42 HEREDITY. 



heavens. Well, it turns out that it is Very natural 

 for us to look for the sun in the east, but is it impos- 

 ble for us to imagine that the sun might rise in the 

 west? Not at all. It is perfectly possible for me to 

 imagine that to-morrow morning the orb of day might 

 come up from behind the pines of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains instead of from beneath the watery shoulder of 

 the planet visible from this Massachusetts coast. I 

 can imagine such a geological convulsion as might 

 reverse the motion of the earth, and give us a new 

 order of celestial phenomena, in spite of the perfect 

 uniformity of our experience as a race in regard to 

 these celestial movements. 



But, now, can I imagine it possible that two straight 

 lines can enclose a space ? Not at all. The moment 

 I understand what two straight lines mean, I see that 

 they cannot enclose a space. It is impossible even to 

 imagine the annihilation of space or time, or that 

 things that are equal to the same thing are not equal 

 to each other, or that a whole is less than a part. 

 But my race has had as uniform an experience as to 

 the sun rising in the east as it has had concerning 

 these axiomatic propositions. It is possible, however, 

 to imagine that the sun might rise in the west, and 

 not possible to imagine that a part is as great as a 

 whole. There is an inconceivability in regard to the 

 latter proposition which does not exist in regard to 

 the other. My ancestors have had no greater num- 

 ber of instances of experience of the whole being 

 greater than a part than they have had instances of 

 experience as to the heavenly bodies rising in the 



