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 PHYSICS AND FAITH. 
 
 ADDRESS BY 
 
 Henry (Jarrington Bolton, Ph.D., 
 
 Ketirino President of the Chemical Society of Washington, 
 
 February 14, 1901. 
 
 {Reprinted from Science, JV. S., Vol. XIII. , No. 320, Pages 241-246, 
 February 15, 1901.] 
 
Gift 
 Mrs . H.O. Bolton 
 
■£*5 
 
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 [Reprinted from SCIENCE, N. S., Vol XIII. , No. 320, 
 Pages 241-^46, February 15, 1901.] 
 
 PHYSICS AND FAITH* 
 
 Our knowledge concerning the properties 
 of and changes in matter is gained in the 
 first place through our bodily senses, and 
 secondly through the intellect ; the pri- 
 mary concepts thus acquired are confirmed, 
 modified aod enlarged by operations of the 
 imagination and of the reason. The five 
 senses with which we are endowed are of 
 very unequal value in the acquisition of 
 knowledge of natural objects ; smelling, 
 tasting and hearing make but small and 
 unimportant contributions compared with 
 those communicated by the senses of sight 
 and of feeling. 
 
 An intelligent being, having only the single 
 sense of feeling, would nevertheless be able 
 to handle a large number of objects within 
 his reach and to study their properties ; he 
 would early distinguish between matter at 
 rest and matter in motion ; he would notice 
 the properties of inertia and of weight ; he 
 would perceive in his person the effects of 
 heat and of cold, of dryness and of moisture ; 
 he would become acquainted with the shape 
 of bodies of moderate size and with their 
 superficial properties, such as smoothness 
 or roughness, softness or hardness ; he 
 might, if he made sagacious use of his one 
 power, recognize the distinction between 
 matter in its three states — solid, liquid and 
 gaseous, though it would be difficult for 
 him to comprehend their relations to one 
 
 * Address of the retiring President of the Chemical 
 Society of Washington, February 14, 1901. 
 
another. Air in motion makes itself felt 
 but of gaseous matter in general his know- 
 ledge would be very limited and vague. 
 The simplest of tests would make him ac- 
 quainted with elasticity, malleability and 
 ductility, as well as with density and te- 
 nacity ; fusibility and solubility would un- 
 doubtedly greatly puzzle him, and he would 
 of course remain ignorant of light, of sound 
 and of the physical universe beyond his 
 limited sphere. 
 
 If to this being of one sense the so-called 
 1 chemical senses ' of taste and of smell were 
 added, he would acquire greater insight into 
 the special qualities of bodies that affect 
 these organs ; he would observe the agree- 
 able odors of the natural products of the 
 soil and forest as well as the offensive ones 
 in the three kingdoms of nature ; he would 
 learn to differentiate many gases previously 
 regarded as identical; he would learn to 
 distinguish between alkaline and acid, 
 sweet and bitter substances, and to recognize 
 those having particular flavors. On the 
 other hand, the intelligent being of three 
 senses would fail to comprehend the physio- 
 logical processes by which the sensations are 
 perceived, and in this respect he would be 
 little less ignorant than are beings of five 
 senses. 
 
 On endowing this imaginary person with 
 the sense of hearing his knowledge of the 
 external world would be greatly enlarged 
 and his personal comfort increased, he would 
 also acquire a more exact knowledge of 
 some of the properties of matter ; he would 
 become conscious of vibrations in the air 
 conveying sounds, and by listening to the 
 roar of a Niagara or to the chirp of a cricket, 
 to the melodies of song birds or to the fierce 
 
growl of a beast of prey, he would attain 
 to more lofty ideas of the marvels of nature 
 than in his deaf state. He could now learn 
 of the crackling of brimstone, the ' cry ' of 
 tin, the snapping of electric sparks, and the 
 startling detonations caused by combustion 
 of ' villainous saltpetre ' and of certain gas- 
 eous mixtures. 
 
 If finally, the precious gift of sight should 
 be bestowed upon the subject of four senses 
 a new world would be opened to him, and 
 his intellectual and emotional capacities 
 would be enhanced immeasurably ; for the 
 first time he would be able to realize the 
 full meaning of the word beautiful as ap- 
 plied to nature. With the fifth sense he 
 would perceive the beauty of form, of color, 
 of luster, of ornamentation in the flower, 
 the bird, the insect, the floating clouds and 
 in the rainbow ; he would have opened to 
 him the magnificent spectacle of a starry 
 firmament, of an aurora and of the sun In 
 its noon- day glory. He would now be fairly 
 equipped for investigating physical science. 
 
 At a remote period seven senses were at- 
 tributed to man ; these are given by the 
 Hebrew author of the ancient book Eccle- 
 siasticus as seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, 
 smelling, understanding and speech. They 
 are referred to by the poet Pope in the 
 couplet : 
 
 11 Good sense which only is the gift of Heaven, 
 And though no science, fairly worth the seven," 
 
 and the idea survives in the singular phrase 
 in common use : ' Frightened out of one's 
 seven senses.' 
 
 The nature of a sixth sense has been a 
 matter of speculation, but it is hardly less 
 difficult for individuals with five senses to 
 form a conception of an extra sense, than 
 
it is for a sightless person to acquire any 
 adequate idea of the true significance of 
 seeing. The sixth sense has been called 
 the muscular sense as distinguished from 
 touch, but we prefer to think of it as a 
 sense for cognizing forms of energy whose 
 seat of action lies in the ether supposed to 
 pervade space. 
 
 While it is absolutely impossible for a 
 finite mind to plan the structure of an or- 
 gan that would give us this power or to 
 conjecture its mode of action, in discussing 
 it, we find it convenient to use terms anal- 
 ogous to those that we employ for the eye. 
 We need, then, a keen sense that will en- 
 able us to ' see ' what takes place in the in- 
 terior of masses in their several states of ag- 
 gregation ; to ' see ' the arrangement of the 
 atoms within the molecule, and to study 
 their behavior under the influence of well- 
 known as well as obscure forms of energy. 
 Even as Rontgen rays force a passage 
 through the intermolecular voids of certain 
 kinds of masses, a sixth sense might en- 
 able us to ' see ' the action of heat in sep- 
 arating the molecules and the influence or 
 chemism in uniting or in parting the atoms 
 within them ; to perceive the mechanism of 
 solution, to 'see ' the infinitesimal particles 
 of sodium chlorid penetrate the aqueous 
 liquid to form a homogeneous solution. To 
 ' see ' the exact manner in which an elec- 
 trical l current ' (so-called) exerts its sep- 
 arating power when brought to bear upon a 
 liquid ; to test whether the theory of ioniza- 
 tion has any substantial foundation. A 
 sixth sense might permit us to ' see ' the 
 energy manifested by the Hertzian waves 
 which under the skilful management of 
 Marconi are just beginning to serve the in- 
 
terests of man ; to learn the secrets of that 
 medium permeating interstellar and inter, 
 molecular space which becomes the adjunct 
 of sight ; the art of photography has made 
 visible views of the interior of masses im- 
 permeable to rays of light and has yielded 
 permanent records of the sound waves of 
 the air, but we seem to need a sixth sense 
 to cognize the operations of the luminif- 
 erous ether. 
 
 In the fantastic conception in which we 
 have indulged the imaginary being is sup- 
 posed to be intelligent, for mere sense-per- 
 ception without the cooperation of the intel- 
 lect could not augment one's knowledge of 
 the physical universe to any great extent. 
 Through our bodily senses we learn the 
 existence of natural phenomena, but it is 
 through operations of the intellect that we 
 acquire the deeper knowledge which be- 
 comes the subject of imagination, of reason 
 and, eventually, of faith. 
 
 After observing that some kinds of matter 
 suffer changes in form, in properties, in po- 
 tential energy when subjected to the influ- 
 ence of heat, of light, as well as to the action 
 of other kinds of matter, and that certain 
 causes produce uniformly identical results, 
 thinking men made endeavors to explain 
 the phenomena by inventing hypotheses as 
 to the essence of the material objects and of 
 the various kinds of energy acting upon 
 them. In the infancy of learning, Greek 
 philosophers of wonderful intuition con- 
 ceived a theory of the constitution of matter 
 that has made a lasting impress on physical 
 science; the theory possessed marvelous 
 adaptability, and when a Manchester school- 
 master grafted upon the aged trunk the 
 tender shoot of his genius, it soon grew to 
 
6 
 
 be a vigorous branch that bore fruit of un- 
 suspected value. Nearly a century has 
 elapsed and the atomic theory has secured 
 a strong hold upon the minds of physicists 
 and of chemists; maintained by men of 
 sound judgment and great authority, im- 
 parted by teachers of recognized ability to 
 successive generations of pupils, it has be- 
 come a matter of belief, adopted with a few 
 exceptions by scientists throughout the en- 
 lightened world, and in their hands it has 
 become a potent factor in the progress of 
 physical science. Yet this theory is purely 
 a figment of the imagination and makes ex- 
 traordinary assumptions difficult of cre- 
 dence ; it supposes that matter is made up 
 of very minute particles, indivisible, in- 
 destructible, and unchangeable, separated 
 from one another by void spaces larger than 
 the particles themselves ; these diminutive 
 atoms are of definite, uniform and constant 
 figure, and are in perpetual motion in all 
 conceivable directions at exceedingly high 
 rates of speed ; moreover, the atoms com- 
 posing the different chemical elements are 
 of determinate weights corresponding to 
 their equivalents of combination ; these mi- 
 nute particles attract each other with vary- 
 ing degrees of strength and unite in simple 
 ratios to form larger particles called mole- 
 cules ; agglomerations of these molecules 
 constitute masses, visible to the eye and 
 subject to the laws of mechanics. 
 
 Faith in this purely intellectual concep- 
 tion has enabled men of genius to refer to 
 it the explanation of many facts, and the 
 hypotheses resulting have developed into 
 laws of prime importance in chemical phi- 
 losophy ; Dalton discovered facts in the 
 union of chemical bodies whose interpreta- 
 
tion he found in the doctrine of atoms ; 
 Humboldt and Gay-Lussac reinforced the 
 Daltonian laws by their labors on the ra- 
 tios in which the volumes of gases combine; 
 Avogadro, by purely physical researches 
 established the relation between the volumes 
 of gases and the number of their constituent 
 molecules; and Gerhardt, working in the 
 field of organic chemistry, observed the 
 bearing of these discoveries on chemical phi- 
 losophy and, by clearly establishing the dis- 
 tinction between atom and molecule, gave 
 to the atomic theory its modern aspects. 
 
 Faith in this theory has made it possible 
 to devise a scheme of notation that in spite 
 of its defects has proved of great utility in 
 promoting the advancement of chemistry ; 
 the multitudinous problems of stoichio- 
 metry ,the modern theories of solution and 
 of electrolysis, the doctrines of isomerism 
 and of stereo-chemistry are achievements of 
 the intellect and of the reason based upon a 
 belief in an imaginary condition of matter. 
 To crown the whole, Newlands, the English- 
 man, originated, Meyer, the German, and 
 Mendel6eff, the Russian, brought to a high 
 state of perfection, the Periodic law which 
 has given to chemistry that prophetic power, 
 long regarded as the peculiar dignity of its 
 sister science, astronomy. 
 
 Quite apart from these abstract prin- 
 ciples, based upon a belief in the atomic con- 
 stitution of matter, is the practical side of 
 the question, of which the analytical chem- 
 ist avails himself in determining the value 
 of substances submitted to him ; on the re- 
 sults of his figures thousands of dollars may 
 change hands in the manufacturing, mining 
 and commercial world. A ship-load of ma- 
 terial is bought and sold on the result of the 
 
8 
 
 analysis of a sample conducted by a chem- 
 ist, who bases his procedure on the supposed 
 numerical relations of the invisible, in- 
 tangible, immeasurable particles he calls 
 atoms, and in his calculations he relies on 
 the constants determined by others, in 
 whom he has confidence, and the accuracy 
 of which constants he has to accept on 
 faith. Reliance on the dicta and data of 
 investigators whose very names may be un- 
 known lies at the very foundation of phys- 
 ical science, and without this faith in au- 
 thority the structure would fall to the 
 ground ; not the blind faith in authority of 
 the unreasoning kind that prevailed in the 
 middle ages, but a rational belief in the con- 
 current testimony of individuals who have 
 recorded the results of their experiments 
 and observations, and whose statements 
 can be verified. 
 
 This faith in the fundamental principles 
 of physical science persists notwithstand- 
 ing it encounters insurmountable difficul- 
 ties. Many problems defy the efforts of 
 materialistic philosophers to solve them ; 
 the origin of matter and of motion ; the 
 initial source of energy as well as the re- 
 lation of gravitation to other forces ; the 
 positive nature of the interstellar ether 
 imagined as a vehicle for the transmission 
 of light, not to mention proofs of its exist- 
 ence ; the true inwardness of actinism, of 
 Rontgenism, and of the rays named after 
 Becquerel ; the ultimate identity in es- 
 sence of the so-called elementary bodies. 
 Some of these problems will undoubtedly 
 be solved as knowledge of the material 
 world increases, but others are destined to 
 remain inscrutable to finite minds and 
 as such may be called scientific 'mysteries.' 
 
9 
 
 We can construct ingenious arguments 
 based largely on assumptions, and reason 
 ourselves into the notion that our hypoth- 
 eses explain the questions at issue, but 
 after all we know very little beyond the 
 effects observed. 
 
 These problems arise in every depart- 
 ment of organized knowledge ; the student 
 of chemistry does not have to look far 
 afield to encounter mysteries, though he 
 does not commonly so style them ; phe- 
 nomena of ordinary experience challenge 
 the interpretation of philosophers. What 
 do we actually know of the chemical force 
 called affinity? Who can tell why the at- 
 traction between A and B is so much 
 stronger than between A and C, or why 
 one element forces another out of its com- 
 bination with a third ? What chemist who 
 has watched under the microscope the 
 beautiful, symmetrical manner in which 
 minute particles of a substance separating 
 in solid form from solution, arrange them- 
 selves in geometrical figures obeying well 
 established mathematical laws, can pretend 
 to explain the cause of the astounding be- 
 havior of the inert, lifeless matter? 
 
 But I desist from propounding further 
 queries, the answers to which are buried in 
 impenetrable mystery. A student of ele- 
 mentary chemistry, impressed with the 
 ability of the teacher to explain natural 
 phenomena, asked him : ' Professor, why 
 is gold yellow ' ? Whereupon the profess- 
 or, waiving the customary explanation [?] , 
 reverently answered : ' Because God made 
 it so ! ' 
 
 Is it unfair to scientists to say that they 
 sometimes take refuge in obscure language 
 to veil their ignorance ? It may help our 
 
10 
 
 imagination to affirm that carbon and other 
 elements occur in l allotropic ' forms, but 
 does this statement adequately explain the 
 phenomenon ? To term the peculiar action 
 of certain bodies, which themselves suffer 
 no change while they effect decompositions 
 or combinations in others with which they 
 are brought in contact, as ' catalytic ' may 
 be soothing to the mind, but is it scientific? 
 Is it satisfactory ? One hundred and fifty 
 years ago the properties of water were said 
 to be caused by its ' aquosity ' ! 
 
 In this study we have confined our il- 
 lustrations to the physical and chemical 
 branches of science, but they might well be 
 drawn from astronomy and from the bio- 
 logical sciences ; in the former, one becomes 
 acquainted with 
 
 " Realms yet unrevealed to human sight," 
 
 as well as with the conception of infinity in 
 space and in time ; in the latter, one en- 
 counters the unfathomable mystery of the 
 origin of life. It is evident that in pursu- 
 ing any branch of knowledge the seeker has 
 opportunities of familiarizing himself with 
 ideas contained in the phrases, ' invisible 
 world,' ' infinity,' ' mystery,' and with facts 
 that require application of all the powers 
 of the imagination and of reason, to grasp 
 which he exercises faith. 
 
 Most scientists having this mental train- 
 ing, in which acts of faith are demanded at 
 every step, find it natural to apply this 
 faith to their hypostasis of the spiritual 
 world ; they thus acquire belief in an in- 
 scrutable Divine Being, who exercises al- 
 mighty wisdom and power in the guidance 
 of the material universe, and who has made 
 Himself known to humanity by revelation. 
 
11 
 
 To such persons it does not seem more 
 difficult to believe in spiritual force and its 
 influence on mankind, than to believe in 
 the existence of energy and its effects on 
 matter. Huxley, who certainly can not be 
 accused of religious bias, is said to have 
 remarked : " The doctrine of the immor- 
 tality of the soul is not so wonderful as 
 that of the conservation of energy or of the 
 indestructibility of matter." 
 
 The evidence of the existence of spirit 
 is precisely analogous to the evidence for 
 matter; matter, as we have seen, is re- 
 vealed to us onty as its phenomena, exten- 
 sion, weight, color, behavior when sub- 
 jected to heat, etc., affect our senses ; of its 
 essence we know nothing ; spirit, likewise, 
 is revealed to our consciousness through its 
 powers of thinking, feeling and willing, but 
 of the essential spirit the finite mind knows 
 nothing. " Matter,'' writes an American 
 scientist, " is the thing perceived, spirit the 
 thing perceiving, matter is the passive, 
 spirit the active principle. Without a be- 
 lief in spirit, therefore, not only can there 
 be no religion, no virtue, but there can be 
 no philosophy or science. * * * The very 
 origin of our notion of force is the con- 
 sciousness of our own mental energy, and 
 this universal energy of Nature is an 
 effluence of the Divine Being." 
 
 Faith, both in science and in religion, is 
 belief based on suitable evidence from 
 sources outside of personal experience, both 
 are fruitful in different ways, the former 
 affecting the intellect and the latter the 
 heart of man ; scientific faith bears fruit in 
 the steamship and in the telegraph, Chris- 
 tian faith in works of mercy and charity 
 
12 
 
 and in a life of love shown toward man- 
 kind and to God ; it is 
 
 1 1 The subtle chain 
 That binds us to the Infinite." 
 
 On the other hand, some students of 
 science, accustomed to exercise faith in 
 their attempts to solve obscure problems 
 in the material world, hesitate (and a few 
 refuse) to extend this intellectual power to 
 the spiritual universe ; this is undoubtedly 
 due to the operation of the will, for 
 
 " A man along that road is led 
 Which he himself desires to tread." 
 
 The supreme goal of the student of 
 science was admirably conceived and ex- 
 pressed in a single sentence by the re- 
 nowned Kepler, when he wrote nearly 
 three centuries ago : 
 
 "The scientist's highest privilege is to 
 know the mind and to think the thoughts 
 of GOD !» 
 
 H. Carrington Bolton. 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 

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