FACULTIES OF THE MIND. 297 



symbol would either represent the animal itself, or the par- 

 ticular sound by which it was designated. With the same 

 facility with which sounds could be united, symbols 

 could likewise be combined; so that in the same pic- 

 ture might be represented a variety of objects or actions. 

 Such^ appears to be the origin and structure of much of 

 the written language of China and Japan at the present day. 

 When the ear began to discriminate the different kinds 

 of sounds used in speech, it would not be a difficult opera- 

 tion to devise symbols to express the elementary parts, so 

 that words could be formed by symbols with as much fa- 

 cility as by sounds. The obvious utility of these symbols, 

 in communicating intelligence to the absent, would recom- 

 mend their general adoption. But it is obvious, that, in 

 the invention of letters, each tribe would devise symbols pe- 

 culiar to itself; so that a great dissimilarity of form would 

 prevail among the different alphabets. Even some of the 

 circumstances which operated in the introduction of change 

 into speech, would likewise operate in varying the form and 

 import of letters. But, while the principle of change in the 

 former still continues to exercise its influence, in the latter 

 it has been effectually overcome, by the mechanical arts of 

 engraving and printing. But, even with all the advantages 

 of artificial sounds and signs, we feel disposed, when deep- 

 ly interested in communicating the knowledge of an event 

 to others, to use the language and the gestures of nature ; 

 and, by the movement of our body, to draw as it were, a 

 picture of that which description is inadequate to represent. 

 To prosecute this subject farther, would obviously be fo- 

 reign to the purpose of the present work. 



c. On the mutual communication of * Feeling, by means of 

 Signs addressed to the Touch. The more perfect animals 

 employ the sense of touch in a very limited degree, in the 

 communication of their feelings. But among insects it 



