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mind； without it there would be no mind to know。 Not to be conscious of one's self is； mentally speaking； not to be。 This complex entity； this little cosmos of a world； the 〃I；〃 has for its very law of existence self…consciousness； while personality is the effect it produces upon the consciousness of others。
But we may push our inquiry a step further； and find in imagination the cause of this strange force。 For imagination； or the image…making faculty； may in a certain sense be said to be the creator of the world within。 The separate senses furnish it with material； but to it alone is due the building of our castles； on premises of fact or in the air。 For there is no impassable gulf between the two。 Coleridge's distinction that imagination drew possible pictures and fancy impossible ones； is itself； except as a classification； an impossible distinction to draw； for it is only the inconceivable that can never be。 All else is purely a matter of relation。 We may instance dreams which are usually considered to rank among the most fanciful creations of the mind。 Who has not in his dreams fallen repeatedly from giddy heights and invariably escaped unhurt？ If he had attempted the feat in his waking moments he would assuredly have been dashed to pieces at the bottom。 And so we say the thing is impossible。 But is it？ Only under the relative conditions of his mass and the earth's。 If the world he happens to inhabit were not its present size； but the size of one of the tinier asteroids； no such disastrous results would follow a chance misstep。 He could there walk off precipices when too closely pursued by bears if I remember rightly the usual childish cause of the same with perfect impunity。 The bear could do likewise； unfortunately。 We should have arrived at our conclusion even quicker had we decreased the size both of the man and his world。 He would not then have had to tumble actually so far； and would therefore have arrived yet more gently at the foot。 This turns out； then； to be a mere question of size。 Decrease the scale of the picture； and the impossible becomes possible at once。 All fancies are not so easily reducible to actual facts as the one we have taken； but all； perhaps； eventually may be explicable in the same general way。 At present we certainly cannot affirm that anything may not be thus explained。 For the actual is widening its field every day。 Even in this little world of our own we are daily discovering to be fact what we should have thought fiction； like the sailor's mother the tale of the flying fish。 Beyond it our ken is widening still more。 Gulliver's travels may turn out truer than we think。 Could we traverse the inter…planetary ocean of ether； we might eventually find in Jupiter the land of Lilliput or in Ceres some old…time country of the Brobdignagians。 For men constituted muscularly like ourselves would have to be proportionately small in the big planet and big in the small one。 Still stranger things may exist around other suns。 In those bright particular starswhich the little girl thought pinholes in the dark canopy of the sky to let the glory beyond shine throughwe are finding conditions of existence like yet unlike those we already know。 To our groping speculations of the night they almost seem； as we gaze on them in their twinkling； to be winking us a sort of comprehension。 Conditions may exist there under which our wildest fancies may be commonplace facts。 There may be
〃Some Xanadu where Kublai can a stately pleasure dome decree；〃
and carry out his conceptions to his own disillusionment； perhaps。 For if the embodiment of a fancy； however complete； left nothing further to be wished； imagination would have no incentive to work。 Coleridge's distinction does very well to separate； empirically； certain kinds of imaginative concepts from certain others； but it has no real foundation in fact。 Nor presumably did he mean it to have。 But it serves； not inaptly； as a text to point out an important scientific truth； namely； that there are not two such qualities of the mind； but only one。 For otherwise we might have supposed the fact too evident to need mention。 Imagination is the single source of the new； the one mainspring of psychical advance； reason； like a balance…wheel； only keeping the action regular。 For reason is but the touchstone of experience； our own； inherited； or acquired from others。 It compares what we imagine with what we know； and gives us answer in terms of the here and the now； which we call the actual。 But the actual is really nothing but the local。 It does not mark the limits of the possible。
That imagination has been the moving spirit of the psychical world is evident； whatever branch of human thought we are pleased to examine。 We are in the habit； in common parlance； of making a distinction between the search after truth and the search after beauty； calling the one science and the other art。 Now while we are not slow to impute imagination to art； we are by no means so ready to appreciate its connection with science。 Yet contrary； perhaps； to exogeric ideas on the subject； it is science rather than art that demands imagination of her votaries。 Not that art may not involve the quality to a high degree； but that a high degree of art is quite compatible with a very small amount of imagination。 On the one side we may instance painting。 Now painting begins its career in the humble capacity of copyist； a pretty poor copyist at that。 At first so slight was its skill that the rudest symbols sufficed。 〃This is a man〃 was conventionally implied by a few scratches bearing a very distant relationship to the real thing。 Gradually； owing to human vanity and a growing taste； pictures improved。 Combinations were tried； a bit from one place with a piece from another； a sort of mosaic requiring but a slight amount of imagination。 Not that imagination of a higher order has not been called into play； although even now pictures are often happy adaptations rather than creations proper。 Some masters have been imaginative； others； unfortunately for themselves and still more for the public； have not。 For that the art may attain a high degree of excellence for itself and much distinction for its professors； without calling in the aid of imagination； is evident enough on this side of the globe； without travelling to the other。
Take； on the other hand； a branch of science which； to the average layman； seems peculiarly unimaginative； the science of mathematics。 Yet at the risk of appearing to cast doubts upon the validity of its conclusions； it might be called the most imaginative product of human thought； for it is simply one vast imagination based upon a few so…called axioms； which are nothing more nor less than the results of experience。 It is none the less imaginative because its discoveries always accord subsequently with fact； since man was not aware of them beforehand。 Nor are its inevitable conclusions inevitable to any save those possessed of the mathematician's prophetic sight。 Once discovered； it requires much less imagination to understand them。 With the light coming from in front； it is an easy matter to see what lies behind one。
So with other fabrics of human thought； imagination has been spinning and weaving them all。 From the most concrete of inventions to the most abstract of conceptions the same force reveals itself upon examination； for there is no gulf between what we call practical and what we consider theoretical。 Everything abstract is ultimately of practical use； and even the most immediately utilitarian has an abstract principle at its core。 We are too prone to regard the present age of the world as preeminently practical； much as a middle…aged man laments the witching fancies of his boyhood。 But； and there is more in the parallel than analogy； if the man be truly imaginative he is none the less so at forty…five than he was at twenty； if his imagination have taken on a more critical form； for this latter half of the nineteenth century is perhaps the most imaginative period the world's history has ever known。 While with one hand we are contriving means of transit for our ideas； and even our very voices； compared to which Puck's girdle is anything but talismanic； with the other we are stretching out to grasp the action of mind on mind； pushing our way into the very realm of mind itself。
History tells the same story in detail； for the history of mankind； imperfectly as we know it； discloses the fact that imagination； and not the power of observation nor the kindred capability of perception； has been the cause of soul…evolution。
The savage is but little of an imaginative being。 We are tempted； at times； to imagine him more so than he is； for his fanciful folk…lore。 The proof of which overestimation is that we find no difficulty in imagining what he does； and even of imagining what he probably imagined； and finding our suppositions verified by discovery。 Yet his powers of observation may be marvellously developed。 The North American Indian tracks his foe through the forest by signs unrecognizable to a white man； and he reasons most astutely upon them； and still that very man turns out to be a mere child when put before p