THE WAY OF ESCAPE. 173 



vidual arises from the fact that we may look at 

 " almost " everything from two different points of 

 view. If we are in a common-sense humour for 

 simplying things, treating them broadly, and empha- 

 sizing resemblances rather than differences, we can 

 find excellent reasons for ignoring recognised lines of 

 demarcation, calling everything by a new name, and 

 unifying up till we have united the two most distant 

 stars in heaven as meeting and being linked together 

 in the eyes and souls of men ; if we are in this humour 

 individuality after individuality disappears, and ere 

 long, if we are consistent, nothing will remain but one 

 universal whole, one true and only atom from which 

 alone nothing can be cut off and thrown away on to 

 something else ; if, on the other hand, we are in a 

 subtle philosophically accurate humour for straining at 

 gnats and emphasizing differences rather than resem- 

 blances, we can draw distinctions, and give reasons 

 for subdividing and subdividing, till, unless we violate 

 what we choose to call our consistency somewhere, we 

 shall find ourselves with as many names as atoms 

 and possible combinations and permutations of atoms. 

 The lines we draw, the moments we choose for cutting 

 this or that off at this or that place, and thenceforth 

 the dubbing it by another name, are as arbitrary as 

 the moments chosen by a South-Eastern Eailway porter 

 for leaving off beating doormats ; in each case doubt- 

 less there is an approximate equity, but it is of a very ■ 

 rough and ready kind. 



What else, however, can we do ? Wa can only 

 escape the Scylla of calling everything by one name. 



