The Evolution of Mini. 181 



thought can conceive of a psychic state coming from two 

 or more non-psychic ones.* The human race has and cai^. 

 have no other basis for its belief in the indestructibility of 

 matter than its inability to conceive of the non-dimensional 

 becoming dimensional or the dimensional becoming non- 

 dimensional. The weighings and measurings of the chemist 

 are never accurate enough and never can become accurate 

 enough to prove that minute traces of matter are not at 

 every transformation created or annihilated. f If, then, the 

 im})ossibility of conceiving dimensional body as becoming 

 non-dimensional is a sufficient guarantee of matter's eternal 

 indestructibility, Ijy what process of thought can we reason- 

 ably hold to a belief in the incessant destruction and cre- 

 ation of soul-power ? No one can conceive of feeling or 

 thought coming from that which has no element of either 

 in its composition. Dimension can only be explained by 

 dimension, awareness by awareness, and motion W motion. 

 We can conceive of no adequate cause for extended body but 

 extended body, for awareness (psychosis) but awareness, or 

 for motion but motion. They are our last possible analyses 

 of the phenomena they represent. $ Evolution as related 

 to these is grossly misunderstood by many of its believers. 

 Matter evolves, motion evolves and mind (psychosis) evolves, 

 but we have no evidence that any of them are created. 

 They merely change from low to high manifestations. 

 That is the totality of what constitutes evolution. § It is 

 simply a re-arrangement of what is. This trinity of exten- 

 sion, motion and })sycliosis are, on examination, unknowable 

 without each other. We cannot think of mind without 

 thinking of something having that mind. AVe can know 

 nothing of that something without mind. INIind sends us 

 to extended body for an explanation of itself, and extended 

 body sends \is to mind for an explanation of itself. In but 

 one way is reconciliation possible. We can view them as 

 dual aspects of a common persistent reality. This you may 

 call by any name you please, but Mr. Herbert Spencer 

 rightly designates it "The Unknowable." || Looking into 

 my brain you could see matter only, whereas when I look 

 toward the same reality, only mind is perceived. The san- 



* Spencer's PsvcholORy (1872), Vol. 1, pp. 157, 158. 



t >ature, Vol. 9, ])p. 4iiO-4H4 {II. Spencer and Prof. Frankland). 



i Ibid, Vol. 10, p. a ( Herbert Spencer). 



§ Ribot's EnRlish I'svchology, pp. 127, 128. 



II Spencer's Psychology, Vol. 1, pp. IGl, 1G2. 



