Alphabetical Characters. 79 
It isa doctrine, I confess, in which] find myself 
unable to acquiesce. I cannot but consider 
the art of alphabetical writing as analogous in 
its origin and progress to all other arts; as 
originating in the same powers of reason and 
understanding, and differing from them only 
in so far asit may be supposed, from its supe- 
rior excellence, to have required a greater 
exertion of the intellectual powers than most 
of these arts probably did. 
In what follows, I propose to examine the 
arguments which have been brought forward 
in support of this hypothesis, and then to 
state those considerations, which induce me 
to refuse my assent toit. The arguments ad- 
vanced by Mr. Wakefield in the Essay above 
referred to, in favour of the divine original of 
alphabetical characters, are nearly as follows. 
First; It is said that this invention, if it was a 
human invention, differs in one very remark- 
able circumstance from all others ; namely, that 
the first effort brought it to perfection. All the 
attempts which have been made, to improve 
upon the Hebrew alphabet have failed of suc- 
cess. Secondly, it is said that if alphabetical 
writing was the result of the natural ingenuity 
and experience of man, we might reasonably 
have expected to hear of the invention having 
been made in more places than one; we might 
