viii PEEFACE. 



logically, the phenomena of irrational nature, and to investi 

 gate, if we may, their cause and purpose. There is no 

 doubt, in thus proceeding, a danger of Anthropomorphism 

 of attributing to the First Cause merely human charac 

 teristics, and projecting as it were our personality, as in the 

 Brocken shadow, far beyond its proper limits ; but the 

 danger of Antanthropomorphism is at present much greater 

 the danger, that is, of allowing the facts of reason to be 

 obscured and overshadowed by an analogously enlarged dis 

 tortion of the world of sense, which ever so clamorously 

 reiterates its claims on our attention and regard. 



The following chapters are mainly reprints from articles 

 which have from time to time appeared in the Quarterly, 

 Dublin, Contemporary, and Fortnightly Reviews be 

 tween June 1871 and November 1875. These various 

 articles, however, were originally written with the intention 

 that they should be augmented, re-arranged and repub- 

 lished in an assemblage of consecutive chapters as they 

 now appear. 



