THE BLESSINGS OF CIVILISATION. 487 



The study of the sensory organs in the lower animals offers 

 great difficulties ; but at least we know that they are, in 

 many cases, few in number, and capable of conveying only 

 general impressions. Every one will admit that the posses- 

 sion of a new sense, or the improvement of an old one, is a 

 fresh source of possible happiness ; but how, it may be asked, 

 does this affect the present question? There are no just 

 grounds for expecting man to be ever endued with a sixth 

 sense ; so far from being able to improve the organisation of 

 the eye or the ear, we cannot make one hair black or white, 

 nor add one cubit to our stature. The invention of the tele- 

 scope and microscope is, however, equivalent in its results to 

 an immense improvement of the eye, and opens up to us new 

 worlds ; fresh sources of interest and happiness. Again, 

 we cannot alter the physical structure of the ear, but we can 

 train it, we can invent new musical instruments, compose 

 new melodies. The music of savages is rude and melancholy ; 

 and thus, though the ear of man may not have appreciably 

 altered, the pleasure which we may derive from it has been 

 immensely increased. Moreover, the savage is like a child 

 who sees and hears only that which is brought directly before 

 him, but the civilised man questions nature, and by the 

 various processes of chemistry, by electricity, and magnetism, 

 by a thousand ingenious contrivances, he forces nature to 

 throw light upon herself, discovers hidden uses and unsus- 

 pected beauties, almost as if he were endowed with some 

 entirely new organ of sense. 



The love of travel is deeply implanted in the human 

 breast ; it is an immense pleasure to visit other countries, 

 and see new races of men. Again, the discovery of printing 

 brings all who choose into communion with the greatest 

 minds. The thoughts of a Shakespeare or a Tennyson, the 

 discoveries of a Newton or a Darwin, become at once the 

 common property of mankind. Already the results of this 



