March 20, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



445 



ing of the demonstratives, as I intend ultimately 

 to develop certain doctrines of language most 

 clearly brought out by them. 



Since writing the above the managing editor 

 of this journal has kindly forwarded the proof 

 sheets of Prof. Fullerton's article, about which 

 I beg to be indulged in a brief statement. 



In my first paper it will be seen that I did not 

 attempt to demonstrate anything ; for I said : 

 ' ' In the following chapters an attempt will be 

 made to show that we know much about matter, 

 and although we do not know all, all we know 

 is about matter in its categories of number, ex- 

 tension, motion, duration and judgment, or that 

 we know of matter in its four categories and 

 that we know of mind in the categories of judg- 

 ment, but always this mind is associated with 

 matter. In doing this we shall endeavor to dis- 

 criminate between the certitudes and illusions 

 current in human opinion." 



I merely attempted to explain the nature of 

 the problems which I designed to discuss and 

 to show that these problems are fundamental to 

 metaphysic and to science alike. To indicate 

 that there are two views of these problems — the 

 metaphysical view and the scientific view — I 

 shall attempt to set forth a series of certitudes 

 and another series of illusions which relate to 

 these certitudes. If I prosper in my demon- 

 stration I shall show that the certitudes come 

 from science and that the illusions come from 

 metaphysic. Now it must be understood that 

 metaphysic does not deal wholly with illusions 

 but that fundamental illusions are developed by 

 metaphysical reasoning, and I shall further show 

 that science attempts to deal with certitudes, 

 but often fails by adopting the method of meta- 

 physic and still oftener adopts its illusions. The 

 illusions which I shall attempt to explain will be 

 chiefly illusions of metaphysic, but they will also 

 be illusions of science, because science has not 

 wholly divested itself of metaphysical reason- 

 ing. The certitudes which I shall attempt to 

 demonstrate I shall hold myself ready to main- 

 tain until my errors are shown ; if such errors 

 are demonstrated I shall promptly confess and 

 eschew. I do not know that the man who has 

 published can fully assume this attitude, for in 

 a long life of scientific reading I have discovered 



that publication is wax in the ears and thus a 

 source of profound deafness to the voice of rea- 

 son. If Prof. FuUerton will kindly attend to 

 the propositions I shall attempt to demonstrate, 

 l^e will be able to put me right where I am 

 wrong, and I hope that he will be able to rein- 

 force my certitudes by firmer rings of reasoning. 

 Professor Fullerton seems to be surprised and 

 agrieved that an anthropologist should express 

 opinions concerning metaphysic. The Profes- 

 sor may be interested to know that anthro- 

 pology includes metaphysic as one of its themes 

 of study for the purpose of discovering its cer- 

 titudes and illusions and it sometimes finds in 

 its ancient asphodel fields phantom flowers that 

 turn to ashes when plucked by the hand of 

 science. 



J. W. Powell. 



SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 

 Geological Biology ; an introduction to the geologi- 

 cal history of organisms. By Henry Shaler 

 Williams. New York, Henry Holt, 1895. 

 xx+395, pp. 8°. Illustrated. 

 Prof. Williams tells us that this book was 

 originally written in the form of lectures de- 

 livered at Cornell University, which have been 

 rewritten and elaborated so as to be available 

 for use as a text-book as well as an exposition 

 of principles. It has been prepared with a view 

 to its use not only by students, but also the gen- 

 eral reader ' ' who is supposed to know some- 

 thing of the present popular theories regarding 

 organic life, and has, perhaps, already become 

 aware of the increasing sense of disappointment 

 which those are meeting who have attempted 

 seriously to apply them to the solutions of the 

 problems of human life. " It is not assumed that 

 the reader has any special knowledge of biology 

 or geology, and therefore many details are 

 entered upon which would be superfluous for the 

 specialist. ' ' In defining our topic as geological 

 biology we are not proposing to investigate the 

 anatomical organs and tissues of which particu- 

 lar animals are made, but to review the facts 

 and theories which have led to the belief that 

 each living animal and plant is but the last of a 

 long line of organisms whose remains can be rec- 

 ognized in more or less perfect fossils and whose 

 varying characters can be traced back into the 



