NOT MATERIAL PROPERTIES. 



303 



parental body or bodies. The aggregate compound particle 

 of matter supposed to be thus formed, becomes the offspring 

 which is supposed to inherit peculiarities by reason of the 

 mere matter that is supposed to have been detached from 

 every constituent elementary part of the parental body. I 

 can see the speck of matter that is supposed to consist of 

 those millions and millions of material particles each pos- 

 sessed of special material, particularizing properties, nay I 

 can get hundreds of thousands of such compound specks in 

 the field of my microscope at one time, every one of which 

 is supposed to be an aggregate of precisely the same cha- 

 racter, and to possess precisely the same properties. 



Now why are we expected to believe a conjectural hy- 

 pothesis which has no more to recommend it than anyone 

 of the numerous fancies which, one after another, are always 

 flitting before every active mind properly charged with a 

 knowledge of natural phenomena? Is this conjecture sup- 

 ported by fact, or is it in accordance with reason, or are we 

 assured that it is about to be proved to be true simply be- 

 cause this, with other equally extravagant propositions, seems 

 to support that general materialistic idea upon the spread 

 and success of which, in one form or another, the reputation 

 of so many scientific speculators has been so unwittingly 

 staked ? 



We are expected to assent to the doctrine that the mere 

 matter of that infinitesimal particle from which each one of 

 us has sprung is all in all, and that its power is no more 

 than is indeed one with the material forces of every 

 purposeless fragment around us. But as I have shown in 

 Part II, it is not only at an early period of development, that 

 growing, moving, forming, structureless matter is found. 



