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imply material already present. We cannot derive all things from something more ultimate; nor combine things, till we have the things to combine, and the idea of the order we put upon them. Reflection cannot furnish its first premises. The mind must have starting points, and these must be arrived at directly, intuitively. It is irrational not to recognize the beginning, or to strive to get back of it with an explanation. What these points of commencement are it is the office of philosophy to decide, and to arrest explanation and all effort toward it, when these have been reached.

As powers are ultimate in their own field, the test of the correctness of their action in each case is its clearness, firmness, universality. This is our fifth postulate. That which is done uniformly by the mind, expresses the mind's normal power, and this normal power is to the mind sufficient proof. Though it may confirm its action at times in secondary ways, these ways will all of them involve the soundness of its permanent convictions. We may strengthen our reasonings by watching the concurrent progress of events, but we shall never allow those events to contradict a plain, logical process. We escape this result by the fresh inference that the premises in the mind and those embraced in the physical facts are not identical. Clearness in the mind's action is the first element of certainty. This clearness may be so comprehensive and complete as to enable a single mind to oppose its convictions to the general convictions of men. Pre-eminent mental power does not allow itself to be matched with majorities. Even insanity cannot escape this law, and the conclusions of the insane may even be more imperturbable than those of the sane. This fact does not destroy the value of the law. Health remains a power, though we cannot deny the existence of disease. This first clearness confirms itself by reiteration.