Note 1 — Chapter XIV · VIBRATORY PHYSICS.—THE CONNECTING LINK BETWEEN MIND AND MATTER.

It was good advice given by the late Professor Clifford,—“Before teaching any doctrine wait until the nature of the evidence can be understood.” But without attempting to teach Keely’s system of vibratory physics, we may look into some of his views, notwithstanding the fact that, whatever truths there may be in them, they are approached from such a different standpoint, than that of the platform of mechanical physics, that it is utterly impossible to bring them into any definite relations with each other.1 Dr. Gérard, of Paris, in his work on “Nervous Force,” writes of this founder of a new system of philosophy: “The force discovered by Keely appears to me to be so entirely the counterpart of what passes primarily in the brain cells that we see in him but a plagiarist of cerebral dynamics—that is, he has had but to copy the delicate human mechanism to make a wonderful discovery; probably, the greatest the world has ever known. The word plagiarist has no deprecatory meaning as applied to the great American inventor, for he must possess an extraordinary power of assimilation to read so fluently the open book of nature, and to be able wisely to interpret her admirable laws: it is, therefore, with profound admiration that I here render homage to this man of science.”