SUPERIORITY OF REASON. 81 



the lead of all the senses, and be foremost in the ca- 

 reer of knowledge. That is a very beautiful con- 

 firmation of the superiority of man to the other ani- 

 mals, and of his reason, which is nothing without 

 education, to their instincts, which require none. 

 The young partridge of an hour is firm and fleet on 

 its legs ; some species of aphides are matured even 

 in a shorter period ; while Newton or Watt, if left 

 to themselves at the first, would have soon perished ; 

 yet Newton gauged the universe, and divided the 

 Beam of the sun into all its radiant colours. He did 

 not, indeed, give godhead to man, for man is man still ; 

 but he opened up a passage whereby those who pro- 

 ceed aright may approach near the footstool of the 

 throne, and admire, and worship, and learn still 

 higher knowledge, and taste still more unmingled hap- 

 piness. Thus, although the ear brings us no direct 

 knowledge of external things until it has been in- 

 structed, we must not slight it, or deem it at all im- 

 perfect on that account ; for in proportion as it is 

 educated, it becomes the gate of wisdom ; and it is 

 rich in pleasure, and the pleasure which it brings 

 never fatigues and never cloys. Nor must we forget, 

 that the ear is the instructer of the hand in those 

 immeasurably small differences of motion in the 

 touch, by means of which skilful musicians repay the 

 ear for its labour in tones so sweet, and cadences so 

 soft and fine, that the sound feels drawn out to the 

 very verge of matter, and ear and instrument are lost 

 notice of, and naught remains but the delighting mu- 

 sic and the delighting mind. There is probably not 

 one feeling of our nature certainly there is not one 

 sensal feeling where we can so completely put off 

 the animal, and bring the mind unclogged to its enjoy- 

 ment, as in the hearing of sweet sounds. And that 

 is the reason why the pleasure which those sounds 

 produce is so exquisite, so ready, and so constantly 

 on the increase. No doubt, if we are to have that 



