of the Evolution Fldlosopliy. 15 



ology — of a scientific understanding of the nature of sense- 

 perception ; there is nothing speculative or metaphysical 

 about it, whatsoever. 



The Materialist's position in philosophy reminds one of 

 certain crude attempts at art, Avhich, ignoring all sense of 

 perspective, and disregarding the beautiful blending of 

 lights and shadows as we see them in the natural land- 

 scape, illustrates a sort of sharply-defined wooden realism, 

 which is as distressing to the cultivated eye as it is thor- 

 oughly materialistic in its conception and execution. 



The Idealist's position, on the contrary, reminds one of 

 an artist who should eschew the use of vulgar material 

 paint, and attempt to dip his pencil in the prismatic hues 

 of the rainbow. Of the two, it must be admitted that the 

 materialistic painter would produce something, though it 

 would not resemble anything that we ever see in ISTature ; 

 while the idealist would produce nothing, external to his 

 own imagination.* 



In the language of Professor Fiske : 



"Our conclusion is simply this, that no theory of phe- 

 nomena, external or internal, can be framed without postu- 

 lating an Absolute Existence of which phenomena are the 

 manifestations. And now let us note carefully what 

 follows. We cannot identify this Absolute Existence with 

 Mind, since what we know as JNIind is a series of phenom- 

 enal manifestations : it was the irrefragable part of Hume's 

 argument that, in the eye of science as in the eye of com- 

 mon sense, Mind means not the occult reality but the grouj) 

 of phenomena which we know as thoughts and feelings. 

 Nor can we identify this Absolute Existence with JNIatter, 

 since what we know as Matter is a series of phenomenal 

 manifestations ; it was the irrefragable part of Berkeley's 

 argument that, in the eye of science as in the eye of com- 

 mon sense, Mattt'r means not the occult realit}- but the 

 group of sensations which we know as extension, resist- 

 ance, color, etc. Absolute Existence, therefore, — the 

 Reality which persists independently of us, and of which 

 IVrind and ^Matter are ]ihenonuMial numifestations, — cannot 

 be identified either with ^Miudorwith IMatter. Thus is ^la- 

 terialism included in the same condemnation with Idealism. ''t 



*That which the Idealist would produce in his iinaffimitiou, however, inijiht 

 be infinitely finer than the crude ol)jectivc iiroduction of the Materialist. 



tCosniic I'liilosojihy, Vol. I. The Evolutionist is jnstitied in atlirniinjr " the 

 eternity and lunreatability of matter." which is the (latum nn wliicli the 



