“Then, to know the absolute, or God, you must be the absolute; or, in other words, God only can find God.  This is the simple doctrine, when you unwind the veil he has cleverly hung over it.  True, he denounces pantheism; but here is pantheism of the eclectic patent, differing from that of other systems only in subtlety of expression, wherein Cousin certainly excels.  One of the most profound philosophical writers of the age, [Footnote:  J. D. Moreil.  “Speculative Philosophy of Europe.”] and one whose opinion on this point certainly merits careful consideration, has remarked, in an analysis of Cousin’s system, ’with regard to his notion of Deity, we have already shown how closely this verges upon the principle of Pantheism.  Even if we admit that it is not a doctrine, like that of Spinoza, which identifies God with the abstract idea of substance; or even like that of Hegel, which regards Deity as synonymous with the absolute law and process of the universe; if we admit, in fact, that the Deity of Cousin possesses a conscious personality, yet still it is one which contains in itself the infinite personality and consciousness of every subordinate mind.  God is the ocean—­we are but the waves; the ocean may be one individuality, and each wave another; but still they are essentially one and the same.  We see not how Cousin’s Theism can possibly be consistent with any idea of moral evil; neither do we see how, starting from such a dogma, he can ever vindicate and uphold his own theory of human liberty.  On such theistic principles all sin must be simply defect, and all defect must be absolutely fatuitous.’  Eclecticism was a beautiful but frail levee, opposed to the swollen tide of skepticism, and, as in every other crevasse when swept away, it only caused the stream to rush on more madly.”

He watched her closely as he spoke, and observed the quiver of her long, curling lashes; he saw, too, that she was resolved not to surrender, and waited for an explicit defense; but here Eugene interrupted.

“All this tweedledum and tweedledee reminds me of Heidelberg days, when a few of us roamed about the Odenwald, chopping off flowers with our canes and discussing philosophy.  Rare jargon we made of it; talking of cosmothetie idealism or hypothetical dualism, of noetic and dianoetic principles, of hylozoism and hypostasis, and demonstrating the most undemonstrable propositions by appeals to the law of contradiction or of excluded middle.  I fancied then that I was growing very learned—­wondered whether Beulah here would be able to keep up with me, and really thought I understood what I discoursed about so logically.”

“You can at least console yourself, Graham, by determining that

  “’You know what’s what, and that’s as high
    As metaphysic wit can fly.’”