Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-02-26

7
lion which lies at the bottom of his knowi-5 q
adge. Still it is man taking his lesson Il
from the actual condition OF the thing 4
which he conempIa,es; condition 4hat a
i altogether independent OF. his viii, and b
which no speculation of his can modify or r
DESTROY. There is an obslinacy IN the G
processes Of nature, which he cannot con-
troll. He must follow it. The construc-
ton of a system should not be creative,
but an initiative process, which admits
nothing but what evidence assures US TO
be true, and is founded only on the less
ons of experience 1t is not by the exer-
else of sublime and speculative ingenu-
ity that man arrives DIT truth. 1t is by
descending to the sober work of seeing,
and feeling, and experimenting. Wher-
ever, in short, he mas not had the benefit
of his own observation, or the observation
of others brought home to his conviction
by credible testimony, there he is lgnor-
ant.
This is found 10 hold true, even in
those sciences where the objects OF inqui- |
nv are the most familiar and the most &C
cessibe Before the right method of phi
losophising was acted upon, how grossly |
did philosophers misinterpret the phenom-
ena Of external nature, when a steady
perseverance in the path of observation
could have led them to infallible certainly
How mised in their conception of every
thing around them, when, instead of MAX
ing use of their senses, they delivered
themselves up to the exercises of a sollta-
ry abstraction, and thought to explain
every thing by the fantastic play Of un-
meaning terms, and imaginary principles!
And, when at last set on the right path of
discovery, how totally different were the
results of actual observation, from those
systems which antiquity had rendered
venerable, and the authority of great
names had recommended to The acquiesc-
cence of many centuries This proves
that even in the most. familiar subjects,
man knows every thing by observation,
and is ignorant of every thing without it !;
and that he cannot advance a single foot
step In the requirement of truth, till he
bid adieu to the decisions of theory, and
slernly refuse indulgence to its fondest an.
ticipations.
Thus, there is both humility and a
hardihood in the philosophical ten per-
They are the same in principle, though
different in display The first is founded
on sense of ignorance, and disposes the
/ mind of the philosopher 10 paw the most
respectful attention to every thing that is
offered in the shape Of evidence. The
second consists in a determined purpos,
to reject and to sacrifice every thing tina
offers TO oppose the influence of evidence
or to set itself up against its legilimat
and well-eslabished conclusions. In tn
ETHEREAL whirlpoos of Des Cartes, we Sc
transgression against the humility {
- the philosophical character. 1t is tn
g. presumption of knowledge on a subjec
where the total want of observation shout
vshave confined him to the modesty of ic
norance. In the Newtonian system
the world, we see both humility and ha
dihood Sir Isaac commences his inve
tigation with all the mode>ty Of a respec
full inquirer. His is the dociity of
scholar, who is sensible that he has all
=, learn. He takes his lesson as experienc
offers it to him, and yields passive OBJ
dlence 10 the authority Of this gre
schoolmaster. 1t is in his obstinate a
herence to the truth which his master hi
given him, that the hardihood OF the ph
losophical character begins to appear
We see him announce, with entire conf
dence, both the fact and its legitimate col
sequences. We see him not deferred /
the singularitv of his conclusions, at
quite unmindful Of that host of antip
thies which the reigning taste and phlo
ophy Of the times mustered up 10 oppo!
him. We see him resisting the influent
OF every authority, but the authority
experience. We see that the beauty
the old system had no power to char
him from that process of investigation
which he destroyed it, We see him 81
ting upon its merits with the severity of
Judge, unmoved by all those graces
simplicity and magni6cence which Il
sublime genius OF its inventor had throw
around it.
We look upon these two constituents
the philosophical temper, as forming Il
best preparation for finally terminating
the decided Christian. In appreciate
the pretensions of Christianity, there is
call both upon the humility and the ha
dlhood of every inquirer; the humili
which feels its own ignorance, and su
mts without reserve 10 whatever com
before it i'll the shape OF authentic al
well-established evidence; and the har,
hood, which sacrifices every taste a
every prejudice at the shrine of convi
ton, which de6es the scorn of preten
~ ed philosophy, which is not ashamed of
profession that some conceive to be d
graded by the homage of the supelsttio
vulgar, which can bring down lis mind
the homeliness of the Gospel, and !