CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SCIENCE, The. The development of the history of science in recent years has completely revolu tionized our knowledge of the cultivation of science in the older time and with it many long accepted notions as regards the relation of the Church and science. Little was known about the history of science a generation or so ago even by scientists themselves and it was assumed that there was very little cultivation of science in the centuries preceding our own. It was felt that there must have been some active factor to account for the absence of scientific curiosity which is so natural to man that it would surely manifest itself unless definitely suppressed. The Church came to be looked upon as that factor and certain incidents in history were pointed out as indicating that her constant and consistent policy had been to hamper science lest it should disturb faith. Many re fused to consider this a stigma on the Church, because it was felt that some such attitude was absolutely necessary for the perpetuation of her sway over the minds of men. Science and faith being as they conceived incompatible, the Church had to take this determined stand of opposition, permitting only such scientific study as could not possibly be suppressed and encouraging only whatever could be directed into safe channels.
The recent development of the history of science has compelled another point of view entirely. The realization has been forced upon us that men have at all times been interested in science and concerned with its development. They have often followed it from different standpoints from those which now prevail, but they have seldom failed to be attracted by it or to make advance in it. The story of the mediae val universities is particularly striking in this regard. It has been the custom to say that there was no scientific interest in the Middle Ages, but as a matter of fact the medieval universities were quite literally scientific. The Seven Liberal Arts as they were called, the trivium and quadrivisrm of the curriculum, astronomy, music and mathematics, logic, grain mar, rhetoric, metaphysics, were all studied from the scientific standpoint. Huxley (*In augural Address,' Aberdeen) said that the work of these old institutions of learning Chow ever imperfect and faulty judged by modern lights it may have been, brought them face to face with all the leading aspects of the many sided mind of man.° He even went so far as to add *I doubt if the curriculum of any modern university shows so clear and generous a com prehension of what is meant by culture as this old trivium and quadrivium does' Geography.—This was the first of the
sciences to develop and owes very large con tributions to the early Christian missionaries who wandered far afield and wrote accounts of their travels. The Acts of the Apostles and Saint Paul's Epistles are valuable geographical documents. Saint Brendan's wanderings de scribed by Dicuil the Irish geographer are further examples. Gerald the Welshman's writings are of geographic significance. A whole series of missionary writings down the centuries are now considered geographically very valuable. The stories of Friar John of Carpini and Friar William of Rubruk (Ru bruquis) doing their missionary work in the Far East in the 13th century and of the Jesuits and Franciscans in the East and in America during subsequent centuries supplied immense amounts of geographic knowledge. The Jesuit ''Relations' recently republished in some 70 volumes are a typical example of such store houses of scientific data. Other missionary letters particularly those of the Recollects are of similar value. The work of Abbe Hue and of Pere Armand David in the 19th century show that this good work still goes on. Abbe Hue succeeded in finding his way through Tibet and into Lhasa, two generations ago, while Pere David wandered far beyond the territories familiar to Europeans in China and sent home accounts and even specimens of literally hundreds of species of animals hitherto unknown. Such scientific activity on the part of missionaries instead of being discouraged by the Church authorities was constantly en couraged. The typical demonstration of this is the favor enjoyed by Father Kircher, S.J. who coming to Rome just at the time of Galileo, continued for the next 30 years to be active in the accumulation of scientific information of all kinds so that he published under the patronage of the popes a long series of well known volumes which have now become bibli ographic treasures. Above all he founded the Kircherianum, as it came to be called, a museum containing many scientific materials which had been sent him by the missionaries of his own order, the Jesuits, or having been presented to the popes by other missionary orders were transferred here for safe keeping. Father Kircher was the personal friend of a number of popes who encouraged in every way his scientific work and particularly the growth of his museum.