xi Moral and Spiritual Intelligence. 233 



But I agree with Herbert Spencer in believing 

 that thought derives its laws from that universe of 

 things whereof the Mind is a part ; and from this 

 I further infer that our spontaneous conceptions agree 

 with the reality of things, and that our knowledge 

 has a rational basis. This escape from Agnosticism 

 seems perfectly satisfactory ; so that the philosophy 

 of Evolution, though it is despised as being material- 

 istic, affords a basis for belief ; while those idealistic 

 systems whereof Kant's is the type, which are con- 

 structed out of the mind itself, lead by a direct 

 and logical path to absolute theoretical scepticism. 



And if the intuitions of our Intelligence in rela- 

 tion to the external and visible world are true, we 

 may consistently trust the intuitions of our moral 

 and spiritual Intelligence, which testify to the im- 

 perative character of the moral sense. 



But what is the nature and source of this moral 

 and spiritual Intelligence ? How have the best and 

 wisest men obtained their conviction of the immut- 

 able and absolute character of the opposition between 

 moral good and evil 1 I know that attempts have 

 been made to account for this on principles derived 

 from the world of mere Nature. I do not think any 

 of these are successful, and I have stated my reasons 

 for this conclusion in my former work. 1 This, 



taken, with the change of a few words, from my Habit and 

 Intelligence, second edition, pp. 459, 460. 

 1 See The Scientific Bases of Faith, ch. 3. 



