PHILOSOPPIY, MENTAL. 
ject to anticipate tlie probable course of 
events, so as to make the past subservient 
to the conduct of the future ; and by ren- 
dering contiguity, in time, one of the 
strongest principles of connection in our 
piinds : the wise Author of our frame has 
conjoined in our tlioughts the same events 
which we find conjoined in our experience, 
and has thus accommodated (without any 
effort on our part) the order of our ideas to 
tliat scene in wliich we are destined to act. 
50. Upon the connections established by 
this principle, all other connections are 
founded. Some of the most striking are 
those which arise from the relations of simi- 
larity, of contrariety, of cause and effect, of 
means and end, of premises and conclusion. 
Next to the relation of contiguity in time 
and place, that of similarity is most univer- 
sally operative. It does not depend upon 
an active exertion of intellect, but arises 
spontaneously from the mental constitution. 
Similarity implies partial identity of sensa- 
tion, and hence an objecf, when first pre- 
sented to the mind, frequently recals the 
idea of that which has some parts of its 
component sensations the same. Thus when 
we see a face which considerably interests 
us, we are often led to recollect the face 
of some other person, in consequence of 
the impressions from each agreeing in some 
particulars. In the same manner, where 
the circumstances of one event are, in some 
respects, the same with the circumstances 
of another, which bad before fallen under 
our notice, so far there is a recurrence of 
the same impressions, and that by the more 
general law of association recals the re- 
maining circumstances.— This cause of con- 
nection among our ideas, like that of con- 
tiguity in time or place, is of the greatest 
importance, and at the same time liable to 
be greatly misused. Without it the ex- 
perience of the past would be of no utility 
to ns, for the same set of circumstances 
nevet occurs twice ; if there be sufficient 
similarity to recal the past, it now answers 
the purpose of exciting the expectations of 
what occurred in similar circumstances, 
that is, of bringing the experience of the 
past to bear upon the present. But as 
similarity is only partial sameness, if it be 
not accompanied with some discrimination, 
consequences will be expected that will 
never happen, and conclusions, which will 
mislead, will be formed without any just 
foundation. — Ideas are connected together 
not only in consequence of similarity, that is 
sameness in some of their component parts. 
but frequently also from similarity in the 
sounds expressing them. It is upon this 
circumstance that the art of punning is 
founded ; an art which may be innocent in it- 
self considered, but which, when made an oh- 
ject of the mind, leads from sense to sound, 
and prevents us from carefully examin- 
ing the arguments and differences of things, 
on which alone reasoning can be founded. 
So much, indeed, is a habit of punning at 
variance with habits of thought and sober 
reflection, that the whole current of thought 
will sometimes be diverted from its proper 
channel, by some word in which the thought 
is expressed, recalling, by similarity ofsound, 
some other which calls up its own train of 
thought. A good pun may sometimes be 
considered as an exercise of the judgment ; 
but more usually it is merely an exercise of 
the associative power, in this particular prin- 
ciple of connection, similarity in sound ; 
and therefore it would be wise in young 
persons to check the desire to obtain an 
acquisition which is of little value, because 
almost every one may acquire it, and which 
must check the culture of other more valu- 
able principles of association. 
51. Another fertile principle of connec- 
tion is contrariety, which connects together 
ideas which are totally, or in many respects 
opposite to each other. This, however, is 
more the result of attention and habit than 
those of contiguity in time or place, and 
similarity. Some persons are particularly 
disposed to it, others have little tendency 
to it. It freqnently appears to arise from 
the natural tendency of the mind to change 
from one set of feelings, which are in some 
way or other displeasing, to others which 
may be pleasing; and very often serves to 
illustrate reasoning ; but particularly to give 
interest and force to a description of natu- 
ral scenery, or a delineation of character. 
52. The other principles of connection 
which we mentioned are more refined, and 
are the result of culture. A person who 
has been more accustomed to philosophize, 
or to reason, than to follow the airy flights 
of wit or poetic fancy, connects his ideas 
by the principles of cause and effect, of 
means and end, of premises and conclusion. 
When a phenomenon is stated to his mind, 
it almost involuntarily brings forward ideas 
which serve to account for the phenome- 
non : we do not mean, that the mind inva- 
riably brings forward the right ideas, but 
simply those which answer the wants of the 
individual, by serving to account to him for 
the phenomenon. So, in the same manner. 
