronomy　of　the　ancients

because　they　made　the　earth　the　centre；　we　should　remember　that

they　also　resolved　the　orbits　of　the　heavenly　bodies　into　circular

motions；　discovered　the　precession　of　the　equinoxes；　and　knew　also

the　apparent　motions　of　the　planets　and　their　periods。　　They　could

predict　eclipses　of　the　sun　and　moon；　and　knew　that　the　orbit　of

the　sun　and　planets　was　through　a　belt　in　the　heavens；　of　a　few

degrees　in　width；　which　they　called　the　Zodiac。　　They　did　not　know；

indeed；　the　difference　between　real　and　apparent　motion；　nor　the

distance　of　the　sun　and　stars；　nor　their　relative　size　and　weight；

nor　the　laws　of　motion；　nor　the　principles　of　gravitation；　nor　the

nature　of　the　Milky　Way；　nor　the　existence　of　nebulae；　nor　any　of

the　wonders　which　the　telescope　reveals；　but　in　the　severity　of

their　mathematical　calculations　they　were　quite　equal　to　modern

astronomers。



If　Copernicus　revolutionized　astronomy　by　proving　the　sun　to　be　the

centre　of　motion　to　our　planetary　system；　Galileo　gave　it　an

immense　impulse　by　his　discoveries　with　the　telescope。　　These　did

not　require　such　marvellous　mathematical　powers　as　made　Kepler　and

Newton　immortal；the　equals　of　Ptolemy　and　Hipparchus　in

mathematical　demonstrationbut　only　accuracy　and　perseverance　in

observations。　　Doubtless　he　was　a　great　mathematician；　but　his　fame

rests　on　his　observations　and　the　deductions　he　made　from　them。

These　were　more　easily　comprehended；　and　had　an　objective　value

which　made　him　popular：　and　for　these　discoveries　he　was　indebted

in　a　great　measure　to　the　labors　of　others；it　was　mechanical

invention　applied　to　the　advancement　of　science。　　The　utilization

of　science　was　reserved　to　our　times；　and　it　is　this　utilization

which　makes　science　such　a　handmaid　to　the　enrichment　of　its

votaries；　and　holds　it　up　to　worship　in　our　laboratories　and

schools　of　technology　and　mines；　not　merely　for　itself；　but　also

for　the　substantial　fruit　it　yields。



It　was　when　Galileo　was　writing　treatises　on　the　Structure　of　the

Universe；　on　Local　Motion；　on　Sound；　on　Continuous　Quantity；　on

Light；　on　Colors；　on　the　Tides；　on　Dialing；subjects　that　also

interested　Lord　Bacon　at　the　same　period；and　when　he　was　giving

lectures　on　these　subjects　with　immense　eclat；　frequently　to　one

thousand　persons　（scarcely　less　than　what　Abelard　enjoyed　when　he

made　fun　of　the　more　conservative　schoolmen　with