the most illiterate devil might be more knowing than man. But knowledge supported by virtue, and virtue supported by knowledge, yield the most glorious excellence.

In a word, whilst the best farmer in the world is indubitably the man who puts the best judgment, the best material and the best workmanship into his farm, the best Philosopher is no less certainly the man who puts the best judgment, the best material and the best workmanship into his Life; and strives to promote by word and deed, the circulation of all life-giving and fertilising thought and influence to the best of his ability. He who strives to do this seems to be in the way of attaining to the Perfection of his Being-the grand End of Wisdom or Philosophy.

SYNOPSIS OF THE GRAMMAR OF

PHILOSOPHY

INTRODUCTION

Universality of human interests-Man, as a social being, delights in holding converse with his fellow-beings: hence books ariseKnowledge is the food of the mind-Disease and misery arise from want of it; health and gladness from possessing and following it -Leigh Hunt on the significance of Knowledge-Poor rich men and rich poor men-Nature of true wealth-Some, povertystricken amongst golden spoons; others, rich with horn tableappointments-The world lying in stupidity as well as wickedness -Stupidity of the pseudo-scientific-of those, for example, who propose the secular as a substitute for the sacred-Mr. Cotter Morison's gospel of the Pig-Trough-The speculation concerning Adam's Ancestors-Stupidity of pseudo-political and social Reformers-Stupidity of the pseudo-religious-In Religion, stupidity has reigned almost supreme since the time of Cain and AbelGood intentions in a wrong-doer, not enough-Disastrous effects of ignorance-Hats which don't fit the head, universally rejected, but creeds which don't fit the intellect, almost universally accepted -Ridiculous but deadly consequences of this folly-Society, on the whole, a failure, because of the emptiness of its head-Civilisation is of the Mind-The Mind is the Man-The purpose of this book to promote life according to knowledge

SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL AXIOMS

CHAPTER I

A CRITERION OR STANDARD OF TRUTH EXISTS

Philosopher of two classes-Realists and Illusionists-A criterion or standard of Truth exists-"To argue is to assert the validity of argument"-To this extent, at least, all must be RealistsThis, a law of our mental being from which there can be no escape

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16-18

CHAPTER II

THAT CRITERION IS ONLY TO BE FOUND IN THE RATIONAL
CONSCIOUSNESS

(4) Historic Evidence Even Scepticism presupposes the conscious
criterion-All judgment even of illusion-whether of subjective or
objective illusion, assumes and must be founded upon a presupposed
and known reality-Sceptics should imitate Cratylus-Absurdity
of the sceptics-They wish to become philosophers not merely
through want of sense but by opposition to sense-Never did
jack pudding execute such strange antics as the sceptical
philosopher.

(B) Personal Evidence- - Peter Smith's testimony - Peter's own consciousness his highest authority for his personal identity, his internal and external perceptions and all his sentient states-A higher warranty is impossible and inconceivable-Even Cardinal Newman acknowledges this truth when off his orthodox guard— The convictions of the illusionist in thunderstorm-Illusionists akin to lunatics—The case proved against them-Absolute honesty required in reading the consciousness Consciousness is the common ground upon which all sects and schools must necessarily meet—whether in knowledge or ignorance of the fact .

(C) The theological criterion of truth must also be found in consciousness-which is the chief witness for Divinity as well as for Bricks -This, acknowledged by the Bible-Petrus Smith contra Mundum -How Peter Smith may best approach Simon Peter-My object in this world as a rational soul-Cardinal Newman's theory that theology cannot be taught-Fatuity of this doctrine-Intelligent ignorance and stupid ignorance-Fatuity of all occultism and obscurantism-Every man opposed to intelligence, belongs to the gibbering Brotherhood of Futilitarians—Fatuity and danger of laying claim to an official possession of the Spirit of God-On this point, all ecclesiastics should take a lesson from Moses-That great man's Common-Sense methods-True Religion is an appeal to the intelligence-The whole Realm of the occult and the irrational should be surrendered to Dousterswivel. The Cardinal's claim reduced to absurdity-God has nowhere commanded Smith to surrender his understanding to Brown-If the Cardinal be right, the Founder of Christianity was necessarily wrong-The sine qua non of a Catholic Gospel or Philosophy-Each human soul possesses divine rights-All spiritual deliverances must be effected through Reason-Absurdities perpetrated by theologians to the great dishonouring of God-Christianity as rational-The human

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mind is of sacred constitution-By the divine glimmer of Common
Sense, humanity has achieved everything that is valuable-The
lower faculties are also reported to be of divine make-People not
honest with themselves in their Religion-God in so far as He can
be known, can only be known to us through our faculties, which
we suppose Him to have given us-Anti-scriptural conduct of
theologians-Celestial and Terrestrial Lamplighters-It is only
by elucidating something that the "teacher" of any kind
justifies his existence, exactly as the lamplighter justifies his
existence by faithfully lighting lamps-To cast a slur upon Reason
is to cast a slur upon God-A prime error of the "orthodox "-
Rightness of the demand for explanations-Bliss itself only exists
in so far as it is known and felt in consciousness-We are to use
our faculties to the very best of our ability—not stupefy them or
tie them up-Nothing should be asserted to be true that is not
actually known to be true-Thought not a profane exercise at all,
but a beneficent activity-Each Mind is a possible Princedom
under God-The intellectual Pawn-Shop-Prove all things-Mere
imitators and irrational disciples of any person are but slaves—
The devastations effected by irrational "saints "-such as Saint
Louis and Saul of Tarsus-Even kindness should be rational-If
you wish to surrender the world wholly to the Prince of Flies,
give every man as much jam as he wants-Salvation means coming
to our spiritual senses-Religion is supreme Common Sense in
thought and practice-General Conclusion-Forsake Common
Sense, and most good things will proceed to forsake you-Before
we can cross the threshold of any department of science or art, we
must accept the doctrine of the veracity of consciousness, the
sovereignty of Common Sense

CHAPTER III

CONSCIOUSNESS MUST BE ACCEPTED IN ITS INTEGRITY

We must strive to follow Reason in all things-We know of nothing of noble significance that has yet been said or done, which has not harmonised with Common Sense-Danger of misreporting the faculties-The doctrine exemplified-How objective truth is determined-The corporeal senses do not judge-It is the whole Intellect which cognises and judges-All enquiry is an attempt to satisfy the thinking power-The doctrine exemplified-No single corporeal sense seems to furnish us with full information-Confusion of all the illusionists on this subject-It is necessary to discriminate between facts and phenomena - Corporeal senses sometimes defective,-sometimes, abnormally keen-Artificial aids obtainable by some of the senses-How subjective truth is deter

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mined-Conceptions of number, space, etc.-Our convictions as to freedom of will-How moral rightness is determined-The proper motive of virtue-The law that consciousness must be taken in its integrity, broken by many :-(4) By the Materialists --Exemplifications-(B) The Law also broken by Idealists of all kinds-The practical test-All persons who shun the practical test, must be treated as charlatans-The idealist practice always opposed to the idealist theory — Exemplifications — Berkleian absurdities-The Berkleian himself does not believe his professed doctrine that esse is percipi-Ridiculous position of the Berkleian who should advance his peculiar doctrine in a Police Court-How the Police Court would deal with him in such an event-Ridiculous attitude of the Berkleian even towards his own porridge-The theory of "consistent illusion," untenable-The same with the theories of all sceptics and nihilists-Their sceptical speculations are a perpetual stultiloquy-Hume's confession-No sceptic is actually a sceptic-Universal denial or doubt is unthinkable-Even the philosopher who is desirous of turning his intellect upside down, is still compelled to presuppose consciousness as the basis of that droll bouleversement, just as the clown who is ambitious to stand on his head corporeally, is under the necessity of taking the ground as his basis of operation—Another Humistic blunder-All monistic theories, stupid and untenable-All idealistic theories, eternally self-destructive-The Illusionist cannot act in consistency with his theories; they are but vox et praeterea nihil; whereas Realist theory always admits of being consistent with practice, and demands consistent practice as its glorious consummationMr. John Stuart Mill's attempt to break away from Common Sense-Absurdity of the proceeding-There can be no rational departure from the paths of Common Sense-Only by following these, may man hope to be delivered out of the Land of Egypt, out of the Intellectual and Spiritual House of Bondage-In all times and in all possible circumstances, consciousness, in its fulness, must be accepted as true; nor will it be found possible to make any self-consistent attempt even to impugn its veracity

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CHAPTER IV

MIND AND MATTER APPEAR TO BE MUTUALLY INCOMMENSURABLE

Aristotle's proof-Kant's testimony--Inadequacy of matter to account for mental manifestations-Admirable views of Sir John Davies on this subject-The Macrocosm in relation to Mind-If Mind be mere Matter, in the ordinary sense of the word, how is it to embrace a tea-kettle?—By the human head, even a tea-kettle can