Oe ee Fae a ane: 
Tuomson.—On Frankland’s Paper on Mind-Stuff. ili 
carries him yet further; it gives him knowledge of letters, and he writes 
down events; thus the history of 4,000 years is unlocked to him. By the 
knowledge of figures he explores the heights of the heavens and the depths 
of the earth, and beholds with wonder and enjoyment the works of crea- 
tion. To neither the sentient faculty of the beasts, nor the mere sensualism 
of humanity, could these be made obvious. They are beyond the “ possi- 
bilities of feeling.” 
Then as to Mr. Frankland’s doctrine regarding the relations of syn- 
chronism among elements of feeling having their counterparts among 
motions of matter, we are again at issue. Our conclusion being that among 
motions of matter and elements of feeling there is the contrary. Let us by 
way of illustration take an event, such as the firing of a cannon, wherein 
there is ‘motion of matter.” By “‘self-analysis with perfect precision and 
faithfulness,’ what would be the relations of an observer’s feelings in regard 
to this ? 
Let, for example, the observer be at 12 miles distance. First he would 
see the flash, next he would hear the report, then he might smell the fumes 
were his olfactory nerves peculiarly sensitive and the wind favourable. 
Now, by these elements of feeling, would there be synchronism in relation 
to the event? By precise and scientific analysis not so. For with the 
knowledge of the speed of light which reason has enabled us to measure, 
the event would be impressed on the feeling of sight, not synchronously, 
but so2ssath of a second after it. By sound it would come to the feeling of 
hearing one minute after, and carried by the wind it might be smelt in 
feeling a quarter or half an hour afterwards. Thus among the elements 
of feeling the relations of events are not in TRS SOP Me? but in complete 
discordance. 
Hence in regard to a single event or events there is no synchronism 
‘‘ between a man’s own feelings” and things as they appear to him, one 
Sense leading him 15;8555th part of a second astray from scientific truth, 
another one minute, and another a quarter to half an hour. ‘“ Feelings,” 
therefore, give no rigid or scientific basis on which to found a “ theory of 
existence;” and if this is to be attained it must be by and through the 
higher phase of man’s nature—viz., the ethereal one, reason, which gives 
him the power of accurate and truthful mental conception, and ultim- 
ately stable faith and belief. 
And it may be mentioned in passing, though it has no necessary connec- 
tion with the argument, that neither do separate men’s feelings admit of 
synchronism as with each other. This fact is well-known to astronomers, 
when observing by time, wherein it is a fact that one person does not hear 
°r see concurrently. Thus, in time observations: one person hears before 
