THE SCHOLASTIC POSITION 45 



and some of these such as the yellowness of 

 gold may be inseparable properties of the 

 being in question. In connection with these two 

 kinds of forms, those who are not close students 

 of the scholastic system are apt to become 

 confused as to mediaeval ideas. For example, 

 I find the following passage in one of the most 

 suggestive books any one could wish to read, 

 by Professor Soddy.* Dealing with Alchemy, 

 from which Chemistry arose, during what he 

 calls the Dark Ages which were by no means 

 as dark as many would have us believe he 

 says : "If the qualities of things are regarded 

 as more fundamental than the things them- 

 selves; or if things are looked upon as having 

 no existence apart from the qualities which 

 they possess, the transmutation of one element 

 into another appears very much the same as 

 any other kind of chemical change." Much 

 virtue in your " if " ! There is nothing more 

 fundamental in scholastic philosophy than its 

 search for the underlying reality stripped of 

 its " accidents," one of which is colour, and 

 they would never have argued that because 

 you can change the colour of copper by adding 

 tin and thus produce brass, which resembles 

 gold in colour, you could change other qualities 

 and thus finally arrive at gold. These men 

 * Matter and Energy, Home University Library. 



