LITERARY NOTICES. 



27? 



scientific man, on the other hand, recognizes 

 an external world and positive knowledge, 

 and seeks to contribute some new grain of 

 truth if he may. He observes, hypothesizes, 

 and verifies, and finally submits his result 

 to verification by the race, the ultimate cri- 

 terion being the unanimous consensus of the 

 competent. 



Notwithstanding Dr. Abbot's clear state- 

 ment of the scientific method, this final 

 standard of knowledge seems ambiguous. 

 The truth of a theory needs no further test 

 than its complete verification by all the facts 

 to which it applies. 



To make a synopsis of the Synthetic Phi- 

 losophy of Herbert Spencer intelligible with- 

 in the limits of a leciure is a difficult task, 

 which Mr. B. F. Underwood has accomplished 

 extremely well. Not only this, but he has 

 given an introductory analysis of the oppos- 

 ing philosophical systems which preceded 

 the evolution hypothesis. The sensation 

 philosophy of Locke and Hume, and the 

 a prion speculations of Kant, representing 

 hoary antagonisms of thought, were by Spen- 

 cer's insight found to be different halves of 

 the whole truth that knowledge is derived 

 from experience, but the experience of the 

 race furnishes innate ideas to the individual. 

 Spencer's doctrine that we perceive only phe- 

 nomena, and from these infer the noumenal 

 existence which causes changes in conscious- 

 ness, is known as transfigured realism ; and, 

 though charged with idealistic leaning by 

 rank realists, is no more transcendental than 

 the views of Dr. Maudsley and Prof. Huxley. 

 According to the latter, " all phenomena are, 

 in their ultimate analysis, known to us only 

 as facts of consciousness." But it is the " un- 

 knowable reality " which proves a stum- 

 bling-block to many. Theologians dislike 

 this, since it excludes a knowledge of God, 

 and the scientific are afraid cf it because 

 Unknowable is printed with a capital, which 

 suggests another sort of deity. Disciples of 

 Ilaeckcl vainly impute dualism to Mr. Spen- 

 cer, while he declares, " I recognize no forces 

 within the organism or without the organism 

 but the variously conditional modes of the 

 universal immanent force." Whatever chis- 

 eling time may effect in the body of Spen- 

 cer's doctrine, there is good reason to believe 

 with Mr. Underwood that the leading prin- 

 ciples will remain intact. 

 VOL. XL. — 22 



In the Evolution of Clumistry^ Dr. R. G. 

 Ecclcs has skillfully traced the growth of 

 chemical knowledge from the vague theories 

 of the ancients to the definite, complex sci- 

 ence of to-day. After the time of Aristotle 

 the elemental theory or doctrine of abstract 

 qualities saturated thought for fifteen hun- 

 dred years. The scales first used by the 

 young Scotch chemist Black weighed scho- 

 lastic dogma as well as fixed air, and proved 

 the hollowness of a priori reasoning. This 

 step in verification made progress possible. 

 Oxygen was discovered by Priestley, combus- 

 tion explained by Lavoisier, and the law of 

 definite and multiple proportions ascertained 

 by Dalton. The idea of continuous matter 

 was displaced by the atomic theory, and 

 Avogadro's law regarding the volume of 

 gases confirmed the hypothesis. The laws 

 of specific heat, crystallography, and Men- 

 delejeff's formula, each added its proof of 

 atomic weight. The study of the coherence 

 of groups of atoms resulted in the wonder- 

 ful synthetic productions of the laboratory. 

 The brilliant dyes, flavorings, perfumes, and 

 medicines made by the chemist excelled 

 those offered by Nature, and utilized hith- 

 erto waste products. Although the detail 

 of organic chemistry is now beyond the mas- 

 tery of any man, the outlook is infinite, and 

 problems whose solution promises the secret 

 of creation itself tempt the student. The 

 composition of the ferments, pepsin and 

 trypsin, or of the albuminoids, and the con- 

 version of starch into cane sugar, would 

 unlock incalculable benefits. The author 

 considers the development of chemical 

 knowledge, like the habits of atoms, closely 

 illustrative of evolutionary law. 



Thales suggested electricity as a con- 

 dition of life, and the author of The Evolu- 

 tion of Electric and Magnetic Physics is in- 

 clined to agree with him. According to Mr. 

 Kennelly, "it is possible, if it is not at pres- 

 ent demonstrated, that electricity may be 

 the active principle in the processes of ani- 

 mal vitality ; . . . the relation between elec- 

 tricity and vitality may be so close as to 

 amount to identity." This is perhaps par- 

 donable in the chief electrician of Edison's 

 laboratory, but it is- doubtful if any emi- 

 nent physiologist or psychologist will allow 

 that nerve-fibers do more than artificially 



