thoughts on man-第46章

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It　is　a　very　usual　thing　for　fanciful　theories　to　have　their　turn　amidst　the　eccentricities　of　the　human　mind；　and　then　to　be　heard　of　no　more。　　But　it　is　perhaps　no　ill　occupation；　now　and　then；　for　an　impartial　observer；　to　analyse　these　theories；　and　attempt　to　blow　away　the　dust　which　will　occasionally　settle　on　the　surface　of　science。　　If　phrenology；　as　taught　by　Gall　and　Spurzheim；　be　a　truth；　I　shall　probably　render　a　service　to　that　truth；　by　endeavouring　to　shew　where　the　edifice　stands　in　need　of　more　solid　supports　than　have　yet　been　assigned　to　it。　　If　it　be　a　falshood；　the　sooner　it　is　swept　away　to　the　gulph　of　oblivion　the　better。　　Let　the　inquisitive　and　the　studious　fix　their　minds　on　more　substantial　topics；　instead　of　being　led　away　by　gaudy　and　deceitful　appearances。　　The　human　head；　that　crowning　capital　of　the　column　of　man；　is　too　interesting　a　subject；　to　be　the　proper　theme　of　every　dabbler。　　And　it　is　obvious；　that　the　professors　of　this　so　called　discovery；　if　they　be　rash　and　groundless　in　their　assertions；　will　be　in　danger　of　producing　momentous　errors；　of　exciting　false　hopes　never　destined　to　be　realised；　and　of　visiting　with　pernicious　blasts　the　opening　buds　of　excellence；　at　the　time　when　they　are　most　exposed　to　the　chance　of　destruction。

I　shall　set　out　with　acknowledging；　that　there　is；　as　I　apprehend；　a　science　in　relation　to　the　human　head；　something　like　what　Plato　predicates　of　the　statue　hid　in　a　block　of　marble。　　It　is　really　contained　in　the　block；　but　it　is　only　the　most　consummate　sculptor；　that　can　bring　it　to　the　eyes　of　men；　and　free　it　from　all　the　incumbrances；　which；　till　he　makes　application　of　his　art　to　it；　surround　the　statue；　and　load　it　with　obscurities　and　disfigurement。　　The　man；　who；　without　long　study　and　premeditation；　rushes　in　at　once；　and　expects　to　withdraw　the　curtain；　will　only　find　himself　disgraced　by　the　attempt。

There　is　a　passage　in　an　acute　writer＇39＇；　whose　talents　singularly　fitted　him；　even　when　he　appeared　totally　immerged　in　mummery　and　trifles；　to　illustrate　the　most　important　truths；　that　is　applicable　to　the　point　I　am　considering。

＇39＇　Sterne；　Tristram　Shandy；　Vol。　1。


〃Pray；　what　was　that　man's　name；for　I　write　in　such　a　hurry；　I　have　no　time　to　recollect　or　look　for　it；who　first　made　the　observation；　'That　there　was　great　inconstancy　in　our　air　and　climate？'　Whoever　he　was；　it　was　a　just　and　good　observation　in　him。　　But　the　corollary　drawn　from　it；　namely；　'That　it　is　this　which　has　furnished　us　with　such　a　variety　of　odd　and　whimsical　characters；'that　was　not　his；it　was　found　out　by　another　man；　at　least　a　century　and　a　half　after　him。　　Then　again；　that　this　copious　storehouse　of　original　materials　is　the　true　and　natural　cause　that　our　comedies　are　so　much　better　than　those　of　France；　or　any　others　that　have　or　can　be　wrote　upon　the　continent；　that　discovery　was　not　fully　made　till　about　the　middle　of　king　William's　reign；　when　the　great　Dryden；　in　writing　one　of　his　long　prefaces　（if　I　mistake　not）；　most　fortunately　hit　upon　it。　　Then；　fourthly　and　lastly；　that　this　strange　irregularity　in　our　climate；　producing　so　strange　an　irregularity　in　our　characters；　cloth　thereby　in　some　sort　make　us　amends；　by　giving　us　somewhat　to　make　us　merry　with；　when　the　weather　will　not　suffer　us　to　go　out　of　doors；that　observation　is　my　own；　and　was　struck　out　by　me　this　very　rainy　day；　March　26；　1759；　and　betwixt　the　hour　of　nine　and　ten　in　the　morning。

〃Thusthus；　my　fellow…labourers　and　associates　in　this　great　harvest　of　our　learning；　now　ripening　before　our　eyes；　thus　it　is；　by　slow　steps　of　casual　increase；　that　our　knowledge　physical；　metaphysical；　physiological；　polemical；　nautical；　mathematical；　aenigmatical；　technical；　biographical；　romantical；　chemical；　and　obstetrical；　with　fifty　other　branches　of　it；　（most　of　them　ending；　as　these　do；　in　ical；）　has；　for　these　two　last　centuries　and　more；　gradually　been　creeping　upwards　towards　that　acme　of　their　perfections；　from　which；　if　we　may　form　a　conjecture　from　the　advantages　of　these　last　seven　years；　we　cannot　possibly　be　far　off。〃

Nothing　can　be　more　true；　than　the　proposition　ludicrously　illustrated　in　this　passage；　that　real　science　is　in　most　instances　of　slow　growth；　and　that　the　discoveries　which　are　brought　to　perfection　at　once；　are　greatly　exposed　to　the　suspicion　of　quackery。　　Like　the　ephemeron　fly；　they　are　born　suddenly；　and　may　be　expected　to　die　as　soon。

Lavater；　the　well　known　author　of　Essays　on　Physiognomy；　appears　to　have　been　born　seventeen　years　before　the　birth　of　Gall。　　He　attempted　to　reduce　into　a　system　the　indications　of　human　character　that　are　to　be　found　in　the　countenance。　　Physiognomy；　as　a　subject　of　ingenious　and　probable　conjecture；　was　well　known　to　the　ancients。　　But　the　test；　how　far　any　observations　that　have　been　made　on　the　subject　are　worthy　the　name　of　a　science；　will　lie　in　its　application　by　the　professor　to　a　person　respecting　whom　he　has　had　no　opportunity　of　previous　information。　　Nothing　is　more　easy；　when　a　great　warrior；　statesman；　poet；　philosopher　or　philanthropist　is　explicitly　placed　before　us；　than　for　the　credulous　inspector　or　fond　visionary　to　examine　the　lines　of　his　countenance；　and　to　point　at　the　marks　which　should　plainly　shew　us　that　he　ought　to　have　been　the　very　thing　that　he　is。　　This　is　the　very　trick　of　gipsies　and　fortune…tellers。　　But　who　ever　pointed　to　an　utter　stranger　in　the　street；　and　said；　I　perceive　by　that　man's　countenance　that　he　is　one　of　the　great　luminaries　of　the　world？　　Newton；　or　Bacon；　or　Shakespear　would　probably　have　passed　along　unheeded。　　Instances　of　a　similar　nature　occur　every　day。　　Hence　it　plainly　appears　that；　whatever　may　hereafter　be　known　on　the　subject；　we　can　scarcely　to　the　present　time　be　said　to　have　overstepped　the　threshold。　　And　yet　nothing　can　be　more　certain　than　that　there　is　a　science　of　physiognomy；　though　to　make　use　of　an　illustration　already　cited；　it　has　not　to　this　day　been　extricated　out　of　the　block　of　marble　in　which　it　is　hid。　　Human　passions；　feelings　and　modes　of　thinking　leave　their　traces　on　the　countenance：　　but　we　have　not；　thus　far；　left　the　dame's　school　in　this　affair；　and　are　not　qualified　to　enter　ourselves　in　the　free…school　for　more　liberal　enquiries。

The　writings　of　Lavater　on　the　subject　of　physiognomy　are　couched　in　a　sort　of　poetic　prose；　overflowing　with　incoherent　and　vague　exclamations；　and　bearing　small　resemblance　to　a　treatise　in　which　the　elements　of　science　are　to　be　developed。　　Their　success　however　was　extraordinary；　and　it　was　probably　that　success；　which　prompted　Gall　first　to　turn　his　attention　from　the　indications　of　character　that　are　to　be　found　in　the　face　of　man；　to　the　study　of　the　head　generally；　as　connected　with　the　intellectual　and　moral　qualities　of　the　individual。

It　was　about　four　years　before　the　commencement　of　the　present　century；　that　Gall　appears　to　have　begun　to　deliver　lectures　on　the　structure　and　external　appearances　of　the　human　head。　　He　tells　us；　that　his　attention　was　first　called　to　the　subject　in　the　ninth　year　of　his　age　（that　is；　in　the　year　1767）；　and　that　he　spent　thirty　years　in　the　private　meditation　of　his　system；　before　he　began　to　promulgate　it。　　Be　that　as　it　will；　its　most　striking　characteristic　is　that　of　marking　out　the　scull　into　compartments；　in　the　same　manner　as　a　country　delineated　on　a　map　is　divided　into　districts；　and　assigning　a　different　faculty　or　organ　to　each。　　In　the　earliest　of　these　diagrams　that　has　fallen　under　my　observation；　the　human　scull　is　divided　into　twenty…seven　compartments。

I　would　say　of　craniology；　as　I　have　already　said　of　physiognomy；　that　there　is　such　a　science　attainable　probably　by　man；　but　that　we　have　yet　made　scarcely　any　progress　in　the　acquiring　it。　　As　certain　lines　in　the　countenance　are　indicative　of　the　dispositions　of　the　man；　so　it　is　reasonable　to　believe　that　a　certain　structure　of　the　head　is　in　correspondence　with　the　faculties　and　propensities　of　the　individual。

Thus　far　we　may　probably　advance　without　violating　a　due　degree　of　caution。　　But　there　is　a　wide　distance　between　this　general　statement；　and　the　conduct　of　the　man　who　at　once　splits　the　human　head　into　twenty…seven　compartments。

The　exterior　appearance　of　the　scull　is　affirmed　to　correspond　with　the　structure　of　the　brain　beneath。　　And　nothing　can　be　more　analogous　to　what　the　deepest　thinkers　have　already　confessed　of　man；　than　to　suppose　that　there　is　one　structure　of　the　brain　better　adapted　for　intellectual　purposes　than　another。　　There　is　probably　one　structure　better　adapted　than　another；　for　calculation；　for　poetry；　for　courage；　for　cowardice；　for　presumption；　for　diffidence；　for　roughness；　for　tenderness；　for　self…control　and　the　want　of　it。　　Even　as　some　have　inherently　a　faculty　adapted　for　music　or　the　contrary＇40＇。

＇40＇　See　above；　Essay　II。


But　it　is　not　reasonable　to　believe　that　we　think　of　calculation　with　one　portion　of　the　brain；　and　of　poetry　with　another。

It　is　very　little　that　we　know　of　the　nature　of　matter；　and　we　are　equally　ignorant　as　to　the　substance；　whatever　it　is；　in　which　the　thinking　principle　in　man　resides。　　But；　without　adventuring　in　any　way　to　dogmatise　on　the　subject；　we　find　so　many　analogies　between　the　thinking　principle；　and　the　structure　of　what　we　call　the　brain；　that　we　cannot　but　regard　the　latter　as　in　some　way　the　instrument　of　the　former。

Now　nothing　can　be　more　certain　respecting　the　thinking　principle；　than　its　individuality。　　It　has　been　said；　that　the　mind　can　entertain　but　one　thought　at　one　time；　and　certain　it　is；　from　the　nature　of　attention；　and　from　the　association　of　ideas；　that　unity　is　one　of　the　principal　characteristics　of　mind。　　It　is　this　which　constitutes　personal　identity；　an　attribute　that；　however　unsatisfactory　may　be　the　explanations　which　have　been　given　respecting　it；　we　all　of　us　feel；　and　that　lies　at　the　foundation　of　all　our　voluntary　actions；　and　all　our　morality。

Analogous　to　this　unity　of　thought　and　mind；　is　the　arrangement　of　the　nerves　and　the　brain　in　the　human　body。　　The　nerves　all　lead　up　to　the　brain；　and　there　is　a　centrical　point　in　the　brain　itself；　in　which　the　reports　of　the　senses　terminate；　and　at　which　the　action　of　the　will　may　be　conceived　to　begin。　　This；　in　the　language　of　our　fathers；　was　called　the　〃seat　of　the　soul。〃

We　may　therefore；　without　departing　from　the　limits　of　a　due　caution　and　modesty；　consider　this　as　the　throne　before　which　the　mind　holds　its　court。　　Hither　the　senses　bring　in　their　reports；　and　hence　the　sovereign　will　issues　his　commands。　　The　whole　system　appears　to　be　conducted　through　the　instrumentality　of　the　nerves；　along　whose　subtle　texture　the　feelings　and　impressions　are　propagated。　　Between　the　reports　of　the　senses　and　the　commands　of　the　will；　intervenes　that　which　is　emphatically　the　office　of　the　mind；　comprising　meditation；　reflection；　inference　and　judgment。　　How　these　functions　are　performed　we　know　not；　but　it　is　reasonable　to　believe　that　the　substance　of　the　brain　or　of　some　part　of　the　brain　is　implicated　in　them。

Still　however　we　must　not　lose　sight　of　what　has　been　already　said；　that　in　the　action　of　the　mind　unit