136 THE CKEED OF SCIENCE, KELIGIOUS AND MOKAL. 



According to these last, the self, or ego, is free, free to 

 fulfil the law of duty, but it is not free to alter itself 

 greatly. It is free to do what it is its nature to do ; in 

 other words, it is free to produce its natural effects, as it 

 is to a plant to grow and to flower, though by the same 

 reasoning it is evidently not free to do other than it does, 

 or other than it is its nature to do. It is not free for the 

 bramble to bring forth grapes, or for any tree or man to 

 produce other than its natural fruit a consideration 

 which may show how little the alleged freedom really 

 amounts to. 



According to the necessitarian, like Mill, a power of 

 improving the character to an extent is allowed ; if we 

 really strongly wish to do so, we can; the wish itself 

 being an important motive force in the case, and one 

 depending probably on the original inherited basis of 

 character. But while this power really remains, we can 

 apply it only by perceiving and pressing into our service 

 sufficiently powerful motives to conquer the rival and 

 inferior motives. We must endeavour to make the better 

 motives effect a lodgment in our breast ; we must make 

 them become a part of our character ; and this we can 

 only do on the two conditions that their germs are already 

 within us, and also that they promise a certain balance 

 and reward of pleasurable result. Before a drunkard 

 can be got to make an effort for his reformation, he must 

 have strong motives put before him. If he sees his 

 health, fortune, and family in danger of being ruined, 

 here are strongly deterring motives to the further indulg- 

 ence of his vice. The only question is Can these and 

 the opposite class of pleasurable motives counteract the 

 imperious craving of his bad habit. By trying to press 

 good motives into our service, by incorporating them 

 into our character and trying to work under them, we 



