IN RELATION TO ORGANISED BEINGS. 37 



glimpses of the creative plan of the Divine Intelligence, in which 

 order and harmony, beauty and wisdom, are perfectly developed. 



It appears that likeness consists in the presence of one or more 

 identical elements in composite objects or ideas — that degrees of like- 

 ness depend on the number of identical elements in proportion to the 

 whole number of elements m.aking up the composite whole, whether 

 an external object or a complex idea — that degree of likeness will 

 also be affected by the vividness or faintness of the impression of the 

 identical part or parts in the objects compared, in reference to the 

 other parts, which amounts to the importance we attach to the 

 elements which are found to be identical as compared with those 

 found to differ in the objects. The generalising process upon which 

 all classification depends, consists in putting together objects or ideas, 

 in consequence of perceiving in them all some common part or element 

 which attracts our notice and is the means of onr minds associating 

 them ; good classification must therefore consist, first, in finding out 

 in any particular objects studied, which among the various elements 

 comprising them, most affects their condition on the whole or their 

 relations to us, and then looking for agreements aud differences in 

 respect of such elements ; secondly, in properly noticing degrees of 

 similarity as marked by the number of identical elements in different 

 objects compared so as to connect together in all instances objects 

 most like ; thirdly, in the classification of numerous objects where 

 secondary ternary and other divisions are requisite, the primary 

 sections are founded on agreement in fewer particulars, but those 

 considered as most important in respect to the nature of the objects, 

 at each step in subdivision the number of agreeing points increases, 

 whilst the separated gronps are nearer to each other and are kept 

 apart by less decisive characters until we reach the case of a number 

 of individual objects which being only distinguishable by particulars 

 of time and place, or by minute circumstances which experience leads 

 us to esteem unimportant, are accounted one species and bear all of 

 them the same name. It is one of the most difficult questions offer- 

 ing to the student of nature what amount of difference in objects may 

 be consistent with specific identity. The believer in the transmu- 

 tation of organic forms settles it according to convenience, judging it 

 to be really unimportant, whilst he who rehes on the reality and 

 permanence of specific distinctions is called upon to point out the 

 limit beyond which incidental variation cannot proceed, and finds it a 



