THE RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 



CHAPTER I. 

 THE NATUEE OP THE PEOBLEM. 



The condition of civilisation and of thought at the close of the 

 nineteenth century. Progress of our knowledge of nature — of 

 the organic and inorganic sciences. The Law of Substance'and 

 the Law of Evolution. Progress of technical science and^of ^applied 

 chemistry. Stagnancy in other departments of life : legal and 

 political administration, education, and the Church. Conflict of 

 reason and dogma. Anthropism. Cosmological perspective. 

 Cosmological theorems. Kefutation of the delusion of man's 

 importance. Number of " world-riddles." Criticism of the 

 "seven" enigmas. The way to solve them. Function of the 

 senses and of the brain. Induction and deduction. Pieason, 

 sentiment, and revelation. Philosophy and science. Experience 

 and speculation. Dualism and monism. 



The close of the nineteenth century offers one of the 

 most remarkable spectacles to the thoughtful observer. 

 All educated people are agreed that it has in many 

 respects immeasurably outstripped its predecessors, 

 and has achieved tasks that were deemed impractic- 

 able at its commencement. An entirely new character 

 has been given to the whole of our modern civilisa- 

 tion, not only by our astounding theoretical progress 

 in sound knowledge of nature, but also by the remark- 

 ably fertile practical application of that knowledge in 

 technical science, industry, commerce, and so forth. 



B 



