once, he forgot many of them. Having often forgot which was the cat and which the dog, he was ashamed to ask; but catching the cat (which he knew by feeling), he was observed to look at her steadfastly, and then setting her down, said, so, Puss! I shall know you another time. About two months after he was couched, he discovered at once that pictures represented solid bodies, when to that time he considered them only as party-colored planes or surfaces, diversified with variety of paint; but even then he was no less surprised, expecting the pictures would feel like the things they represented, and was amazed when he found those parts which, by their light and shadow appeared now round and uneven, felt only flat like the rest; and asked which was the lying sense, Feeling or Seeing. Being shown his father's picture in a locket, and told what it was, he acknowledged a likeness, but was vastly surprised; asking how it could be that a large face could be expressed in so little room, saying it should have seemed as impossible to him, as to put a bushel of any thing into a pint. At first, he could bear but very little sight, and the things he saw he thought extremely large; but upon seeing things larger, those first seen he conceived less, never being able to imagine any lines beyond the bounds he saw; the room he was in, he said he knew to be but part of the house, yet he could not conceive that the whole could look bigger. A year after first seeing, being carried upon Epsom Downs, and observing a large prospect, he was exceedingly delighted with it, and called

new kind of seeing. And now being lately couched of his other eye, he says, that objects at first appeared large to this eye, but not so large as they did at first to the other; and looking upon the same object with both eyes, he thought it looked about twice as large as with the first couched eye only, but not double that we can any way discover."* We see clearly from this narrative, that impressions on the organ of sight give us originally no idea of the distance or shape of objects,

* Philosophical Transactions, vol. 7. pp. 491. et seq.

and that we are able to judge of figure and remoteness now only from such education of our vision as has been described. We see, too, in general, how much time and pains it cost this youth to learn to see even with the advantage of a mind already developed. It seems to me, then, that the nature and operations of the senses fully imply, that they are susceptible of, and do actually receive, improvement by cultivation.

But this important question is positively decided by experience. Physiologists, who have carefully examined the physical nature of man, and probably the observation of most of us, bear full and explicit testimony to this point. Magendie says, By the exercise of the sense of touch it may be brought to a very great degree of perfection, as is often observed in many professions." "We know from numerous observations, that the vivacity of the impressions received by the senses, is increased by the loss of one of those organs. For example, the smell is more delicate in blind or deaf persons, than in those who enjoy all their senses." The deaf, dumb, and blind girl, in the Asylum at Hartford, from whose unfortunate mind knowledge is at two principal entrances "quite shut out," has an exquisite sense of touch, sews very well, recognizes by the touch those persons of whom she is fond, and those whom she dislikes, and easily selects her own ten-cent piece from a handful of change. Now it is not to be supposed that the blind, who almost always have a nicer sense of touch than people generally have, in just such proportion of numbers as there are blind people, are possessed of this superiority by birth; but they depend upon the sense so much that they use it more, and attend to its sensations more carefully. Sailors can see further, and Indians can hear a greater distance than persons generally can, because they find it necessary to exert their faculties of sight, and hearing so much more and with so much greater attention, The epicure can distinguish by the smell and taste flavors so subtile, that plain eaters would be entirely insensible of them. We all know, too, how much the musical ear is susceptible of improvement by education. Does not experience abundant

ly and unanswerably prove, that the senses may be educated to activity and accuracy?

By a survey, then, of the analogy of other parts of our system, and of the nature and operations of the senses themselves, and lastly by our own copious experience, we arrive at the same great and cheering result. We know that the senses can be made to send larger and better streams of knowledge to the soul by the influences of education. How then can they best be educated; how brought to their most efficient condition? Exercise them, exercising simultaneously the powers of the mind. Exercise is the very spirit of all education. It is the means of all improvement of the body, the understanding, and the feelings. Employ the mind then, actively upon sensations. The faculties of seeing and hearing, of the touch, smell, and taste, belong to the soul as well as the body. The painting upon the retina of the eye does little more towards seeing than does the image in the mirror. The eye does not see the landscape of itself, but the mind sees it through the eye. It were absurd to expect the hand to learn to write by tracing a million times the shape of the letters without the supervision of the mind. It is evident, then, that the senses can be improved only through the co-operation of the mind. If therefore any one should say that all that can be done is to improve perception, the act of the mind—and not sensation, the function of the senses, and therefore there is no such thing as educating the senses, we are prepared to perceive the futility of the objection. The action of the mind, called perception, is a part of the process of seeing. Not that it is necessary to admit that the material organ itself is incapable of improvement by education, for the analogy of the other parts of our system imply the contrary, and undoubtedly use gives a greater command of the muscles exerted in sensation; but still the exercise of the sense of sight would enable us to see better, although the physical part gained no amendment. For when we wish to observe an object fully and accurately, we make a close and vigorous effort of the mind, and are ready to make a perception

of every part of the sensation. Now by a habit of such close observation, long continued, the Indian hears a footstep at a distance at which the white man hears nothing, and the sailor descries in the horizon a sail which is beyond our sight; and they have made an improvement upon the original power and acuteness of their senses just as much, if the sensation always has been the same; but the mind has become more keen in detecting the smallest parts and points of the impression, as if the sensation now presents a more minute and distinct representation of the object to the mind. We do certainly improve our senses by exercise in one of these ways, and this result is enough to satisfy us.

The training of the senses to activity and accuracy is the earliest part of the education of the individual. The infant, a delicate and helpless stranger among its fellow beings and among the works of God, soon begins to manifest his desire of a more familiar acquaintance with all around him. But little more can be done to improve his senses, which are his means of information, than by putting objects in their way to give them employment, that they may be saved from sluggishness, and to let him or stimulate him to observe objects fully, not hastily and imperfectly. If he please, let him bring the same objects to the concurrent observation of several senses. Let him correct his sight by his touch, his hearing by sight, his smell by taste; and all this he will do of his own accord, if we only do not continually break up his processes of thought by taking him away from the objects of his busy investigation. His thoughts are at work upon his sensations, and the degree of attention he now bestows upon objects of sense, and the accuracy with which he inspects them, are incalculably important, for he is laying the foundations of his mind.

In the succeeding periods of childhood and youth we can interfere much more in increasing the acuteness and power of the senses. We can discipline the sight directly, and to a great extent, and we can have the satisfaction of perceiving the progressive improvement of the faculty. The child may be led

to observe the lengths of pieces of wood, and to make an estimate of them; and may afterwards be permitted to measure them, and discover the degree of accuracy in his decision. The length, breadth and height of rooms, of houses and churches, the distances of remote objects, may exercise his sight and his judgment to a very great extent. Whenever it is convenient, let him compare his estimate with the actual measurement; this will lend a permanent interest to the exercise. For he will want the satisfaction of knowing how near he came to the truth, and will be more careful in future that he may be more accurate, and afterwards he will be encouraged by becoming so. He may also be taught to discriminate the varieties of green in leaves and other things, of yellow and red and blue in flowers and paints, and to distinguish not only the shades of all the colors, but their respective proportions in mixtures of two or more. Let him be encouraged to notice and point out separately the various parts of pieces of furniture and their uses, of a chaise or coach, or other vehicle, and watch their movement and their purpose. Drawing is an excellent exercise, whether of maps, of the shape of objects, or of landscapes. Let him survey carefully and describe the prominent points of a landscape, the elevations and depressions, the mowing, pasture, wood and tillage land, the trees, the houses, and the streams. Listen to his accounts of his plays, of his walks, of his journeys, and of any event of which he may have been a witness. In all these exercises of his sight teach him to be accurate, and whenever it is practicable, let the judgment he pronounces, and the descriptions he gives, be corrected by the truth. The pupil will inevitably be interested, and if he have been a careless and inaccurate observer, will soon become more watchful and exact.

Let him exercise the sense of touch blindfold, comparing the relative hardness and softness of different solid bodies and the density of fluids, the weight also, and the dimensions of length, breadth and thickness of the same solids. Let him learn to estimate lengths also by passing his hand over objects