22 



a higher type of abstract words, and it is needless to pretend that these 

 abstract ideas are entities existing apart from us, when they are the descrip- 

 tions of those actions which we ourselves perform, and not our wills, our 

 memories, or our reflections. I will ; I remember ; I reflect ; but do not tell 

 me that I use my memory ; that makes a third party. I am not conscious 

 of anything of the kind, nor do I believe that anybody in this room is. I 

 know that some gentlemen, and, I may say, some ladies, have very strong 

 wills. (Laughter.) But that means simply that they can will very strongly, 

 and no one can mix in the society of either sex without finding that the in- 

 dividual can will. But to take it for granted that he has something in 

 addition to himself which does the business of willing, is to me wholly un- 

 philosophical ; and this, to my mind, is the prevailing blunder of Mr. Herbert 

 Spencer, et hoc genus omne. (Applause.) 



The CHAIRMAN. There is no doubt that much confusion is caused by 

 people saying that by freedom of will it is meant that a human being can 

 do anything he pleases. I will only say in reference to what has been said 

 by Dr. Irons, the great Truth was known in the days of Abraham, " Shall 

 not the judge of all the earth do right ? " 



Professor O'DELL. I fully appreciate the manner in which Mr. 

 Ground has, throughout his paper, kept to the subject under discus- 

 sion, and kept clear of theological matter. Mr. Herbert Spencer has 

 challenged us in regard to the question of the will, and on reading his works, 

 the conclusion I have come to from time to time is that his statements are 

 very much opposed to our universal experience, especially in regard to 

 the subject before us to-night. If we appeal to our experience 

 concerning the will, I think we shall be able to obtain more 

 truthful information than we can derive from what has been written by Mr. 

 Herbert Spencer. In considering the question, " Is the will free ? " let us 

 ask ourselves can we go to the right or to the left ? Can we live or die ? I 

 can do any or either of these things. I can, if I choose to do so, act in 

 opposition to my own intelligence, which tells me certain things, and that one 

 course is wise and another foolish. We all know that we can go directly 

 contrary to that which we believe to be right, and we know also that highly 

 intelligent and cultured men have acted in opposition to their own reason. 

 There have been men who have been educated in the highest colleges, who 

 have acted in the basest manner, thus showing that they had wills which 

 could deprave them to the lowest depths in direct negation of all the cul- 

 ture they had received. On the other hand, we are also aware that there 

 have been men reared in the lowest haunts of vice and misery, who have 

 shown their freedom of will in an entirely different direction. Quite inde- 

 pendently of the teaching they have had, they have exercised their wills in 

 opposition to all evil influences. Again, we have the fact that there are men 

 who will not allow their wills to be bound by laws, as Mr. Herbert Spencer 

 must at least acknowledge, men who refuse to obey the laws of their 

 country, laws the breaking of which brings immediate punishment upon 



