146 



SYDNEY T. KLEI-V. F.L.?.. F.R.A.S., ON THE 



begin to see that Eeligion and Science must go hand in hand 

 towards elucidating the Eiddle of the Universe, and such a 

 change makes it possible for a lavman not only to attempt 

 to read such a paper as the present before yoiu' Institution, but 

 to even aspii'c to show, as I now propose to do by physical experi- 

 ments, that it is possible by examining certain phenomena in 

 Xatm'e to reach that point where we may even feel that we are 

 listening to and understanding, though through a glass darkly, one 

 of what may be called the very Thoughts of the Great Reality. 



I will take for physical examination the subject most 

 intimately connected with the title of this paper, namely : 

 The nature of the growth of the Transcendental Personality, 

 upon what does that growth depend, and how may we under- 

 stand that the attainment to Everlasting Life is dependent 

 upon that growth ''. 



I have abeady pointed out that the Transcendental 

 Personality being Spiritual, and therefore akin to the Great 

 Eeality, may be said to have no free-will of itself. Its will or 

 influence must always be working towards perfection in the 

 form, " Let Thy Will, which is also my will, be done " ; the 

 efficacy of its influence with the Great Eeality depends on its 

 growth, or noimshment by the knowledge of the Good, Beautiful, 

 and True, ever bringing it nearer and nearer into perfect touch 

 or sympathy with the All-lo^^.ng. The power of prayer, there- 

 fore, depends upon two conditions ; it must be in the form of 

 " Let Thy Will be done," and that which prays must be capable 

 of making its petition felt by having already gained a 

 hioidedge of what that Will is. 



If now we carefully examine the Phenomena around us we 

 make the extraordinary discovery that this power to influence 

 is the very basis of survival and of progress throughout the 

 universe. In the Organic world all Xature seems to be praying 

 in one form or another, and only those that pray with efficacy, 

 based upon the above two conditions, sui'vive in the 

 struggle for existence. The economy of Xature is founded 

 upon that inexorable law, the " Survival of the Fittest " ; every 

 organism that is not in sympathy with its envu'onment, and 

 cannot, therefore, derive help and nom'ishment from its 

 surroundings, perishes. Darwin tells us that the colours of 

 flowers have been developed by the necessity of plants 

 attracting the Bees, on whose visits depends the power of 

 plants to reproduce their species ; those families of plants which 

 do not, as it were, pray to the Bees with efficacy, fail to attract 

 and disappear without leaving successors. Flowers may also be 



