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B E A U T Y. 



Beauty, evinced by this, that their proportions and relations to 

 " v~ ' one another admit of being accurately ascertained, 

 and even mathematically demonstrated. A mclo I 

 tone is naturally pleasing in itself, and a regular suc- 

 cession of such tone3, in a certain proportion to each 

 other, both in respect of their duration and of their 

 musical pitch, is naturally pleasing to all classes of 

 mankind. In so far, therefore, music is beautiful in 

 itself ; but even in the case of music, no small share 

 of our gratification is to be ascribed to its expression, 

 or to the feelings which are associated with the par- 

 ticular composition. To the time of music, as quick 

 or slow, we associate the ideas of cheerfulness or me- 

 lancholy ; and to any succession of notes intended to 

 be imitative of certain sounds in nature, we associate 

 the expression connected with those sounds. All 

 music which is passionate, or indicative or any emo- 

 tion, can fee so only in consequence of the effect of 

 association ; and vocal music, which is avowedly the 

 most powerful in its effects, brings to its assistance 

 all the charms and pathos of poetry. Were the ef- 

 fects of music purely mechanical, and unaided by oc- 

 casional association, a piece of music ought to pro- 

 duce precisely the same effect upon all descriptions of 

 people, and upon all occasions, which ia confessedly 

 contrary to experience. 



But again, in the scenes of nature, there are many 

 sounds which are productive of the emotion arising 

 from beauty, in consequence alone of the pleasing as- 

 sociations with which they are connected ; such at 

 the sound of the waterfall, the murmuring of the ri- 

 vulet, the whispering of the wind, the sheep-fold bell, 

 the toll of the curfew, &c. And that these sounds 

 are beautiful only in consequence of the emotions 

 which are associated with them, may be inferred from 

 the insignificancy of the sounds themselves ; from 

 their being perfectly indifferent to the vulgar, who 

 have no such associations ; and even to ourselves, un- 

 less when they suit the general character of the scene, 

 or the particular train of mind in which we may hap- 

 pen to be. The same remarks are applicable to the 

 notes of animals, commonly allowed to be beautiful ; 

 although, in the case of singing birds, allowance must 

 be made for the musical melody which nature has 

 bestowed upon that class of her creatures. The 

 bleating of the lamb, the lowing of the cow, the call 

 of the goat, the hum of the beetle, or the twitter of 

 the swallow, will all occasionally be listened to with 

 delight, but surely not in consequence of any inherent 

 beauty which they possess. " A peasant would 

 laugh," says Mr Alison, ' if he were asked, if the 

 call of a goat, or the bleating of a sheep, or the low- 

 ing of a cow, were beautiful ; yet in certain situations, 

 all of these are undoubtedly so. A child shews no 

 symptom of admiration at those sounds which are 

 most affecting in natural scenery to other people. 

 Every one will recollect, in wh.it total indifference ins 

 early years were passed, to tiiat multitude of beauti- 

 ful sounds which occur in the country ; and I be! 

 if we attend to it sufficiently, it will be found, that 

 the period when we became sensible to their beauty, 

 was, when we first began to feel them as expressive, 

 either from our own observation of nature, or from the 

 perusal of books of poetry. In the same manner, they 

 who travel into very distant countries, are at first insen- 



sible to thcbea-.lty which the natives oi theje countries 

 ascribe to the notes of the animals belonging to them, 

 obviously from their not having yet acquired the as- 

 sociations which are the foundation of their beauty. 

 The notes which are sacred from any kind of super- 

 stition, are beautiful only to those who are under the 

 dominion of that superstition. A foreigner does not 

 distinguish any beauty in the note of a stork. To the 

 Hollander, however, to whom that bird is the object of 

 a very popular and very pleasing superstition, this note 

 is singularly beautiful." Essay ii. ch ii. Sect 1. p. I. 



Colour has always been admitted as a copioua 

 source of beauty, and no doubt part of its effect is to 

 be ascribed to the mechanical constitution of the hu- 

 man body, in consequence of which, certain colours 

 naturally excite a pleasing sensation, while others are 

 disagreeable, and even painful. Thus green, blue, and 

 the middle tints of the rainbow, are refreshing and 

 agreeable to the sight ; and on that account are al- 

 ways esteemed beautiful. But by far the greatest 

 effect of colour, considered as an object of beauty, is 

 shewn by Mr Alison to arise from the imagery with 

 which it is associated in our minds ; and the pleasing 

 and affecting qualities of which it is expressive. The 

 associations with which colours are connected, are 

 reduced by this author under the three following 

 heads : 1. Such as arise from the nature of the ob- 

 jects thus permanently coloured. 2dly, Such as arise 

 from some analogy between certain colours, and cer- 

 tain dispositions of mind ; and, Sdly, Such as arise 

 from accidental connections, whether national or par- 

 ticular. 



The following are examples of the first kind of 

 association : White, as it is the colour of day, is ex- 

 pressive to us of the cheerfulness or gaiety which 

 the return of day brings. Black, as the colour of 

 darkness, is expressive of gloom and melancholy. 

 The colour of the heavens, in serene weather, is 

 blue : blue, therefore, is expressive to us of some- 

 what of the same pleasing and temperate character. 

 Green is the colour of the earth, in spring : it is 

 consequently expressive to us of some of those de- 

 lightful images which we associate with that season. 

 The colours of vegetables and minerals acquire, in the 

 same manner, a kind of character from the character 

 of the species which they distinguish. The expres- 

 sion of those colours, which are the signs of parti- 

 cular passions m tiie human countenance, and which, 

 from this connection, derive their effect, every one is 

 acquainted with. 



Again, there are many colours which derive ex- 

 p res von from some analogy between them and cer- 

 tain affections of the mind ; on which account, they 

 obtain the names of soft or strong, mild or bold, 

 gay or gloomy, cheerful or solemn, &c. And, last- 

 ly, th'.re are many colours which acquire character 

 merely fiom accidental association. Thus purple 

 has acquired a character of dignity, from its acci- 

 dental connection with the dress of kmgs. Black, 

 in this country, indicates gravity; and scarlet is con- 

 nected with military ideas. In other countries, the 

 same colours are expressive of very different charac- 

 ter., because of different associations. Thus in Chi- 

 na, white is gloomy, because the colour allotted to 

 mourning; and yellow is the most dignified colour, 



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