194 Kansas Academy of Science. 



The nutrition of the whole body may be so interfered with 

 that all the plastic material formed by the blood is vitiated 

 and incapable of forming sound nervous tissue. When these 

 abnormal conditions of the mind exist there will be a want 

 of perfect nerve energy, which creates a consciousness that 

 there is something wrong. This may be classed as a want 

 of coordination of the mental faculties. If this be true there 

 will be false reasoning and erroneous conclusions. Should 

 there exist a morbid condition of the emotions, then the whole 

 mental life of the individual is changed, and we have what 

 may be termed a form of insanity or partial derangement of 

 reason. Insanity consists of a derangement of the intellect 

 and will, hence mental weakness. Is it not a truism that a 

 large per cent, of the people are to a greater or less extent 

 monomaniacs? The sin of some far-back time may so impair 

 our faculties and conditions as to make it impossible, for our 

 best efforts of to-day, that we may escape a given error. This 

 error of necessity is criminal; and yet, what is plainer than 

 the fact that the error is not culpable, it being one which we 

 neither could avoid — in fact, could not have been avoided con- 

 sistently with a discharge of duty? This perhaps is too gen- 

 eral, and yet I can but feel that we are not worthy of blame 

 for all mistakes and errors of opinion. 



Will a perfectly moral man be exempt, and that absolutely, 

 from all mistakes? Moral perfection, doubtless, would aid 

 him in arriving at a more perfect conclusion, yet a morally 

 perfect man could not avoid all mistakes; being governed by 

 his limited faculties, such a man must of necessity judge 

 from that which comes within his range of observation, hav- 

 ing only appearances and probabilities to guide him. His 

 range of observation, being limited to a greater or less extent, 

 must be erroneous. Man is a finite being, having finite facul- 

 ties, hence, a finite vision. Facts lying beyond his field of 

 vision may be necessary to avoid a wrong conclusion. In the 

 very nature of things our faculties are limited, therefore our 

 understanding must be superficial; being superficial makes it 

 a product of error. We are confronted with the promises of 

 God to keep and guide the righteous. But are we to under- 

 stand that this implies a perfect immunity from mistakes? 

 I think not ; it is shown by facts that such immunity has never 

 been vouchsafed to man. Good men are often poor thinkers 

 upon the ordinary things pertaining to life, and devout 



