THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 145 



his own character and talents ? Not only is the heart of man 

 deceitful above measure, but we give ourselves credit for talents 

 which others know to be insignificant. Our powers too and 

 dispositions are distributed in such various degrees, that from 

 this single circumstance, every man, judging from himself only, 

 would draw up a different account of the human mind. It is 

 only by extensive observation of others, of different sexes, ages, 

 edcucation, occupations, and habits, that this knowledge is to 

 be acquired. Nor would much progress have been made without 

 the discovery that strength of individual talent and disposition 

 was associated with proportionate developement of particular 

 portions of the brain. By this remark the existence of particular 

 faculties and inclinations was firmly established. I made no 

 allusion to craniology while detailing Dr. Spurzheim's account of 

 the mind (Sect. V.), because the arrangement may be perfectly 

 accurate, although craniology be false ; nor when speaking of the 

 brain as the organ of the mind (Sect. VI.), because that fact also 

 is independent of the system. But if now the account of the 

 mind, the use of the brain, and craniology, be viewed together, 

 they will all be seen mutually and beautifully to confirm each 

 other. 



Much disgraceful invective, but no argument, has been written 

 against the doctrine. We are presented with a simple statement 

 that strength of certain parts of the mind, is accompanied by 

 strong developement of certain parts of the brain, and, conse- 



less variety, both of intellectual and moral phenomena, by a diligent study of 

 which, we may ascertain almost every point that we could wish to investigate, 

 if we had experiments at our command." " Savage society, and all the different 

 modes of civilization ; the different callings of individuals, whether liberal or 

 mechanical ; the prejudiced clown, the factitious man of fashion ; the varying 

 phases of character, from infancy to old age ; the prodigies effected by human 

 art, in all the objects around us, laws, government, commerce, religion ; but 

 above all, the records of thought preserved in those volumes which fill our li- 

 braries, what are they but experiments, by which nature illustrates, for our in- 

 struction, on her own grand scale, the varied range of many intellectual facul- 

 ties, and the omnipotence of education, in fashioning the mind." 



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