EDITOR'S TABLE. 



621 



the molecular forces. The consequence 

 of this was another step forward, of 

 the greatest possible importance. It 

 was shown that the physical forces 

 are as obedient to quantitative laws as 

 matter itself had been proved to be, 

 and that, while they are mutually con- 

 vertible into each other, force, like mat- 

 ter, is indestructible in its nature. The . 

 various forms of energy by which ef- 

 fects are produced in the surrounding 

 world, although changing incessantly, 

 were discovered to be never created and 

 never annihilated. With the evidence 

 that every form of force is derived from 

 some preexisting form of it, the hope 

 of a mechanism generating its own 

 power perpetually, passed away among 

 impossibilities, and the science of forces 

 became limited to problems of trans- 

 formation. It was much to have ex- 

 ploded the fallacy of the perpetual 

 motion, upon which the ingenuity and 

 wealth of generations had been wasted, 

 but it was far more to have seized upon 

 a principle of Nature which Dr. Fara- 

 day could pronounce to be the highest 

 law in physical science which our facul- 

 ties permit us to perceive. And are the 

 discoverers of this principle to be held 

 accountable for the reach and play of 

 its applications ? No doubt a .law of 

 Nature's activities, thus supreme and 

 far-extending, cannot be limited to 

 the field of physical phenomena. The 

 probabilities are strong that, wherever 

 effects are produced in degrees of more 

 or less, they are strictly conformable 

 to quantitative conditions, although the 

 proof of it may be indirect and difficult, 

 and exact results quite unattainable. 

 But with this point we have here no 

 concern, and only say that it is no 

 business of Science if the law be found 

 to pervade domains of thought which 

 Philosophy has hitherto claimed to be 

 exclusively her own. Nor is there any 

 just ground for arraigning men of sci- 

 ence as transgressing the proper limits 

 of their inquiries by pursuing the prin- 

 ciple of the conservation of energy into 



the spheres of life, mind, and social ac- 

 tivity. Science could not evade the 

 necessity of entering upon the earlier 

 steps of the investigation, any more than 

 it can now evade the necessity of pur- 

 suing it; aud it would be a worthier 

 proceeding on the part of" philosophers, 

 gratefully to accept what she contri- 

 butes for their use, rather than to raise 

 an outcry against the scientists for in- 

 terfering with matters which, it is as- 

 sumed, do not belong to them. 



ANOTHER " SPENdER-CRUSHER." 



The work of putting down Herbert 

 Spencer, which has been going on these 

 dozen years, still flourishes and threat- 

 ens to become a regular occupation. 

 Obscure men are making reputations 

 right and left, and famous men are add- 

 ing to their laurels by taking down the 

 great philosopher on all sides. If they 

 do not succeed in getting him out of 

 the way, this branch of criticism may 

 grow into a thrifty business. Who shall 

 be greatest in this little but increasing 

 kingdom of criticism, it is as yet prema- 

 ture to say, although symptoms of gra- 

 dation in the honors of the work are 

 beginning to be disclosed. We explained, 

 some time since, in the Monthly, 

 that our friend Liefchild had brought 

 forth a big book, which was evidently 

 designed to interrupt Mr. Spencer's 

 philosophical career. He did not, how- 

 ever, himself aspire to the distinction of 

 wiping him out, but assigned that high 

 function to President Porter, of Yale, 

 whom he ranked as the great " Spen- 

 cer-crusher." Mr. Liefchild would 

 probably accord to others the minor, 

 grades of extinguishers, upsetters, de- 

 pressers, etc. Meantime the work may 

 be expected to proceed vigorously. Al- 

 though we often hear that Mr. Spencer 

 has at last been quite demolished and 

 put an end to, he seems to be still alive 

 and in a very vigorous condition, as 

 the article replying to the Quarterly 

 Reviewers in our present number will 



