Atoms. 191 



accordance with this, that the " atomists," says 

 Lange, " attributed to matter only the simplest 

 of the various properties of things those, 

 namely, which are indispensable for the pre- 

 sentation of a something in space and time, and 

 their aim was to evolve from these alone the 

 whole assemblage of phenomena." " They it 

 was," he adds, " who gave the first perfectly 

 clear notion of what we are to understand by 

 matter as the basis of all phenomena. With 

 the positing of this notion, materialism stood 

 complete, as the first perfectly clear and con- 

 sequent theory of all phenomena." 1 



If further corroboration of this statement 

 were needed, it might be adduced from Mr. 

 Herbert Spencer's definition of Evolution, 

 already quoted : J " Evolution is a change from 

 an indefinite incoherent homogeneity, to a de- 

 finite coherent heterogeneity, through continuous 

 differentiations and integrations." And again : 

 " From the earliest traceable cosmical changes 

 down to the latest results of civilization we sliall 

 find that the transformation of the homogeneous 

 into the heterogeneous is that in which evolu- 

 tion essentially consists." In perfect consis- 

 tency with these statements Mr. Spencer further 



1 " Geschichte des Materialismus," i. pp. 8, 9. 

 * Vide suprci, p. 27. 



