PERCEPTION. 141 



matter to have the sure ground of experiment on which to 

 rest the fact that universally psychical processes represent 

 comparative delay of ganglionic action. For from this fact 

 the obvious deduction is, as stated in a previous chapter, 

 that psychical processes constitute the subjective expression 

 of objective turmoil among molecular forces ; reflex action 

 may be regarded as the rapid movement of a well-oiled 

 machine, consciousness is the heat evolved by the internal 

 friction of some other machine, and psychical processes as the 

 light which is given out when such heat rises to redness. 

 Presumably, therefore, psychical processes arise with a vivid- 

 ness and intricacy proportional to the amount of ganglionic 

 friction — as, indeed, appears to be experimentally proved by 

 the observations of l)onders before described. Now it is 

 certain that by frequency of repetition, — i.e., by practice in the 

 performance of any particular psychical act— the amount of 

 this ganglionic friction admits of being lessened (as shown 

 by the time required for the ganglionic action being reduced), 

 and that concurrently with this change on the objective side 

 of matters, a change takes place on the subjective, in that the 

 action which was previously conscious tends to become 

 automatic. 



Now from these considerations I think the inference 

 would appear to be, that reflex action and perception probably 

 advance together — each stage in the development of the one 

 serving as the groundwork for the next stage in the develop- 

 ment of the other. And in corroboration of this view is the 

 general fact, that throughout the animal kingdom there is a 

 pretty constant correspondence between the complexity of 

 the reflex actions presented by an organism and the level of 

 its psychical development. 



