MAN. 



and the celebration of the rites of Venus 

 at all times of the year. No other of the 

 class mammalia has the cranium consoli- 

 dated, nor the teeth appearing at so late 

 an age ; none is so late in gaining the 

 power of supporting the body on its 

 limbs, in acquiring the full growth ; nor in 

 arriving at the exercise of the sexual 

 functions. To none is there allotted such 

 a length of lite, compared with the bulk 

 of the body ; and this extension of exist- 

 ence, at its latter part, must be regarded 

 as an ample compensation for the greater 

 length of infancy. But it is in the mind, 

 that nobler part of man, that we find him 

 most remarkably differing from the brute 

 creation. And here all philosophers re- 

 fer, with one accord, to the enjoyment of 

 reason, as the chief and most important 

 prerogative of the human subject. If we 

 enquire, however, more particularly into 

 the meaning of this word, we shall be 

 surprized to find what various senses 

 different individuals affix to the same ex- 

 pression. According to some, reason is a 

 peculiar faculty of the mind, belonging 

 exclusively to man : others consider it as 

 a more enlarged and exquisite develope- 

 ment of a power, which exists in a less 

 degree in other animals. Some describe 

 it as the combination of all the higher fa- 

 culties of the mind ; while others assert, 

 that it is only a peculiar direction of the 

 powers of the human mind, &c. 



The subject may perhaps be more 

 shortly and safely dispatched by consi- 

 dering it a posteriori; and placing the 

 prerogative of man in the circumstance of 

 his having brought all other animals un- 

 der subjection to himself. That he has 

 effected this is obvious ; and it is equally 

 clear, that his dominion has not been ac- 

 quired by superior bodily strength : it can 

 therefore only be referred to the powers 

 of his mind ; and to these, whatever be 

 their nature, we give the name of reason. 

 Man is designed to use all kinds of food ; 

 and to inhabit every climate of the globe. 

 The unlimited power which he possesses 

 in these respects, gives rise to various 

 wants, from the infinite variety of climate, 

 soil, and other circumstances. Man re- 

 ceives therefore from his Creator the 

 power of invention and reason, which 

 supply his wants. Hence, in the most 

 ancient times, and by the wisest nations, 

 the genius of invention has been honour- 

 ed with divine worship : it forms the 

 Thoth of the Egyptians, the Hermes of 

 the Greeks. Thus, to give a few instan- 

 ces : man has made tools for assisting his 



labour ; and hence Franklin sagaciously 

 defined man as a " tool-making animal :" 

 he has formed arms and weapons ; he 

 has devised various means of procuring 

 fire ; and, lastly, for the purpose of com- 

 municating with his fellows, he has in- 

 vented speech. This is to be accounted 

 a most important characteristic of man ; 

 since it is not born with him, like the 

 voices of animals, but has been framed 

 and brought into use by himself, as the 

 arbitrary variety of different languages 

 incontestibly proves. 



There is some doubt with respect to 

 laughing and weeping; which belong ra- 

 ther to the passions than to reason. It is 

 well known, that many animals besides 

 man secrete tears. But the question is, 

 do they weep from grief? The fact has 

 been asserted by some great men ; as by 

 Steller, of the seal ; and Pallas, of the 

 camel. But it is very doubtful, whether 

 they ever manifest cheerfulness by laugh- 

 ing. 



There are numerous diseases peculiar 

 to the human subject, which it might be 

 considered wrong to speak of in remarks 

 on the natural history of man ; yet these 

 unnatural phenomena undoubtedly de- 

 serve a place in the discussion, since they 

 arise out of the natural habits of the body. 

 The subject is obscure ; since the nosology 

 of brutes is exposed, by its very nature, 

 to the most serious and almost insupera- 

 ble difficulties. The following may how- 

 ever be considered, with all probability, 

 as diseases peculiar to man : small-pox, 

 measles, scarlatina, petechiae, plague, he- 

 morrhoids, menorrhagia, hypochondria- 

 sis, hysteria, the various affections of the 

 mind, scrofula? lues venerea, pellagra, 

 lepra, amenorrhsa, cancer? hernia con- 

 genita ? tinea capitis. These, though by 

 no means all, are the chief points of dif- 

 ference between man and other animals : 

 they have been enumerated, we can hardly 

 say considered, in a very cursory manner ; 

 otherwise they would have afforded mat- 

 ter for a lengthened disquisition. The 

 peculiarities appear abundantly sufficient 

 to characterise man as a distinct genus ; 

 and consequently to overturn the wild 

 chimeras of those visionary speculators, 

 who regard him, in some of his races and 

 modifications, only as an improved orang- 

 outang. 



Our next point is the consideration of 

 the varieties of the human species and 

 their causes. This disquisition will per- 

 haps appear superfluous to the devout 

 believer, whose philosophy on this point 



