le atoms in the course of this process of development step over the
boundary toward consciousness. At first it is a trembling, insecure
foreboding, like the sensation of light to one nearly blind, then the
outlines of truth become clearer, and all at once grow sharp and
clearly defined. The different attempts at explanation of the secrets
of the world are the expression of these forebodings of truth. So every
one of the religious and philosophical systems is to my mind a grain of
the truth, and the whole of it will be found in the great unity which
we shall reach in a higher development."

"As charming as a pretty story," said Schrotter, "but--it is only a
story after all. You conjecture that the thing is so situated, but you
are not in a condition to prove it; and if I deny it, you have no means
of compelling me to believe, as I can compell you to believe that twice
two makes four. No, no; nothing can come of these metaphysical
speculations. The whole philosophy is not worth psychological
treatment. We are no further to-day than the old Greeks, whose
knowledge led to the formula, 'Know thyself.' We can hope to know
ourselves some day, to know what goes on in our brains. I hardly
believe, however, that science will ever arrive at it."

"The study of natural science has brought me to the same conclusion,"
said Wilhelm. "We know nothing to-day of the nature of phenomena--we
knew nothing yesterday, and we shall know nothing to-morrow. The great
advance in thought has only brought us to the point of no more
self-deception, and exactly knowing what we do know, whereas yesterday
men deceived themselves, and imagined that the fables of religion and
metaphysics were positive knowledge. The history of physical science is
in this respect very interesting. It teaches that every step forward
does not consist of a new explanation, but rather goes to prove, that
the earlier explanations were untrustworthy. The sphere of the exact
sciences does not grow wider, but narrower. It would be very
instructive to study the history of natural science at the point it has
reached."

"Why do you not write such a history?" asked Schrotter.

"Why? It would be foolish to add another book to the millions of books
already written. All that one can say about it is soon said. Anything
really new is written once in a thousand years, all the rest is
repetition, dilution, compilation. If everyone who writes on a subject
were to read first everything wh