THE VALIDITY OF THE NEW KNOWLEDGE. 253 



of the world. These atoms, congregating in their turn as 

 nebulae and under the slight residual force of gravitation 

 condense into blazing suns. The sun sdecay in their tem- 

 perature and become ever more and more complex in their 

 constitution as the atoms lock themselves into multiple 

 forms. We then see these multiple atoms developing up 

 into the molecules of matter to form a world. We see 

 the molecules growing ever more and more complex as 

 the world grows colder until we attain to organic com- 

 pounds. We see these organic compounds united to form 

 living beings and we see these living beings developing 

 into countless forms and, after aeons of time, evolving 

 into a dominant race which is us. 



Of this attempt on the part of science to unify physical 

 nature, the Hon. A. J. Balfour said in his presidential ad- 

 dress before the British Association, it " excites feelings of 

 the most acute intellectual gratification. The satisfaction 

 it gives is almost aesthetic in its intensity and quality. 

 We feel the same sort of pleasurable shock as when from 

 the crest of some melancholy pass we first see far below us 

 the sudden glory of plain, river and mountain." 



But is this glorious view of plain, river and mountain a 

 veritable reality, or is it some mocking illusive mirage 

 spread out before men thirsty for a consistent world? Is 

 it true 9 Now, without repeating the jest of Pilate, we 

 may ask ourselves, is there any criterion of truth by which 

 we judge this wonderful system, to accept or condemn? 



It has been said that "truth consists in an ( agreement ' or 

 ' correspondence ' of thought with its object, viz. : reality." 

 But this is impossible with a system of this kind. The defi- 

 nition is applicable enough when we wish to compare a 

 theoretical determination with a "reality" experimentally 

 obtained. But, here, we cannot get at the "reality" to 



