The Persistence of Force. 101 



the absolute actuality, as, following Mr. Spencer, we 

 are warranted to do, for " by the persistence of 

 force" he says, "we really mean the persistence of 

 some cause which transcends our knowledge and con- 

 ception," we predicate the continued existence of 

 the absolute force in equality of sum throughout 

 all time. But to affirm that the incomprehensible 

 " continues unchanged in quantity " is manifestly in- 

 competent to human intelligence. At every point in 

 time it is assumed to be unbounded and ever inscrut- 

 able : we are forbidden to form of it any definite con- 

 cept whatever. To predicate of it persistent equality 

 in amount is doubly absurd. 



We make no real advance, then, by taking persist- 

 ence to mean continued sameness of quantity. 



Even if it were possible to quantify the totality of 

 force, or to isolate and compare individual instances, 

 persistence could guarantee one thing only, that is, 

 the constancy of the amount. The something might 

 become another thing in all respects save in quantity. 

 For brass we might have gold and for stones iron, 

 provided only the balance of the totals remained 

 undisturbed. For force is with Mr. Spencer the 

 equivalent of all modes of being, spiritual and 

 material, of every mode of motion, or exercise of 

 thought ; of everything that exists or has existed. 

 To affirm, then, that the sole ultimate truth is the 

 persistence of force in equality of amount, is to re- 

 move from thought all* questions of kind and to 



