KNO\VLi:i)GK. 



OCTOIlKK, 1912. 



iDiiiid ill the attitiulc o( scienlitic mt-ii lowaids the prubloins 

 of philosophy. Thi- i-xtr.iordiiiaiily rapid progress made in 

 physical science during the nineteenth century created a false 

 atmosphere of finality .ind assurance, resulting in a belief that 

 all the important facts of the imiverse were known (only details 

 remaining to be filled in), and that the metaphysical system 

 known as materialism had spoken the last word as to the con- 

 stitution of the Cosmos. Recent discoveries, both in physics 

 and psychology, have shown that this conclusion was too hasty, 

 and the philosophical outlook of scientific men to-day is dis- 

 tinctly transcendental and idealistic. Scientific men, therefore, 

 are more likely to be interested, nowadays, in the philosophy 

 of Jacob Hoehme, than would have been the case had their 

 attention been called during the past century to a book like 

 that now imdcr review. 



The present volume forms a supplement to a re-issue of 

 Boehmc's works now taking place under the general editorship 

 of Mr. C.J. Barker. Mrs. Penny's essays are by no means free 

 from defects. Of course, one cannot expect the same quality 

 of finish in essays reprinted from periodicalsasone would have 

 expected had the authoress lived to write a book in exposition 

 of Boehme's system. But apart from this fact, her sparseness 

 of critical powers, her lack of scientific knowledge, and her 



habit of treating too seriously the utler.inces of quite unimpor- 

 tant people, lessen her value as an expositor of Boehmc. On 

 the other hand, few persons indeed have studied Boehme to 

 the extent that Mrs. Penny did, and she certainly possessed a 

 valuable knack of bringing together passages from Boehme 

 which mutually enlighten each other. When studying a writer 

 so obscure in style as Boehme, every help is valuable, and 

 Mrs. Penny's book may certainly be recommended to 

 sympathetic readers, though they may not invariably agree 

 with her interpretations of Boehme's theories. 



Boehme's theory of the seven properties of Nature is 

 particularly interesting, once one becomes used to his quaint 

 t(-rininology. borrowed largely from the alchemists. It permits 

 of both a metaphysical and a physical application. In its 

 former aspect it asserts that all objective existence is the 

 result of desire operating through imagination and will, and 

 thus approximates to the widely-held philosophical doctrine 

 that the so-called objective world is an ideal construction of 

 the perceiving mind. In its physical aspect there is, perhaps, 

 some vague and slight foreshadowing of the theory that matter 

 is generated by the formation of stress centres, or centres of 

 contraction, in the ether. 



H. S. Kehgrove. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT DUNDEE. 



There is no doubt but that the Dundee Meeting of the 

 British Association was a decided success, and quite apart 

 from the energy, skill and tact of the local organisers there is 

 one outstanding reason why the meeting was a large one. 



Dundee is more than two or three hours' journey from 

 London and indeed from other centres of activity in England. 

 The distance and the fact that Dundee is in Scotland 

 suggested to would-be visitors that attendance at the meeting 

 would really mean a change and give them the opportunity of 

 taking a holiday afterwards in the Highlands or elsewhere. 

 There was also little to encourage readers of papers to pay a 

 flying visit, make their communication and return home the 

 same or the next day, as was possible at Leicester, Sheffield and 

 Portsihouth. Then again residents at such places as these 

 have had many opportunities recently of easily attending 

 meetings, but it is forty-five years since the .Association last 

 met at Dundee, and twenty or so since it went to Edinburgh. 

 These facts explain, no doubt, the large number of local 

 members who were a feature of the meeting. The same 

 results were obtained by the Royal Agricultural Society so 

 long as it went sufficiently far from London ; but when it made 

 Park Royal its headquarters its annual shows were not a 

 success. 



The writer chose the West Coast route, went by the London 

 and North-Western Railway to Carlisle, and thence over the 

 Caledonian line to Dundee, missing the Tay bridge, but passing 

 through many lovely stretches of country. 



Speaking of the West Coast, it sounds strange when one 

 hears' it said that Liverpool is very nearly as far east as 

 Dundee, although they are on different sides of Great Britain. 

 A glance at a map will soon show that this statement is 

 correct. 



Turning to the President's address, which by a coincidence 

 was begun on the very day and at the same hour, forty-five 

 years after the last one delivered at Dundee, it may be said 

 that no other communication is so easy to criticise or more 

 difficult to compose. If the speaker talks of his own work he 

 is liable to be. or to be considered, egotistical, and his matter 

 (unless he is one of those scientific men who are out of a 

 groove and is therefore paradoxically not looked up to by his 

 fellows! is likely to be dry and not appreciated by a general 

 audience. The specialist trying to be general is also in 

 difficulties. His scientific hearers are liable to call his 



address twaddle. As a matter of fact the writer has only 

 heard one presidential address of this kind which really 

 pleased him. This was given to the South-Eastern Congress 

 of Scientific Societies, by Piofessor Silvanus Thompson. As 

 the Presidents of this Union in many cases occupy the Chair 

 of the British Association it is possible that the latter body 

 may ha\ e a treat in store for them. 



Professor Schafer's address at Dundee certainly gave a good 

 idea of what is at present known with regard to the physio- 

 logical topics on which he touched, and it was generally 

 appreciated by the mass of his audience which was not made 

 up of specialists. In this respect it is certainly to be 

 conmiended. It was, however, in the opinion of those who 

 know what makes for the success of a discourse, interminably 

 long, and occasionally when Professor Schafer emphasised 

 the fact that he was descending to his audience's level, as 

 when he suggested that few present understood the working 

 of a microscope, his remarks were not pleasing. One cannot 

 help thinking how very different it would have been if 

 Professor Schafer could have spoken instead of read his 

 address. We look forward to the time when some President 

 will break away from the traditional method and give an 

 address more after the style of the best of the evening 

 discourses. Two of the latter, as usual, were given at Dundee. 

 The writer was not present at the first on " Radiation"; but 

 this seems to have been above the heads of the audience. 

 Professor Keith's was certainly excellent, though a little 

 inclined to be like a sermon, while it was very difficult in a 

 large hall to see the specimens of skeletons and skulls and 

 casts with which he illustrated his remarks on " The Antiquity 

 of Man. " 



One discussion which attracted considerable attention 

 was that arranged on " The Origin of Life " by Section 

 D (/foiilogy), partly from its title and partly as it was in a 

 measure dealt with on the subject of the Presidential address. 

 It was useful in that it showed what various opinions are 

 held collectively and individually, though the comment was 

 that no progress had been m.ide. .As we outlined in our 

 last number the presidential addresses of the Sections were of 

 more than general interest. That in Section D, by Dr. 

 Chalmers Mitchell, was devoted to the Protection of .Animals 

 and Plants in the World generally. Some of the papers in the 

 same section dealt with the matter also, and a good deal w.as 

 said on the subject at the Conference of Delegates. 



