3 4 The Order of the Universe. [June, 



THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE. 



I. Monism v. Dualism. 



)NLY two complete theories of the origin, nature and pres- 

 ervation of the universe have as yet been presented. The 

 rst of these, monism, assumes the essential unity of the universe. 

 verything within the universal bounds, from the tiniest particle 

 i the hugest globe; from the earth on which we poor reasoners 

 dwell to the farthest star in heaven's vast galaxy'; from the 

 heaviest metal to the most etherealized interstellar medium, is by 

 theory conceived of as consisting of but one substance, to 

 i, in the poverty of our human speech, we have given the 

 name of " matter," and to all whose manifestations, qualities or 

 properties, by which we are cognizant of its existence, we give 



le second or dualistic theory accepts matter as it finds it, and 



i out manifestations which may be called force ; but in order 

 :plain the existence of matter, assufnes, entirely outside of 

 rial existence, a second principle, which existed before mat- 

 created that matter, endowed it with force, and is itself 

 directly active in the highest manifestations of force exhibited by 



Monism -asks it disciples to believe many things which, to the 

 understanding of the highest outcome of this earth's activities, are 

 as yet incomprehensible. The formation and preservation of 

 suns and planets ; the molecular motions and structure of inor- 

 ganic materials; the origin, nature, continuance and variation of 

 life, have all to be conceived as emanating from matter by the 

 action of its own inherent force. 



Dualism escapes these difficulties— strikes them out with a 

 word by one vast assumption. An immaterial, or rather non-ma- 

 terial agency accounts not only for all the manifestations of force, 

 from that which forms a crystal to the highly developed con- 

 sciousness of the wisest man, but for the very existence of mat- 

 ter itself. The difficulty left is to account for the origin, nature 

 and continued existence of the assumed creative power, and for 

 the manner in which it was able to form matter out of preexis- 



