Delaware patriot & American watchman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1828, 1828-02-01
From the Museum If Foreign Literature and Sci

ELEMl-Nl - vi hE ffiii-OooTuf VI
THE HUMAN MIND. Ey Dugotd Stewart,
Esq, + II. s., &c.
In our former notice OF this volume, we confined
our remarks 10 the frs, chapter, which treats OF
language. aud 10 thu first oil the second
chapter, which is occupied with the principle or
law 81 sympathetic imitation In the third sec
t.en NJ. - watt discusses several phenomena,
which he links IN pat receivable into the prn
cl2lgs previously iaid jawa-Ii principles they may
be caicd-~hlch all dependan, upon that mys
ferrous sympathy hat \ KIN wn 10 exist between the
bodily organization OF dfie en-. individuals
1t is by oi remark that Lord Bacon touch
cs Slightly or This branch OF The philosophy Of the
nnd 10 witch he gives the title Of Ueririna DE-
t0it re- STE apc9nmuHi Il, cAo anime e c0rp0riS;
and at he resolved the ELECTS Of tins mental md
COZ poral cham Ia . magicol smsson Of SPIN
It's from body 70 body.' It Is sttangt thing in
natute. says that acute observer, n his sylvia Syl
sarum, when il is a;ient.ely &C, eideted how ehil
drea and some bitds learn TO nta speech. they
iiase o mark at all Of the mouon Of tic mou b 4
him that speakt til Tor oi ds ais as we'll taught 10
The da,k as ny light. The unds o. speech are We
~ curious and exquisite 30 one wnniG thtrs It
we're lesson hard to learn. Ii is trDc ,ha II Is
done .h time. and BY little and lltie. and u ma
1 essay. aed proheis; tut all thts dis' hat9ch no
tns wonder 1t would axe van think tthoueh
his Whc we shallsay may seem exs sd & siratsel
ne spirits Ct III. teacher put .otioa. should work
with the spirits of the learner predispnsnion q Of
Ter 10 initiate, ard TO perec! The imitation by d.
goes
Medical writer's scarcely render he subject more
intelligbe, when they te.er the contagious nature
Of consuisions, OF hyatesic disorders OF panes and
Of all the different KINDS ci enthusiasm, 10 the mere
prInciple OF imitation. Mr. SteMal, contends, that
he lmagiIalio also enters INTO the coraiina ion o.
II whr prnflures gt;rH htt,C elects.
huugh he doe. no, atlempi 10 d. aw any Inc between
those causes, or Indeed, to il vest,sale q anaiyr,
them at sll He deals only with The piaeicsi apph
cations of which the facts. aitswarda enirped by
him. are sust cpuole, ahsta ted lfcm al cohodt
,lon of the laws 70 which The, ongh. uinn.ae,y %
be eierr d.
Amons ,t,rse acts. ne reft rsto The religious en-.
=, which "a nserlY OPP ated SO powerfully IN the
miads 3no noeiies Of int enthusiasts Of Ccvenpes,
cos monty ea,ied The CaTlsotds; TO The CURIOUS
anJ 0nt ovefthle he' oHiena produced u ance,
in he rtie, OF Louis WI hy The practice OF ami
NAL magnetism aed 10 83ne ins ant IS OF ianatl-
cal excitement, which occurred 10 S.otland. al be
time Of i bitteld's first visit to that County, Es
meutions also Description. somew hat visionary. II,
our oplni9t. u The operation OF what the Quake
are pleased to call the spirit upon not Only the
ind but the bodies, OF their congregations -
hrt . these. and other similei FACTS Mr. stewart
conciudes thai certain bodily affections are tonia
! ,,us, bu, thai the conlaglot operates through the
md IL suggests, therefore, for the consideration
u phys.eisns an important question whether Ger
taln KIND Of insanity have moi contagious tehden.
:, az Il IS Impossible think, for any person te
en,ef,a,,. daub on this point who has visited
mad house. Unless hahfuated 10 that most lam
en,able "a all scenes, the soundest observer car
, ha div contemplate it, without feeling his thought:
c unsettled tni some hours alter.
II Even when passions and emotions are supposed
o ue teI, oy an individual, although not manifested
Z by any external expression. they are, to certat
Idegree, contagious. Has il not often happened
that one person, oppressed by low spirits IN small
company. has thrown damp upon their erjoy
IT nen;s which no exertons could tounteracts hut
also, NAV contrary sense OF pleasure and even TN
s deyo,ionsl feelings be excl Ell, merely ~ the PIE
y ence oil persons known to be actuaed by them.
is this operation of some nexpllcaole common
cause which gives to an earnest powerful ora
ator such in cssti3e influence III large popula
assembly Upon This subject Mr.. Stewart has al
admir- able passage, which we mus, extract.
!. There is something in the sight Of great mul
titude. more favorable to the excitement OF Tn
l. Imagination and of the passions, THAI to the coo
r exercise of our reasoning powers. Every perso
who has been accustomed to address a large audi
ence. must have experienced this IN himself; and
accordingly, in popular assemblies, when speak
: er INDUCES in decInmation, or attempts to rous
The passions OF ms hearers, ms eyes may Seheia.
be observed to sweep from place to place over hi
auditory sometimes, perhaps, IN moment q
more than common animation, to comprehend IN
whole at glance but, when he is about to reason
Or to sta facts. he strives to concentrate HI
,hnugi IS bs forgetting the crowd, and fixing tn
ne Of a single individual. His hearers, in tn
nean time tat least such Of them as have not lear
led from early aud long habit to maintain thei
eli pnssession and con nana of mind IN cIrcum
stances SO peculiarly adverse to reneeton) becom