33 2 CONSTRUCTIVE ARRANGEMENTS NOT TESTED. 



parity of perfecting anything until each constructed me- 

 chanism should be put to the test of actual work and tried 

 against many other modificatious of arrangement and 

 principle. 



The idea of Omnipotence testing the results of its con- 

 structive power by experiment is surely not a very grand 

 conception, and would probably have appeared very curious 

 to the thoughtful who lived in days gone by; but since 

 means have been discovered by which fallacies can be made 

 to appear identical with fact, and shown to have the support 

 of experiment it will probably excite little surprise. No 

 matter how absurd a proposition may seem, no matter how 

 it may conflict with well ascertained facts gradually acquired 

 and accumulated by the wisest and most careful in the 

 course of centuries, if only it purports to rest upon experi- 

 ment, it is received as true, and taught at least for a time as 

 a fact of new science. And if it should mislead, nobody is 

 responsible nobody cares. It will in time be upset by 

 the results of new experiments. 



It is, however, doubtful whether the great majority of 

 thoughtful persons will consent at present to give up the idea 

 of matter being ruled by mind ; for it is certain that at this 

 time the reasons in favour of such a view far outweigh both 

 in number and in force those that have been or can be 

 advanced against it. If it is believed that mind does rule 

 material changes, the acceptance of the idea of mind and 

 matter-ruling mind is irresistible, and we are forced to the in- 

 ference that the unreasonableness of the idea of the existence 

 of God will be accepted only by those who have determined 

 in the first place to ignore or deny facts of nature and facts 

 of their own minds ; for it must I think be admitted that the 



