i68 The bee or Feb. 2. 



their ftudies. The man who has never attempted to 

 reduce his own ideas to writing, feldom obferves fafta 

 or circumftances with the degree of accuracy that is 

 neceflary for utility. His notions of things are rude 

 and indigelled. Succeflive ideas prefent themfelves to 

 his imagination for a moment, and are difplaced by 

 others, which, in their turn, give way to a following 

 fcl, no one of which has been examined with accuracy, 

 or their tendency diftindly afcertained. To the man, 

 however, who has been accullomed to write, this is not 

 the cafe When a thought occurs to hitn, he has been 

 in the habit of p'urfuing it, till he has been enabled to 

 mark its tendency and confequences ; and in this man- 

 ner he deduces coaclufions that are not only clear and 

 definite, but for the mofl: part are juft and true alfo. 

 In confcquence of this procefs, his mind acquires a 

 fteadinefs and vigour that it never otherwife could have 

 pofleffed ; and he in time attains a diftinftnefs of per- 

 ception, and a faculty of difcrimination, that gives him 

 a decided f'i})triority above other men of equal talents, 

 who have jiot been at the fame pains to improve them. 

 A man who profecutes his lludies by means of reading 

 alone, or academical lettures, may be compared to one 

 who derives his knowledge of men from oblervationa 

 made upon tiiem, from a window, as they pafs along 

 the llveet beloie him. He fees their general figure, 

 it is true, and can recoiled: that fuch or fuch per- 

 fons he has feen before ; but his knowledge is confined 

 merely to thefe fuperhcials ; whereas one who has been 

 in the habit of writing as v>-eil as reading, may be com- 

 pai-cd to that man who acquires his knowledge of others, 

 net only from feeing them, but from mixing in their 

 company, and converfmg with them frequently, in a 

 cordial and familiar manner. 



In this point of view, no fpecies of publications de- 

 ferA'es a higher degree of praife, than thofe periodical 

 performances, which ferve as a general receptacle for 



