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he sees before his view; but a stronger impulse, I infer, must lead the butterfly to leave the flowers for the nettles; the bee to construct her cells with laborious care; and the gnats and other insects which float in air to lay their eggs in that water which would be fatal to their own existence. This faculty I presume to be memory, or a near approximation to it, and if we admit that the insect in its perfect state, remembers its former adventures, it must necessarily infer that its own progeny will have to pass through the same vicissitudes.

I had intended to enter upon a review of the various systems of Entomology proposed by learned investigators, descanting upon their several merits, and recommending those best adapted to practical purposes; it is perhaps fortunate for me that I have not now either time or space for the purpose-since systematists rarely forgive any attack upon their favourite structures.-I therefore recommend the student, to think, read, judge, and act for himself, taking the benefit of whatever systems he may find, and concoct a new one for himself if he should think such a project advisable. It will be well, if he do build a hive, that no rude bear overturns it for him.

And now, is it possible, that after flying about like an insect among meteors in the air, and amid forests and flowers;-that my own flight must at last cease? Yes, sad to say, I must be now pinned down and consigned to the cabinet. Well, then, as I can buzz on easy wing no more, permit me, fair readers of the Analyst, for such there are, to droop my antenne before you in token of a last adieu. For your bright eyes I exist no longerif we do meet again it will be on other ground-in other climes. We have met among fragrant flowers-we have held converse beneath the broad canopy of aged trees, who could have told us of others who had sought that sweetly solemn shade before us, and dreamed as we have dreamed. All is over-we must dream no more. We have gazed together upon the midnight sky-nought disturbed us but the breeze rustling the topmost boughs of the elms-as we gazed upon meteors flashing silently in the deep blue zenith, no sound met our listening ears-for the Nightingale had flown southward, and the watch-dog slept. Man and all his busy schemes lay for a moment in abeyance-if then but for a moment, Nature charmed us when her voice awoke not, let us seek her shrine-we may part for ever here-let us again meet there and mingle our orisons. To you, grave and learned votaries of science, if such have glanced over my remarks, pardon my aberrations-excuse those fanciful allusions, which I have perhaps indulged in with too unrestrained a license. In this respect I must take my own course, and wander like the brookto sleep beneath the hanging wood, or dash careless in the rocky rapids. I shall at last, perhaps, with steadier aim approach with broader waters the ocean where all our efforts terminate. If so, we shall meet again-perhaps graver and sadder, to con over our mutual labours-if not, why then "this parting was well made."

REMARKS ON PHRENOLOGY, AS APPLIED TO
EDUCATION.

"Seek you to train your fav'rite boy?
Each caution, ev'ry care, employ;
And, ere you venture to confide,
Let his preceptor's heart be try'd;
Weigh well his manners, life, and scope;
On these depend thy future hope."

EDUCATION has always received a large share of attention from philosophers, and everything has been tried which the learned, the eloquent, and the experienced could suggest for its facilitation. How is it then, it may be asked, that while machinery, rail-roads, and steam-packets have been brought to so high a degree of perfection, that the art of developing the human faculties should have baffled human ingenuity for the last two thousand years? The answer is easy-the philosophy of the mind has not been understood. A new era has now, however, commenced, which may be dated from the discovery of Gall, and the dissemination of the fruits of his observation, in 1796. This discovery-this invaluable, unparalleled discovery-has been ridiculed, derided, trampled onits expounders have been loaded with every degrading epithet the most unlicensed vocabulary could furnish; they have been insulted, reviled, and calumniated-not merely by small witlings, and press hacks, but by names which adorn the temple of Fame; and yet the science is at this moment more flourishing than ever-the united efforts of learning, wit, and eloquence have been and ever will be ineffectual to pull it down. In spite of every interested effort of the ignorant and the prejudiced to retard its progress, it is "gradually winning its way into general respect and admiration."*

The first consideration is whether phrenology be founded in truth. No unprejudiced person who has read the highly interesting and valuable work of Dr. Gall,† and made observations of his own, can have any doubt upon this point. It only remains, therefore, to discover in what way it can be applied to our advantage. Not long ago, hearing a friend talk scornfully of phrenology, I remarked that if it bestowed no other advantage on the human race it would render education much easier and more profitable to the pupil. To which he rejoined,

"I

do not see that." What should

* See page 336.

+ "Sur les Fonctions du Cerveau," 6 vols. 8vo., 1822. To those who have not leisure for such minute details I should recommend the "System of Phrenology" by George Combe, now in the third edition. As the best work on education with which I am acquainted, I should recommend Simpson's "Popular Education"-a work which is, as Leigh Hunt remarks, indispensable to every lover of his species who can afford to purchase it.

we think of the farmer who maintained it to be useless knowledge to be conversant with what kinds of grain or roots would thrive in such and such soils! And if this kind of knowledge is universally admitted to be useful, nay indispensable, of what vital importance must it be for teachers to know what kinds of instruction may be given with the greatest advantage to each pupil, for they may rest assured that " as they sow so shall they reap.'

It is an axiom in phrenology, that it is impossible to create any faculty-all that the teacher can do is to strengthen those which his pupil possesses. Thus phrenology is of inestimable value in indicating those faculties which are very defective. These being ascertained, the teacher will avoid the irksome task of attempting to drag the pupil after him in subjects with which Nature never intended him to be proficient. The "Phrenological Journal" contains an account of a girl who had no taste for music. Notwithstanding this defect masters were employed to teach her the art; great pains were taken, but without success; music was not only indifferent to her, but absolutely painful; the finest chorusses of Handel, the swelling peals of the organ, the thrilling harmony of the orchestra, all produced distressing sensations. In this instance the organ of harmony was very deficient, and therefore it was a folly to attempt to impart a taste for music.

But if the organ instead of being very deficient, is moderately developed, it is advisable to cultivate it, and, by judicious management, to strengthen and enlarge it. The pupil, of course, will not advance so rapidly as he who has the faculty strong, but the phrenologist will at once perceive the reason, and will see the folly of punishing the tyro for his comparatively slow progress, and making invidious comparisons between him and his more fortunate companions. This system of making comparisons is a most baneful but a very common practice, in the routine of teaching. It is baneful in relation to the pupil compared, as tending to rouse his animal propensities; it wounds his self-esteem, and his approbativeness, which in their turn arouse combativeness and destructiveness, to be revenged on the favourites of the teacher; and if the boy happens to be younger or weaker than those whom the injudicious conduct of the master has rendered objects of envy and jealousy, secretiveness will be called into play, in order to obtain that revenge by stealth which would be impracticable openly. And it is baneful with regard to those with whom he is compared, as unduly encouraging their self-esteem and approbativeness, and puffing them up in their own conceits, and teaching them to be proud of (what is no merit of theirs) having superior powers. Superior powers of mind spring from a superior organization of brain-and surely no one will maintain this to arise from any merit in the possessor; the original size of the brain and conformation of the head are produced by circumstances before birth, over which the owner had no control.

We thus see what a number of opposing faculties are called into action by the ignorance of those who ought to "train up a child in the way he should go," but who too often adopt a different course. Even if the above-mentioned plan of making comparisons were productive of beneficial results in an intellectual point of view, the moral evils engendered thereby would render it unjustifiable. But when, as the phrenologist knows, it is mischievous both ways, and is unproductive of a single counterbalancing advantage, the amount of evil produced is incalculable.

I think it may safely be affirined that if a pupil does not advance in his studies, or does not advance so quickly as is expected, the fault is never his own. This assertion will, no doubt, startle many persons, and more particularly teachers, but it admits of proof, and I shall here give a quotation in point from the "Phrenological Journal:" "A man believes that three times three are nine, in consequence of his faculty of number perceiving the relations of these quantities; but if in him the organ be very small, and the faculty in consequence weak, he may have great difficulty in finding out how many fourteen times nineteen are. Suppose we wish to convince him that the amount is two hundred and sixty-six, we must lay before him the simplest elements of the calculation, and advance step by step till he see it as we do. If he fail in attaining the right result after all our pains, the proper inference is either that we have not been sufficiently explicit in our demonstration, or that his faculty of number is so weak as not to be able to comprehend the computation. If the first has been the cause, we must bear the blame ourselves; if the second, we ought to avoid in future placing that individual in a situation where the power of calculation is necessary to the discharge of his duties; but in neither view is it proper to scold him for the disappointment that we meet with."* If teachers were generally impressed with views like these, what a different thing education would be, both to master and scholar! But, unhappily, it is otherwise. The former is too apt to cloak his incapacity for teaching by pronouncing the latter to be incapable or unwilling to learn. But, it will be said, there are cases in which wilfulness and obstinacy on the part of the pupil really exist. I admit that there are, but a skilful teacher, by firm yet mild treatment will be able to subdue and eradicate this unhappy disposition, or else it results from the organization of the boy, in which case he is not responsible. I should suppose this kind of conduct to result from over-large self-esteem, combativeness,† destructiveness, and firmness, with perhaps small conscientiousness; and it is as impossible for a person with this organization, (especially if the intellectual and moral organs be moderate) to be otherwise than naturally haughty, quarrelsome, riotous, and obstinate, as for another with those organs small to be otherwise than meek, peaceable and yielding. I contend, therefore, in every case in which the pupil remains stationary, or advances but slowly, the

* Vol. III., page 310.

+ Mr. Cox proposes to call this organ Opposiveness. See an excellent article of his on the subject, in the "Phrenological Journal," No. 42, (vol. IX., p. 147.)

cause must be referred either to the ignorance of the teacher, or to the mal-organization of the pupil's brain.

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I have given an example in which the non-progression of the pupil was referable to a deficiency in organization; for the girl alluded to had excellent teachers, and an excellent disposition. shall now give an instance in which the fault rests with the instructor. Out of the very many examples which I could give, both from reading and from observation, I shall select one from No. IV. of the "Phrenological Journal," a quarterly periodical of great ability and sound views, replete with amusement, interest, and instruction. The subject of the second article is a boy of an active spirit, combined with much good-nature. "When sent to school to learn to read, he made little progress; and afterwards, when an attempt was made to teach him Latin, he stood absolutely still. His father and mother were almost in despair lest he should turn out destitute of capacity for any liberal pursuit. As a last resource they sent him to board with a celebrated teahcer in the country; but here he made as little progress as before; he could not be brought to comprehend a single rule of Latin, and scarcely was able to master three sentences of French; in geography and arithmetic he was very little more successful. In this state of matters Dr. Spurzheim arrived in this country, and a gentleman who attended his lectures imagined that the case might not be so hopeless as was conceived. He examined the boy's head, and declared that the mystery was cleared up. He found the organ of language very decidedly deficient, and the perceptive organs in general not large; while the reflecting organs were far above an average in point of size, for that period of life. Combativeness he found rather small, while cautiousness, conscientiousness, selfesteem, love of approbation, firmness, adhesiveness, benevolence, and ideality were all amply developed, and destructiveness was not deficient. He advised, therefore, that the youth should be taken from school, and sent for three or four years to learn the trade to which it was intended to bring him up; and that, thereafter, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, his education should be begun anew. This was accordingly done, and with the happiest effects. His studies were now directed entirely according to his development. was absolved at once from all drudgery with Greek and Latin. He set to master the French language, and could read a French author with facility. His other studies were geography, algebra, and mathematics, and in these also he now took pleasure, and stated distinctly that he saw the principle and application of them. His next course was chemistry, natural history, natural philosophy, and anatomy; and the pleasure with which he followed the lectures on these branches of knowledge, was intense, and his improvement proportionately great."

He

To this imperfect outline of the interesting article I would gladly subjoin the highly sensible and instructive remarks of the youth himself, describing his feelings before and after his acquaintance with phrenology, but must omit them for want of space. How

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