20 Instinct, 



he Is, — what powers he possesses and the law of 

 their development. If he is a being of physical or- 

 ganization alone, let us understand that ; and then 

 give our whole strength to the study of physiology. 

 If he has powers that are independent of the exist- 

 ence of this physical organization, something added 

 to it, let us understand that. In fine, let us try to 

 understand every power that man possesses, its use 

 and the condition of its best activity. 



Those Vvdio would reap most benefit from the 

 laws of nature must learn what those laws are, and 

 the methods by which variable combinations can 

 work out new results, through Invariable laws. The 

 wise engineer while apparently contending against 

 nature, always works with her and succeeds just in 

 proportion as he obeys her laws. The wise philan- 

 thropist, or social scientist, will succeed in amelior- 

 ating the evils of society, — will elevate the race and 

 secure its permanent progress, just in proportion 

 as he understands the laws of human life, from Its 

 lowest manifestations to its highest, and labors to 

 correct Its mistakes by working in accordance with 

 its own laws. 



The laws of human life and its conditions of 

 progress are as fixed as the laws of gravitation and 

 cohesion. The errors and ruin of life arise from 

 the power of man as a free agent to trangress those 

 laws. It Is in the sphere of the variable, where free 

 personality through Ignorance or perverseness, fails 

 to supply the proper conditions of progress that we 

 find the troubles of society ; as in a fine piece of 

 machinery, we find ruin when an ignorant engineer 



