54 Philosophical Society of Londo*, 



teresting to students. I shall however at present only ob- 

 serve, that sympathy in the breast of an auditor will operate 

 in proportion to the accuracy of the outward signs exem- 

 plified in the voice, look, and gesture of the orator." 



The obstacles that commonly prevent the excitement of 

 this indispensable sympathy formed the next consideration 

 of the lecturer, all of which he traced to two distinguished 

 causes, — carelessness and affectation. " They may («aid 

 he) be construed into either impudence or self-conceit, of 

 wickedness and imbecility of mind, and total disregard to 

 the interests of others. The one, by an overacted sensibi- 

 lity, renders calamity and misfortune ridiculous ; the other, 

 by an opposite tenjperament, re[)resents virtue and since- 

 rity under many of the disadvantnges of vice and falsehood." 

 Men, indeed, naturall) treat with disdain or ridicule all 

 bare and inetF.cient attenipts to excite their attention. Self- 

 love too, of'en takes the alarm at the implied imputation of 

 be, ng easily biassed, All inconuruoys associations natu- 

 raliy excite displeasure ; and it is the discrepancy between 

 appearance and reality which forms ihe t>asis of contempt, 

 whether allied to pity or abhorrence. This principle, as 

 far as respects affectation, was very appositely maintained 

 by a quotation from the discriminatmg pen of Fielding, 

 which concluded with the following observation : '' Great 

 vices are the proper objects of our detestation, smaller 

 faults of our pity ; but affectation is the only true source of 

 the ridiculous *." — Pursuing the subject, we noticed a 

 remark, the truth of which every one must frequently have 

 felt in his commerce with the world. " It is pos- 

 sible (says Mr. VV.) to be very careless and extremely af- 

 fected." 



The lecturer then enlarged on the media by which the 

 minds of an auditory are engaged and impressed, in lan- 

 guage to the following effect : " The organs of vision 

 and sound are the instruments of communication and ora- 

 tory. First, the mind, through the medium of the visual 

 organs, is sensible of the various alterations of the mus- 

 cular forms of the face, of the altitudes of the Ix^dy and 

 the motions of its limbs : a.ul as particular altcraiions of 

 appearance are known to indicate distinct operations of 

 mind, man is in some sort provided intuitively with sen- 

 sible feelings of what passes in the breast of his friend of 

 his enemy. 2dlv, Through the auriculcir organ, the mind 

 judges of sound, whether as to shortness or length, mo- 



* See Preface to Joseph Andrews. 



potone. 



