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Show lUsllllllllKS Of HCTLM K. A very eurloue discussion has bsan started In lha New Holenca Kevlew by 1'rof. Anbur 1C. tlostwlck, wbo argues for Iba imaaibiiity of mora dimensions 10 space than three, aud endeavors to give ar:enilflo rossous for his belief, Tbo subject Is by tto means nsw. 11 Is probably a. old as phllo,ophy. Cartslu II Is that Kuler, Kant, llauat, Klemtnn among othart, terloutly considered con-sidered this puisly speculatlv props-illlon props-illlon and freely adrulltad that the three dlmeutiona known lo human minds may not baall that ara knowu to beluga of a poitlbly superior older. Thera may bo other dlioeuilont Ihau length, breadth and Ihlcknett In apace, though entirely beyond our Imagination. Imagina-tion. Hplrltuallats have aotnetlmea made uaa of these philosophical tpecu-latlout tpecu-latlout In order lo account lor the al-lvgeJ al-lvgeJ aipetranca and disappeerauoe of pertont er ot jtctt. Their argument rune awuewlial like this: The material worM nppoart ta ua at a aumtier of ot Jicla placed aide by tide In three dimensions In space. The quoallon Is now Khethor lu th ft mm. try of araca liter are contradlotlont tliut oauuul be ricniioilsd lo this con. ceptluu, contradictions analjout to those Hi at would exist lu a three, dimensioned universe, were our ooa-cepttnnt ooa-cepttnnt limited to tw dlnientlont Unirlh and bretdth. Buppoee Iblt to be the case aud that th problem wrre lo ascertain whether two trlBugle wvre equal. This oould be oeularly deranuatraled onlr ov llftlno one ol Ultra up and pl.olng l on the other. Hut since Ihla prooeea would neoeasl. late giving the object a movement In tptc of which two-dlmenilonJ belngt would have ao oonoeptlon, It would lo them disappear from view as soon as llllsd cut of tha plan, and Ihey would beat a lose to accoual for lha phenomenon. In cur three-dimensioned world similar contradlo-lions contradlo-lions are traceable, Ihry olalm, and their refuge I Iheref re a fourth dlmsnalun. This Is th old argument. Professor 11 oalwlck follow another tin ol restoiiing. lie say lu subsltno t If a point moves, It leave behind It a Una. If a lln moves, It trao la a surfsoe, and II a surfaos movea, II leave behind It a solid space, II aramethen to baa law that Ibe thing thai Is movsd traces a space with on mora dimension than Itself. This law am Interrupted, bowvr, In th oss of solid bodies, which, aa far aa we know, leave a trail kenlnd them wllh no mure dimensions than lbs bodies themselves. The nelural lew Lreaki down al this pelul, bul the breakage Is only apparent, aud we must suppose a fourth dimension, and, fur tbal matter a Bltli, a sixth and so on Indefinitely. The argument Is employed for the purpose of compelling matarlalltta to acknowledge the p.nlblllly of Ibe exlsteao ot worlds beyond our physio- I environment. Th writer goes on to say! If a man were limited to two illmen-alona illmen-alona lii.ti-ad of three II, for In.iaiiee', lie lived on a cheat of ptper ae a picture iloee be would know of nothing uuuide ol that ehenv. A ra'-oof men might live In every one of a pile of a inllllou ebeele ul paper, ami It would tie ph. no-ally lin-po.. lin-po.. ,1,1k lhal Ibey ehutild ever cniniiiunl-Crtte cniniiiunl-Crtte or even ho aware of tha poaalbillly til eeeh otber'e exlalencv, tbnuuh the rltatem-o aeparatlng any two would he baa man II, o ih mill of an III' h. N., tlire-ltiienl-lial unlverao mar bo packed cue-y Uigoiltnr In lolir-ulinon-tlonal aparo, and v.e may Ih, aurrnuudod BlinoBi liMtolie.1 by myrlailaof heliitta like ouraelvet, ol whoae existence we are uiieoiiMilinta ami Into whose apbure mm eaitnul come- rlbe removal of di-nien.lonal di-nien.lonal ooiidliloua would opeu all these to ua. Th dlaoustlon la curloiit and to many mind Intereetlng. Vol, Its ab-suidlty ab-suidlty Is very appaieul. Tne learned prolereor, likes bla predecessors, l ullds hlsprsmssson pursly ahslrsol Ideas, geometrical points, llnet and surfaces, aud then drawa his conclusions around couorele ot jecla or bodie. II la not a logical conclusion thai a law Ibat may find application with regard lo the former ahoultl squally apply lo the latter. Aa long aa the mind deals wllh purely maiheoaallcal entitles. It may probably be ellowed lo Imagine as many dimsnslons aa H may need, lu tb asm way a It may flgura on the duration of olerully or the extension ol spaca, without ever arrlvlug to aay eonceiveble boundary; bul whaa II return re-turn to lb perceptible universe, It Is strictly confined to three dimensions, no mot and no loss. Everything, Irom tba atom the Invisible particle of matter to the orb tbal float In spso ba Ibis peculiarity. A ont-dl-menaloned, or a Iwo-dlmeusioned universe uni-verse Is as Inconceivable a a four-dlmnslsnd four-dlmnslsnd ess, aud any argument for lha latter ou aualogy from the former la, aa fee aa wa kuow, founded on nolhlugneae. Tbal tush absurdities can b put forward a daduotlon from nielli-mallet, nielli-mallet, th only scleuoe for which all-eolute all-eolute certainly la claimed, I a most significant fact, for Ibay ar oerlalu-ly oerlalu-ly not formulatod .without much thinking by lb moat capable of tueu. II should go far lo prove thai even Ih bast equipped human mind Is In need ol guldauoa from Aeova,la philosophy as In theology. There la really no need of a "fourth dlmeoalon" as a ralug from materialism. The revealtd wurd point out a much belter way, more aatlsfactory lo rsason, aud one which, If the signs do not deceive, scientists are ea the verge of acknowledging after oeoturlae of diligent search lu all dlreotlous. |