Editorial September 30, 1911 Issue

THE TRUE LEAVEN

Archibald McLellan

There appeared in a recent issue of the Outlook an article by President Maclaurin of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which we clip the following:—

The spirit of science is essentially critical, and science will therefore always be suspicious of religion or of anything else that is founded merely on tradition or on authority. That, however, is a foundation upon which few modern men who take things seriously profess to place their faith. They may admit that tradition and authority have their value, but they see clearly that the real foundation must be elsewhere. And so it has come about, almost within a generation, that war has given place to a truce, and men are more ready to discuss the similarities between science and religion than to dispute over their differences. This change has been coincident with an unexpected broadening in the popular view of the nature of religion, and a corresponding clarification of men's ideas as to the sphere of science.

It will be noted that the distinguished writer has set this "unexpected broadening in the popular view of the nature of religion" as having taken place "almost within a generation," which is practically the time that has elapsed since Mrs. Eddy's discovery and promulgation of Christian Science. To the caviler this will appear but a mere coincidence in dates, but to thoughtful men, those who are accustomed to deal with great problems from the broad view-point of cause and effect, the relative significance of this change of thought can but be apparent—the true leaven has still its ancient power.

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