FURTHER THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION. 101 
to possess considerable talent, as it is termed, particularly in the 
perceptive powers ; but their reasoning faculties are warped and 
perverted ; the conclusions which they draw are often ingeniously 
built, and appear fair and plausible ; but, as the premises rest on 
error, we can, by removing the foundation-stone, at once overturn 
the whole inductive structure. Submit every thing to reason, and 
let that be the test of truth or falsehood, say those who are igno- 
rantly bigoted in their own powers of judging, forgetting that 
reason itself requires culture and instruction in order to develope its 
legitimate action, and is just as liable to be improperly stimulated as 
any other of the mental faculties. Besides, the powers of reason- 
ing are greater or less in different individuals, and if these powers 
are made the universal arbiters, right and wrong become the crea- 
tures of vacillating opinion, instead of the offspring of fixed and im- 
mutable principles. The undue activity of self-esteem, arising from 
its early and constant exercise, in those individuals who have been 
permitted to obey only the impulses of their own imaginings, is 
shown in after-life by rendering such individuals superficial and 
self-sufficient, dogmatic aud intolerant. They are fond of advanc- 
ing what they consider to be impregnable positions, and maintain 
their opinions with all the tenacity and confident importance which 
usually accompany overweaning vanity. Superlative wisdom is 
generally arrogated by these self-deluding philosophers ; and at the 
same time a kind of philanthropic contempt is entertained for all 
others less self-enlightened than themselves. All this arises from 
the circumstances of the reasoning powers being allowed to form 
their own standard of truth and error. 
Notwithstanding the frequent reference to the march of intellect, 
as it is termed, in the present day, and the triumphant manner in 
which the increasing wisdom of the age is spoken of, it may be 
fairly questioned whether the human mind can be proved to possess 
any greater capabilities than it did four thousand years since. It is 
true that many discoveries in art have been made during the last 
two or three centuries, whereby a wider field has been afforded for 
the range of mental exercise ; but it does not follow that the finite 
extent of man’s understanding, or the primitive powers of his com- 
prehension, have been increased. If we take a retrospective view 
through the past ages of the world, we shall find that moral and 
intellectual perceptions have always existed correlatively, and have 
produced much the same effect through all times. The wisdom of 
the early Egyptians ; the acquaintance with various arts by the 
Greeks, as evinced in their letters, their architecture and sculpture : 
