[June, 
326 What is Religion ? Hylo-Idealisnt ? 
the absolute standard of truth instead of the standard of the 
relation things bear to our intellect.” He says he admits, 
with the Idealist, that all our knowledge of objects consists 
in ideas.” . . . But not “that all existence is limited by our 
knowledge merely on the ground that where we could con- 
ceive anything existing we are forced to conceive it in accord- 
ance with the laws of our conceptive faculties.” So also 
“that all our knowledge is subjective,” but not “what is true 
subjectively is true objectively.” So also “ in the existence 
of an external world quite independent of any precipient, — not 
because such is the obvious and universal belief, but because 
the arguments by which Idealism would controvert it are 
vitiated by the assumption of knowledge being the criterion 
of all existences, — Idealism agrees with Realism in placing 
reliance on the evidence of sense ; it argues, however, that 
inasmuch as our knowledge is confined to ideas, we have no 
right to assume anything beyond ideas. Yet it is also forced 
to assume something as the cause of ideas ; this cause it 
calls the will of the Creator.” This Lewes says is an as- 
sumption. It may be so ; yet all systems have some prin- 
ciple, however they may disguise it. Even in the materialistic 
theory Lucretius was forced, by the necessity of reason, to 
adopt volition, “ seeing that atoms left to their own action 
could never cohere, and would remain for ever inert.” So he 
said of the Earth, “she being impregnated produces.” This 
fecundating principle he terms the ether. So, whether it be 
Materialists or Hylo-Idealists, there is always a something 
intervening other than the fundamental principle of the 
system. Idealism logically ends in spirit ; Materialism in 
gross substance. Lewes says that Spinoza taught that there 
was but one essence in the universe, and that one was sub- 
stance. Berkeley also taught that there was but one, and 
that one was thought. Now call this one what you will, the 
result is the same, speculatively or practically. You may 
have certain degrading associations attached to the idea of 
substance, or certain exalted associations attached to that of 
spirit. But what difference can your associations make with 
respeCt to the real nature of things.” 
Above is presented all that can be said of the philosophies, 
viz., those of Protagoras and Gorgias, on which is founded 
the system in discussion, together with G. H. Lewes’s re- 
marks, showing his ideas generally on the subject. 
(To be continued.) 
