278
THE STAR IN THE WEST
expected
an occurrence
took
place , and thereby enlarge
his
experience ,
and
modify
his
hitherto
unduly narrow
conceptions of the laws of nature.
This is the method of true science , the great white
magic of the Black Goddess :
Gape wide , 0 hideous mouth , and suck
This heart's blood , drain it down , expunge
This sweetening life of mire
and muck !
Squeeze
out my passions as a sponge ,
Till nought is left of terrene wine
But somewhat deathless and divine ! 2
Huxley continues :
“ The day -
fly
has better grounds
for calling
a
thunderstorm supernatural
than
has man
,
with his experience
of
an
infinitesimal fraction
of
dura
tion
,
to
say that
the most astonishing
event that can
be
imagined
is
beyond the scope
of
natural
causes
.”
3
And that there
is
no
such thing
as
the violation
of
the
laws
of
nature
,
but merely
a
violation
of
that under
standing
which
falsely
interprets
a
“
something
”
which reason alone cannot grasp
.
1
Huxley's
Hume
,
p
.
155.
“
It
will
be
said that
these
are
miracles
,
but
we reply that miracles
,
when they are genuine
,
are simply facts for science
."
“
A
philosopher has declared that
he
would discredit universal
testimony rather
than
believe
in
the
resurrection
of
a
dead
person
,
but his speech was rash
,
for
it
is
on
the faith
of
universal
testimony that
he
believed
in
the impossibility
of
the
resurrec
tion
.
Supposing such
an
occurrence were proved
,
what would
follow
?
Must we deny evidence
,
or
renounce reason
?
It
would
be
absurd
to
say
so
.
We
should simply infer that we were
wrong
in
supposing resurrection
to
be
impossible
.”
“
Ab actu
ad
posse valet consecutio
."
-
E.
LÉVI
,
The Doctrine
of
Transcendent
Magic
,
pp
.
121
,
158
;
also vide
p
.
192
.
2
Gargoyles
,
vol
.
iii,
p
.
98
.
3
Huxley's Hume
,
p
.
156
.