PRESIDENT NEWCOMB. 11 



likely that anyone ever supposed. That the falling of heavy 

 bodies, the running of rivers, the changes of seasons and the 

 revolutions of the heavens, were all in accordance with mechanical 

 laws, at least so far as the phenomena are concerned, no one ever 

 knowingly denied. But it was thought that the action of these 

 causes was from time to time modified by the introduction of 

 causes of the teleological class, just as a rock might be kept from 

 falling by the force of cohesion. The general rule has been that 

 the more ignorant the age, the more minute and immediate was 

 supposed to be the action of those beings who were modifying the 

 course of nature in order to compass their ends. 



As illustrating this I might commence with the age of image 

 worship, when the fate of the individual is supposed to be at the 

 mercy of certain spiritual entities, symbolized by forms of wood, 

 stone, or wax. But, leaving out of consideration ideas so differ- 

 ent from those which prevail among us, let us come nearer home. . 

 It i's not many generations since men, who knew that the regular 

 course of nature went on in accordance with mechanical laws, be- 

 lieved, nevertheless, that occurrences of a terrific or extraordinary 

 character were specially brought about to compass some end of 

 Providence. Not only so, but, what is most essential to our theme, 

 this end was supposed to be a scrutable one. The motions of 

 stars and planets had gone on from age to age, until no new aspect 

 of them inspired alarm. But a comet was looked upon as a 

 messenger specially sent to give warning of a coming calamity. 

 .The scrutable end was, in this case, the warning of mankind. Ordi- 

 nary cases of sickness and accident, whatever their result, always 

 have been looked upon as a part of the regular course of events. 

 But it is not many centuries since the pestilence was believed to 

 be specially sent by Heaven to punish mankind for their wicked- 

 ness. Punishment and terror were here the ends whicK Providence 

 was supposed to have in view. The regular daily breezes and 

 showers were supposed to be tRe result of natural laws. But these 

 laws were not supposed to be entirely adequate to the production 

 of the tornado, which was again a special messenger, and they 

 were suspended, or their action was modified in times of extreme 

 drought, threatening mankind with famine. 



These special messengers of Heaven have, one by one, yoked 

 themselves to the car of natural law, so that I think I can hardly 

 be'Vrong in saying that the supremacy of mechanical law, ajad its 



