642 Dynamic Theory. 



of food, he will stuff himself far beyond the requirements of hunger and 

 When uncomfortably full will lie down beside his trough. If now a 

 hungry runt of a shote be admitted to the trough his greedy onslaught on 

 the food will so stimulate the fat one, that he will with great effort 

 scramble to his feet again, and regardless of his needs, his appetite or his 

 comfort, recommence the stuffing process in competition with his lean 

 rival and eat till exhausted in capacity and ability for further effort. 

 This hoggishness is no part of acquisitiveness, but is a quality by itself. 

 It prompts persons to scramble for that which they do not need and can- 

 not use, merely to prevent some one else from having it. 



Seriousness or gravity, too, appears to be as positive a quality as mirth- 

 fulness. There are people who delight in being long-faced and sober, 

 and who regard a joke as a sort of crime. A simple deficiency in mirth- 

 fulness would result in mere indifference, but the faculty I speak of be- 

 gets a positive aversion and disgust to levity. 



But the fact is, the phrenological system is founded largely upon in- 

 correct physical principles. It separates the function from its inciden- 

 tal qualitie's, and dignifies these qualities with the title of functions. 

 Qualities are not things, athough they are inseparable from things. We 

 can say of a stone it has hardness, but we cannot separate the hardness 

 from the stone, and keep it in one place and the stone in another. The 

 phrenologist locates the organ of firmness on top of the head ; firmness 

 in what ? Firmness is a quality of something. It cannot exist in the 

 abstract. A post set in the ground may possess firmness ; there may be 

 a firmness of muscle tissue or of bone tissue. But the firmness of the 

 bone cannot occupy a position in the brain while the bone itself is in 

 the leg. 



Firmness is explained to mean " decision, perseverance." Now 

 this decision must apply to something to be decided, and in order that 

 decision or perseverance in regard to doing anything, be located in the 

 particular spot designated for it, the faculty for doing that thing must 

 be located in the same place. Decision and perseverance are qualities 

 which attach themselves in a greater or less degree to everything we do. 

 The phrenological organ of individuality is said to prompt us to ' ' ob- 

 servation, " but we cannot observe or investigate, or wish to do so, ex- 

 cept with some degree of decision and firmness. Firmness, so far as it 

 relates to the function of observation, either in the simple conscious- 

 ness of an inclination to observe, or in the motor action necessar} r to ac- 

 complish an observation, must be looked for in the organ of individual- 

 ity itself, if there be such an organ. As the size of a muscle, other 

 things equal, is supposed to indicate its strength, so the size of an or- 

 gan ought to show the power, force, decision and perseverance with 

 which it can be made to act when stimulated by the appropriate motive. 



