PHILOSOPHY, MENTAL. 
suffice to explain the progress of muscular 
motion from automatic to voluntary, and 
from voluntary to secondarily automatic. 
102. The most simple instance of this pro- 
gress is in the action of grasping. The fin- 
gers of young children bend upon almost 
everyimpression vf hich is made on the palm of 
the hand, thus performing the action of grasp- 
ing in the original automatic manner. After a 
sufficient repetition of the motions which con- 
cur in this action ; the sensorial changes pre- 
ceding them are strongly associated with 
ditferent ideas, the most common of which 
probably are, those excited by the sight of 
a favourite plaything or other object which 
the child is used to grasp and hold in his 
hand. He ought therefore, according to the 
doctrine of association, to perform and re- 
peat the action of grasping, upon having 
such aplay-thing,&c, presented to his sight: 
and it is a known fact that children do so. 
By pursuing the same method of reasoning 
we may see how, after a sufficient repetition 
of the proper associations, the sound of the 
words grasp, take hold, &c. the sight of the 
nurse’s hand in a state of contraction, the 
conception of a hand in that state, and in- 
numerable other associated circumstances, 
that is, sensations, ideas, and motions, will 
produce the action of grasping, till, in con- 
sequence of the action of grasping being 
found to answer certain purposes which are 
wished for, that state of mind which we 
may call the will to grasp is generated, and 
sufficiently associated with the action to 
produce it instantaneously. It is therefore 
perfectly voluntary in this case : and by the 
innumerable repetitions of it in this perfect- 
ly voluntary state, it comes, at last, to ob- 
tain a sufficient connection with so many 
sensorial changes, either sensitive, ideal, or 
motory, that (whether or not they are so 
vivid or so countenanced by the state of 
mind as to excite the consciousness,) it fol- 
lows them in the same manner as originally 
automatic actions do the corresponding sen- 
sations, that is, to be secondarily automatic. 
And in the same manner may all the actions 
performed with the hands be explained, all 
those which are very familiar in life passing 
from the original automatic state through the 
several degrees of voluntariness, till they 
become perfectly voluntary, and then re- 
passing through the same degrees in an in- 
verted order, till they become secondarily 
automatic on many occasions, though still 
perfectly voluntaiy on some occasions, viz. 
whensoever an express act of the will is con- 
cerned.— -A more interesting though more 
complicated case is that of the employment 
of the organs of speech, for which we refer 
our readers to Hartley’s Observations, vol i. 
p. 106, or Priestley’s Abridgement, p. 33. 
103. We may hence understand in what 
manner the first rudiments arc laid of that 
faculty of imitation which is so observable in 
young children. They see the actions of 
their own hands, they hear themselves pro- 
nounce. Hence the impressions made by 
themselves on their own eyes and ears be- 
come associated circumstances, and conse- 
quently must, in due time, excite to the re- 
petition of the actions. Hence like impres- 
sions made on their eyes and ears by others, 
will have the same effect ; or in other words, 
they will learn to imitate the actions which 
they see, and the sounds which they hear.— 
Imitation is a great source of the voluntaiy 
power, and makes all the several modes of 
walking, handling, and speaking, &c. con- 
formable to those of the age and nation in 
which a person lives, and in particular to 
those of the persons with whom he con- 
verses. Besides the two sources of it just 
mentioned, it has many others. Some of 
these are the resemblance which children 
observe between their own bodies with all 
the functions of them, and those of others ; 
the pleasures which they experience in and by 
meansof all imitative motions ; thedirections 
and encouragements given to them on tliis 
head; the high opinions which they form 
of the power and happiness of adults; and 
their consequent desire to resemble them 
in these, and in all their associated circum- 
stances. Imitation begins in the several 
kinds of voluntary actions about the same 
time, and increases not only by the sources 
alledged, but also by the mutual influence 
of every instance of it over every other, 
so that the velocity of its growth is greatly 
accelerated for some time. It is of the 
highest consequence to children in their at- 
tainment of accomplishments, bodily and 
mental. And thus every thing to which 
mankind have a natural tendency, is learned 
much sooner in society than the mere natu- 
ral tendency would produce it ; and many 
tilings are learned so early, and fixed so 
deeply, as to appear parts of our nature, 
though they may be mere derivatives and 
acquisitions. 
OF THE SECOND.VRY POWERS OF THE 
MIND. 
104. We did not set out with tlie hope 
of giving a complete outline of the most ex- 
