The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-08-13
SAVAGE OF AvEYRoN.

II is curious and intereRing queiicn whatwould
BE- the improvement of human being, that was cut
or from all intercourse with his fellows, aud left to
the uninterrupted exezc:fe Of his own powers! Some
philosophers have attempted an!wer it, by examh-
ing the condition Of man in what they call FATE Of
raizre and in this fate, they have ranked all thoie
wandering tribes Of favaees, who cattered over
both the continents. Bnt theie experiments do not
apply to the problem before Thefe favaye
nations are much les civilized than oarielves. vet
they are not properly in fate Of nature. There is
III inceaant intercourfe between the members, that
,eonpofe them. They have language for the n,u-
,ual communication Of their thoughts and feelings.
Every moment they arefubjeaed the power of im-
,a.ion and the influence OF fociety. In uch tuaton,
the ideas of man are no longer his own. Every mo-
,ent prevents him from, exhibiting thar curious cha
rae.r ~ hich would be incident to man, perfectly
inflla,ed condition. ss -.
Such model is in fa2 no where to be found, ex-
cep: in thofe human monitors which were caught in
the woods of Europe during the courie of the 18th
and a. the beginning os the 18th centuries. OF
thefe afonihng non-defcrpts, more than had
been difcovered in the time of Lnneus, and yet 70
different their character from that of the or
binary appearance of humanity that this di(erimi-
mating naturaf has even exhibited them as forming
variety of the human fpeeies 1t is in thefe beings
that we are to feek and to tudy the genuine ftamp
of unaiIted nature. I, is by thofe, who have come
into extenee in the full podefon Of their faculties,
and who were cut off from Society ere thy had
learned profit by Its infrutions, that we are to
folve this nscreiting problem. When the h;nory Of
of thoie aonilhng beings has been once exhibited
it would not be difficult to infer, from what was
wanting in him. the FUN of that knowledge and thofe
Such the precife obea, which the ingenious tard
attempted TO accomplish when he undertook the IN
Rruaian Of the Savage of Aveyron.
Nine months after the commencement Of his Ia /.
tours, he publiihed thin duodecmo pamphlet from
which we have feleaed the following incidents E.
very part of this production breahes the air of fan
Euine hope. Every part OF * contain: experiments
from which the intelligent phyGcian has augured
the mott extenlive Improvement. Few readers will
however partake of the enthuliaitic expectations of
the author. If the Savage of Aveyron made any ad-
Improvements, MIA eoafefs that they
are flow 8, uniatidaaory; Ga recent tho uncertain
runour has aaured me- that theie experiments have
faed for thot the Pupil Of Itard had been found to
be more than an Tdeot.
If this report be correct, the hfory of the wild
boy of Avcyron will in the lighteit degree affect
our original problem. The queftio was not, how far
ideot left hir,felf was capable of improvements
bnt how much human being could do for himfelf
for whom nature had done much as for the ref
Of his fpeeies Or is it to be inferred that it was not
nature but his deiola,e Gtuation which formed him
;n,o IN ideos 1.-THE latter oonelulon be adopted
rhe problem which we have brought into view, is
for ever decided.
IF this report be correct, fill the obfervations
q Mr.. Itard will not be altogether unavailing.
The hiltory Of the Savage of Aveyron will then be re-
garded the hifory of the mind, education and inn
provemant of ideot. 1t will exhibit another inifance
in which the dominion of is abridged by the
Ingenuity Of art, and mind is advanced to certain
degree of knowledge which nature appeared to have
doomed eternal inacfon.
There is one critiefm which nun be made up-
~ fill. IL. T.
fautary effeas produced by the ue of the warm
bath, it jua attribute them to the influence
of the beat alone Or rather the .oarS zvaty
ftfef, which nfufed lie and enfbity into the fyi-
lem I.et this inference be once admitted. and who
bvili deny the warn, bath lis falutary virtues!