THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE. 25 



bear with the greatest placidity the lack of 

 a philosophical system answering to the 

 condition of the closest and minutest of our 

 special investigations, convinced, as we are, 

 that such a system cannot be framed as yet, 

 or rather anxious to forbear from the at- 

 tempt until we can command a satisfactory 

 supply of reliable observations and trust- 

 worthy data from every sphere of human 

 knowledge. 



The importance which the observation of 

 facts* has acquired for science in general, but 

 more esjjecially for natural science, is the 

 unavoidable result of the monistic principle, 

 which does not look for anything behind the 

 things, but looks upon the object as iden- 

 tical with its form or appearance. Observa- 

 tion is the foundation of modern knowledge ; 

 nothing else is acceptable but the necessary 



* Prior to the framing of a system. — T. 



