Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-11-06
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the COURIER
For the COURIER
PHRENOLOGY As A BASIS OF MEN
TAI PHILOSOPHY.

rHRENOLOaY As A BASIS OF MEN.
TAI PHILOSOPHY.
From letter now before me, writ
ten by an intelligent young friend in
Ohio, l make a few quotations. 81
have yet to learn how a man can be a
successful teacher and be ignorant of
Phrcnology.' "When the Uranium is
revealed the character is revealed" 81
would not be without the Science of
Life and Wells chronological Journ-
al for ten times their cost"
These exccrpta show that our friend
is fully confirmed in his faith. The
matter was brought up, not designed
iy, but Incidentally. In my response
j admitted at the outset that did not
know enough about the subject to dis.
cuss bis propositions but, at the same
time, conscienstiously assumed a
negative position, conceding some OF
his premises, but not his conclusions.
Is Phrenology a science? Does the
conformation Of the skull reveal the
character It has been a long time
since Gall, Spnrzhein, Combe. and o.
s. Fowler first published their views
to the world. The "world cannot
contain" the publications of the latter,
hardly, so numerous are they. And
yet, in the race OF sciences, Phrenol-
ogy has run bnt tortoise's pace. It
is overlooked altogether by those great
authors, Watts, Upham, Cozin, and
Sir William Hamilton. I have read
Upham with some care, and UNDER
stand him to teach that the mind is
strictly one and indipisiJle, the brain
its organ. Phrenology assigns q
special function TO each Of the many
convolutions of the brain; making as
many parts Of the mind Oh there are
parts Of the brain and further that the
external contour of the skull is but an
index to the internal development Of
the brain.
There may be perfectly normal de-
yelopement Of thecerebal portion ofthe
brain, and an abnormal or irregular
development of the osseous mem.
brane by which 1t is enveloped. Again,
in the anatomy Of the brain, we per-
ceive convolutions within, which have
no contiguity to the concave portions
of the Uranium, and consequently no
indentation, depression, or develope.
ment corresponding. Again, the
lecture or quality of the brain has
more to do with its intellectual power
than its bulk. The heaviest brain on
record is that of Cuvier, the French
naturalist. Thousands as great IS he
have lived and still live.
Let us imagine an assembly Of peo-
pie promiscuously gathered in one Of
our public halls. None but the ordi-
nary are there, with but one single ex-
ception, Agassiz is there O. s. Fowl.
err arrives-lectures Grants the priv
ilege to any one to ask questions or to
demand practical test. We must as
sumo that he has never seen Agassiz
nor his profile even. A gentlem an
arises: "Mr. Fowler" he respectfully
asks, twill you permit me, in sight of
this audience to put your science to
the test?' ~ will,' answers Mr..
Fowler. ~ will carefully blindfold
you with this handkerchief, then,
when you have found the greatest liv-
ing scientist which the world has
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Agassiz-I, and
others as skeptical as l, will be pre-
pared to give crsdence to the state
ments you have just made in your lee.
'tare." Would Mr.. Fowler consent to
the test? Can we believe that he
would succeed?
have seen one great man, at least,
who was a striking refutatiOn OF
Phrenology. allude to late candi-
date for President-Horace Greeley.
He had very low, dumpy forehead.
Many others could be cited. The
converse of this is as palpsbly true.
We can see any day men with as tow.
ering foreheads a. Bacon's, Frsnklin's
Calhoun's, or Lyman Beecher's, and
who have had no functional or organ
ic disease, yet they are but common
men. The high expansive frontal il
not an infalible measure Of mental
pc yer.
How, then, can the successful
teacher" who has never read Wells
chronological Journal" be able to
"read the character" of his pupil whose
"cranium has not been revealed" BY
this PHILOSOPHY, falsely so-called.
Character manifests itself In multi
form ways. 1t speaks from the tongue
beams from the eye, and is written, q
by the finger of fate, on every Inca
ment Of the face. We see 1t in tn,
music of the voice, in its snappisl
snarl or in its bulldog gutteral; II
the manly upright walk, or in the indie
pendent swagger, we see it indicated il
every gesture, in every smile, in ever.
tone, in every sentence, and especial!
In every good or bad deed. "Judg
not by outward appearance" not ever
"when the Uranium Ia revealed TIL
tree by its fruit, the child by it's acti
Character is not an endowment, il 90
it has no merit. II 10 matter Ofgrowth
of education, q consequent of volitior
Character grows like coral islands, b
minute accretions, Phrenology make
it a matter of fate. CLAY WOOD.
For the COURIER.
l .. .. Concert.
The good people of Agency City an
vicinity were greatly delighted on To-
Sabbath evening by concert by ii