ON THE UNREASONABLENESS OF AGNOSTICISM. 81 



any one being able to conceive of that extended duration of time at once. 

 At any rate, I could not do it. With regard to Mr. Hassell's paper, it goes 

 over such a wide range, that if we were to attempt to discuss or criticise it 

 we should be kept here till midnight. 



The Author. — I am sorry to disagree with my friend, Mr. Tyler. I 

 maintain that a traveller at sea has abundant evidence that he is passing 

 over a curved surftice — a portion of a sphere ; and, as he speeds his way, 

 day by day, the same kind of evidence will be afforded, and, when he enters 

 the port, after having circumnavigated the globe, the records of his "log" 

 will proclaim the size of the sphere. So much, then, for the idea of space. 

 Then, as to the idea of time ; the study of history will, I think, help a 

 person to grasp the idea of the extreme length of periods which have passed, 

 say, for instance, a million of days. We can take the known present space 

 of time included in one day, and, proceeding step by step backwards, we 

 can go from day to day until we reach the period when the Jews were 

 carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, and then, counting backward 

 again for sixty years, we come to a time which is represented by one million 

 of days. Thus, then, we have a conceivable period, of great duration, and so 

 I contend that the mind of man is able to grasp the conception of both space 

 and time. With regard to the question of will, I have only to say that I have 

 not touched upon that subject. I was anxious that my paper should be 

 on the scientific, not on the theological side. My point is, that all men can 

 have, if they like to look for it, abundance of evidence of the existence 

 of a personal God, " in whom they live and move and have their being." 



The following subject was then taken up : — 



