New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-08-22
GENERAL SESSION.

AT o'clock the Association met IL General Session
Prof PIERCE then read the first paper before the
Association upon subject peculiarly ais own-one of
thOse singular bendDgs OF the deepest metaphysics
with the highest nab emscs, which he alone is caps
ole of producing He had hesitaied he said, whether
TO trOduce such subject before the Associa,i0n, not
knowing abether 1t egitimateIy belonged to the adj
vanceniet of science, but mad finally decided that il
was best to direct the attention Of members TO the
suDec,, which he named Potential A tLmetc. 1t
part f great field which he called Potential Pdys-
ics--I amely the examination If power from an pri
orr point Of view What sort Of world s this with
reference TO ts distribution of pOwerl The iuvesgs
ton OF this question ,ads US TO tnat the world
framed by intellect according IL fdHdament Al ideas
which tie same those of our mindr Nos this
is the proper legitimate work of science The brillant
predicoLs of enius have from those who nbued
by study of the world with the split of nature, from
spt cuatons in advance of discovery, aud then i'd
that the theory and the world tit each other Since the
world was made by Mind according to the laws OF
mind the pursuit of the knowledge Of the mind will
lt ad to a knowledge of The world. But II il only a
large mil capable of understanding sei ana al the
same time humble aho willing to bow before the Su-
prtne Mind that thus predict and then verify SCI
eniic oscovery as might be llu,tr IN abund ince
from the history Of Chemistry and other scieuces.
The law If numbers was first perceived 10 be one of
the fundamental ideas of creation by PythsgOras.
saw that aesthetic developments we're subject TO
the law of Duu bers Ar Hay has shown, It WAS by a
a Numerical combination OF circles that Pythagoras
made hun an figure that no artist has equaled. Aud
the same arrangement, by ali -rDg the Numerical pro.
portion, will change from an Apollo 10 Venus, or TO
lower types of men, and even of animals. Tnese in
vesteations of Pylh ,goras Will be revived. Ia like
MAILER Creek architecture, Vastly more beautiful than
lis limitations WAS founded purely on numerical pro
portions Pythagoras, or the Pythagoreans, were
mistaken only III supposiDg that number is tn. sole
foul date of the universe. There are other prime
ioeas such those of Space and Time, also to
.dered After other illustrations of ear y attempts in
Potential Physics including references to the Chinese
specu'atiOns and to magic squares Prof. Peiroe
TO bis OWL forts and endeavored to shoE that by
the combustion of the simple primary ideas of NUN.
Der, and OF the consciousness of )wer, should be
led to laws similar TO identical with the laws of both
organic and inorganic Chemistry and also to those of
alternate generation in zoology and furthermore, thst
views OF the negative unit and magnaries could be
obtained in this mode, precisely SIM TO those de-
veoped in Sir WIN. Rowan Hamiltons purely formal
or journalistic discussion Of those subjects. This part
OF IL paper, being technical cannot be properly pre-
sented 10 the general reader.
The Association then adourne I'd TO dinner 10 meet
again y. IN.