PHILOSOPHY, MENTAL. 



then is the grand end of words in gene- 

 ral reasoning. We are conscious while 

 we are thinking, of employing the relicts 

 of audible sensations; \ve seem to have 

 faint sensations of sounds passing in the 

 sensorium ; but it appears probable that 

 those who have long lost the use of their 

 hearing, and have generally employed 

 sight as the inlet of knowledge, have a 

 train of visual, instead of audible concep- 

 tions. All, however, which we particular- 

 ly wish to have noticed here is, that these 

 things afford instances of the connections 

 of ideas with sensations, so that the idea 

 introduces the simple idea belonging to 

 that sensation. 



25. Next, an idea associated with an 

 idea, (whether notion or feeling) will ex- 

 cite that idea. Thus the idea of benevo- 

 lence will excite that of merit ; of cou- 

 rage, that of honour ; of great talents, that 

 of respect ; of cruelty, that of horror; of 

 meanness, that of contempt. 



26. Again, an idea associated with a 

 motory change, will excite that motory 

 change, (and its consequent muscular ac- 

 tion.) Thus the desire to perform a 

 particular action will produce the corres- 

 ponding voluntary motion of the limbs ; 

 joy produces a pleasing cast of counte- 

 nance ; fear excites trembling ; and hor- 

 ror distortion. In the same manner when 

 we are employed in committing our 

 thoughts to writing, the idea of the 

 words which we intend to commit to pa- 

 per, if the character be not peculiar, or 

 novel, will immediately suggest and be 

 followed by the appropriate motion of 

 the fingers, and this without the inter- 

 vention of volition, sometimes without 

 even the consciousness of the motory 

 changes, or of the muscular actions pro- 

 duced by them. So also in speaking, 

 unless some difficult pronunciation occur, 

 the muscular actions requisite for the 

 formation of the sounds follow imme- 

 diately the conception of the words, with- 

 out the intervention of the will. 



Thirdly, motory changes, (and their 

 correspondent muscular actions), may be 

 connected with sensations, ideas, and 

 other motory changes, (and their corres- 

 pendent muscular actions.) 



27. Muscular actions may be associat- 

 ed with sensations ; that is, when muscu- 

 lar actions have been sufficiently long 

 associated with sensations, the repetition 

 of the muscular action alone will excite 

 the simple idea belonging to that sensa- 

 tion. Thus the action of dancing will 

 bring to mind the conception of the mu- 



sic with which it has been often accom- 

 panied. Again, children often accustom 

 themselves to particular motions of the 

 limbs, while committing to memory, or 

 while repeating what they have learnt ; 

 and those muscular actions in many in- 

 stances become necessary to their cor- 

 rect and ready recollection, and even to 

 their recollection at all. Addison, says 

 Miss Edgeworth, represents with much 

 humour the case of a poor man, who had 

 the habit of twirling a bit of thread round 

 his finger ; the thread was accidentally 

 broken, and the orator stood mute. 



28. So again muscular actions may be 

 associated with ideas ; that is, when mus- 

 cular actions have been sufficiently long 

 associated with ideas, those muscular ac- 

 tions will excite those ideas : thus danc- 

 ing will introduce cheerfulness into the 

 mind. So particular muscular actions 

 have, from habitual connection, a ten- 

 dency to excite certain trains of thought, 

 or states of mind : those who have been 

 accustomed to one posture while study- 

 ing, find it difficult to study so well in 

 any other posture ; and persons who, 

 while engaged in deep meditation, have 

 been accustomed to any little motions of 

 body, find the continuance of those mo- 

 tions requisite for the continuance of 

 their abstraction of mind. It is upon the 

 same principle that certain postures of 

 body have a tendency to produce those 

 feelings which all should have when ad- 

 dressing the Supreme Being. The cases, 

 however, in which muscular action in- 

 troduces ideas either simple or com- 

 pound, are much less numerous than 

 those in which sensations and ideas intro- 

 duce muscular actions. In fact it is not 

 the usual order of association ; and be- 

 sides, it is sometimes very difficult to say 

 what effect is produced by the muscular 

 action itself, and what by the sensations 

 which generally accompany muscular ac- 

 tion. In the next case the point is 

 clearer. 



29. Muscular actions become connect- 

 ed with other muscular actions (that is, 

 the motory changes which produce the 

 one with those which produce the other), 

 so that the former may introduce the lat- 

 ter without the intervention of the will. 

 If different muscular actions are pro- 

 duced together, they are called s\-n- 

 chronous ; if one immediately follows the 

 other, they are called successive, and the 

 association is in like manner termed syn- 

 chronous or successive. The motions of 

 the hands when a person is playing upon 



