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N the material world thought has brought to light, with great rapidity, many useful wonders. With like rapidity have thought's swift pinions been rising

towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is yielding slowly to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind, as the cause of every effect. Materialistic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final combat. In this revolutionary period, like the shepherd-boy with his sling, woman goes forth to battle with Goliath.

Popular metaphysical systems afford, in this final struggle for supremacy, no substantial aid to true