lecture20-第6章

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in　getting　itself　recorded　at　all。　　We　know　this　to　be　true



already　in　certain　cases；　it　may；　therefore；　be　true　in　others　as



well。　　Miraculous　healings　have　always　been　part　of　the



supernaturalist　stock　in　trade；　and　have　always　been　dismissed　by



the　scientist　as　figments　of　the　imagination。　　But　the



scientist's　tardy　education　in　the　facts　of　hypnotism　has



recently　given　him　an　apperceiving　mass　for　phenomena　of　this



order；　and　he　consequently　now　allows　that　the　healings　may



exist；　provided　you　expressly　call　them　effects　of　〃suggestion。〃　



Even　the　stigmata　of　the　cross　on　Saint　Francis's　hands　and　feet



may　on　these　terms　not　be　a　fable。　　Similarly；　the　time…honored



phenomenon　of　diabolical　possession　is　on　the　point　of　being



admitted　by　the　scientist　as　a　fact；　now　that　he　has　the　name　of



〃hystero…demonopathy〃　by　which　to　apperceive　it。　　No　one　can



foresee　just　how　far　this　legitimation　of　occultist　phenomena



under　newly　found　scientist　titles　may　proceedeven　〃prophecy；〃



even　〃levitation；〃　might　creep　into　the　pale。















Thus　the　divorce　between　scientist　facts　and　religious　facts　may



not　necessarily　be　as　eternal　as　it　at　first　sight　seems；　nor　the



personalism　and　romanticism　of　the　world；　as　they　appeared　to



primitive　thinking；　be　matters　so　irrevocably　outgrown。　　The



final　human　opinion　may；　in　short；　in　some　manner　now　impossible



to　foresee；　revert　to　the　more　personal　style；　just　as　any　path



of　progress　may　follow　a　spiral　rather　than　a　straight　line。　　If



this　were　so；　the　rigorously　impersonal　view　of　science　might　one



day　appear　as　having　been　a　temporarily　useful　eccentricity



rather　than　the　definitively　triumphant　position　which　the



sectarian　scientist　at　present　so　confidently　announces　it　to　be。







You　see　now　why　I　have　been　so　individualistic　throughout　these



lectures；　and　why　I　have　seemed　so　bent　on　rehabilitating　the



element　of　feeling　in　religion　and　subordinating　its　intellectual



part。　　Individuality　is　founded　in　feeling；　and　the　recesses　of



feeling；　the　darker；　blinder　strata　of　character；　are　the　only



places　in　the　world　in　which　we　catch　real　fact　in　the　making；



and　directly　perceive　how　events　happen；　and　how　work　is　actually



done。＇338＇　　Compared　with　this　world　of　living　individualized



feelings；　the　world　of　generalized　objects　which　the　intellect



contemplates　is　without　solidity　or　life。　　As　in　stereoscopic　or



kinetoscopic　pictures　seen　outside　the　instrument；　the　third



dimension；　the　movement；　the　vital　element；　are　not　there。　　We



get　a　beautiful　picture　of　an　express　train　supposed　to　be



moving；　but　where　in　the　picture；　as　I　have　heard　a　friend　say；



is　the　energy　or　the　fifty　miles　an　hour？＇339＇







＇338＇　Hume's　criticism　has　banished　causation　from　the　world　of



physical　objects；　and　〃Science〃　is　absolutely　satisfied　to　define



cause　in　terms　of　concomitant　change…read　Mach；　Pearson；　Ostwald。



The　〃original〃　of　the　notion　of　causation　is　in　our　inner



personal　experience；　and　only　there　can　causes　in　the



old…fashioned　sense　be　directly　observed　and　described。







＇339＇　When　I　read　in　a　religious　paper　words　like　these：　



〃Perhaps　the　best　thing　we　can　say　of　God　is　that　he　is　THE



INEVITABLE　INFERENCE；〃　I　recognize　the　tendency　to　let　religion



evaporate　in　intellectual　terms。　　Would　martyrs　have　sung　in　the



flames　for　a　mere　inference；　however　inevitable　it　might　be？　



Original　religious　men；　like　Saint　Francis；　Luther；　Behmen；　have



usually　been　enemies　of　the　intellect's　pretension　to　meddle　with



religious　things。　　Yet　the　intellect；　everywhere　invasive；　shows



everywhere　its　shallowing　effect。　　See　how　the　ancient　spirit　of



Methodism　evaporates　under　those　wonderfully　able　rationalistic



booklets　（which　every　one　should　read）　of　a　philosopher　like



Professor　Bowne　（The　Christian　Revelation；　The　Christian　Life　The



Atonement：　　Cincinnati　and　New　York；　1898；　1899；　1900）。　　See　the



positively　expulsive　purpose　of　philosophy　properly　so　called：







〃Religion；〃　writes　M。　　Vacherot　（La　Religion；　Paris；　1869；　pp。



313；　436；　et　passim）；　〃answers　to　a　transient　state　or　condition；



not　to　a　permanent　determination　of　human　nature；　being　merely　an



expression　of　that　stage　of　the　human　mind　which　is　dominated　by



the　imagination。　。　。　。　Christianity　has　but　a　single　possible



final　heir　to　its　estate；　and　that　is　scientific　philosophy。〃







In　a　still　more　radical　vein；　Professor　Ribot　（Psychologie　des



Sentiments；　p。　310）　describes　the　evaporation　of　religion。　　He



sums　it　up　in　a　single　formulathe　ever…growing　predominance　of



the　rational　intellectual　element；　with　the　gradual　fading　out　of



the　emotional　element；　this　latter　tending　to　enter　into　the



group　of　purely　intellectual　sentiments。　　〃Of　religious　sentiment



properly　so　called；　nothing　survives　at　last　save　a　vague　respect



for　the　unknowable　x　which　is　a　last　relic　of　the　fear；　and　a



certain　attraction　towards　the　ideal；　which　is　a　relic　of　the



love；　that　characterized　the　earlier　periods　of　religious　growth。







To　state　this　more　simply；　religion　tends　to　turn　into　religious



philosophy。These　are　psychologically　entirely　different　things；



the　one　being　a　theoretic　construction　of　ratiocination；　whereas



the　other　is　the　living　work　of　a　group　of　persons；　or　of　a　great



inspired　leader；　calling　into　play　the　entire　thinking　and



feeling　organism　of　man。〃







I　find　the　same　failure　to　recognize　that　the　stronghold　of



religion　lies　in　individuality　in　attempts　like　those　of



Professor　Baldwin　（Mental　Development；　Social　and　Ethical



Interpretations；　ch。　x）　and　Mr。　H。　R。　Marshall　（Instinct　and



Reason；　chaps。　　viii。　to　xii。）　to　make　it　a　purely　〃conservative



social　force。〃















Let　us　agree；　then；　that　Religion；　occupying　herself　with



personal　destinies　and　keeping　thus　in　contact　with　the　only



absolute　realities　which　we　know；　must　necessarily　play　an



eternal　part　in　human　history。　　The　next　thing　to　decide　is　what



she　reveals　about　those　destinies；　or　whether　indeed　she　reveals



anything　distinct　enough　to　be　considered　a　general　message　to



mankind。　　We　have　done　as　you　see；　with　our　preliminaries；　and



our　final　summing　up　can　now　begin。







I　am　well　aware　that　after　all　the　palpitating　documents　which　I



have　quoted；　and　all　the　perspectives　of　emotion…inspiring



institution　and　belief　that　my　previous　lectures　have　opened；　the



dry　analysis　to　which　I　now　advance　may　appear　to　many　of　you



like　an　anti…climax；　a　tapering…off　and　flattening　out　of　the



subject；　instead　of　a　crescendo　of　interest　and　result。　　I　said



awhile　ago　that　the　religious　attitude　of　Protestants　appears



poverty…stricken　to　the　Catholic　imagination。　　Still　more



poverty…stricken；　I　fear；　may　my　final　summing　up　of　the　subject



appear　at　first　to　some　of　you。　　On　which　account　I　pray　you　now



to　bear　this　point　in　mind；　that　in　the　present　part　of　it　I　am



expressly　trying　to　reduce　religion　to　its　lowest　admissible



terms；　to　that　minimum；　free　from　individualistic　excrescences；



which　all　religions　contain　as　their　nucleus；　and　on　which　it　may



be　hoped　that　all　religious　persons　may　agree。　　That　established；



we　should　have　a　result　which　might　be　small；　but　would　at　least



be　solid；　and　on　it　and　round　it　the　ruddier　additional　beliefs



on　which　the　different　individuals　make　their　venture　might　be



grafted；　and　flourish　as　richly　as　you　please。　　I　shall　add　my



own　over…belief　（which　will　be；　I　confess；　of　a　somewhat　pallid