"He his compasses who placed At the world's limit, and within the line Drew beauties, dimly or distinctly traced-- Could not upon the universe so write The impress of his power, but that His Word Must still be left in distance infinite: And hence 'tis evident that he in heaven Created loftiest his fate incurred Because he would not wait till light was given. And hence are all inferior creatures shown Scant vessels of that Goodness unconfined Which nought can measure save Itself alone. Therefore our intellect--a feeble beam, Struck from the light of the Eternal Mind, With which all things throughout creation teem,-- Must by its nature be incapable, Save in a low and most remote degree, Of viewing its exalted principle. Wherefore the heavenly Justice can no more By mortal ken be fathomed than the sea: For though the eye of one upon the shore May pierce its shallows, waves unfathomed bound His further sight, yet under them is laid A bottom, viewless through the deep profound." --WRIGHT. NOTE XXXIII., page 245. DEFECTS IN THE ORGANIC WORLD. The objections to final causes from alleged defects in the organic world have been answered with wisdom and success by M. Janet, in his 'Causes Finales,' pp. 313-348. The views of Professor Helmholtz as to the defects of the eye will be found stated at length in his popular lectures on scientific subjects. The chief defects enumerated are: 1. Chromatic aberration, connected with 2. Spherical aberration and defective centring of the cornea and lens, together producing the imperfection known as astigmatism; 3. Irregular radiation round the images of illuminated points; 4. Defective transparency; 5. Floating corpuscles, and 6. The "blind spot" with other gaps in the field of vision. "The eye has every possible defect that can be found in an optical instrument, and even some which are peculiar to itself." "It is not too much to say that if an optician wanted to sell me an instrument which had all these defects, I should think myself quite justified in blaming his carelessness in the strongest terms, and giving him back his instrument. Of course I shall not do this with my eyes, and shall be only too glad to keep them as long as I can--defects and all. Still, the fact that, however bad they may be, I can get no others, does not at all diminish their defects, so long as I maintain the narrow but indisputable position of a critic on purely optical grounds."