60 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



heeded this obvious maxim of philosophic cau- 

 tion. Loose talk about " materialism " is apt to 

 imply loose thinking as to the manner in which 

 the metaphysical relations of body and soul are 

 to be apprehended. Perhaps Mr. Harrison, as a 

 positivist, will say that he has nothing to do with 

 apprehending the metaphysical relations between 

 body and soul ; but, however that may be, there 

 is some laxity of thought exhibited in charging 

 Professor Huxley with " materialism " because 

 he speaks of " building up a physical theory of 

 moral phenomena." To try to explain conscience, 

 with metaphysical strictness, as a result of the 

 grouping of material molecules, is something 

 which I am sure Professor Huxley would never 

 think of doing ; but, unless I am entirely mis- 

 taken on this point, there is no ground for Mr. 

 Harrison's charge of materialism. 



To see Professor Huxley charged with mate- 

 rialism, and in a reproachful tone withal, by a 

 positivist who does not acknowledge the existence 

 of a soul, save in some extremely Pickwickian 

 sense, is a strange, not to say comical, spectacle. 

 " What next ?" one is inclined to ask. Positivists 

 are apt to have, indeed, an ecclesiastical style of 

 expression, and one would almost think, from 

 bis manner, that Mr. Harrison was making com- 



