The Question of Identity.--Consciousness and Memory.--Identity considered in Reference to Rewards and Punishments.--Conscience.--Conflicting Theories of Psychologists.--Education and Intuition.--Different Standards of Morality.--The Soul's Perception of the Eternal Principles of Right and Wrong.--The Instinct of Worship.--Its Abnormal Manifestations.--The Law of Suggestion.--Universality of the Sentiment of Worship.--Its Normal Manifestations.--Demonstrative of the Existence of a God of Love.--Old Arguments invalid.--Socrates and Paley.--Argument predicated on the Affectional Emotions.--Syllogistic Deductions.--The Divine Pedigree of Man 400 [Illustration] THE LAW OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Necessity of a Working Hypothesis.--The Newtonian Hypothesis.--The Atomic Theory.--A Psychological Hypothesis necessary.--Theories of Hypnotism and Mesmerism.--Spiritism.--Mental Therapeutics.--Liébault's Law of Suggestion.--Duality of Mind.--A Working Hypothesis for Psychology formulated.--Its Three Terms. Substantial progress in any science is impossible in the absence of a working hypothesis which is universal in its application to the phenomena pertaining to the subject-matter. Indeed, until such an hypothesis is discovered and formulated, no subject of human investigation can properly be said to be within the domain of the exact sciences. Thus, astronomy, previous to the promulgation of Kepler's Laws and the formulation of the Newtonian hypothesis of gravitation, was in a state of chaos, and its votaries were hopelessly divided by conflicting theories. But the moment Newton promulgated his theorem a revolution began which eventually involved the whole scientific world. Astronomy was rescued from the domain of empiricism, and became an exact science. What the Newtonian hypothesis did for astronomy, the atomic theory has done for chemistry. It enables one skilled in that science to practise it with a certainty of results in exact proportion to his knowledge of its principles and his skill in applying them to the work in hand. He knows that if he can combine hydrogen and oxygen, in the proportion of two atoms of the former to one of the latter, water will be the result. He knows that one atom, or part, of oxygen and one of carbon combined under heat will produce carbonic oxide,--a poisonous gas; that the addition of another atom, or part, of oxygen will produce carbonic anhydride (dioxide),--a harmless gas; and so on throughout the vast realm of chemical combinations.