MATTER AND SPIRIT 



called " blind foFce," and as thus conveying a 

 lower conception than that upon which theology 

 insists, then we need not shrink from the 

 scarcely greater anthropomorphism involved in 

 speaking of the unknown Cause as a Spirit 

 manifested in phenomena. Such a choice of 

 symbols will at least serve to show that we no 

 more identify Deity with " blind force '' than 

 we identify Mind with "brute matter," or a 

 psychical shock with a physical pulsation, and 

 that, in our innermost intent, we are striving to 

 convey a higher conception than that upon 

 which theology insists. 



But in thus consenting to adopt a term about 

 which quasi-psychical connotations have clus- 

 tered, we do not implicitly consent to the cloth- 

 ing of Deity with definable psychical attributes. 

 The moment we use the words " intelligence " 

 and " volition," we are using words which have 

 distinct meanings, as descriptive of certain cir- 

 cumscribed modes of psychical activity in man 

 and some other animals. Except as descriptive 

 of these circumscribed modes of psychical activ- 

 ity, they have no meanings whatever : and to 

 seek to apply them to the unlimited activitv 

 (whether quasi-psychical or not) of a Being that 

 is not circumscribed by an " objective datum '* 

 of any sort, is simply to call into existence a 

 number of illegitimate propositions which, if 

 dealt with as legitimate, would entangle us once 

 VOL. IV 289 



