SCIENCE OF COMMON THINGS. 



PAET I 



LAWS AND PROPERTIES OF MATTER. 



CHAPTER I. 



WHAT WE KNOW OF MATTER, AND HOW WE KNOW IT. 

 1 What is matter t 



"We apply the term matter to any substance which 

 affects our senses. 



& How do lee know that anything exists f 



Because our senses give us evidence of the fact 



3 What are the senses t 



They are the instruments, or means, by which the 

 mind is enabled to know that matter exists and pos- 

 sesses certain properties. 



4 How many senses are there f 



Five ; hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling. 



5 Wsuld a person deprived of all sensation, be conscious of any mats- 

 rial existence f 



He would not ; for all knowledge of the material 

 world is derived through the medium of the senses. 



6 Is the impression transmitted to the mind by each organ of sensation, 



different* 



It is; each organ of sense is adapted to receive a 

 particular influence of matter ; and is designed to con- 



