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entire error and deceptiveness of all spontaneous convictions, denies the validity of every conclusion but its own, and will not go to the common mind for the facts even that seek statement and explanation; for the facts without which there could be no philosophy. Such theories shake centrally the structure of knowledge, and lead to a complete distrust of those faculties which have been so signally, so universally, so completely wrong in directions wholly open to their action. To make one, two, three mistakes, and retain confidence is possible, to affirm that everything thought hitherto has been a mistake, is to reflect the most gloomy uncertainty on our present conclusions, which have no other verification than that they are the last results of faculties hitherto always at fault.

That a system of philosophy lies, in the main, in the line of recognized conclusions, gathering up, harmonizing and expounding them, furnishes the same evidence of its truth as that afforded to a physical theory by the fact, that it easily includes and explains the facts under discussion; or to a social theory by the fact, that it recognizes and makes clear events of hourly occurrence. Nor is it sufficient to give alleged reasons why men have been mistaken; universal and complete mistake is an impeachment of the mind whose consequences cannot be evaded.

We postulate in the system now presented, the trustworthiness of all our faculties in their careful, corrected, legitimate exercise; and accept as proof of a faculty or power, steady, reiterative action in any direction, yielding fruits of knowledge. What we see and hear, we accept as seen and heard, because our faculties are self-consistent and persistent in the affirmation. They renew the impressions in the same form on each like occasion. For a like reason we accept the conclusions of judgment. If we reached a different result each time we reviewed the proof of a proposition,