VI. 



CHAUNCEY WRIGHT. 1 



THE sudden and untimely death of Mr. Chaun- 

 cey Wright, in September, 1875, was an irrepara 

 ble loss not only to the friends whose privilege it 

 had been to know so wise and amiable a man, but 

 to the interests of sound philosophy in general. 

 To some, perhaps, there may seem to be extrava 

 gance in speaking of any such loss to philosophy 

 as irreparable ; for in the great work of the world 

 we are accustomed to see the ranks close up as 

 heroes fall by the way, and when we come to 

 reckon up the sum of actual achievement, in our 

 thankfulness over the calculable results obtained 

 we seldom take heed of those innumerable unre 

 alized possibilities upon which in the nature of 

 things we can place no just estimate. Of course 

 it is right, as it is inevitable, that this should be 

 so. There is, however, a point of view from which 



1 Philosophical Discussions. By Chauncey Wright. With a Bio 

 graphical Sketch of the Author by Charles Eliot Norton. New York 

 Henry Holt & Co. 1876. 



