Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-08-27
fnr Schools and Teafhers.
Lecture No. A.
MIND AND MATTER.

IldNluB snOWh III tie luIee pIeCeulnS
lectures that we can knO,U and how lUe
knCO, we now propose to show 'chGt 1ce
can kno,U. a.
l. We know the operations of mind.
2. We know the properties Of matter.
3. We know the existence of space
and the succession of time, personal
identity and the idea of in6nity.
We do not know the essence of mind
nor matter, neither do we know space
and time in themselves, because these
things are beyond the sphere of human
comprehension.
We are conscious of the existence of
mind and its operations, and this knowl-
edge is both primary and Ultimate, I. e.,
the first and furtherest in that direction.
We are conscious of the perception
of matter, or rather the properties of
matter. This is undo-knowledge,
because it is knowledge of a thing diff
ferent from the knowing mind.
We gain a knowledge of the exist
ence of space and the succession of
time, personal identity, and the idea of
infnity by intuition.
The ideas Of space, time, personal
identity and infnity are not obtained
through our senses, nor by internal per-
ception or by reflection. They come
to us by intuition, which is a faculty Of
the mind that sees things within them
selves without and independently of ex-
perience. These ideas are not empirical
but rational; they originate from 'pure
reason" which is only another name for
the faculty of intuition. This faculty,
call it what you will, cognizes reaiitie;
which we cannot know by conscious
ness nor perception, yet we are con
scious of their intuition. at is the
power the mind has of being the native
source of certain necessary, or prior
cognitions," says Sir VIM. Hamilton
1t is not reflective but intuitive. l
does not reach realities by reflection
but by intuition.
Our stock of knowledge is therefor,
about mind, matter, and reali
ties that are neither mind nor matter
Let us briefly examine each of thes
sources of knowledge. The operation
of the mind can all be expresse,
by the three words, to think,
f6el, to act, which enable us to divid
these operations into intellect, sensible
ties, and will that is to say, there ar
operations of intellect, sensibilities an
will. In describing the mind we us
words that denote actions, as verbs
We say the mind reasons, wills and RI
l members. In describing matter we us
qualifying words, such as adjective.
For instance, we say of any materii
object that it is long or short, smoot
: or rough, round or square, but nevC
= use such word as descriptive of Il
mind. In describing the realities thu
are neither matter nor spirit we u
words that are descriptive of being
existence. For example, space
time endures, identity is continuing ii
. same, in6nity is continuing beyou
limit.
= = Our knowledge is, therefore, abo
eristeneeS, activities and qualities. Qua
'o tiles are inherent in matter, viii,
v gives us that grand division in scienc
=" known as physics. Activities belong
g mind or spirit, which gives us the 9th
10 grand division of sciences known
It metaphysics. Physics and metaphysi
" have usually been considered as Ell
1t bracing the entire scope of hum,
'0 knowledge, but we prefer to add an
g termediate sphere, to-wit: that of e
'e istences, which are mixed, being part
y physical and partly metaphysical,
- - physical objects exist as well as me-
!" physical, but the class of existences
which we especially refer is that
70 space and time which are necessa
n conditions for the connection and (
,e existence of the physical and met
n physical universe.
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