x Instances from Mechanism. 175 



direct its transformation in one way rather than in 

 another. 1 This, however, appears a very unsatis- 

 factory analogy. The static force of the magnets 

 belongs to the same order of being with the current 

 of electricity, being related to it somewhat as pressure 

 to motion ; while Will is not a physical force, but is 

 of another order of being from matter and its forces. 

 Another possible reply is, that the Will may 

 determine the time and manner of the transformation 

 of energy, somewhat in the same way that, in 

 mechanism, a very small force is able to guide the 

 action of a very great one. For instance, the steam- 

 engines which propel a large ship, though they work 

 up to several thousand horse-power, can be started or 

 stopped by the hand of the engineer, who moves a 

 lever with the exertion of an amount of muscular 

 force almost infinitesimally smaller than that of the 

 engines which he controls. And it would be possible 

 indefinitely to diminish the muscular power needed, 

 until the gentlest finger-touch on an electric button 

 was sufficient to control the most powerful engines 

 that human art can construct. This is not only theo- 

 retically possible, but within the actual resources of 

 our engineers. In the largest steamers, the engineer's 

 hand does not directly work the valves which start, 

 stop, or reverse the engines ; those valves are worked 



1 This suggestion, though, differently expressed, appears to 

 be fundamentally identical with one made on the same subject 

 in an article on Atomic Theories in the North British Review 

 of March 1868. 



