INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 



long and clofelj* connefle^ with trains of thouglit or feel- 

 ing, are calculated to divert the attention : objects to which 

 We have been accuftomed to attend, in like manner folicit 

 the notice of the mind from thofe to which vi-e may other- 

 wife wifli to attend. In fituations, therefore, where we 

 receive novel fenfations, unlefs there is a proportionate de- 

 votement of the mind to the objett of its attention, thefe 

 will at fird diftraft the attention ; and fo on in the other 

 cafes. Abftraftion depends, too, in part, upon the pliy- 

 fical ftate of the fyftem. If the nervous fyftem is in a ftrong 

 degree of excitements, external impreffions proportionally 

 affedl the mind, and, of courfe, tend the more to dillraft 

 the attention. Abftridion is Hlcewife ferioufly impaired 

 by a general tendency to dwell upon the diredly feHidi 

 feelings, whether pleafnrable or painful ; becaufe as theie 

 are conftaitly prefent to the mind, and conltitute the moft 

 powerful agents, in their immediate effefts, upon the mental 

 fyftem, the hr.bltual tendency to give attention to them, puts 

 an alinoll tutal flop to any valuable degree of abllraftion 

 in favour of thofe obje^fls, which are not immediately con- 

 ne£led with fclf ; and this, by the way, furnifhes us with 

 another inftance of the influence of moral upon intelledlual 

 education. This habit alfo depends for its vigour, upon 

 the degree in which the intereft of the mind can be excited 

 towards an objcj'r. With minds of ardour and ai-tivity, if 

 the mind be engaged, it is abftractcd from every impreflion 

 and thought, not immediately connected with the object : 

 and if the interell of the mind is ftrongly excited from 

 any other caufe, the fame effeft will liappen. The vigour 

 of abltraflion alfo, depends, in part, upon the degree in 

 which the habit of obfcrvation is pofieffed ; indeed they are 

 fo mucli in oppofition to each other, that to any confider- 

 able degree they are feldom found united in the fame indivi- 

 dual. The habit of obfervation implies habitual attention 

 to the objefts of fenfe ; the habit of abftraftion to the 

 objefts of iiktelleft. The habit of abftraCtion is not there- 

 fore to be cxpefted, and indeed ought not to be direftly 

 cultivated in tlic earlieft periods ef intellefiual education. 

 Neverthelcfs, both quahties depending upon the general 

 habit of clofe attention, the cultivation of the obfervation 

 is indireftly laying a good foundation for the fubfequent cul- 

 tivation of the abltraftion. 



As two objefts cannot cngrofs the attention of the mind 

 at the fame time, abttraition may be cultivated by rendering 

 the mind habitually inattentive to thofe objefts which are 

 not to occupy it, or by making it habitually attentive to 

 thofe which are from any caufe the objefts of preference. 

 The former plan fhou'd be adopted, if at ail, with great 

 caution. It may generally be left to the efficacy of habit in 

 leflening the efficacy of impreffions ; and the liabitual 

 negleft of any commonly occurring objefts of obfervation 

 or reflcftion, is inconfiftent with the purluits of life. The 

 'fecond plan is in every point of view preferable ; and every 

 tnflance in which the attention is fixed, whether through 

 direct volition, or by means of excitement without the ex- 

 er;;ife of volition, is effcntially contributing to the cultivation 

 of abltraftion; llillmore fo, every intlance in whicii the at- 

 tention is engaged upon the oljjefts of tliought, in fituations 

 in which tiiere are frequent impreffions from external objefts 

 which, if the attention were not fo engaged, would then ex- 

 cite the obfervation. Hence it is delirable to accuftom the 

 young to mental exertion where there are caufes tending to 

 dirtraft their attention, provided however that from their 

 novelty or their power they are not calculated to force it. 

 Whatever tends to make the objefts of the mind interelling, 

 and to give ardour in the purfuit of tl-.em, alfo tends to culti- 

 vate the liabit of abltraftion ; for that which deeply interclls 



the mind, fixes the attention, and of courfe prevents everr 

 other objeft from (baring the notice of the mind. 



The power of direfting the mind to objects which afford 

 no impreffion upon the lenfes, and even in oppofition to fuch 

 as do, is of extreme importance in the later periods of mental 

 culture, and at the fame time, with the affiitance of previous 

 culture, is much cafier than would, with any cultivation, be 

 polfible at an early period. In cliildhood and youth fenfa- 

 tions more affijft tlie mind, than the fenfations themfelves 

 can do as we advance farther in hfe ; and thougli aflbciated 

 thoughts and feelings affifl to keep up tlie influence of the 

 fenfations themfelves, yet if the mind have been accuftomed 

 early to think of what are not the direft objeiis of fenfation, 

 the power of its own thoughts and feehngs ealily overbalances 

 the cffeft of at leall cuftomary fenfations. Carried to an un- 

 due extent, the habit of abftraftion is unfuitable to our fitua- 

 tion as focial beings ; but there is fcarcely any plan of life 

 in which it is not in fome mcal'ure requifite ; and in the pur- 

 fiiits of fcience, whether phyfical or mental, it is continually 

 required, and continually llrengthened by exercife. It is 

 even very important in the events of hfe. The power of 

 direfting the attention to fome fpecilic objefts of thought, 

 to the exclufion of others, and to the exclufion of external 

 impreffions, conftitutes (as Mifs Edgeworth well oblerves) 

 the leading feature of that quality which we call prefence of 

 mind, and which is fo often of lignal fervice to our welfare, 

 and even to the prefervation of our lives. And this habit is 

 eflentially requifite in our moral and religious culture ; the 

 acquilition of religious knowledge conilantly implies the em- 

 ployment ofabftraftion ; in the exercife of religious affections 

 it is ahlolutely neceffiuy ; and in the difcharge of duty, in 

 oppofition to powerful temptations, the power of fixing the 

 attention upon thofe views and principles which ouglit to 

 guide us, is of the utmoft importance. 



The habit of abftraftion is in general to be cultivated 

 rather indireftly than direftly, in the earlier periods of edu- 

 cation ; and it is one advantage of the purfuit of knowledge, 

 that it frequently requires fixed attention upon the objci;l6 of 

 thought, without aid from the fenfations. Perhaps it would 

 be beneficial to extend tlie occafions for this, in literary and 

 fcientific education. An cafy demonftration carried on 

 without a figure, an operation in arithnutic fuited to the 

 progrefs of the pupil performed without the aid of the pen 

 or pencil, tiic dcicription of fome former objeft of obferva- 

 tion, the conftruing or parfing of fentences from the claffics 

 without book, and iimilar exercifes of mind, are all calcu- 

 lated to cultivate this habit ; and wherever the point can be 

 gained, it greatly increafes the power of the mind over 

 Its ■■attention. Thefe mental operations may ufually be begun 

 early ; a child of three or four years of age, can eafily lie 

 brought to make a Uttle addition in his Lad ; and while he 

 does fo, his mind muft neceffarily be occupied to the exclu- 

 fion of other thoughts and of fenfations. If he thinks 

 clofely of what he has feen, for the time he is exercifing his 

 abftraftian. If he is led to think on fome of the fimpie truths 

 of religion, he is exercifing his abltraftion ; indeed thefe conlti- 

 tute fome of the earlieft and moft powerful exercifes of abllrac- 

 tion. It is very important that theft and fimilar mental ope- 

 rations fliould not be made too frequent, nor continued too 

 long. They Ihould not be continued too long, left the 

 fatigue of mind experienced Ihould lelfen the wilh to think, 

 and in reality check the power over the attention ; they 

 fliould not be made too frequent, becaufe, as we have already 

 obfcrved, childhood is the period of obfervation rather than 

 of abftraftion. If the young mind is too much accuftomed 

 to think about its own thoughts, the imagination will 

 gain too much power, and that habit of inattention to e}i- 



tenial 



