regulating Vital and Physical Phenomena. 329 



the case, what is true of a great number of instances may be 

 stated as a general proposition, — that none of the properties of 

 a material body can be recognised by the mind, except when 

 that body is placed in relation with some other, and an action 

 of some kind occur between them. That this is true of many 

 properties, as that of gravitation, is self-evident. If but one 

 mass of matter existed in the universe, it might be endowed 

 with all the properties which we are accustomed to regard as 

 essential to matter ; and yet, from the property of gravitation 

 never being brought into action, the mind would remain igno- 

 rant of it. 



The same may be said of electricity, which is probably to be regarded net 

 as a distinct entity, but as a universal property of matter. 



In these latter cases, the body itself must undergo a change 

 in state or situation, in order that its occult properties may be 

 manifested, and until it has been placed in circumstances by 

 whicli the existence of such jiroperties can be tested, we have 

 no means of judging of their presence or absence. 



Thus, supposing a new metal to be discovered, we should not be able to 

 say a priori whether or not it had magnetic properties ; we could only deter- 

 mine this by experiment. Further, until our experiments have been varied 

 in every conceivable manner, we have no right to judge of the absence of 

 such a property ; thus Faraday has shewn that it is by no means impossible 

 that all metals are possessed of magnetic properties, within a limited range 

 of temperature. 



5. Still, therefore, keeping in view the statement with which 

 we set out, that the term " property of matter" expresses no 

 more than a certain relation between matter and mind, we may 

 regard it as implying a capability of producing or of undergo- 

 ing a change when the body is placed in conditions adapted to 

 manifest it.* If this change be immediately produced on any 

 of the organs of sense, when the body is brought into relation 

 with it, the property may be regarded as of an evident nature ; 

 if an action with some other body be required to manifest the 

 property of the senses, the property may be designated as occult. 

 This distinction though not perhaps metaphysically correct, 



• " If all the objects in nature remained constantly at rest, it is very evi- 

 dent that we could have no notion of any property of matter whatever." 

 Brown's Lectures, p. 26. 



