THE SPRINGS OF CHAEACTER. 41 



■clear. I believe I did saj spring ; bat it lias, as I said, the 

 meaning of source or of power. When I said, " Springs are the 

 •root of character," that could not mean ivill — it is poiver. I was 

 only using the word spring then as source, and I maintain still that 

 the source and root of character are in the same unconscious 

 ■mind; but I quite go with Professor Orchai'd in saying that will 

 is a conscious exercise as a rule. But if Professor Orchai'd lays 

 down, ex catJiedrd, that consciousness is mind and mind is 

 consciousness, and connects the one with the other, he must take 

 account of its various degrees. There is that condition called 

 attention and degrees less and less extreme until it oversteps the 

 threshold of consciousness and falls into regions we know not of. 

 A genius cannot tell you where he gets his inspiration from, and 

 to limit mind to consciousness is equivalent to limiting the body to 

 what is seen by the eye. A man who limits mind to consciousness 

 has to maintain that all that comes from mind is of material origin. 

 I see Professor Orchard shakes his head. He says we are conscious 

 •of every sensation. 



Allow me to say that we are conscious of what we are conscious 

 of; but there are an enormous number of perceptions which do 

 not rise into consciousness. If I were to tickle the sole of 

 Professor Orchard's foot he would feel it ; but when he was 

 reading a book he would not notice the same amount of tickling 

 if he were sufficiently absorbed in his book. 



I will not multiply these instances. We are hopelessly 

 irreconcilable on this question, but we are very good friends on 

 every other. 



The Hon. Secretary (Captain Francis Petrie, F.G.S.). — Before 

 I announce the next meeting there was one remai-k of importance 

 that was made a few moments asro, in regard to the absence of a 

 printed paper. That we could not avoid. We must either have 

 taken, as we have, this valuable address, without its being printed 

 'beforehand, or have done without it altogether. That I am sure 

 ■we could not have done. 



The Meeting then terminated. 



