238 SCIENTIFIC METHOD AS 



belief. On the whole, I may attain a fairly true picture 

 of contemporary life, but it is not scientifically based. 

 In every other relation a thing which we seriously 

 believe requires serious efforts to dislodge. If we have 

 accepted a statement on the basis of evidence carefully 

 examined and tested, it will take at least as much care 

 to allow us to arrive at an opposite conclusion. I should, 

 therefore, venture to make a distinction between the 

 mental attitude in which we can be really said to believe 

 an historical statement, and that (by far the commonest) 

 in which we acquiesce in a particular statement so long 

 as it remains uncontradicted. Such acquiescence may 

 be due to various causes. It may be due, for instance, 

 to indifference, or to the sense of the difficulty of examining 

 and verifying all statements with which we are con- 

 fronted, or to the conviction that experience will gradually 

 organize itself: but whatever its cause, it is a very 

 common state of mind : it may pass into conviction if 

 the circumstances permit, but it falls short in itself of 

 definite historical belief. It is, I think, of importance 

 not to confuse these two states of mind. As an early 

 stage of scientific historical certainty it is well described 

 by Browning : 



Call belief 



Belief indeed, nor grace with such a name 

 The easy acquiescence of mankind 

 In matters nowise worth dispute, since life 

 Lasts merely the allotted moment 1 . 



We must now come somewhat more closely into con- 

 nexion with our subject. We have learnt what is the 

 usual form of historical statements, and distinguished two 



1 FerishtaKs Fancies, c Shah Abbas' (Poetical Works, ii. 659). 



