i84 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



like any other, even the simplest piece of" music. Hoav, then, does 

 it diiFer from every other musical composition? Among wliich of its 

 parts shall we look for the grandeur of movement, the rush of har- 

 monies, and the eloquence, more powerful than that of words, which, 

 as it thrills the metallic strings, awakens responsive vibrations 

 among those differently constituted and conditioned strings which 

 form the organ of liearing, and through this organ arouses emotions 

 among the deepest of which our natures are suscej^tible ? It is true, 

 the effects produced are but poorly represented in the symbols of the 

 musical score, or in the strings of the instrument which respond to the 

 performer's touch ; these elements are, however, not only important, 

 but absolutely essential to the production of tlie results, and they 

 must not be ignored in the statement of the problem with which we 

 have to deal. When, however, we attempt to follow the transforma- 

 tions of energy which have taken place between the first and last 

 links of the chain connecting the brain of the composer with that of 

 the listener, we are lost in a maze of hopeless intricacy hopeless, be- 

 cause we are unable to include in our limited grasp the innumerable 

 threads which together constitute the clew to the labynnth. 



Nevertheless, we are compelled to believe tliat a clew exists, and 

 that it depends on these twin principles the correlation of forces ^ 

 and the inseparahleness of force and matter since each link in this 

 seemingly endless chain, when separately examined, is found to con- 

 nect with some form of matter and some kind of force, with both of 

 which we are more or less familiar. 



Functions of mind cannot be formulated in terms of matter 

 there is no correlation in the language employed; but this is equally 

 true of other phenomena as, for example, of combustion. We know 

 that chemical reaction between carbon and oxygen results in heat-pro- 

 duction; and we know that certain combinations of vibrations oT 

 musical strings, communicated to the membrana tympani of the hu- 

 man ear, result in the production of emotions. It is safe to promise 

 an explanation of the latter phenomenon, whenever an explanation 

 of the former shall be forthcoming. 



The phrase "principle of life" is deceptive; the expression 

 "manifestation of life " means sometliing definite, since life maybe 

 regarded as the sura of the forces manifested by certain forms of mat- 

 ter brought into certain relations with each other, and with the envi- 

 ronment; but a "principle of life," although it may be talked about, 

 cannot be located nor described ; it is a phrase, et praeterea nihil. 



That which is called the ego the sum of the various elements 

 which make up the character cannot, from a scientific point of view, 

 be regarded as an entity, unless the combined forces and powers of 

 any machine may be so regarded. 



When a machine is taken to pieces, or falls into decay, what be- 

 comes of the forces previously manifested by it ? Have they gone off, 



