PHILOSOPHY, MENTAL, 



those related states of mind which have a 

 tendency to foster and strengthen the con- 

 nection. To avoid weakening it, we should 

 be careful not to associate any contrary 

 trains of ideas (for instance, we should 

 never attach feelings of ridicule with any 

 thing connected with religion), and should 

 carefully avoid those breaks in the associ. 

 tion which will follow neglect in its culti- 

 vation. And it is a most satisfactory idea, 

 that if vicious associations may be formed 

 so strongly as to lie beyond the power of 

 the individual to annihilate them, virtuous 

 associations may also be formed so strong 

 and permanent, as to bid defiance to time 

 and to temptation. These shall survive 

 the wreck of nature, and shall adorn the 

 mental fabric, when this world, and all its 

 sorrows and enjoyments, shall be no more. 



2 Disunion of Connections. 



35. As connections are necessarily form- 

 ed, and frequently without any volition on 

 the part of the individual, by the before 

 mentioned circumstances, it is another 

 very important law of the associative pow- 

 er, that these connections are not inde- 

 structible. We observe then, that an as- 

 sociation may be destroyed either by the 

 formation of other contrary associations, 

 or by the repetition of it being in some 

 way or other prevented. Thus, for in- 

 stance, if we wish to destroy the associa- 

 tion by which we have attached ideas of 

 merit to those spurious ideas of courage 

 which lead a man to sacrifice the life of a 

 fellow man, and perhaps the happiness of 

 several, to the dictates of offended ho- 

 nour, our aim must be to associate all the 

 dreadful consequences of his conduct with 

 the conduct itself; to call to mind the in- 

 jury to society, resulting from the viola- 

 tion of its laws and the deprivation of an 

 useful member ; the injury resulting to the 

 connections of the individual from the 

 cruel breach made in their peace, and 

 among their means of happiness ; the in- 

 jury to the individual himself, by hasten- 

 ing him, unprepared, into the presence of 

 his Maker, with this additional act to an- 

 swer for : even the injury to the avenger, 

 by cultivating the feelings of resentment, 

 by ioosening the restraints of passion, may 

 be added to the already numerous evils 

 resulting from this exercise of private re- 

 venge. These, frequently brought into 

 view, would destroy the incorrect associa- 

 tion which we had formed ; would asso- 

 ciate demerit instead of merit with the 

 conduct of the duellist ; and attach the 

 idea of merit strongly to him who nobly 



resisted the opinion of the world of ho- 

 nour, and declined obedience to the laws 

 which it imposes, where those laws were in 

 contradiction to the laws of his conscience 

 and of his God. So, in numerous other 

 instances, where an association unfortu- 

 nately exists in the mind unfavourable to 

 the formation or exercise of good disposi- 

 tions, it may be weakened gradually in- 

 deed, but certai ly weakened, and at last 

 destroyed, by the steady culture of oppo- 

 site associations. That conduct to which 

 pious benevolence prompts may acquire 

 so attractive an appearance, that ideas of 

 difficulty, of pain, of ridicule, which may 

 have been attached to it, and which may 

 have impeded its exercise, will gradually 

 give way to those which the divine appro- 

 bation affords, of present peace and future 

 happiness. But there is not always time 

 for this slow procedure. It may be ne- 

 cessary, for individual happiness, that the 

 baneful association should be destroyed, 

 without one repetition of it to confirm its 

 power. To the general culture of oppo- 

 site associations must then be added a 

 steady careful prevention of the introduc- 

 tion of the connected ideas. Situations 

 must be avoided, words disused, company 

 shunned, which have a known tendency 

 to introduce a train of thought leading to 

 the first link of the chain which we wish 

 for ever separated. 



36. When we hold it out as a grand 

 law of association, that connections may 

 be disunited by forming- opposing asso- 

 ciations, and by preventing their repeti- 

 tion, we would by no means represent it 

 as in general an easy, or as in all cases a 

 practicable task. When associations have 

 been long formed, and often repeated, 

 particularly where they accord with the 

 general bias of the mind, they often bid 

 defiance to the most strenuous exertions 

 of the individual. If he could for a long 

 time prevent their repetition, and suc- 

 cessfully cultivate opposing associations, 

 the most inveterate associations would by 

 degrees loosen their power ; but when 

 associations have been strengthened for 

 a long period of time, by being frequent- 

 ly brought into play, and connected with 

 other active associations, and at the same 

 time accord with the prevailing disposi- 

 tion of the mind, the prevention of their 

 repetition, and the culture of opposingas- 

 sociations, is scarcely practicable. These 

 things may be viewed in various lights, 

 some gratifying to the mind, some which 

 must urge every thoughtful person to 

 shun the formation and culture of those 

 associations which he must some time or 



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