^  "We  may  assume  as  practically  beyond  controversy  that  the
simplest  and  the  earliest  manifestations  of  consciousness,  whether
considered  philogenetically  or  ontogenetically,  are  at  least  pre-
dominantly affective  states,  which  are  probably  best  described  as
pleasure-pain  feelings."  T.  E.  Shields,  Psychology  of  Education,
pp.  197,  198.  So  also  J.  M.  Baldwin,  Handbook  of  Psychology,
Vol.  II,  "Feeling  and  Will,"  pp.  149,  150,  and  William  James,
Principles  of  Psychology,  Vol.  II,  pp.  7,  8.
*  Cf .  Titchener,  Text-book,  pp.  396  f.
238  Psychological  Aspects  of  Faith.
non  of  apperception.^  It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to
regard  perceptions  in  the  adult  man,  or  even  in  the
little  child,  as  mere  "groupings  of  sensations  under  the
laws  of  attention."  ^  The  human  soul  has  from  the
first  moment  of  its  existence  the  power  of  perceiving
something  of  the  nature  or  "meaning"  of  the  material
object  which  impresses  sense.  This  power,  however,
cannot  operate,  much  less  give  external  evidence  of  its
activity,  until  the  requisite  conditions  are  given.  It  is
usually  through  articulate  speech  that  such  evidence  is
given,  and  the  exercise  of  speech  demands  a  high  de-
gree of  development  in  the  human  organism.^  Early
in  the  life  of  the  child  the  so-called  act  of  perception
becomes  a  synthesis  not  merely  of  present  sensations
from  the  same  external  object,  but  even  of  present  with
past  sensations  through  imagination  and  memory.
