The Portland daily press., 1884-04-12
New Publications.
TIE UNITY OF NATURE.

The Duke of Argyle is superior man, as
well as great noble. Before he was twenty
years of age, while his father, the old Duke,
yet lived, and the son was the Lord Lorne of
that day, he wrote an essay addressed to the
Peers OF Great Britain, in which he assumed
the role OF Mentor. When as Duke of Argyle
In ls47, he entered the house of Peers he began
TO lecture their lordships, and has kept pegging
away at them and others ever since. His
ability is beyond doubt and recosnizad BY all,
albeit such a character is not loved bv ali. and
- ieast loved by those OF his own order, whose
lnieriorlty to himself he Is not careful 20 con-
ceal. AS an author, too, the Duke is success.
and whether it writes on A agriculture thu Reio n
OF Law, or the Unity of Nature, he writes. as
ne speaks, from clear head and mind brist-
ling with facts and principles.
"The Unity of Nature as it ia his la,est.
so 1t is his ablest work, evincing much and
Close observation, careful research and candid
comparisons. The whole has been elaborated
With Enwonted thoroughness, and is worthy of
diligent study
ture is one which the mind of man recognizes
as the result OF operations similar to its own.
Man Is also part or factor of this unity
not only as to his body, but in his soul;
and there Is an organic harmony be-
tween his faculties and the realities * creo-
correspondencies and adjustments which az
PLAIN and harmonic his primitive tendencies.
MS BODILY instincts aud appetites. the now
ers OF his intellect and the aspirations Of his
soul; The system of nature is accessible to
our intelligence, and the mysteries of the mil
verse are epitomized In ourselves Our knowl.
edge OF these mysteries is limited, pet not IN
certain or untrustworthy, and twill grow from
more to more" as our faculties become active
ana are appi,eo to the solution Of the highest
proDlsms OF liie. oar primary intuitions give
us our first entrance into this realm, and there
are ever higher regions to which we must press
! forward with increasing zeal.
I6ere 10 hierarchy of truths in Nature and
the Universe Facts for the senses, truths for
.ne ioglcai intellect, the intuitive reason and
the spiritual man. In our researches, nothing
should be overlooked, nothing thrown aside
nothing unrecorded. Yet, In the system Of ma.
tnre, agnosticism sets aside the highest facul.
lies OF our Intellectual and moral structure.
Hence 1t comes to pass that a method which
| pretends to be a universal solvent of all knowl
edge and OF all rational belief, omits the
weightier matters of the higher law, and con.
| tents itself with tithing mint, anise and cum.
min. 1t is only by recognizing and using our
highest faculties, that we can attain to q
| knowledge OF the truth in the sublime spritu
al spheres, as well az in the lower regions Of
| material substances
| In brief, all subjects of human interest. all
objects OF regard, all the mysteries Of the uni
verse, all intimations of the immense and the
1pfinite, are within the range of thoughtful in
vestleation for they are part of the PROVING.
to which man belongs. in which his life Is set
aud for which his faculties of body and MIND
were given of God, the Author and Maker O
| all.
Whether agreeing with his conclusions OF
net all must concede to the Duke of Argyle
that he has made careful, intelligent, ant
conscientious study both of the Reign of Law
and the Realm as well OF Matter as of Mind,
THE Reign of Law" and "The Unity O
Nature" are two parts of one treatise, embody
ing he results of the Dukes stuoies, and to
gether constitute his n,agnua opus, work o
which 1t NAV be said that 1t sheds much liRh
on many difficult problems, If it does not Who'll
ly solve them. The Duke of Argyle in thes,
studies has set an example TO his order which
they will do well to emulate, bat which ii il
safe to say none of them has equalled sine.
| the time of Lord Bacon.