1790* I.ITERA&Y INTELLIGENCER. Ij 



mofl uncecifing affiduity, perfevering induftrj, and ex- 

 acleft order, towards one couimon end, has long fur- 

 niftied a fubjeft of wonder and admiration to man, and 

 difcovers a much cloler fjftem of affociation for mu- 

 tual defence and prefervation, than ever yet has been 

 found among the human fpecies. It is not, therefore, 

 by the focial principle that man is eflentially diflinguifli- 

 ed from other animals; nor by his fagacity in calling in 

 the aid of multitudes to add to his individual ftrength : 

 It is to the faculty of communicating ideas from one 

 to another, and the accumulation of knowledge, that, 

 in a courfe of ages, this neceffarily produces, that he 

 folely owes the fuperiority he now fo confpicuoufly 

 holds over all other animals on this globe ; and from 

 that circumftance aione derives that irrefiitable power, 

 by which all the animate objedls in nature are fubjecl- 

 ed to his fway ; and by which the elements themfelves 

 are made to minifter to his will. 



It follows from thefe premifes, that whatever tends 

 to facilitate the communication of ideas between man 

 and man, muft have a direci: tendency to exalt the hu- 

 man fpecies to a higher degree of eminence than it 

 could otherwife have attained. This, the art of print- 

 ing has done in a very confpicuous manner. Men are 

 thus brought, as it were, to converfe together, who 

 could never otherwife have known that fuch pcrfons 

 exifled on the globe : The knowledge that has been 

 acquired in one country, is thus communicated to an- 

 other ; and the accumulated experience of former ages, 

 is preferved for the benefit of thofe that are to come. 

 But the efFe£ls of this art would be greatly circum- 

 fcribed, were not methods contrived for difFufing 

 that knowledge very generally among mankind ; — and 

 among all the modes that have been devifed for that 

 purpofe, no one has been fo effectual as that of pe- 

 riodical performances. Periodical performances, there- 

 fore, though apparently a humble kind of writings, 

 are in tffeCi the molt proper means that ever yet have 



