also　in　a　way　never　to　be　forgotten；　the　excess　of　what　we　see
  over　what　we　can　demonstrate。
  〃And　so　on！these　things　may　seem　to　you　delusions；　or　truisms；
  but　for　me　they　are　dark　truths；　and　the　power　to　put　them　into
  even　such　words　as　these　has　been　given　me　by　an　ether　dream。〃
  With　this　we　make　connection　with　religious　mysticism　pure　and
  simple。　　Symonds's　question　takes　us　back　to　those　examples　which
  you　will　remember　my　quoting　in　the　lecture　on　the　Reality　of　the
  Unseen；　of　sudden　realization　of　the　immediate　presence　of　God。
  The　phenomenon　in　one　shape　or　another　is　not　uncommon。
  〃I　know；〃　writes　Mr。　Trine；　〃an　officer　on　our　police　force　who
  has　told　me　that　many　times　when　off　duty；　and　on　his　way　home　in
  the　evening；　there　comes　to　him　such　a　vivid　and　vital
  realization　of　his　oneness　with　this　Infinite　Power；　and　this
  Spirit　of　Infinite　Peace　so　takes　hold　of　and　so　fills　him；　that
  it　seems　as　if　his　feet　could　hardly　keep　to　the　pavement；　so
  buoyant　and　so　exhilarated　does　he　become　by　reason　of　this
  inflowing　tide。〃＇236＇
  ＇236＇　In　Tune　with　the　Infinite；　p。　137。
  Certain　aspects　of　nature　seem　to　have　a　peculiar　power　of
  awakening　such　mystical　moods。＇237＇　Most　of　the　striking　cases
  which　I　have　collected　have　occurred　out　of　doors。　　Literature
  has　commemorated　this　fact　in　many　passages　of　great　beautythis
  extract；　for　example；　from　Amiel's　Journal　Intime：
  ＇237＇　The　larger　God　may　then　swallow　up　the　smaller　one。　　I　take
  this　from　Starbuck's　manuscript　collection：
  〃I　never　lost　the　consciousness　of　the　presence　of　God　until　I
  stood　at　the　foot　of　the　Horseshoe　Falls；　Niagara。　　Then　I　lost
  him　in　the　immensity　of　what　I　saw。　　I　also　lost　myself；　feeling
  that　I　was　an　atom　too　small　for　the　notice　of　Almighty　God。〃
  I　subjoin　another　similar　case　from　Starbuck's　collection：
  〃In　that　time　the　consciousness　of　God's　nearness　came　to　me
  sometimes。　　I　say　God；　to　describe　what　is　indescribable。　　A
  presence；　I　might　say；　yet　that　is　too　suggestive　of　personality；
  and　the　moments　of　which　I　speak　did　not　hold　the　consciousness
  of　a　personality；　but　something　in　myself　made　me　feel　myself　a
  part　of　something　bigger　than　I；　that　was　controlling。　　I　felt
  myself　one　with　the　grass；　the　trees；　birds；　insects；　everything
  in　Nature。　　I　exulted　in　the　mere　fact　of　existence；　of　being　a
  part　of　it　allthe　drizzling　rain；　the　shadows　of　the　clouds；
  the　tree…trunks；　and　so　on。　　In　the　years　following；　such　moments
  continued　to　come；　but　I　wanted　them　constantly。　　I　knew　so　well
  the　satisfaction　of　losing　self　in　a　perception　of　supreme　power
  and　love；　that　I　was　unhappy　because　that　perception　was　not
  constant。〃　The　cases　quoted　in　my　third　lecture；　pp。　65；　66；　69；
  are　still　better　ones　of　this　type。　　In　her　essay；　The　Loss　of
  Personality；　in　The　Atlantic　Monthly　（vol。　lxxxv。　p。　195）；　Miss
  Ethel　D。　Puffer　explains　that　the　vanishing　of　the　sense　of　self；
  and　the　feeling　of　immediate　unity　with　the　object；　is　due　to　the
  disappearance；　in　these　rapturous　experiences；　of　the　motor
  adjustments　which　habitually　intermediate　between　the　constant
  background　of　consciousness　（which　is　the　Self）　and　the　object　in
  the　foreground；　whatever　it　may　be。　　I　must　refer　the　reader　to
  the　highly　instructive　article；　which　seems　to　me　to　throw　light
  upon　the　psychological　conditions；　though　it　fails　to　account　for
  the　rapture　or　the　revelation…value　of　the　experience　in　the
  Subject's　eyes。
  〃Shall　I　ever　again　have　any　of　those　prodigious　reveries　which
  sometimes　came　to　me　in　former　days？　　One　day；　in　youth；　at
  sunrise；　sitting　in　the　ruins　of　the　castle　of　Faucigny；　and
  again　in　the　mountains；　under　the　noonday　sun；　above　Lavey；　lying
  at　the　foot　of　a　tree　and　visited　by　three　butterflies；　once　more
  at　night　upon　the　shingly　shore　of　the　Northern　Ocean；　my　back
  upon　the　sand　and　my　vision　ranging　through　the　Milky　Way；such
  grand　and　spacious；　immortal；　cosmogonic　reveries；　when　one
  reaches　to　the　stars；　when　one　owns　the　infinite！　　Moments
  divine；　ecstatic　hours；　in　which　our　thought　flies　from　world　to
  world；　pierces　the　great　enigma；　breathes　with　a　respiration
  broad；　tranquil；　and　deep　as　the　respiration　of　the　ocean；　serene
  and　limitless　as　the　blue　firmament；　。　。　。　instants　of
  irresistible　intuition　in　which　one　feels　one's　self　great　as　the
  universe；　and　calm　as　a　god。　。　。　。　　What　hours；　what　memories！
  The　vestiges　they　leave　behind　are　enough　to　fill　us　with　belief
  and　enthusiasm；　as　if　they　were　visits　of　the　Holy　Ghost。〃＇238＇
  ＇238＇　Op　cit。；　i。　43…44
  Here　is　a　similar　record　from　the　memoirs　of　that　interesting
  German　idealist；　Malwida　von　Meysenbug：
  〃I　was　alone　upon　the　seashore　as　all　these　thoughts　flowed　over
  me；　liberating　and　reconciling；　and　now　again；　as　once　before　in
  distant　days　in　the　Alps　of　Dauphine；　I　was　impelled　to　kneel
  down；　this　time　before　the　illimitable　ocean；　symbol　of　the
  Infinite。　　I　felt　that　I　prayed　as　I　had　never　prayed　before；　and
  knew　now　what　prayer　really　is：　　to　return　from　the　solitude　of
  individuation　into　the　consciousness　of　unity　with　all　that　is；
  to　kneel　down　as　one　that　passes　away；　and　to　rise　up　as　one
  imperishable。　　Earth；　heaven；　and　sea　resounded　as　in　one　vast
  world…encircling　harmony。　　It　was　as　if　the　chorus　of　all　the
  great　who　had　ever　lived　were　about　me。　　I　felt　myself　one　with
  them；　and　it　appeared　as　if　I　heard　their　greeting：　　'Thou　too
  belongest　to　the　company　of　those　who　overcome。'〃＇239＇
  ＇239＇　Memoiren　einer　Idealistin；　Ste　Auflage；　1900；　iii。　166。
  For　years　she　had　been　unable　to　pray；　owing　to　materialistic
  belief。
  The　well　known　passage　from　Walt　Whitman　is　a　classical
  expression　of　this　sporadic　type　of　mystical　experience。
  〃I　believe　in　you；　my　Soul　。　。　。
  Loaf　with　me　on　the　grass；　loose　the　stop　from　your　throat；。　。　。
  Only　the　lull　I　like；　the　hum　of　your　valved　voice。
  I　mind　how　once　we　lay；　such　a　transparent　summer　morning。
  Swiftly　arose　and　spread　around　me　the　peace　and　knowledge
  that　pass　all　the　argument　of　the　earth；
  And　I　know　that　the　hand　of　God　is　the　promise　of　my　own；
  And　I　know　that　the　spirit　of　God　is　the　brother　of　my　own；
  And　that　all　the　men　ever　born　are　also　my　brothers　and　the
  women　my　sisters　and　lovers；
  And　that　a　kelson　of　the　creation　is　love。〃＇240＇
  ＇240＇　Whitman　in　another　place　expresses　in　a　quieter　way　what
  was　probably　with　him　a　chronic　mystical　perception：　　〃There　is；〃
  he　writes；　〃apart　from　mere　intellect；　in　the　make…up　of　every
  superior　human　identity；　a　wondrous　something　that　realizes
  without　argument；　frequently　without　what　is　called　education
  （though　I　think　it　the　goal　and　apex　of　all　education　deserving
  the　name）；　an　intuition　of　the　absolute　balance；　in　time　and
  space；　of　the　whole　of　this　multifariousness　this　revel　of　fools；
  and　incredible　make…believe　and　general　unsettiedness；　we　call
  THE　WORLD；　a　soul…sight　of　that　divine　clue　and　unseen　thread
  which　holds　the　whole　congeries　of　things；　all　history　and　time；
  and　all　events；　however　trivial；　however　momentous；　like　a
  leashed　dog　in　the　hand　of　the　hunter。　　＇Of＇　such　soul…sight　and
  root…centre　for　the　mind　mere　optimism　explains　only　the
  surface。〃　　Whitman　charges　it　against　Carlyle　that　he　lacked　this
  perception。　　Specimen　Days　and　Collect；　Philadelphia；　1882；　p。
  174。
  I　could　easily　give　more　instances；　but　one　will　suffice。　　I　take
  it　from　the　Autobiography　of　J。　Trevor。＇241＇
  ＇241＇　My　Quest　for　God；　London；　1897；　pp。　268；　269；　abridged。
  〃One　brilliant　Sunday　morning；　my　wife　and　boys　went　to　the
  Unitarian　Chapel　in　Macclesfield。　　I　felt　it　impossible　to
  accompany　themas　though　to　leave　the　sunshine　on　the　hills；　and
  go　down　there　to　the　chapel；　would　be　for　the　time　an　act　of
  spiritual　suicide。　　And　I　felt　such　need　for　new　inspiration　and
  expansion　in　my　life。　　So；　very　reluctantly　and　sadly；　I　left　my
  wife　and　boys　to　go　down　into　the　town；　while　I　went　further　up
  into　the　hills　with　my　stick　and　my　dog。　　In　the　loveliness　of
  the　morning；　and　the　beauty　of　the　hills　and　valleys；　I　soon　lost
  my　sense　of　sadness　and　regret。　　For　nearly　an　hour　I　walked
  alon