THE MIDDLE LIAS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 
97 
of a very high order; but what they are doing is in itself 
absolutely right, being a source of mutual pleasure. In time, the 
higher part of our nature will be similarly perfected ; and a 
foreshadowing of this ultimate development may even now be 
seen in the almost or entirely unmixed pleasure afforded 
bv certain aesthetic and benevolent activities. It is this con- 
ception of the completely adapted man in the completely 
evolved society with which moral science must deal, just as 
physics and astronomy must assume in the first place certain 
ideal conditions, making allowance subsequently for actual 
incidental conditions. The rigid and weightless lever is a 
fiction ; the ideal man is a fiction ; but both are fictions which 
have a direct and practical bearing on reality. Only, while 
the physicist’s lever can never become a reality, the moralist’s 
man may yet tread the earth in flesh and blood; ethically 
adult, having outgrown that sense of self-control and self- 
compulsion, which is so often painful to the best of us; no 
more conscious of the demands of duty than he is conscious of 
the beatings of bis own heart. Here philosophy and poetry 
meet and clasp hands ; for the picture drawn by Mr. Spencer 
cannot be distinguished from that drawn by Wordsworth in 
his “ Ode to Duty.” 
“ Serene will be our days and bright, 
And happy will our nature be 
When Love is an unerring light, 
And joy its own security. 
And they a blissful course may hold, 
Even now, who not unwisely bold, 
Live in the spirit of this creed, 
Yet find that other strength, according to their need. - ’ 
THE MIDDLE LIAS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 
BY BEEBY THOMPSON, F.G.S., F.C.S. 
General Failure of Deep Springs. 
(Continued from page 58.) 
The general failure of the water supply from deep-seated 
springs is becoming a most serious matter in England, and 
one which requires dealing with in a comprehensive manner. 
The falling off is probably most serious in the North of 
England, where large towns are common, and great quantities 
of water are required for manufacturing purposes ; but it is 
not confined to these parts. Many Midland and Southern 
towns have felt the inconvenience of a short allowance, and 
