OF NATURAL HISTORY. 209 



after birth. Young animals are naturally fond of being in 

 the open air ; but our infants, particularly in large towns, 

 are almoft perpetually fhut up in warm apartments, which 

 both relaxes their bodies and enervates their minds. The 

 great agility, ftrength, and fine proportions of favages, are 

 refults of a hardy education, of living much in the open air, 

 and of an unreftrained ufe of all their organs the moment 

 after they come into the world. 



In young animals, as well as in infants, there is a gradual 

 progrefs, both in bodily and mental powers, from birth to 

 maturity. Thefe pov/ers are unfolded fooner or later, ac- 

 cording to the nature and exigencies of particular fpecies. 

 This progrefs, in man, is very flow. Man acquires not his 

 full ftature and ftrength of body till feveral years after the 

 age of puberty : And, with regard to his mind, his judg- 

 ment and other faculties cannot be faid to be perfectly rin(^. 

 before his thirtieth year. 



In early infancy, though the impreflions received froni 

 new objecSls muft be ftrong, the memory appears to be weak. 

 Many caufes may concur in producing this effect. In thi? 

 period of our exiftence, almoft every object is new, and, of 

 courfe, ingrolTes the whole attention. Hence the idea of 

 any particular object is obliterated by the quick fiicceffion 

 and novelty of others, joined to the force v/ith which they 

 aiSt upon the mind. Haller afcribes this want of recolle6lioii 

 to a weaknefo of memory ; but it feems rather to proceed 

 from a confufion which neceffarily refults from the number 

 and flrong impreffions of new objects. The memory ripens 

 not fo much by a gradual increafe in the ftrength of that 

 faculty, as by a dimunition in the number and novelty of the 

 objects which folicit attention. In a fevv^ years children are 

 enabled to exprefs all their wants and defires. The number 

 of new objeas daily diminilhes, and the impreffions made by 

 thofe with which they are familiar become comparatively 



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