148 Man, the creature of circumstances. 



ranted. His mental helplessness in the absence of 

 knowledge, is equal to his physical incapacity in the 

 absence of light. Nearly every problem of nature 

 also is so complex, and affected by so many condi- 

 tions, that his reasoning power only enables him to 

 advance a very minute step at a time in the discovery 

 of new knowledge ; he is then obliged to halt, and 

 have recourse to new experiences obtained either by 

 means of experiment and observation, or by the latter 

 alone. 



Man's moral actions are largely the effect of 

 circumstances ; his thoughts and actions are probably 

 the whole of them limited by law. He is never free 

 from the influence of causation. His mental and 

 moral freedom are limited by the epoch in which he 

 lives, by the customs of his nation, by the individuals 

 by whom he is immediately surrounded, by the 

 alcoholic stimulants of which he partakes, and by his 

 own physical and mental constitution, his degree of 

 intelligence, &c., &c. Whether he is willing or not, 

 he is incessantly compelled to receive sensuous and 

 mental impressions, and be influenced by an almost in- 

 finite number and variety of agencies acting upon him 

 both from within and without: To be mentally and 

 physically active, and perform all the bodily functions 

 and acts necessary to his existence : To live on this 

 globe in presence of all its phenomena, and be carried 

 through space at an immense velocity : To undergo 

 through a long series of generations a progressive ex- 

 istence and development of civilization, &c., &c. 



