484 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



described under such headings as: the kind of illusion, extent of visual 

 field involved, character, direction, magnitude and rate of movement, 

 changes in size and distinctness of the perceptual objects, degree of control 

 possible; and such essential conditions as: fatigue, mental absorption, 

 ocular defects, steady fixation, etc. No explanation was attempted. 



Dr. Marsh showed how the study of the frequency of occurrence of 

 sweeping terms, extensive and intensive, in diverse writings, could be made 

 to yield valuable "internal evidence" regarding the authorship, and espe- 

 cially regarding personal and social characteristics. The intensive series 

 of words included such positives as all, every, always, whoso, whatsoever, 

 etc., and such negatives as no (adjective), none, nothing, no more, never, 

 etc. The frequency of these words per 1,000 fines was determined for 

 practically every book of the Bible, and it was found possible, with this 

 single series of words, to follow most of the conclusions of the "higher 

 critics" regarding disputed writings, both as to whole books and as to parts 

 of books; and this with a high degree of reliabifity. Supplemented by an 

 intensive series, this method would apparently work well. 



A comparison of the first ten books of the Old Testament with the 

 longest ten in the New Testament showed 33 per cent, more positives and 

 50 per cent, less negatives in the Old Testament. The following interpre- 

 tations of this difference are suggested. 



1. Biologically, it means lower vs. higher development, doing vs. 

 thinking, prophet and law, warrior and deed in the earlier period vs. teacher 

 and preaching, thinker and doctrine in the later period. Faith, the product 

 of bodily action, tends to exaggeration by positives; while doubt, due to 

 mental activity, tends to exaggeration by negatives. 



2. Sociologically, it means great social solidarity vs. relative individual- 

 ity. The Hebrews, as selected and protected by Almighty Jehovah, devel- 

 oped a strong national pride and unanimity of thought and action ; and this 

 "crowd-spirit" — in the scientific sense — accounts for many irresponsible 

 generalizations, since their prodigious national pride "not only idealized 

 but magnified the past" in many references to it. 



3. Psychologically, it means spontaneous imitation vs. intellectual 

 initiative. Imitation tends to exclusions of negatives, while increasing 

 intellectual horizon brings questionings and oppositions to accepted views. 

 Sections rich in positives, as the writings of Paul and the first twelve chapters 

 of Joshua, often indicate strong individualities, men of unrivaled force of 

 character, of energetic action against great opposition. The masterful man 

 in deed is likely, we infer, to put these things strongly in expression. 



Professor Armstrong said in abstract: Rousseau's religious philosophy 

 was based on inner sentiment. The sentiment interieur is subjective in the 



