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point. The subject is obviously out of the path of physical 

 enquiry, but it by no means, therefore, follows that nothing 

 is to be learnt concerning it. No wonder that those who 

 would have us believe that the highest aspirations of the 

 soul are but manifestations of so many units of force, de- 

 sire to chain the mind so close to the material that it shall 

 no longer be able to exercise one of its remarkable en- 

 dowments that of tending towards regions where the 

 senses cannot penetrate. Is the mind to obey the senses, 

 instead of leading, controlling, and directing them? Are 

 the senses to govern the intellect and to dictate to it the 

 conditions under which it may work ? But even the dis- 

 ciples of the physical school do not altogether refrain from 

 advancing vain speculations and fanciful hypotheses. Is it 

 then the attempt to speculate in one particular direction 

 that gives such offence in these days, and which some try 

 to put down, with firmness and force ? 



The bearing of the facts in connection with the move- 

 ment, nutrition, and growth of living matter, is unmis- 

 takable. They point to the existence of a property or 

 power different in each particular kind of living matter. 

 On any other view the diverse results of the development of 

 matter of similar composition are utterly inexplicable, and 

 nothing but prejudice which makes some scientific autho- 

 rities deny all that they cannot account for, leads them to 

 demur to such a conclusion. 



No one has been able to discover in any form of living 

 matter whatever, anything which can be called a mecha- 

 nism, or anything in which structure can be discerned. 

 A little transparent colourless material is the seat of 

 these marvellous powers or properties by which the 



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