EXPRESSION OF THOUGHTS. 139 



organs, at least of those persons who have reached or 

 passed middle age, performed their functions some years 

 ago as well as, and I fear in some respects even better 

 than they do now. Will has exerted, and can exert upon 

 them, no direct influence. But it is very different with 

 regard to the organ of the mind and the tissues concerned 

 in intellectual action. Every one knows that the degree of 

 perfection which these have attained or will attain is deter- 

 mined in great measure by his own efforts by his own will. 

 The thinking instrument of one individual is not capable of 

 being perfected in the same degree as that of another, but 

 is is quite certain that each may be improved and made to 

 work more perfectly, if its possessor determines that this 

 shall be ; nay, I think I may say, if he will not interfere 

 actively to prevent its improvement, for the natural tendency 

 of the mind is to exercise itself, and, in doing so, the in- 

 strument which it directs necessarily improves. As the 

 mechanism becomes more perfect, the pleasure afforded by 

 its working becomes greater, and to real desire and sustained 

 effort on the part of the mind soon succeeds improvement 

 in the structure of the healthy instrument, by which the 

 attainment of the end desired is rendered possible. 



But no doubt the degree of perfection to which an Jn- 

 dividual can attain in giving expression to his thoughts is 

 limited by the excellence of structure reached by the 

 mechanism upon which thought operates, and this will of 

 course depend very much upon original developmental 

 capacity, but yet in no small degree to the training to which 

 it may have been subjected from early youth when it was 

 in an eminently plastic state, and capable of being so dis- 



