KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



109 



sities ; how the impressions are preserved, and how 

 these impressions become ideas and notions ; how 

 the qualities and the faculties begin to act, and to 

 manifest themselves under the image of different 

 talents as well as different propensities ; for ex- 

 ample, love, friendship, vanity, ambition, pride ; 

 how the infant becomes successively a child, a 

 young man , and an adult ; how, at this period, all 

 the moral and intellectual forces of the man have 

 acquired their greatest energy, up to the moment 

 when they begin to fail, and to lose insensibly more 

 or less of their permanency and actiwty : in fine, 

 how in old men there remain only blunted sensa- 

 tions, and weakness of mind. We see, clearly, by 

 this succession of development, that the faculties 

 of the mind and soul, and their manifestation, follow, 

 step by step, the state of their material conditions. 

 The progression of the functions is the same as 

 that of the organs. Nothing can show more evi- 

 dently, that the manifestation of these faculties 

 depends on the organisation. 



2. WJien the development of the organs of the 

 Moral Qualities and Intellectual Faculties does 

 not follow its usual order, the manifestation of the 

 functions of these organs likewise departs from its 

 usual regular progress. 



We frequently observe in the rickets, that the 

 intellectual faculties of children are more lively 

 than their age would warrant. The reason is, that 

 one of the ordinary effects of this malady, is to give 

 the brain an extraordinary degree of development 

 and of irritability. Sometimes, indeed, a particular 

 part of the brain is developed prematurely, without 

 there being any disease to occasion it ; and, in this 

 case, the function proper to the part fails not to 

 manifest itself at the same time. We have, for 

 example, observed several children, in whom the 

 part of the brain appropriated to physical love, had 

 acquired an extraordinary development at the age 

 of three or four years. These children were mas- 

 tered by this unhappy propensity, although their 

 sexual organs, even when they experienced some ex- 

 citement, had rarely acquired an analogous deve- 

 lopment. Other children, in whom the same organ- 

 isation was remarked, manifested the phenomenon 

 of complete virility, while the other faculties were 

 still undeveloped. I shall, elsewhere, cite several 

 similar facts relative to the organs of each faculty. 

 Does it happen that the different parts of the brain, 

 or the totality of the organ, acquire their maturity 

 and their solidity only at a very late period ? The 

 state of infancy and of half imbecility then prolongs 

 itself to the age of from six to twelve years. But, at 

 this period, nature seems to labor with new energy, 

 for the development of the parts ; and children from 

 whom, until this moment, no capacity had been 

 expected, become, in a short time, remarkable for 

 their talents. This was the case with Gesner, one 

 of the best and most amiable poets of Switzerland. 

 Born of a family in which rickets were hereditary, 

 his instructors, when he had attained the age of 

 ten years, declared him entirely incapable of making 

 any progress. One of the most distinguished phy- 

 sicians of Berlin could not, till his thirteenth year, 

 combine his ideas nor make use of the organ of 

 language. 



The simultaneousness of the manifestation of 

 particular functions, and of the irregular, precocious 

 or late development of their organs, is, therefore, a 



constant phenomenon which cannot be called in 

 question. Now it necessarily results from this phe- 

 nomenon, that the exercise of the qualities of the 

 mind and soul depend on material organs. 



THE POULTRY MANIA. 



" Who shall decide, when Doctors disagree?" 



The monster eage for Cochin China 

 Fowls is abated, ^somewhat ; people are 

 beginning to find out that they have been 

 "great fools," and that they may pay too 

 dearly for their whistle. Also, that all is 

 not gold which glitters. Here and there a 

 maniac may still be found, to pay an out- 

 rageous price for a bird ; but it is rather 

 to make himself notorious, than for any real 

 value he sees in his purchase. We imagine 

 Mr. Stainton, of Holloway, would not like to 

 give Mr. Fletcher, of Kensington, another 

 £100 for a Cochin China cock ! tt One pill" 

 of this kind "is a dose," and needs no " black 

 draught to follow." The late Metropolitan 

 Poultry Show, is, as a contemporary justly 

 observes, " a step in the right direction," and 

 may do essential service in calling attention 

 to, and improving our useful breeds of do- 

 mestic fowl. Very much depends upon proper 

 management. Popularity, as regards the 

 attendance of visitors, cannot be regarded as 

 legitimate success. There are many idle and 

 curious people in London, who will flock to 

 exhibitions, and applaud all the out-of-the- 

 way animals that come under the eye ; they 

 will purchase them, too, at high ^prices, and 

 rejoice at seeing their names recorded in the 

 public prints. That is all very well in its 

 way ; but the " practically useful" must be the 

 main consideration. 



There have been " Shows" this year in 

 Cornwall, Honiton, and Torquay — all well at- 

 tended by the nobility and gentry of the 

 neigborhoods, and all producing some very 

 fine specimens of poultry. We gather from 

 this, that much good will be ultimately effect- 

 ed. Ladies, now-a-days, seek amusement 

 in the rearing of pigeons and fancy poultry. 

 We rejoice at this. It is a mark of good 

 taste, and has a humanising effect. We observe 

 that the prices of the Cochins are becoming 

 marvellously reduced. The mania is on the 

 wane. The poetical feeling has soared very 

 high ; it is time now to descend to prose, and 

 — common sense. 



We subjoin an ironical letter on the Cochin 

 China mania, that is worthy perusal. Ere 

 long, the evil will cure itself : — 



Sir, — Every few years an exaggerated 

 idea of the profit to be gained by, and the 

 essential value of, some particular plant, ani- 

 mal, or mode of culture, seizes on the public 

 mind ; and remains there till drawn out by 

 some still more extravagant whim. Among 



