60 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



heeded this obvious maxim of philosophic cau 

 tion. Loose talk about &quot; materialism &quot; is apt to 

 imply loose thinking as to the manner in which 

 the metaphysical relations of body and soul are 

 to be apprehended. Perhaps Mr. Harrison, as a 

 positivist, will say that he has nothing to do with 

 apprehending the metaphysical relations between 

 body and soul ; but, however that may be, there 

 is some laxity of thought exhibited in charging 

 Professor Huxley with &quot; materialism &quot; because 

 he speaks of &quot; building up a physical theory of 

 moral phenomena.&quot; To try to explain conscience, 

 with metaphysical strictness, as a result of the 

 grouping of material molecules, is something 

 which I am sure Professor Huxley would never 

 think of doing ; but, unless I am entirely mis 

 taken on this point, there is no ground for Mr. 

 Harrison s charge of materialism. 



To see Professor Huxley charged with mate 

 rialism, and in a reproachful tone withal, by a 

 positivist who does not acknowledge the existence 

 of a soul, save in some extremely Pickwickian 

 sense, is a strange, not to say comical, spectacle. 

 &quot; What next ?&quot; one is inclined to ask. Positivists 

 are apt to have, indeed, an ecclesiastical style of 

 expression, and one would almost think, from 

 his manner, that Mr. Harrison was making com- 



