The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-23
Written for The True Northerner.
KNOWLEDGE.
AN ESSAY BY II. MASON.


is q consciousness of sensation that is pro-
duced upon the sensonum by some external
object, through the medium Of one or more OF
Our senses and thus all OF our ideas come to
us, and are but effects in themselves. called
IDEAS Of sensation, with their reflex action.
called ideas OF intellection.
These phenomena, as.presented by external
objects upon our soul through the medium OF
our senses, produce two primary effects: the
one, called perception, which is simply the soul
in position to give attention, and the second
effect is conception, or cognitioD. which are In
the aggregate the attributes OF the matter that
modify the soul by the language ii speaks,
through one or more of our senses +; these then
become the personal property Of the soul. and
are sensuous ldeas-material from which we can
deduce facts, or truths, which are ideas OF in
telection. Ideas, when received direct from
matter through our senses, are sometimes erro-
ueous, and require the force Of intelection to
place them with other things on the basis OF
truth and philosophy, thereby deducipg conclu-
sions, that point out facts, from apparent
truths.
Some souls are so very weak as not to be able
70 deal with any but ideas OF sensation, which
are not in all cases to be depended upon. Josh
us said. "Thou moon in the valley stand thou
still" after having commanded the sun to
stand still. Joshua was governed by an appa-
rent truth, which only such men as Calico or
Newton could reduce to an absurdity and point
ont facts that show the truth that the earth re-
wolves. Upon this conclusion we can easily
conceive how great an error Joshua labored I'M
der in regard to astronomy, and what q cloud
il WAS 10 the Jews, who had no astronomers
among them. Dob was not Jew.) So the
light and beauty of the rolling spheres wac
darkened by this want of knowledge on the part
Of one of Gods chosen captains who was gov
eIned by apparent truths.
All conceptions that come TO consciousness
through our senses from the great domain OF
external nature, and are modified by our intel
lection and arranged into classes, as to their
fixed relations and ultimate results, may very
properly be denominated physical science, and
nav be subdivided into Its several departments
a consideration OF which, as a science, is
called Natural Philosophy, which takes in it's
domain all the phenomena Of external nature,
or all matter that can be recognized by our
senses.
Matter is divided into two great classes. That
which is occupied in the laboratory OF vegetable
and animal life, is called organic, as long as 1t
il governed by the principle called life, which
Id also divided, and called vegetable and animal
LIE, that has power in its essence to appropri-
ate inorganic substance by the laws Of attrac-
III md Inv M
thus becomes organic. Thus we see thai there
cannot, as to the matter, be line Of demarca-
ton between animal, vegetable or mineral mat
ter. only by the modification Of the atoms COM
posing the body by the life principle, with
which it is associated only for short time.
Physicists commonly ascribe to matter certain
essential properties, with their contingencies
which are general principle, by which IT is gov
erned, and by which 1t acts upon our senses
and conveys to our cognitions Its generalities
and relations to the various notifications OF
matter that occur in the organic and inorganic
kingdoms OF nature and their various modes OF
action.
Az matter is governed by principle called
Spirit, which pre-exsted with matter and gov
il in all it's relations to vegetation, ANNA
ton and intellection, which are sequents OF the
action OF spirit upon matter that cause all the
varied phenomena that present themselves to
our cognitions and are in themselves avenues
that lead from nature to her priorl-God, or
the browning point OF all wisdom or intelligence,
which is an eternal principle, that never had
beginning nor will ever end, and is independent
OF matter. and is not material, but is only de-
Yeloped by matter to man by sensation, and its
contingent intellection, andi wisdom to man
only, ana in limited degree to brutes.
When say " God, mean the sum OF all in
teligence and wisdom in the universe, which
we become conscious OF by observing matter
and its phenomena that develop facts in regard
TO the government Of matter in its diversified
modes of action.
Now infer that knowledge is nothing more
or less than consequences OF eternal facts or
trsths existing, relating to things. and revealed
10 man by matter through sensation. Matter
was not created by those facts or truths, but
they are made tangible to man by matter acting |
on his senses. To man only lie knowledge, and |
when classified by him is science. And if our |
sognitiops are true to the PRINCIPLES that are |
eternal, then We have as our property go much |
Of the eternal facts and truths that govern the |
universe, and those principles are not in the
least modified by becoming part Of our knowl- |
edge. Those eternal principles point directly |
TO matter and mind. and govern them by theft
fixed rules Of action, giving rise to two great
branches Of science--physicsl and mental-and
their subdivisions, which shall hereafter point
out.
Man has in all ages been impressed BY his
surroundings, each Of which speak to him thro'
bis senses those eternal truths which shall
denominate Divine Revelation, or natural the
ology. when properly received and understood,
bat when they are only received IN part, with
no reference to ultimate results, and with
soul too week to comprehend them. they are by
the soul thrown into whirlpool Of inconsisten-
cies and incongruities and conceptions that do
not accord with natural truths, and thereby
error and superstition is inaugurated with its
devotees who do not desire to search nature for
her revelations OF Divine love and the Divine
wisdom, but are content with the shimmering
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