I 



MATERIALISM AND BODILY ORGANIZATION. 289 



Deity and the Ego Is a possible explanation of the 

 interaction and close connection of Matter and 

 Spirit, — granted all this, the question may yet be 

 sked why the growth of the complexity of material 

 organization should be the invariable accompani- 

 ment of the growth of consciousness. Is it not the 

 asiest and most reasonable explanation of this fact 

 o suppose that spirit is a kind of harmony, resulting 

 rom the proper collocation of material particles ? 

 nd indeed, do not the facts of the evolution of life 

 irectly negative the supposition that Matter is an 

 nstrument of the Deity ? For if the world-process 

 ere the realization of a Divine purpose, the lower 

 brms of material organisms would necessarily be 

 ess harmonious to that purpose, and hence should 

 equire a more powerful and complllcated machinery 

 f Matter than the higher and more harmonized, 

 nstead of which, material organization rises in com- 

 lexity and power /^r/ passu with the development 

 f consciousness, and the obvious inference is that 

 it is the cause of the development of consciousness. 

 That such a materialistic explanation of the facts 

 s the most obvious to the vulgar, it is needless to 

 'dispute, that it is also the soundest, it is imperative 

 to deny. We may boldly accept the challenge of 

 Materialism., and if we succeed, we may reasonably 

 xpect that a defeat of Materialism on the ground 

 f Its own choice will not mean merely a passing 

 bray of the metaphysical mountaineers, but a final 

 onquest of the rich lowlands of science from the 

 materialists who have terrorized over them so 

 long. 



For the greater complexity of material organiz- 

 tion in the development of the world several reasons 

 ay be given. In the first place, we may appeal to 



R. ofS. U 



