The Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No. V, May, 1863: Devoted to Literature and National PolicyVarious
History
The Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No. V, May, 1863: Devoted to Literature and National Policy
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century -- Periodicals
It is the method of man's bodily organization, and much more, if
possible, is it the method of his mental organization. Man's mind
consists of powers of affection and thought. His affections, loves,
desires, or whatever they may be termed, all group themselves around
some leading motive, some ruling passion, which is central for a part or
the whole of a lifetime. All minor motives and ends of action are
subordinate, and only subservient as a means to satisfy the central,
dominant passion. They revolve around it, like satellites around their
primary, or like planets around their sun.
His thoughts, likewise--the method of his intellectual operations, obey
the same law. In every subject which he investigates, he marshals a
multitude of facts around central principles or conclusions. He shuts
them up under a general, chief, leading fact or law. A number of
conclusions, again, are marshalled around one still more general and
comprehensive, and thus he mounts up into the highest and most universal
principles. All the knowledge stored away in his mind is thus organized,
almost without his consciousness, into groups of lower and higher facts
and details, ranged under or around their central principles.
The closer and more symmetrical is this grouping of particulars and
generals in the intellect, or, rather, the greater the power thus to
arrange them, the more logical and compactly reasoning is that mind. The
looser and less connected is this grouping, the less logical is the
mind; and when the proper connection fails to be made between
particulars and generals, between facts and their principles, or between
parts and their centre, then the mind is in an idiotic or insane
condition.
Now, man's mental movements, being thus themselves obedient to this
great order-evolving method, then, of course, when he applies his
faculties to investigate the objects and phenomena of the outer world,
he classifies, arranges, and disposes them strictly after the same
method, because he cannot help doing so. The naturalist studies
minerals, plants, animals--and each kingdom, at his bidding, marshals
itself into order before him. Each resolves its otherwise confused
hosts into groups and series of groups, each with its own centre and
leading type. The animal kingdom has its sub-kingdoms, classes, orders,
families, and species. Botanists speak of divisions, classes, orders,
genera, and species, &c., species being the first assemblage of
individuals.
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