Spencer. — On Life. 109 



not to be strained or overtiu-ued by a statement which falls short of or 

 oyerreaches its mark. 



That the Professor should experience a sense of " relief" in hugging to 

 himself this dwarfed idea of the Universe is not the least of the many curio- 

 sities we have been favoured with. Coming from one appreciative of the 

 utility and beauty of science — fi'om one who has often given it a helping hand, 

 it does seem an anomalous thing that he should thus delight in a conception 

 which narrows its field down from an infinite to a finite extent, so that he 

 can avoid contemplating what he is pleased to style " the dreary infinities of 

 homaloidal space." 



Well, tastes difler, and mine accords with a belief which is diametrically 

 opposite to this of Professor Chfford and his discij^les, a beHef that not only 

 is the Universe infinitely extended, but that its constituents are infinite in 

 kind, infinite in quantity, presenting aspects infinitely diverse to us, accord- 

 ing to om' standpoint, and in none of these aspects, whether in infinitesimal 

 parts or as a whole, to be conceived of by any finite mind, however discrimi- 

 nating or comprehensive its grasp ; a sealed book to all, except by scientific 

 aids, but not wholly to be revealed even by these; an eternal enigma always 

 resolving, yet never to be resolved — a Universe whose laws and phenomena 

 are to be interpreted and discovered in so far as can be, rather by active 

 research than by those mystical constructions which we have just considered, 

 and the criticism of which has been the prime object of this paper. 



For my part, I blame making so much in this way of the gap " in the 

 chain of reasoning," by which the truths of geometry should be logically 

 connected and represented ; but more I blame this illegitimate fecundity of 

 idea — this ill-directed creative power — which, out of the shortcomings of one 

 of its definitions, and the axiom made to supply its deficiencies, would breed 

 this monster to thus devour all that has preceded it. And I conceive that 

 those who forsake geometry, as now defined and understood, to take up with 

 the new, the transcendental philosophy, are really straining out a gnat to 

 swallow a camel. 



Art. VIII. — On Life. By W. I. Spencer. 

 [Read before the Hatoke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 11th October, 1880.] 

 The paper which I propose reading this evening was not intended originally 

 to be placed before the members of this Institute. As you are aware, a pro- 

 posal was made some time ago that I should undertake the direction of a class 

 of biology, in connection with the Athenffium. Owing to one cause and another, 

 however, the opening of this class was delayed until the season was so far 



