126 SCIENCE AND MORALS. m 



victim of a confusion, common enough among 

 thoughtless people, and into which he has fallen 

 unawares? Obviously,, it is one thing to say that 

 the logical methods of physical science are of uni- 

 versal applicability, and quite another to affirm 

 that all subjects of thought lie within the pro- 

 vince of physical science. I have often declared 

 my conviction that there is only one method by 

 which intellectual truth can be reached, whether 

 the subject-matter of investigation belongs to the 

 world of physics or to the world of consciousness; 

 and one of the arguments in favour of the use of 

 physical science as an instrument of education 

 which I have oftenest used is that, in my opinion, 

 it exercises young minds in the appreciation of in- 

 ductive evidence better than any other study. 

 But while I repeat my conviction that the physical 

 sciences probably furnish the best and most easily 

 appreciable illustrations of the one and indivisible 

 mode of ascertaining truth by the use of reason, 

 I beg leave to add that I have never thought of 

 suggesting that other branches of knowledge may 

 not afford the same discipline; and assuredly I 

 have never given the slightest ground for the 

 attribution to me of the ridiculous contention that 

 there is nothing true outside the bounds of physi- 

 cal science. Doubtless people who wanted to say 

 something damaging, without too nice a regard 

 to its truth or falsehood, have often enough mis- 

 represented my plain meaning. But Mr. Lilly is 



