sentinels of another wonderful instrument, the 

 brain, where every impression they convey is 

 stored for conscious or unconscious use. The 

 assimilation of all these impressions of material 

 facts results in the exercise of what we call the 

 reasoning faculty. This faculty may elaborate and 

 build up theories and abstract ideas ; but these all 

 emanate originally from the same source, material 

 contact of the sense of touch with material ob- 

 jects. In these circumstances can we wonder if 

 we fail to grasp such a subject as infinity, which 

 does not manifest itself either as matter or force 

 and which it is quite beyond the power of our 

 instruments to gage. Until our powers are 

 further developed and refined we must regard 

 such things as "behind the veil," and wait in 

 patience for further light and more extended 

 means of understanding. In the meantime, hu- 

 manity, whose first instinct is self-preservation, 

 fears extinction in a vague, untutored way. 

 There is, however, as far as we know, no reason 

 to apprehend extinction either of matter or force ; 

 but with regard to the individuality of living or- 

 ganisms, simple or complex, the case is different. 



38 



