CONSTITUENTS OF THE UNIVERSE. 



So-Called Matter. 



S there such a thing in the universe as MAT- 

 TER is supposed to be? To that question 

 the stereotyped answer will be, "Certainly 

 there is." But that, after all, amounts to 

 nothing in settling this question. If it is in- 

 deed a fact that there is matter, it is, unfor- 

 tunately not a self-evident one like SPACE, 

 TIME or MOTION; and this, of itself, is a very 

 serious feature in the case; for if it is really 

 true, it would certainly seem that it ought to 

 be the plainest, clearest, and most convincing 

 of all truths; in short, a iruth that would need 

 no evidence to support it; while, at the same 

 time, it would have ample evidence in its be- 

 half. On the contrary, it requires proof to es- 

 tablish that it is a reality, and not an error. 



Now the evidence offered to prove that there 

 is any matter, is singularly weak and uncon- 

 vincing; while, on the other hand, the objec- 

 tions appear to be of the most formidable 

 kind. 



