26 THE IMPI5O EMENT OF THE MIND. of other animals or vegetables; that very substance which last week was grazing in the field or swimming in the sea, waving in the milk-pail or growing in the garden, is now become part of the man. 3. By study and meditation, we improve the hints that we have acquired byobservation, conversation and reading ; we take more time in thinking, and by the labour of the mind we pene -, trate deeper into themes of knowledge, and carry our thoughts sometimes much farther on many subjects, than we ever met with either in the books of the dead or discourses of the living. It is our own reasoning that draws out one truth from another, and forms a whole scheme of science from a few hints which we bor- rowed elsewhere. By a survey of these things We ,May justly conclude, that he who spends all his time in hearing lectures, or poring upon books, without observation, meditation or converse, will have but a mere historical knowledge of learning, and be able only to tell what others have known or said on the subject : he that lets all his time flow away in conversation, without due observa- tion, reading, or study, will gain but a slight and superficial knowledge, which will be in danger of vanishing with the voice of the speaker ; and he that confines himself merely to his closet and his own narrow observation of things, and is taught only by his own solitary thoughts, without instruction by lectures, read- ing, or free conversation, will be in danger of a narrow spirit, a vain conceit of himself, and an unreasonable contempt of others ; and after all, he will obtain but a very limited and imperfect view andknowledge of things, and he will seldom learn how to make that knowledge useful. These five methods of improvement should be pursued jointly, and go hand in hand, where our circumstances are so happy as to find opportunity and conveniency to enjoy them all : though I must give my opinion, that two of them, reading and meditation, should employ much more of our time than public lectures or conversation and discourse. As for observation we may be always acquiring knowledge that way, whether we are alone or in company. But it will be for our further improve- ment, if we will go over all these five methods of obtaining know- ledge more distinctly, and more at large, and see what special advances in useful science we may draw from them all. CHAP. III.Rules relating to Observation. THOUGH observation in the strict sense of the word, and aR it is distinguished from meditation and study, is the first means of our improvement, and in its strictest sense does not include in it any reasonings of the mind upon the things which we observe,
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