PHILOSOPHY, MENTAL, 
tifiably severe attack upon three of the 
■ Scotch philosophers, whose mental and mo- 
ral character ranked high among their coun- 
trymen, the principles of Hartley have 
made but little progress. The philosophical 
systems of Scotland have been somewhat 
modified by it; but those who rank the 
highest seem little inclined to admit it in its 
full extent. However, the writings of 
Dugald Stewart shew that he has done 
something towards clearing the way, and 
the Glasgow Professor of Moral Philosophy 
in his lectures does more ; and there is rea- 
son to hope, that when the present genera- 
tion has passed away, the true principles of 
mental science will gain a firm hold there as 
well as in South Britain. We ardently wish 
the extensive adoption of the Hartleyan 
system, because, while it satisfactorily ex- 
plains the causes of our mental phenomena, 
it furnishes the best guide in the moral and 
mental culture of the mind. 
18. We have already stated that the asso- 
ciative power has two grand modes of ope- 
ration, connection and composition : it is 
not easy to keep them distinct ; but in many 
cases it is practicable, and often tends to 
precision in our reflections and reasonings. 
In what we shall advance respecting the 
operations of this power, we shall keep this 
distinction somewhat in view. We shall 
state, first, the classes of connections which 
exist among bur sensorial changes ; and, se- 
condly, some of the principal laws of con- 
nections ; we shall then proceed to detail 
some of the leading facts relative to com- 
positions, and the formation of our com- 
pound notions and feelings. — It would be 
most strictly philosophical to begin with 
compositions ; because connections are form- 
ed not only among simple sensorial changes, 
but among those also which are compounded ; 
in other words, not only among sensations-, 
simple ideas, and single muscular actions, 
but also among those which have been 
blended together into complex states ; and 
we shall sometimes have occasion, in what 
we state as to connections, to suppose such 
compositions actually formed. On the 
other hand, connections are much more ob. 
vious and more easily comprehended than 
compositions ; and a statement of some facts 
respecting the former will lead to an easier 
acquaintance with the latter. 
19, “ That one thought is suggested to 
the mind by another,” says the elegant and 
philosophic Stewart, “ and that tlie sight of 
an external object often recals former oc- 
currences and revives former feelings, are 
facts which are perfectly familiar, even to 
those who are least disposed to speculate 
concerning the principles of their nature. 
In passing along a road which we have for- 
merly travelled in the company of a friend, 
the particulars of the conversation in which 
we were then engaged, are frequently sug- 
gested toms by the objects we meet with. 
In such a scene we recollect that such a 
particular subject was started ; and in pass- 
ing the different houses, and plantations, 
and rivers, the arguments we were discuss- 
ing when we last saw them, recur sponta- 
neously to the memory.— The connection 
which is formed in the mind between the 
words of a language and the ideas they de- 
note ; the connection which is formed be- 
tvyeen different words of a discourse which 
we have committed to memory; and the 
connection between the difterent notes of a 
piece of music in the mind of a musician, 
are all obvious instances of the same general 
law of our nature.— The influence of sen- 
sible objects in reviving former thoughts and 
former feelings, is more particularly remark- 
able. After time has in some degree re- 
conciled us to the loss of a friend, how won- 
derfully are we affected the first time we 
enter the house where he lived. Every 
thing we see, the apartment where he stu- 
died, the chair upon which he sat, recal to 
us the happiness we enjoyed together, and 
we should feel it a sort of violation of that 
respect which we owe to his memory, to 
engage in any light or indifferent discourse 
when such objects are before us.” — So again 
everyone must have noticed the connec- 
tions which exist between our thoughts or 
sensations and muscular actions. A per- 
former looks at the notes of his book, and 
the appropriate motions of his hands and 
lingers follow with immediate succession. 
While we are writing, the thoughts we wish 
to communicate suggest the appropriate 
words, and these, with an almost iustanta- 
neous succession of motions, are written on 
the paper before us. We are, perhaps, 
more struck with this in writing short-hand 
than long; the characters appear as the 
representatives of the thoughts of our mind, 
almost without knowing how they are 
made. 
20. All these facts are obviously nothing 
else than cases of those connections which 
are formed by the operation of the asso- 
ciative power among our sensorial changes ; 
in other words, among our sensible, ideal, 
and motory changes ; in other words, again, 
but less generally, among our sensations. 
