final　spiritual　estimate　of　a　religious　phenomenon；　why　threaten
  us　at　all　with　so　much　existential　study　of　its　conditions？　　Why
  not　simply　leave　pathological　questions　out？
  To　this　I　reply　in　two　ways。　　First；　I　say；　irrepressible
  curiosity　imperiously　leads　one　on；　and　I　say；　secondly；　that　it
  always　leads　to　a　better　understanding　of　a　thing's　significance
  to　consider　its　exaggerations　and　perversions　its　equivalents　and
  substitutes　and　nearest　relatives　elsewhere。　　Not　that　we　may
  thereby　swamp　the　thing　in　the　wholesale　condemnation　which　we
  pass　on　its　inferior　congeners；　but　rather　that　we　may　by
  contrast　ascertain　the　more　precisely　in　what　its　merits　consist；
  by　learning　at　the　same　time　to　what　particular　dangers　of
  corruption　it　may　also　be　exposed。
  Insane　conditions　have　this　advantage；　that　they　isolate　special
  factors　of　the　mental　life；　and　enable　us　to　inspect　them
  unmasked　by　their　more　usual　surroundings。　　They　play　the　part　in
  mental　anatomy　which　the　scalpel　and　the　microscope　play　in　the
  anatomy　of　the　body。　　To　understand　a　thing　rightly　we　need　to
  see　it　both　out　of　its　environment　and　in　it；　and　to　have
  acquaintance　with　the　whole　range　of　its　variations。　　The　study
  of　hallucinations　has　in　this　way　been　for　psychologists　the　key
  to　their　comprehension　of　normal　sensation；　that　of　illusions　has
  been　the　key　to　the　right　comprehension　of　perception。　　Morbid
  impulses　and　imperative　conceptions；　〃fixed　ideas；〃　so　called；
  have　thrown　a　flood　of　light　on　the　psychology　of　the　normal
  will；　and　obsessions　and　delusions　have　performed　the　same
  service　for　that　of　the　normal　faculty　of　belief。
  Similarly；　the　nature　of　genius　has　been　illuminated　by　the
  attempts；　of　which　I　already　made　mention；　to　class　it　with
  psychopathical　phenomena。　　Borderland　insanity；　crankiness；
  insane　temperament；　loss　of　mental　balance；　psychopathic
  degeneration　（to　use　a　few　of　the　many　synonyms　by　which　it　has
  been　called）；　has　certain　peculiarities　and　liabilities　which；
  when　combined　with　a　superior　quality　of　intellect　in　an
  individual；　make　it　more　probable　that　he　will　make　his　mark　and
  affect　his　age；　than　if　his　temperament　were　less　neurotic。
  There　is　of　course　no　special　affinity　between　crankiness　as　such
  and　superior　intellect；＇7＇　for　most　psychopaths　have　feeble
  intellects；　and　superior　intellects　more　commonly　have　normal
  nervous　systems。　But　the　psychopathic　temperament；　whatever　be
  the　intellect　with　which　it　finds　itself　paired；　often　brings
  with　it　ardor　and　excitability　of　character。　　The　cranky　person
  has　extraordinary　emotional　susceptibility。　　He
  is　liable　to　fixed　ideas　and　obsessions。　　His　conceptions　tend　to
  pass　immediately　into　belief　and　action；　and　when　he　gets　a　new
  idea；　he　has　no　rest　till　he　proclaims　it；　or　in　some　way　〃works
  it　off。〃　　〃What　shall　I　think　of　it？〃　a　common　person　says　to
  himself　about　a　vexed　question；　but　in　a　〃cranky〃　mind　〃What　must
  I　do　about　it？〃　is　the　form　the　question　tends　to　take。　　In　the
  autobiography　of　that　high…souled　woman；　Mrs。　Annie　Besant；　I
  read　the　following　passage：　　〃Plenty　of　people　wish　well　to　any
  good　cause；　but　very　few　care　to　exert　themselves　to　help　it；　and
  still　fewer　will　risk　anything　in　its　support。　　'Someone　ought　to
  do　it；　but　why　should　I？'　is　the　ever　reechoed　phrase　of
  weak…kneed　amiability。　'Someone　ought　to　do　it；　so　why　not　I？'　is
  the　cry　of　some　earnest　servant　of　man；　eagerly　forward　springing
  to　face　some　perilous　duty。　　Between　these　two　sentences　lie
  whole　centuries　of　moral　evolution。〃　　True　enough！　and　between
  these　two　sentences　lie　also　the　different　destinies　of　the
  ordinary　sluggard　and　the　psychopathic　man。　　Thus；　when　a
  superior　intellect　and　a　psychopathic　temperament　coalesceas　in
  the　endless　permutations　and　combinations　of　human　faculty；　they
  are　bound　to　coalesce　often　enoughin　the　same　individual；　we
  have　the　best　possible　condition　for　the　kind　of　effective　genius
  that　gets　into　the　　biographical　dictionaries。　　Such　men　do
  not　remain　mere　critics　and　understanders　with　their　intellect。
  Their　ideas　possess　them；　they　inflict　them；　for　better　or　worse；
  upon　their　companions　or　their　age。　　It　is　they　who　get　counted
  when　Messrs。　Lombroso；　Nisbet；　and　others　invoke　statistics　to
  defend　their　paradox。
  ＇7＇　　Superior　intellect；　as　Professor　Bain　has　admirably　shown；
  seems　to　consist　in　nothing　so　much　as　in　a　large　development　of
  the　faculty　of　association　by　similarity。
  To　pass　now　to　religious　phenomena；　take　the　melancholy　which；　as
  we　shall　see；　constitutes　an　essential　moment　in　every　complete
  religious　evolution。　　Take　the　happiness　which　achieved　religious
  belief　confers。　　Take　the　trancelike　states　of　insight　into　truth
  which　all　religious　mystics　report。＇8＇　　These　are　each　and　all　of
  them　special　cases　of　kinds　of　human　experience　of　much　wider
  scope。　　Religious　melancholy；　whatever　peculiarities　it　may　have
  qua　religious；　is　at　any　rate　melancholy。　　Religious　happiness　is
  happiness。　Religious　trance　is　trance。　　And　the　moment　we
  renounce　the　absurd　notion　that　a　thing　is　exploded　away　as　soon
  as　it　is　classed　with　others；　or　its　origin　is　shown；　the　moment
  we　agree　to　stand　by　experimental　results　and　inner　quality；　in
  judging　of　valueswho　does　not　see　that　we　are　likely　to
  ascertain　the　distinctive　significance　of　religious　melancholy
  and　happiness；　or　of　religious　trances；　far　better　by　comparing
  them　as　conscientiously　as　we　can　with　other　varieties　of
  melancholy；　happiness；　and　trance；　than　by　refusing　to　consider
  their　place　in　any　more　general　series；　and　treating　them　as　if
  they　were　outside　of　nature's　order　altogether？
  I　hope　that　the　course　of　these　lectures　will　confirm　us　in　this
  supposition。　　As　regards　the　psychopathic　origin　of　so　many
  religious　phenomena；　that　would　not　be　in　the　least　surprising　or
  disconcerting；　even　were　such　phenomena　certified　from　on　high　to
  be　the　most　precious　of　human　experiences。　　No　one　organism　can
  possibly　yield　to　its　owner　the　whole　body　of　truth。　　Few　of　us
  are　not　in　some　way　infirm；　or　even　diseased；　and　our　very
  infirmities　help　us　unexpectedly。　　In　the　psychopathic
  temperament　we　have　the　emotionality　which　is　the　sine　qua　non　of
  moral　perception；　we　have　the　intensity　and　tendency　to　emphasis
  which　are　the　essence　of　practical　moral　vigor；　and　we　have　the
  love　of　metaphysics　and　mysticism　which　carry　one's　interests
  beyond　the　surface　of　the　sensible　world。　What；　then；　is　more
  natural　than　that　this　temperament　should　introduce　one　to
  regions　of　religious　truth；　to　corners　of　the　universe；　which
  your　robust　Philistine　type　of　nervous　system；　forever　offering
  its　biceps　to　be　felt；　thumping　its　breast；　and　thanking　Heaven
  that　it　hasn't　a　single　morbid　fiber　in　its　composition；　would　be
  sure　to　hide　forever　from　its　self…satisfied　possessors？
  ＇8＇　　I　may　refer　to　a　criticism　of　the　insanity　theory　of　genius
  in　the　Psychological　Review；　ii。　287　（1895）。
  If　there　were　such　a　thing　as　inspiration　from　a　higher　realm；　it
  might　well　be　that　the　neurotic　temperament　would　furnish　the
  chief　condition　of　the　requisite　receptivity。　And　having　said
  thus　much；　I　think　that　I　may　let　the　matter　of　religion　and
  neuroticism　drop。
  The　mass　of　collateral　phenomena；　morbid　or　healthy；　with　which
  the　various　religious　phenomena　must　be　compared　in　order　to
  understand　them　better；　forms　what　in　the　slang　of　pedagogics　is
  termed　〃the　apperceiving　mass〃　by　which　we　comprehend　them。　　The
  only　novelty　that　I　can　imagine　this　course　of　lectures　to
  possess　lies　in　the　breadth　of　the　apperceiving　mass。　　I　may
  succeed　in　discussing　religious　experiences　in　a　wider　context
  than　has　been　usual　in　university　courses。