FUNCTIONS OF THE BRAIN, 93 



fear the result of investigation. Truth is like a native 

 rustic beauty ; most lovely when unadorned, and seen in 

 tlie open light of day. Your fine hypotheses and specious 

 theories are like the unfortunate females who supply the 

 want or the loss of native charms, and repair the breaches 

 of age or disease, by paint, finery, and decorations ; which 

 can only be exhibited in the glaring lights, the artificial 

 atmosphere, and the unnatural scenery of the theatre or 

 saloon. Whenever it is thoroughly discussed, truth will 

 not fail to come like tried gold from the fire. Like Ajax, 

 it requires nothing but day-light and fair play. 



Reason and free inquiry are the only eff'ectual antidotes 

 of error. Give them full scope, and they will uphold the 

 truth, by bringing false opinions, and all the spurious off- 

 spring of ignorance, prejudice, and self-interest, before 

 their severe tribunal, and subjecting them to the test of 

 close investigation. Error alone needs artificial support : 

 truth can stand by itself. 



Sir EvERARD Home, with the assistance of Mr. Bauer 

 and his microscope, has shewn us a man eight days old 

 from the time of conception — about as broad, and a little 

 longer tlian a pin's head. He satisfied himself that the 

 brain of this homunculus was discernible. Could the im- 

 material mind have been connected with it at this time ? or 

 was the tenement too small even for so etherial a lodger ? 

 At the full period of utero-gestation it is still difficult to 

 trace any vestiges of mind ; and the believers in its sepa- 

 rate existence have left us quite in the dark on the precise 

 time at which the spiritual guest arrives in his corporeal 

 dwelling, the interesting and important moment of amalga- 

 mation or combination of the earthly dust and the ethereal 

 essence. The Roman Catholic church has cut the knot 

 which no one else could untie ; and has decided that the 

 little mortal, on its passage into this world of trouble, has 

 a soul to be saved : it accordingly directs and authorizes 

 midvvives, in cases of diflicult labour, where the death of 

 the infant is apprehended, to baptize it by means of a 



