(3) Never be satisfied with a partial or half acquaintance with things.-There is no less a tendency to intellectual, than to bodily inactivity; students, in order to avoid intellectual toil, are too much inclined to pass on in a hurried and careless manner. This is injurious to the memory. "Nothing (says Dugald Stewart) has such a tendency to weaken, not only the powers of invention, but the intellectual powers in general, as a habit of extensive and various reading without reflection." Always make it a rule fully to understand what is gone over. Those, who are determined to grapple with the subject in hand, whatever may be its nature, and to become master of it, soon feel a great interest; truths, which were at first obscure, become clear and familiar. The consequence of this increased clearness and interest is an increase of attention; and the natural result of this is, that the truths are very strongly fixed in the memory. A perpetual vacillation between the honours and toils of science is a species of "halting between two opinions," that is not less injurious in learning, than in religion.

(4) The memory may be strengthened by exercise.It is found, that all the mental susceptibilities are strengthened by exercise, much the same as our bodily powers; and the faculty of memory certainly not less than others. This fact, which seems to be an ultimate law of our constitution, reminds one of a certain Milo, an inhabitant of Crotona. This man is said to have carried an ox on his shoulders; but he could do it, only by beginning with carrying a calf. He practised this every day; as the animal grew in size, the firmness of his joints and his muscular strength increased also; and thus he gradually became able to support such an enormous burden. And, in the same way, our minds when left to sloth and inactivity, lose all their vigour; but when they are kept in exercise, and, after performing what was before them, are tasked with new requisitions, it is not easy to assign limits to their ability.

(5) Consider the nature of the study, and make use of those helps, which are thus afforded.This rule may be illustrat

ed by the mention of some departments of science. Thus, in acquiring a knowledge of geography, the study is to be pursued, as much as possible, with the aid of good globes, charts, and maps. It requires a great effort of memory, and generally an unsuccessful one, to recollect the relative extent and situation of places, the numerous physical and political divisions of the earth, from the book. The advantages of studying geography with maps, globes, &c. are two, (1)-The form, relative situation, and extent of countries become, in this case, ideas, or rather conceptions of sight; such conceptions (§. 187.) are very vivid, and are more easily recalled to remembrance, than others.—— (2) Our remembrances are assisted by the law of contiguity in place (§. 158), which is known to be one of the most efficient aids. When we have once, from having a map or globe before us, formed an acquaintance with the general visible appearance of an island, a gulf, an ocean, or a continent, nothing is more easy than to remember the subordinate divisions or parts. Whenever we have examined, and fixed in our minds the general appearance or outlines of a particular country, we do not easily forget the situ uation of those countries, which are contiguous.

We find another illustration of this rule in the reading of history.There is such a multitude of facts in historical writings, that to endeavour to remember them all is fruitless; and if it could be done, would be of very small advantage. Hence, in reading the history of any country, fix upon two or three of the most interesting epochs; make them the subject of particular attention; learn the spirit of the age, and the private life and fortunes of prominent individuals; in a word, study these periods not only as annalists, but as philosophers. When they are thus studied, the mind can hardly fail to retain them; they will be a sort of landmarks; and all the other events in the history of the country, before and afterwards, will naturally arrange themselves in reference to them. The memory will strongly seize the prominent periods, in consequence of the great interest felt in them; and the less important parts of

the history of the country will be likely to be retained, so far as is necessary, by aid of the principle of contiguity; and without giving them great attention. Further, historical charts or genealogical trees of history are of some assistance for a similar reason, that maps, globes, &c. are in geography.

This rale for strengthening the memory will apply also to the more abstract sciences." In every science, says Stewart, the ideas, about which it is peculiarly conversant, are connected together by some particular associating principle; in one science, for instance, by associations founded on the relation of cause and effect; in another, by the associations founded on the necessary relations of mathematical truths." (Stewart's Philosophy of the Human Mind, CHAP. VI. SECT. III.)

§. 279. Of committing to writing as a means of improving the memory.

It is often recommended to us to commit to writing the knowledge, which we acquire. This practice is unfavourable in this respect-it supersedes, in a degree, the necessity of a direct exercise of the memory. It may be remarked, in particular, that persons, who follow this method, are found to fail in the recollection of detached observations, & of insulated facts. This practice, therefore, promises but little benefit to persons, who are much occupied with the active business of life, and have but little time for reading and reflection; to whom, consequently, a very ready, as well as tenacious memory is of great importance.

But for others, for persons in some professional business, and for professed scholars, it has some considerable advantages; such as the following.---The records, which we make of our experiences and thoughts, are a sort of landmarks of the progress of our own minds, with which certainly it is highly desirable to be acquainted. But they not only show us what progress our minds have made; they are among the means, by which that advancement itself has been secured.

In particular, this practice enables one to make im provements on those, who have gone before, or rather aids him in so doing. A person, when he has completed his education, finds, there is a certain amount of knowledge, and that he has learnt what there is to be learnt; but, surely, he is not to rest satisfied with this. He must do something himself; he is bound in soine way to contribute to the stock of information, which has been collected. Now, when a student is in the practice of noting down new facts, and his own original thoughts upon them, he not only secures them, but he thus gives to himself the opportunity of making them the further subject of his reflec

And having done this, these new results become to him a sort of elementary truths; they are not only one step in advance of what is any where to be found in books, but, like all new discoveries, they in their turn become helps in making yet further advancements. Sometimes great improvements in science have resulted from a single remark, or from a slight hint, which was, at the time, thought to be of the smallest consequence.

It cannot be doubted, therefore, that, to a certain extent, the noting down of facts, which we observe, the recording of our own mental deductions, and of important ideas in reading, is a practice of very considerable utility to those, who have opportunities of mental culture.

$. 280. Of Mnemonicks or systems of artificial memory.

By a system of mnemonicks or of artificial memory is meant a method of connecting in the mind things difficult to be remembered, with things easily remembered, so as to enable it to retain and recollect the former by means of the latter."--There have been no less than sixty different authors, who have proposed their plans for this purpose, many of them agreeing in the most important respects, but all of them differing in some.

Among the most used of these is Gray's MEMORIA TECHNICA. It contains a great deal of historical, chronological and geographical knowledge, embraced in a set of rules, which

the student is required to make as familiar to himself, as school-boys do the rules of grammar. Some alterations are made on the final syllables of words, so as to make them significant of dates or other important particulars. There have been various opinions in respect to this system; but the prevailing feeling seems to be against it.

Among the most popular writers on the subject of Mnemonicks, who have recently appeared, is M. Gregor von Feinagle; but a statement of the principles of his system would occupy too large a space in this book. Nor, after bestowing some reflection on the subject, can we consider the omission a very serious disadvantage.—It is, no doubt, possible to aid the memory by arbitrary arrangements and by associating our ideas with a set of places and images; and such assista.ices may,at some times, be of considerable advantage to publick speakers, and in general to all persons, who may have occasion to remember a large number of insulated facts. But, notwithstanding, it may be said of the systems now in use, as a general remark, that they are too complicated for plans, which profess to render the ac quisition of knowledge more easy. They can never be adopted into general use, unless they are rendered more simple; nor do we apprehend, that a person, who follows the rules for strengthening and applying the memory above laid down, will stand greatly in need of any other helps in recollecting most things, that will be found to be useful and important.

CHAPTER TWENTY THIRD.

EMOTIONS OF BEAUTY.

§. 281. Explanation of emotions of beauty.

There is a class of our mental feelings, to which we commonly give the name of EMOTIONS. We speak of a melancholy emotion, of a cheerful emotion, of emotions of pity, of wonder, and the like. Among other emotions are those