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nent talent, united to general success. Over other sentiments it will, also, have its measure of sway and dominion;-it will moderate the exuberances of Hope; it will give delicacy to the exercise of the benevolent feelings. In conferring a benefit, it will temper the superiority of the patron with a nice conciliation of the patronized,-soothing a sensitive temperament, and enhancing, beyond all measure of estimation, the favour conferred. Whilst the absence of this feeling of respect, and especially when connected with a want of Benevolence, will generally lead to a contemptuous view of all those who hold a humbler rank and station, or are inferior in refined accomplishments or intellectual acquisitions.

HOPE will naturally counterpoise Fear, or excessive Caution, and elevate Circumspection to confidence and activity.

FIRMNESS, associated with the sentiment of Conscientiousness, is peculiarly important to every branch of our moral and intellectual nature. It imparts decision of purpose, constitutes determination, and contributes greatly to steadiness and perseverance of pursuit. In excess, it may lead to obstinacy, or to infatuation; but the abuse is owing to a deficiency in some other department of the moral or intellectual system.

PRIDE, or Self-esteem,-however unamiable when it rises beyond a moderate extent, and however disgusting when excessive, is eminently beneficial in the general constitution of the human character. Without the possession of some share of it, the sentiment of respect would degenerate into selfabasement, to pusillanimous humility, or fawning subserviency. Thus, in every step, we perceive how admirably adapted is each particle of human nature to produce the great results of the whole singular and curious design. Without some restraint imposed, by the reserve of pride, how ridiculous would vanity become!

Its operations on several of the propensities must also be obvious, preventing the degradation of the character by improper indulgence, moderating anger, and subduing the excesses of lawless passion.

On the faculties of the mind it also possesses its measure both of control and excitement. It stimulates to exertion, in order to ensure that home-felt satisfaction which results from a favourable comparison of ourselves with others.

VANITY, the love of approbation, or the desire of applause, in its proper and limited sphere, has the merit both of stimulating to good, and of controlling evil. It excites to the exercise of the faculties and the action of the sentiVOL. I. PART I.

D

ments, in order to obtain the suffrages of kindred beings. Such a motive may not be the highest in the moral scale; but, when restrained within reasonable bounds, it is equally useful and agreeable. Associated with Benevolence, it produces, often, a very amiable and social character.

The PROPENSITIES, considered in their effect upon each other, as well as upon the sentiments and faculties, are also, with respect to some of them, of an inciting and stimulating nature, whilst others have a tendency to control and restrain.

It appears, that some of the Propensities give a steadiness and pertinacity of pursuit to the mental powers, which they would otherwise not possess. A being, endowed with the highest intellectual faculties, may never exhibit, in action, the extraordinary capacity he possesses, unless excited to exertion by the humble, but powerful, impulse of the lower propensities. No part of the human structure can be in vain; and, in the instances referred to, the organization has not merely a subordinate purpose to accomplish, but, in its collateral operation, it has an important influence, and an essential effect. Indeed, in every view we take of the means by which nature accomplishes her objects, we discover new causes of wonder in the admirable and curious methods by which she produces the most complex results from the most simple combinations. An individual, endowed with the most exalted intellectual capacity, indicated by the ample expansion of the forehead, may not display those powers which we should naturally be induced to expect: the cause of this ap pears to be connected with deficiency of excitement; the pas sions have remained dormant, and the correspondent organs have continued inert and undeveloped.

In persons remarkable for energy of purpose, and con tinuous exertion,-who are intimidated by no difficulties, and awed by no impediment,-who steadily march on their way, and possess a resolution that enables them to devote all life to the accomplishment of their end; such persons are distinguishable from others of an opposite character, by the prominency of the middle of the back part of the head: in this situation we find the organ which has been denominated "Concentrativeness."

The strong emotions which accompany the dispositions to combat and destroy, may, also, it is not improbable, possess some considerable influence in the direction and exercise of the intellect. They evince a state of physical energy, which, however it may be undervalued, when unconnected with higher endowments, is of essential importance in all those

pursuits, the ultimate success of which depends upon long enduring exertions, and a bold and daring spirit of enterprize.

Let us proceed, next, to consider the influence of THE INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES upon each other, and on the Sentiments and Propensities.

In proportion to the degree in which the superior faculties are developed, will be, of course, the measure of their influence. The mere perceptive faculties cannot be expected to possess a very extensive effect; they receive impressions, but do not reason or speculate; they lead the mind away into no unknown region of doubt or conjecture; they are content with a surface-view of passing objects, and are untroubled by combinations, either of a difficult or an impossible cha

racter.

But there are some minds which have a tendency to Scepticism, and a disposition to seek for unattainable perfection. These are qualities of the intellect which will have an obvious effect on the department of Sentiment.

He

The Sceptic has a diminished degree of veneration. who habitually doubts of the wisdom and goodness of the schemes around him, will feel less of reverence for those wonders which excite the admiration of others. He who entertains fancied views of perfectibility, will probably disdain the poor pretensions of mortality, and the sentiment of respect will be proportionably diminished.

The faculties, consequently, which lead to philosophic comparison, and the search into causes and reasons, indicated by the organs of Comparison and Causality, have the effect of controlling the feelings of veneration.

Such also will be, in some respect, the consequence of an eminent degree of wit.

It may also be observed, that the excessive cultivation of the higher faculties may so absorb and engross the attention, that the kindly feelings of Benevolence may be partially disregarded.

The effect of the Intellectual System upon the Propensities must be obvious upon a very cursory glance. Whilst the mental faculties are in full employment, the lower department is proportionably suspended. We combat difficulties in science, instead of exercising our pugnacious tendency against our fellow-beings. We overthrow the objections to truth, and destroy the sophistry of falsehood, instead of warring against humanity, and destroying the life we can neither give nor save. Intellectual avocations also diminish the excesses of passion, whilst they elevate its objects; and the superior faculties have a natural tendency, by enlarging the sphere of

Thought, to restrain the ignoble pursuit of Cunning and Avarice, and to select the objects of ambition from a loftier region.

In considering the influence of one class of the intellectual faculties upon another, there is one leading effect peculiarly distinguishable; it is, that the predominant exercise of the reflecting faculties withdraws the operations of the perceptive, and so also the latter, when chiefly employed, detract from the fulness of the former. The mere observer is deficient in philosophic spirit: the speculative reasoner is wanting in the extent and accuracy of the materials with which he constructs his theoretical systems. The combination of the two classes seems the most likely to approach perfection. The mutual influence of each is, therefore, peculiarly important, and both ought to be equally cultivated.

It appears, that, whilst many of the organs, as we have seen, are contrasted one with another, and possess the capaсараcity of mutual influence, others stand alone, and can only be estimated according to each specific development; so that, in some instances, we have to judge from the relative, and in some from the abstract, state. Where the organs are mutually opposed, like Sympathy and Antipathy, as in the case of Benevolence and Destruction, we form a comparison of the relative measure of development. On the contrary, where there is no such opposition, as in the organ of Pride, we can calculate only upon its own degree of projection or depression.

Before concluding, it may be observed, that an equal balance of power, produced, as it is, by an equal and moderate development of all the faculties, animal, mental, and moral, constitutes the happiest and most agreeable character. It is not, indeed, stamped with any impressive or striking features; nor does it present a brilliant or commanding aspect; but it possesses every quality that can promote its own rational enjoyment, and the pleasure and satisfaction of others. Pe culiar manifestations, of an exclusive kind, of some of the faculties, indicate correspondent excellence. When remarkably predominant, the character will be distinguishable for singular proficiency, but devoid of other qualifications. This devotedness to an exclusive pursuit is the best calculated for celebrity and fame; but, for the easy performance of the ordinary duties and avocations of life," jostling no one in our way,' "the equal development of the system is the sovereign specific.

37

DISCUSSION:

"WAS POPE A POET OF THE FIRST ORDER?"

THE member who introduced this question had undertaken a difficult task: he had to prove a NEGATIVE. Dr. Johnson has said, that if we could not prove the existence of apparitions, neither could we prove that they did not exist. And why? Because a negative could not be directly proved. But, indirectly, the proof may be implied. We may collect all that can be produced for the affirmative; and, if it be deficient in evidence, the negative must be inferred. Till we prove a man guilty, we suppose him to be-(innocent?-no) -not guilty. Not being able to accumulate sufficient evidence to convict Pope of the crime of writing poetry of the first order, we conclude him to be-not a poet of that order. Before we can decide upon the merits of any poet, it is necessary to discover his mental idiosyncrasy, his native aptitude,-his genius. The peculiar genius of the poet is correlative to the particular order to which he belongs. The native aptitude of Alexander Pope was for imitation. This aptitude is illustrated in a singular manner by a fact connected with his early education. The fact itself is of a trifling character, but bears the same relation to what he afterwards performed, that simple aptitude bears to genius. The former is as the small mustard-seed sown by the hand of Nature in the intellectual soil; Genius is the high and spreading tree, which, though it derive its origin from apparently so insignificant a grain," is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Educated at home, from the sickly habit of his infancy, it appears that he was deficient in the tuition of a writing-master; he had therefore to teach himself, and, wanting other exemplars, he imitated the Roman letter from printed books, and to the latest period of his life his hand-writing was a heterogeneous mixture of the common running-hand with the print. It is probable, that if Milton had been thus situated, he would never have learned to write. The genius of originality was so strong in Milton, that, as he somewhere says, he could hardly endure to make those extracts from authors to whom he referred, which were requisite to illustrate the subject that engaged his attention. The drudgery of transcription outraged the native vigour of his understanding; and it is remarkable that, in his numerous prose works, no instances are to be found of his having in

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