40 UNIVERSITIES : ACTUAL AND IDEAL. [LECT 



tically, it is the most directly valuable of all forms of 

 knowledge, but speculatively, it is limited and criti- 

 cised by that which precedes and by that which 

 follows it in my order of enumeration. 



A third class embraces knowledge of the pheno- 

 mena of the Universe, as that which lies about the 

 individual man : and of the rules which those pheno- 

 mena are observed to follow in the order of their 

 occurrence, which we term the laws of Nature. 



This is what ought to be called Natural Science, 

 or Physiology, though those terms are hopelessly 

 diverted from such a meaning ; and it includes all 

 exact knowledge of natural fact, whether Mathe- 

 matical, Physical, Biological, or Social. 



Kant has said that the ultimate object of all 

 knowledge is to give replies to these three questions : 

 What can I do ? What ought I to do ? What may 

 I hope for \ The forms of knowledge which I have 

 enumerated, should furnish such replies as are within 

 human reach, to the first and second of these questions. 

 While to the third, perhaps the wisest answer is, 

 " Do what you can to do what you ought, and leave 

 hoping and fearing alone." 



If this be a just and an exhaustive classification 

 of the forms of knowledge, no question as to their 

 relative importance, or as to the superiority of one to 

 the other, can be seriously raised. 



On the face of the matter, it is absurd to ask 

 whether it is more important to know the limits of 

 one's powers ; or the ends for which they ought to be 

 exerted ; or the conditions under which they must be 



