In 1635, a certain Scottish gentleman named David Person wrote a book about everything entitled Varieties: or, A Surveigh of Rare and Excellent Matters, necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall Heads of diverse Sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of Naturall things unfoulded, &c. The gentleman displays an admirable confidence in explaining everything that comes under his notice, having apparently determined that nothing was beyond his understanding. For example, he is quite certain that he knows how to make the philosopher’s stone, which would transmute any substance into any other; and he is quite certain that it is no very hard thing to make. Why, then, do chemical philosophers not make themselves absurdly rich? Well…
SECT. 4. That the making of the Philosophers Stone is lesse expensive and laborious than many things wee both use, and weare; why the makers of it enrich not themselves and others.
The true making of that Stone is neither expensive, nor long, nor wearisome to those that have the dexterity of it.
Betwixt the Barley graine that must be sowne, and the aqua vitae that is made of it, there is both a longer time, and many more points of labour: And betwixt the linnessed, and the linnen cloath wee were, there is a longer time, and much more labour than in the framing of Philosophers Stone, as these blowers would have the world beleeve.
It is true, many chymicall Philosophers so soone as they attained this precious Stone, the very knowledge of it delighted them more than worldly gaine; and they made more use of it in Physick than in projection. And if any would aske; what was the cause they made not themselves and all their their friends most excellently rich. It may be well anfwered, they lacked not, they had contentment, they delighted more in theory than practick: they disdained to bee gold-makers to those that were greedy, or to those that were through idlenesse needy, and were afraid to be made a prey and captivate slaves to avaricious and cruell tyrants: these things and such like made them obscure and hide from the world what they knew or could doe, intending rather to have by the Philosophers Stone a balsamick universall medicine than the seminary of gold.
Many have written divers treatises on this subject some one way some another way, some more mystically some more plainely; and what is darke in one, is found againe more cleare in another, specially to such as are diligent Readers of the Hermeticall Philosophy, I will therefore set downe here what by most approved consent of all, is the moft easie and compendious way to perfite the Philosophers Stone, without prejudice to others, that thinke they knew a better way. In this my discourse there shall be nothing obscure, but that which a filius artis may easily understand.
The visit of Dr. Johann Spurzheim to the United States ended abruptly with his death from typhoid fever in 1832. He had, however, already infected our country with a mania for phrenology. This article appeared in the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge, which was edited by Nathaniel Hawthorne, two years after Dr. Spurzheim’s death. Here we see how well worked out the science of phrenology was. It lacked nothing but truth to make it one of the greatest contributions to human knowledge in the history of the world.
Since Spurzheim’s visit to America, this science has attracted the attention of the curious and the learned. Dr. Gall is the founder of the system Dr. Spurzheim, though he did not first start the system, became so able an auxiliary and associate of Dr. Gall, that these two gentlemen may be regarded as the individuals who have actually founded a new system of philosophy.
The science is said not to have been reared at once, by lively imaginations, but gradually to have attained its present maturity by the careful collection of facts and observations.
It divides the head into various compartments, and asserts that the mental and moral powers and dispositions may be known by the inspection of these compartments.
The common and more universally received division, or map of the head, contains thirty-three compartments, which have appropriate names. This is called Dr. Spurzheim’s order of the organs.
In the present number, we give Mr. Wilson’s scale, intending hereafter to furnish an outline of the new system of Gall and Spurzheim.
There are twenty moral and twenty intellectual powers. Passing by the arrangement of classes, which can be taken up again, we furnish a table to the wood-cuts of the heads.
1. Philoprogenitiveness, the love of offspring, is situated immediately over the hollow of the neck. Its uses are, the preservation of the species, connecting with it parental affection and sympathy. Its abuse, the spoiling of children by excessive indulgence.
2. Amativeness, the root of conjugal affection. Its abuse is, immoral desires, the fountain of innumerable evils. It lies rather beneath and on each side of the former.
3. Destructiveness, the taking away of life. Its use is the removal of obstacles and the annihilation of evil. Its abuses are cruelty, murder, wrath, severity of manner and speech. Its organ is behind the back and upper part of the ear.
4. Constructiveness, the power of putting together. Its use is in the mechanical arts, &c, and its abuse is in spending time over useless and unprofitable inventions. Its organ is at the temple, over the outer part of number:
5. Concentrativeness, the power of bringing the mind to bear upon given subjects. Its use is in steadily performing the social and relative duties, and in reasoning. Its abuse is over-abstraction of the mind ; excessive attachment to particular objects or places. Its organ lies over the middle of Philoprogenitiveness.
6. Attachment: this is the root of friendship, and, combined with Amativeness, produces marriage. Its organ is on each side of the previous one, being closely allied to it.
7. Combativeness, the inclination to meet danger, and to resist attack. Its abuses are a love of contention, and willingness to dispute or assault. Lies behind the ear, upward from Amativeness.
8. Ideality: this gives a taste for the beautiful and sublime, and is large in poets and imaginative writers. Its abuses are, a too great love of change, extravagant ideas, and a disposition to neglect the duties of life, and live in the region of romance. It lies on the side of the head, between Faith and Constructiveness, with its fore-part resting on Music.
9. Self-esteem, confidence in our own power and worth, enabling us properly to estimate our true value. Abuse, love of dominion, pride, arrogancy, egotism. Situated in the middle of the head.
10. Approbativeness accompanies Self-esteem, and corrects the abuse of it. But, when too large, produces an excessive wish for praise, vain-glory, notoriety. It lies on each side of Self-esteem.
11. Cautiousness: this is easily understood. Its abuses are jealousy, unfounded apprehensions, and with deficient firmness, occasions irresolution, wavering. It lies outward from the former.
12. Faith: this, properly directed, holds up the mind, amid earthly trials, and inspires a devout trust in the Deity. Its abuses are, credulity, a disposition to believe any thing, leading to superstition. Lies upward from Ideality, and backward from Congruity.
13. Firmness: this is easily understood. The abuses of Firmness are, self-will, obstinacy, stubbornness. Situated on the upper crown, above Self-esteem.
14. Conscientiousness: neither is this difficult of being understood. Its abuses are, remorse for innocent mistakes, and great grief for trifling errors; and when abused by education, leads people to persecute, under the impression that they are doing what is right. Lies on either side of Firmness.
15. Secretiveness: so also is this easily understood. Its abuses are, cunning, ability to hide our designs till they are ripe for execution, &c. Lies downwards from Cautiousness, and above Destructiveness.
16. Imitation; easily understood.
17. Veneration: the proper object of this is Deity, but it also produces respect for authority, &c. Abuses, undue regard for old customs, opinions, authority, &.c. Lies at the opening of the head, between the organs of Hope, which is numbered as
18. And easily understood. Abuses, absurd or extravagant expectations, deceitful promises, &,c. Lies outward from Veneration, and forward from Conscientiousness.
19. Acquisitiveness; both the use and the abuse easily understood. When this organ is largely developed, and accompanied with deficient Benevolence and Conscientiousness, it produces Covetousness and Theft. Lies forward from Secretiveness.
20. Benevolence: the previous twenty numbers, all belong to the feelings, or affective faculties.
