54: METHOD OF DISCOVERY. 



But there are objectors who say the same from 

 ignorance and ill-will. To such I would reply that the 

 objection comes ill from them, and that the real pre- 

 sumption, I may almost say the real blasphemy, in this 

 matter, is in the attempt to limit that inquiry into the 

 causes of phenomena which is the source of all human 

 blessings, and from which has sprung all human pros- 

 perity and progress ; for, after all, we can accomplish 

 comparatively little ; the limited range of our own 

 faculties bounds us on every side, — the field of our 

 powers of observation is small enough, and he who en- 

 deavours to narrow the sphere of our inquiries is only 

 pursuing a course that is likely to produce the greatest 

 harm to his fellow-men. 



But now, assuming, as we all do, I hope, that these 

 phenomena are properly accessible to inquiry, and set- 

 ting out upon our search into the causes of the phe- 

 nomena of organic nature, or, at any rate, setting out to 

 discover how much we at present know upon these 

 abstruse matters, the question arises as to what is to be 

 our course of proceeding, and what method we must 

 lay down for our guidance. I reply to that question, 

 that our method must be exactly the same as that 

 which is pursued in any other scientific inquiry, the 

 method of scientific investigation being the same for 

 all orders of facts and phenomena whatsoever. 



I must dwell a little on this point, for I wish you 

 to leave this room with a very clear conviction that 

 scientific investigation is not, as many people seem to 

 suppose, some kind of modern black art. I say that 

 you might easily gather this impressson from the man- 

 ner in which many persons speak of scientific inquiry, 

 or talk about inductive and deductive philosophy, or 



