Unaided Science Cannot Save
THE bill that is before Congress for the study of the criminal, pauper, defective, crippled, and imbecile classes, has received the strongest indorsement from many religious and scientific societies. The “general purpose of the bill is to lessen and prevent crime, pauperism, and defectiveness by the best methods known to science and sociology.” The “Congress of Criminal Anthropology in Europe” has interested itself in the bill by indorsing it. Both Russia and Belgium have already adopted such a measure, and there are many other foreign nations that are “doing scientific work in criminology.” This work is commendable, and without any question, is a great help by putting barriers in the progress of crime, pauperism, and defectiveness. The agitation upon these subjects is causing many people to think and act; and while a study of these questions from the scientific and sociological viewpoint is interesting and helpful, we must ever keep in mind that unaided science cannot save. We can ask almost any physician in the country, and he will tell us of things that he as a scientist knows to be detrimental to health; yet he will practice them himself. Scientific tests have shown the baneful effect of tobacco, tea, coffee, alcohol, and other similar narcotics, stimulants, and irritants; but how many are the doctors who nevertheless use these things quite freely! Scientific knowledge may point out the evil thing, but the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is required to save from it. That is the one great thing the world is lacking at this time. It lacks the personal acquaintance with Christ that enables the individual to be controlled by divine power. To know that a practice or a habit is wrong is one thing; to have power to break away from it is quite another thing. Christ is the one source that brings this power into the life. Crime, insanity, and pauperism that degrades and leads to still deeper crime and insanity, have appeared in our world in appalling proportions. As indicated by these bills that are now before Congress, thoughtful men throughout the world are giving serious consideration to the problem. God knew that scientific attainments and simple enlightenment would not save the world from this avalanche of evil; for He has told us that “evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” There is something very deceptive about the idea that human ability is capable of coping with the great problem of evil. All through the ages, men have grappled with this problem. They have presented various styles and forms of moral philosophy that they thought would appeal to men and save them; but the world has gone on in its degradation, and society was never in a worse condition than to-day. This was most strikingly and clearly acknowledged by Dr. Wallace, the great naturalist and evolutionist, shortly before he died. The conditions of this time are ominous, and he only is studying them wisely who is studying them through the great “Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”