330 THE REIGN OF LAW 



Human Speech. That which moves the Mind in 

 a particular direction is best conceived of as 

 something which exerts a force upon it, and the 

 aggregate of such forces may, in a general sense, 

 be called the laws which determine human action 

 and opinions. 



But here we come upon the great difficulty which 

 besets every attempt to reduce to system the 

 laws or forces which operate on the Mind of Man. 

 It is the immense, the almost boundless variety and 

 number of them. This variety corresponds with 

 the variety of powers with which his Mind is gifted. 

 For pre-established relations are necessary to the 

 effect of every force, whether in the material or 

 in the moral world. Special forces operate upon 

 special forms of matter, and except upon these, 

 they exert no action whatever. For no force can 

 operate except where there are pre-established re- 

 lations between its energies and the things upon 

 which its energies are to work. The Polar Force 

 of magnetism acts on different metals in differ- 

 ent degrees, and there is a large class of sub- 

 stances which are almost insensible to its power. 

 In like manner there are a thousand things that 



