THOUGHTS ON 

 NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



''THROUGHOUT the ages there have been many 

 " * philosophers great and small. The word 

 " Plato " may for convenience be taken to express 

 and include the sum of them. Then, as scientific 

 inquirers, we may well have for our device the well- 

 known quotation: "Plato is my friend, but truth is 

 a greater friend." We are searchers after truth, we 

 revere our teachers; but not all our affectionate 

 reverence or awe of great men, living or dead, can 

 stay us in our quest. Truth alone is sovereign. 



We must philosophize, for either we ought to 

 philosophize, or, if we ought not, we must philosophize 

 in order to demonstrate that we ought not to 

 philosophize. 



We all agree that the ordinary operations of nature 

 are carried on under the rule of what we term 

 " natural law." It is my endeavour to elucidate that 

 law, or mode of procedure. 



The nomenclature adopted is that of the radium 



* An interesting and learned resiime of past philosophies may be 

 found in Professor Alfred Weber's admirable History of Philosophy, 

 published by Longmans, Green & Co. 



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