the emotion excited be an emotion of beauty, of grandeur, or of sublimity. They are alike objects of the attention of taste, and the principles and rules established in reference to one class, admit of application to the others. Hence the attention is principally directed to emotions of beauty, and emotions of each class are sometimes called emotions of taste.

I return now to the definition of taste. Every instance of judgment implies knowledge of those subjects, on which it is exercised. The chemist cannot form his mixture, that shall possess certain required properties, without a knowledge of the properties of the several simples which are ingredients. In those instances of judgment also, which are included under taste, there is in the same manner knowledge implied; but as this is the knowledge of emotions, and can be acquired only by experience, taste is said to be founded on the experience of past emotions.

Though taste, in the definition which has now been explained, is called judgment, it is not meant, that in the exercise of taste, the mind is ordinarily conscious of deliberation, or of the balancing of reasons, as in some other instances of judgment. It is true, that this deliberation may be rapidly passed through in all instances, and in some, as in the case of the artist employed in designing and executing his work, there may be a consciousness of the process. But most frequently, judg ment on objects of taste seems to be passed instantaneously. As the result of past experience of emotions, certain principles seem fixed in the mind, and where taste is called into exercise, it is the immediate application of these principles to particular instances. The analogy is close between the exercise of taste in the works of the fine arts, and of taste, as the word is liter

ally applied to the sense of taste. Take for example the case of wines. The wine merchant is able at once to decide as to the quality of the wine presented to him, and to detect any foreign ingredient. He has acquired his ability to do this by his past experience, and he brings the results of this past experience, which seem to exist as certain fixed principles, to the particular instance in which his judgment is required.

From the definition that has been given of taste, we may learn in what way sensibility is connected with its attainment. By sensibility is meant a high degree of susceptibility of the emotions of beauty. And since taste is founded on the experience of these emotions, sensibility, as thus defined, must aid in the formation of a good taste. It must be supposed, that so far as the emotions of beauty result from original tendencies of the mind to be pleased in view of certain objects, they are in some degree common to all men in their earliest years. But it is a well known fact respecting all our emotions, that if neglected, they lose their strength, and if entirely disregarded, they will soon cease to be felt. On the contrary, they are strengthend by being regarded and cherished. Hence it is, that while some men are susceptible of emotions of beauty in view of objects and scenes around them, others, the circumstances of whose life have been different, look upon the same objects and scenes without any emotion of this nature. So far too as these emotions result from associated thoughts and feelings, there is equal cause of diversity between different individuals. One, from the scenes and events that have fallen under his observation, may have many associations connected with a particular object, which another may have never formed.

These remarks admit of illustration. Addison, when

he went forth in the evening, and gazed upon the starry heavens and the moon walking in her majesty, felt emotions of sublimity. In accounting for the rise of these emotions, we might say, that he was a man of sensibility-from the original constitution of his mind, he was susceptible of emotions of taste to a high degree. His intellectual habits also, and the circumstances of his life, were such as to cherish and strengthen these original tendencies of his mind. Astronomy had taught him something of the size and number and uses of these heavenly bodies, and in this way, or in other ways, many associations were connected with them. On the same evening, perhaps, and in the same neighbourhood, the labourer returning from his daily toil, looked upon the same starry and moonlit firmament, but felt no emotion of beauty or sublimity. Still this individual may have been originally constituted with as much sensibility as Addison; but such have been the circumstances around him,-such has been his lot in life, that this sensibility has been lost, and he thinks of the moon and stars only as lighting him homewards from his toil.

The enquiry here arises, whether a sensibility to emotions of beauty may not exist, and still the individual possessing it be destitute of good taste? That there are instances of this kind cannot be denied, and the answer to the enquiry brings to view what is called the STANDARD OF TASTE. It is indeed true, that, in accordance with the definition which has been given, the taste of an individual may be founded upon his own past experience. But when we speak of good taste, it is judgment, founded not so much on the experience of an individual, as on the united experience of many. It is the case, as we have seen, that from the peculiar circumstances of in dividuals, their original tendencies to emotions

of beauty may be perverted and blunted, or strengthened and increased. The associations also connected with the same objects and scenes may be very different in different minds. From both of these causes, and from others not mentioned, the emotions, excited in the minds of different individuals in the view of the same objects, will differ. But amidst all these diversities, there are some objects and scenes, which do uniformly excite emotions of beauty in the great majority of those, who have any degree of sensibility. And where there are cases of exception, some sufficient reason may generally be assigned. The standard of taste, then, is the agreeing voice of such as are susceptible of emotions of beauty, both of those who have lived in past ages, and of those now existing.

To illustrate these remarks, I may refer the student to the statue of Washington, which has been recently placed in the metropolis of New England, and which represents him in the drapery of a Roman hero. Should it be asked, why he is thus represented, rather than in the dress, which as a military commander or a civil leader he was accustomed to wear? or in such attire as was used by military and civil leaders in Europe two hundred, or five hundred, years ago? it might be answered, that though such drapery might have been approved at the period when it was worn, and thus have been in agreement with the taste of the age, at the present time it would appear unbecoming to the human form. But such is not the case with the Roman toga. This is a drapery, which at all times, and to all men, appears graceful, and excites emotions of beauty. This fact then both proves, that there is a standard of taste, and illustrates what is meant by it.

Hence we learn one object. and use of models of ex

cellence in the fine arts. It is principally by means of these, that we obtain a knowledge of the standard of taste, or rather they are the standard, since in them the decisions of men in different periods and portions of the world are found embodied. To illustrate this by an example, I will refer to West's painting of Christ in the exercise of the charities. We know, that this painting was universally admired in England. It has been regarded with like admiration in this country. All those, who are susceptible of emotions of beauty, have felt these emotions, when looking upon this production of art. Here then is found the united voice of men of the present age, and the artist knows, that so far as hist production exhibits what excites emotions of beauty in this painting, it is in agreement with the general opinion of men now living, or the standard of the taste of the age. Had this picture existed through successive ages, and been uniformly admired, this would give it higher authority, and the artist, in conforming his work to it, would know, that what he produced, is in agreement with the opinions of men of different ages of the world. He might then hope, that his work, being conformed to this general standard of taste, would please all men, every where and of every age, who are susceptible of emotions of beauty, and whose minds are not under the influence of some particular bias. models of excellence in the fine arts, we have, then, the experience of mankind respecting emotions of beauty expressed, and in studying these models, the man of sensibility learns to correct any peculiar influence which circumstances may have had on his emotions, and thus acquires a taste which is in conformity with the general standard of taste.

In

But though the foundation of taste is sensibility, and