804 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of the pores of the skin, and is relieved by clearing those flues that 

 carry away the waste products of vital combustion. 



These illustrations are perhaps sufficient to exhibit the principal 

 characteristics of the two methods of philosophy, and, though they 

 cover but narrow fields, it should be remembered that every philosophy 

 deals with the whole cosmos. An explanation of all things is sought 

 not alone the great movements of the heavens, or the phenomena 

 that startle even the unthinking, but every particular which is observed. 

 Abstractly, the plane of demarkation between the two methods of phi- 

 losophy can be sharply drawn, but practically we find them strangely 

 mixed ; mythologic methods prevail in savagery and barbarism, and 

 scientific methods prevail in civilization. Mythologic philosophies an- 

 tedate scientific philosophies. The thaumaturgic phases of mythology 

 are the embryonic stages of philosophy, science being the fully devel- 

 oped form. Without mythology there could be no science, as without 

 childhood there could be no manhood, or without embryonic condi- 

 tions there could be no ultimate forms. 



III. Mythologic Philosophy has Four Stages. 



Mythologic philosophy is the subject with which we deal. Its 

 method, as stated in general terms, is this : All phenomena of the outer 

 objective world are interpreted by comparison with those of the inner 

 subjective world. Whatever happens, some one does it that some 

 one has a will and works as he wills. The basis of the philosophy is 

 personality. The persons who do the things which Ave observe in the 

 phenomena of the universe are the gods of mythology the cosmos is 

 a pantheon. Under this system, whatever may be the phenomenon 

 observed, the philosopher asks, " Who does it ? " and " Why ? " and 

 the answer comes, "A god with his design." The winds blow, and 

 the interrogatory is answered, "^Eolus frees them from the cave to 

 speed the ship of a friend, or destroy the vessel of a foe." The actors 

 in mythologic philosophy are gods. 



In the character of these gods four stages of philoso]jhy may be 

 discovered. In the lowest and earliest stage everything has life, every- 

 thing is endowed with personality, will, and design : animals are en- 

 dowed with all the wonderful attributes of mankind ; all inanimate 

 objects are believed to be animate ; trees think and speak ; stones 

 have loves and hates ; hills and mountains, springs and rivers, and 

 all the bright stars, have life everything discovered objectively by 

 the senses is looked upon subjectively by the philosopher and endowed 

 with all the attributes supposed to be inherent in himself. In this 

 stage of philosophy everything is a god. Let us call it hecastotheism. 



In the second stage men no longer attribute life indiscriminately 

 to inanimate things ; but the same powers and attributes recognized 

 by subjective vision in man are attributed to the animals by which he 

 is surrounded. No line of demarkation is drawn between man and 



