’ 
1803.) Odbfervations upon the Effects of Words upon the Mind. 918 
is the affection of the foul produced by 
one or both of the foregoing, —The effects 
are here accurately afcertained, and if Mr. 
. Burke had not denied thefe effects as ge- 
nerally taking place, the prefent obfer- 
vations would not have been thought of — 
The eompound abftra&ts produce the firft 
and laft effeét, but not the fecond; the 
fimple abftraét as red, blue, &c, ard ag- 
grecate words, as man, horfe, caftle, pro- 
duce all three. After this he objerves : 
<< [ am of opinion, that the moft general 
effect even of thefe words does not arife 
from their forming piétures of the feveral 
thines they would reprefent in the ima- 
-gination ; becaufe on a very diligent exa- 
mination of my own mind, and getting 
others to confider theirs, I do not find 
that once in twenty times any fuch pic- 
ture is formed; and when ‘it is, there is 
moft commonly a particular effort of the 
imagination for that purpofe—but the ag- 
regate words operate,as I faid of the com- 
pound abitraéts, not by prefenting any 
image to the mind, but by having from 
ufe the fame effeé& on being mentioned 
that their original has when feen.’ But 
why fhould they not operate by prefenting 
animageto the mind? Becaufe ({ays he) 
it is impoflible in the rapidity and quick 
fucceffion of words in converfation, to 
have ideas both of the found of the word, 
and of the thing reprefented. I will not 
here repeat the arguments that have al- 
ready been urged, as I hope that my rea- 
der is inclined to think, from what has 
preceded, that the mind is capable of 
conceiving ideas with that rapidity Mr, 
Burke concludes impotfible.—Let us now 
examine the paffage that is produced as an 
example to this opinion. ‘* The river 
Danube rifes in a moift and mountainous 
foil in the heart of Germany, where, 
winding to and fro, it waters feveral prin- 
cipalities, until, turning into Auftria, and 
leaving the walls of Vienna, ‘it paffes into 
Hungary ; there with a va{t flood aug- 
mented by the Saave and the Drave, it 
quits Chriftendom, and rolling through 
the barbarous countries which border on 
 Tartary, it enters by many mouths into 
the Black Sea. In this defcription many 
things are mentioned, as mountains, 
rivers, cities, the’ fea, &c. but let any 
body examine himfelf, and fee whether 
any picture of a river, mountain, watry 
foil, Germany, &c. has been imprefled 
upon his imagination.”’—Now what is the 
intention of this defcription ? Surely, to 
convey an idea of the courfe of the river: 
_ Let me afk how that courfe is to be com- 
- prehended, ualels pexceived by the mad? 
and can that perception be attained, if the 
notions annexed to the words are not pre- 
fented to be imagination? I beg the 
reader to examine accurately the effect of 
this paflage upon his mind ; I find frona 
the moft impartial inquiry into the ftate 
of my own, that I firft recolleé& the fitua- 
tion of Germany, then follow the courfe 
of the river, as nearly as it is pointed 
out by the defcription, until it reaches 
the Black fea, and by the epithet barba- 
rous, the manners of the inhabitants bor- 
dering upon Tartary are prefented to my 
Imagination ; nor do I perceive this fore 
of examination too long tor the comman 
quicknefs of reading.—Should it be ob- 
jected, that tohave the heart of Germany 
paint.d upon the imagination is abfurd— 
where is the precife place? a whole pro- 
vince may be faid to be fituated in the 
heart of Germany.—I grant it ; but ama 
not contending that ideas are raifed inthe 
mind sore determinale than the meaning 
of the words, but fuch notions as are an- 
nexed to them will be excited—Had this 
defcription run thus, I fhould have had a 
more accurate notion of the courfe of 
this river :—-The Danube, which is the 
largeit river in Europe, takés its rife at 
Donefchingen, a town of Germany, fituated 
in the Black Foreft in the circle of Suabia— 
fome {mall {prings iffue from the ground,in 
the court-yard of the palace of the Prince of 
Furftenburgh, which form a bafin of clear 
water, about 30 feet {quare. Below the 
_town it is augmented by the fmall rivers 
Bribach and Brege ; it nowruns N.E. by 
Ulm, the capital of Suabia, then E. 
through Bavaria and Auftria, paffes by 
Ratifbon, Paffau, Ens, and Vienna; the 
river then enters Hungary, and runs S.E. 
from Prefburg to Buda, and fo on ta 
Belgrade, after which it divides Bulgaria 
from Morlachia, and difcharges its waters 
by feveral channels, in the province of 
Beflarabia, into the Black Sea.—We have 
here a more determinate idea of the river 
prefented to our imaginations ; not indeed 
a perfect one, it would be both tirefome | 
and ufelefs to follow it through every 
inch of ground ; but as clearly as\ the 
words convey the courfe, fo clearly is 
it conceived by the mind. What deter- 
mines me in this belief, is, that in reading 
fuch a defcription, if my mind ‘does not 
comprehend the image, 1 immediately 
feel the confufion of intelle&t, and revert 
to the paflage; and if I recollect not the 
fituation of a town, which points out the 
direétion, I refer to a map which will 
give that idea; for it is not to be fuppoled 
that a language we do aot underitand, 
can. 
