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the one side, and the intellectual on the other, but have not bridged the 
difficulty which Tyndall admits when he says we may trace the nerve-process 
and the operations of consciousness, but that to connect the two is beyond 
his power. I think we are much indebted to Lord O’Neill for his paper. 
Rev. J. James. — It seems to me that the difficulties which certain men of 
science find in their pursuit of science, and their avowed inability to explain 
some of its patent phenomena, arise from what deprives them of a claim 
to be true philosophers, viz., that they studiously ignore a large portion 
of existent phenomena, as being out of their pale. I trust they may 
some time come to see, what has been so ably put by a previous speaker, 
that as scientific men they are in the wrong, and are even sinning against 
science, in limiting, as they do, the investigations of science and the discus- 
sions of science exclusively to physical phenomena. I cannot but hope that 
they will come to see that, as philosophers, they must take into account 
the phenomena of life and of mind ; they will then find no difficulty in 
acknowledging that there is a power beyond, which is sufficient to account for 
the existence of life or soul, and mind or spirit ; a power which must therefore 
be taken into account in the endeavour to explain what they cannot now 
explain. It seems to me that the very name “ agnostic ” disowus for it all 
claim to philosophy in the true sense of the word, as taking note of all existent 
phenomena — all objects of human wisdom and knowledge. By that term 
itself they seem to say, “ we refuse to recognise any but self-chosen pheno- 
mena,” and I think it is a great point for us to insist on, that men of this 
school of agnosticism, with all their prestige of physical science, are un- 
trustworthy by reason of their acting in this way. I earnestly hope they may 
have more light thrown upon their researches, and may be enabled before 
long to acknowledge themselves to have been shortsighted and narrow- 
minded and unphilosophical, in so far as they have put aside and ignored 
the psychical and spiritual indications of a Creative and Regulative Power. 
Lord O’Neill. — I have to thank those who have heard this paper, and to 
acknowledge the kindness with which it has been received on the part of 
those who have made observations on it. Those observations have been so 
very much in accordance with my own views, that I really have nothing to 
reply to. I can only once more thank the gentlemen who have spoken so 
kindly, and who have made such valuable additional observations on the 
subject ; and I may add, with regard to Dr. Wainwright, that I accept the 
corrections he has made as to my way of expressing myself. He has quite 
caught my meaning. When I spoke of the commencement of life, I meant 
it as an example of the commencement which might be joined to everything 
else. If we believe in a commencement of life, we must believe in a com- 
mencement of everything. There is nothing that calls for any further 
observations on my part. 
The meeting was then adjourned. 
