THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN LIFE 51 



cations are the primary phenomena, peculiar to man. 

 Pursuing this line of inquiry, we shall find the 

 characteristics of human life opening out before us, 

 in a manner making it quite incongruous to speak 

 of animal life. 



Let us take observation, the accredited instrument 

 of science, and we shall see how truth is attained, 

 how knowledge becomes nutriment for a higher 

 life, how the observations of the child are the pre 

 cursors of those of the scientific man, how truly 

 simple observation is the opening stage in the course 

 of development belonging to u rational life. Observa 

 tion somehow widens out into knowledge of difference 

 and of distance ; and, a little further in advance, it 

 leads to interpretation of sensory experience. This 

 is the large meaning we are assigning to observation, 

 as we describe the functions belonging to the life of 

 a child. It involves from a very early period notice 

 of difference, not as the hand or the eye experiences 

 successive impressions, but as differences are brought 

 into contrast, and a hold is kept of distinctions, 

 making them the beginnings of a knowledge of the 

 external world, and more slowly of a knowledge of 

 self. From this stage, external objects and occur 

 rences are full of interest, and I/ in the midst be 

 comes conspicuous as a centre of thought and of action. 



Henceforth, organism and intellect co-operate; 

 these are the conditions of progress within the single 

 life ; not the one, without the other ; neither organism 

 without intellect, nor intellect without organism ; but 

 both in essential correlation. Good food will not 

 develop a human life, yet such a life will not be de 

 veloped without food; but, knowledge by difference 



