X. TO AMWELL. 151 



p 



that animals possess the faculty of foresight; 

 How different is the reason of man ! It is 

 born with us ; but is only brought to perfec r 

 tion by' reflection and cultivation. In- 

 stinct is like the phosphoric light emit- 

 ted by insects in the dark. It depends 

 not on the will of the animal to aug- 

 ment or diminish its splendor; while 

 reason, on the contrary, resembles a torch, 

 which man holds in his hand, and the rays 

 of which enlighten every object around 

 him. 



In order to depreciate reason, we are told 

 to remember what it is among infants and 

 savage nations ; and to reflect how rude and 

 imperfect was the commencement of those 

 sciences bf which man is now so proud ! I 

 admit it. At his birth, man is apparently 

 more helpless than any other animal ; unci- 

 vilized nations are fur behind us with respect 

 'to the 4 cult are of the mind, and at their ori- 

 gin, the sciences bore nearly the same relation 

 'to what they are at present. Were we to 



entef 



