294 T^^ POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of importance, devises a method of so doing, and creates for that pur- 

 pose a series of small objects, and we find that these small objects 

 naturally divide and distribute themselves in age and locality, in a 

 similar manner to that in which the species of a group of organisms 

 are divided in space, and distributed in time ; and that the results of 

 man's labor are thiis divided and distributed on account of the neces- 

 sary inherent qualities of his intelligence and methods of action is 

 not the resemblance between human reason and the greater powers 

 which control the manifestations of organic Nature apparent ? 



I now simply present to you this investigation. Time is wanting 

 for me to illustrate it by even a single example, but I feel sure that I 

 have in the minds of some of you already suggested several applica- 

 tions of it to the principle I wish to teach : the resemblance in the dis- 

 tribution of the works of Nature to that of human contrivances evolved 

 for definite purposes. 



If this kind of reasoning commends itself to you, and you thus 

 perceive resemblances in the actions of the Ruler of the universe to 

 those of our own race, when prompted by the best and highest intel- 

 lectual motives, you will be willing to accept the declaration of the 

 ancient text, "He doetli not evil, and abideth not with the evil in- 

 clined. Whatever he hath done is good ; " * or that from our own 

 canon of Scripture: "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath 

 counsel and understanding," ^ 



The EBsthetic character of natural history, therefore, prevents the 

 results of its cultivation from being worked out with the precision of 

 a logical machine, such as, with correct data of observation and calcu- 

 lation, woxdd be quite sufficient to formulate the conclusions of physi- 

 cal investigation. According as the perception of the relations of 

 organic beings among themselves becomes more and more enlarged, 

 the interpretation of these relations will vary within limits ; but we 

 will be continually approximating higher mental or spiritual truth. 



This kind of truth can never be revealed to us by the study of in- 

 organic aggregations of the universe. The molar, molecular, and 

 polar forces, by wliich they are formed, may be expressed, so far as 

 science has reduced them to order, by a small number of simply for- 

 mulated laws, indicative neither of purpose nor intelligence, when 

 confined within inorganic limits. In fact, taking also the organic 

 world into consideration, we as yet see no reason why the number of 

 chemical elements known to us should be as large as it is, and go ou 

 increasing almost yearly with more minute investigations. To all ap- 

 pearance, the mechanical and vital structure of the universe would re- 

 main unchanged, if half of them were struck out of existence. 



Neither is thei'e any evidence of intelligence or design in the fact 

 that the side of the moon visible to us exhibits only a mass of volca- 

 noes. 



>"Desatir,"p. 2. "Jobxii. 13 



