xlvii 



which to some might be useful in show- 

 ing the treaclierous nature of the ap- 

 parent value oi judgments based upon ob- 

 f-ervations of the crippled senses. He 

 ehowed hy this classifi'ed "p'sychometer 

 index" tiiat we may only hope for or- 

 derly concepts, free from illusion, within 

 narrow limits. Beyond this limit orderly 

 conception diminished or lessened in 

 value. It would seem, he said, that pas- 

 sion distorts or gains ascendency over 

 sane judgment in proportion to the degree 

 of the diminishing power of the senses, 

 until,- approaching th^e zero of the under- 

 standing, the state coincides exaclly with 

 insanity. The insarbe state consisted of 

 all kinds of unrea-soning beliefs; but, 

 unlike sane concepts, they were marked 

 bj^ a real pitiful intensity of conviction 

 to Avhich the sane mind could never hope 

 or ever wish for within the logical order 

 of tLe higher states of consciousness. 

 Bettor be a dull, pulsating mass of pro- 

 toplasm than to be adrift upon a stormy 

 ocean of disordered concepts, when the 

 rudder and helm of the sen&as had been 

 rendei-ed n\igatory, or had been for ever 

 destroyed. Let them beware, therefore, 

 of the intensity of a conviction which 

 •was, in that way, related. Notwithstanding 

 what had been sta.ted in opposition to 

 illusions of a fungoid character, he was 

 far from being convinced that all illu- 

 sions, as such, were harmful. He wa? 

 inclined to think that a beneficial pur- 

 pos>6 was served hj man.v of them, especi- 

 allj- of such as were born of the extraor- 

 dinary strength of love, affection, sym- 

 pathy, and tne higher poetic fancy. The 

 mother, for example, saw favourable 

 qualities in her child which no other eye 

 reg-arded, and, fi-equently, had no real ex- 

 istence. Who, therefore, would wholly 

 banish the mist of the affections .? He, 

 for one, would not if he could. A large 

 group of illusions might fairly be classed 

 under this order. All_ illusion, or partial 

 illusion, which for the moment may be 

 necessary to our comfort and well-being, 

 spiritually, and not liable to introduce 

 more remotely great evil consequences, 

 he would be sorry to see wholly dispelled. 

 He did not regard or class such as **fun- 

 goid illusions.''^ Illusion's which were 

 harmful were regarded as "fungoid" in 

 his estimation. They had seen that it 

 might be possible to reach the zero of 

 valuable concepts, and, indeed, of all 

 consciousnesrs, in two "widely different di- 

 rections. On the one hand, it might be 

 gradually approacKed through varying 

 stages of fictitious wonder, imagination, 

 dream-illusion, insanity, and by the de- 

 stru'-'tion of one after tlie other of those 

 •wonderful organs of sense, -which, though 



of feeble range, are yet in the highest 

 sense, God - given. Heaven - born. 

 On the other hand, by humble 

 mien and fearless confidence, they 

 m:ght, through all the channels of 

 wideuing s<ense, advance to still greater 

 heights, wider horizons, which might be 

 ordained that they should yet conquer. 

 There were still almost infinite circles 

 wilhin the legitimate domain of natural 

 saience, but beyond the limits of our pre- 

 sent knowledge and range of powers. Yet, 

 even now, from a thousand heights of 

 sense, we could perceive that, however 

 we might increase in subjective know- 

 ledge — i.e., natural knowledge — the 

 objective mystery which surrounded us, 

 which we feel Ave can never penetrate, was 

 but increased by every advancing step 

 in natural knowledge. We feel that 

 though Rew chords should continue to be 

 struck on "the harp of a thousand 

 strings," the "everlasting arm" which was 

 the cause of their harmonious vibrations 

 could, itself, never be revealed to us save 

 through that veil of the sensible in 

 ■which " we live, move, and have 

 our being." Do not, therefore, 



said Mr. .Johnston, foolishly tremble 

 under the illusion that all mystery shall 

 be dissipated, or that the veil may be 

 pierced, if we but open wider our dim 

 eyes, or stretch out a little further our 

 feeble hands. Their limits — not deter- 

 mined by us — not written on tables of 

 stone, and soon enough reached — were 

 the truest and best guides. The created 

 mj-steries of distorted imagination and 

 the crippled s-enses were but a poor "mess 

 of pottage" as compared with our glori- 

 ous birthright of orderly natural know- 

 ledge and feeling._ If still — like wilful 

 children — we will have a deeper mys- 

 tery, let us, with tile fullest possible 

 equipment, attempt to penel'rate from 

 every portal of sense the cause of which 

 they are themselves wondrous symbols. 

 The effort to do so win convey an impres- 

 sion which cannot be effaced. T'here- 

 after the appalled and humbled mind 

 will gratefully shrink back within its own 

 protecting luminous mist of the higher 

 poetic ideal, and, with the chastened sub- 

 mission of a child cry — "It is enough." 

 "Thy will be done." "Nor swords of 

 angels could reveal what they conceal." 



Observations on the paper were offered 

 by Bishop Mercer, the Bishop of Lar- 

 anda, Dr. Gerard SmftTi. Professor Ritz, 

 Mr. Eussell Young, and finally by His 

 ExcelLency. 



On the motion of Mr. A. G. Webster, a 

 vote of thanks "was accorded His Excel- 

 lency for presiding. 



