Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-07-08
correspondence.
For the Ncnsdealer.
For the NeWsdeaIer.
A Few Remarks on The Ground OF
Public Crime.
III. THE PROFESSIONS.

Let me single out, from many, hree:-rfs.
The Household, The Church and the Pro
fessiOn.
III. THE PROFESSIONS.
In this paper | purpose to consider
! with regard to public crime, the learned
professions. If the most obscure persor
, influences. to some extent, his fellows
how much more must it be SO with those
of commauding powers and position. These
professions Influence society powerfully,
but variedly the one by its theory rather
than by Its practice the other by its prac-
tice rather than by its theory. The one
leads to erroneous opinions, and, indirect
ly, to crime /; the other to a letting down
of justice and thus to a disregard of In
tegrity, and virtue. As tho conduct of
professional men is open 10 inspection, 80
arc they to praise or animadversion, as
they mark tho line of uprightness or of
obliquity. Let us look, more directly, at
each.
~ The skillful physician can hardly be
overestimated to society. or this all in
telligent persons are awawe. 1t is won
dcrful how one loves the physician whose
skill has been signallzed in restoring HIM
to health. To such estimate of such n
man there may be one draw back-where,
like Doctor Hornbook, he uses his tai
ent in secreting crime. Doubtless the cit.
les are tho main seats of such polluted
practice /; but not the only ones. Against
such prostitution of professional powers,
all physicians of reputation should presen.
a most stern front Though the termiua-
ton may not always be fatal, the practice
is not the less criminal.-As it is, howev.
er, from the theory of this profession ratb.
er than its practice that induccmcnt to
crimes is supposed to proceed, a very brief
summary oft will not be deemed out of
place nor, may a word Of reply, at the
close, be called for. First the THEORY:
This theory defines life to be totality Of
The phenomena of organization. 1t holds
10 necessity Of nature as opposed to lib.
'rty OF intelligence, All mental phenom-
ma must be as are the changes of the GER.
oral organism. Such phenomena arc,
therefore,, TO the brain, what the sounds,
rom the harp, are to that instrument ,
the harp and the sounds cease.
80 with our mental powers and our brain,
is the brain the source of all our +
lowers, as well as of our physical facuI. I
les' As sudden power, 10 smother out !
our exploded lamp, comes from the brain, a
0 does it come, for am cxigency, mental f
r NORA. As the jaded nerves gain new =
Igor by ropose and n%utriment, SO do the o
'ded powers. lDlced, the exhausted T
rain, itself, is rccupcratod by nourish.
'ent' other things being equal, the men. !"
power will be as is the bulk of tho d
Given Of brain, quantity and IL
and look for corresponding The. d
'mcna in the powers and the life. :
mango any organ Of the brain, and there
III be a corresponding change, in some bl
notion 0! the MUD. Thus, from first TO as
st. the brain is our supplying agent and fas
len 1t is disorgrnized there remains no tn,
CONSCIOUSNESS TO US. The harp and the
Music illustrate our bodies and our s mo
lls. VII
n Ii
1t claims a mental capacity in the in. d Dr
Tor ANNALS and, as it is not supposed nos
fF cas-
; phenomena Of their minds come from the
$500 edo
y spiritual agency, therefore, it is ar thii
such agency should not be claimed dee
the phenomena of man. Thus, as the cIet
Ute lives and dies, SO. also, live and die be- e
great human race! p for,
This is a s~uccinct statement of the the pm
of the Psychologist, as 1 understand s Sir'
theory, SO far as 1t involves our men, sore
and moral nature. In q statement so COZ
eft, injustice may be done to this theory, Dn.
no injustice was intended. My design ago
been to state the truth, and then to ap n
the right of suggesting a word or a =
on the general subject,-General sci. qua qua
E and knowledge greatly modify and s sIcs
troll these views. Such materialisn as u
Dts the existence Of God and denies a Disc
and
Scious hereafter TO man., is not held, men
mos
has not been, by all psychologists. twor
ge numbers Of the most erudite and mon
of them have lived and died and and
ora bol;oyo, - ~ med
~ ohi'o'ian IcllSiOn. and
may, | think, be truthfully said, that -
deepest in doubt are, generally, the oianni
t erudite. The mcagreness of their the IL N n
'a%ratory training deprived them of the We
erlal for liberal reflection. 1t might stant
80, , e. conn
lmost taken for granted, that thew the u
IN ho ~ -. meut