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late, I would add, to examine our opinions with attention; fo that we may be able to difcriminate between those that have been adopted by the understanding on a rational conviction of their truth, and those that are the offspring of falfe affociations deeply impreffed upon our minds in early life. Without fuch an examination of our opi nions we shall, in educating our children, be but perpetuating the reign of prejudice and error. If even in our religious fentiments or feelings there are any that will not stand. the test I have mentioned,* though we may not immediately be able to detect their fallacy, we ought, at least, to beware of inculcating them, left by affociating with the facred name of religion falfe and inju

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*"There can be nothing in the genuine sentiment, "or feeling, occasioned by the Spirit of GoD, which is "not friendy to man, improving to his nature, and co"operating with all that found philofophy and benig66 nant law have ever done to advance the happiness of "the human race."-See Dr. Knox's admirable Trea tife of CHIISTIAN PHILOSOPHY, vol. i. page 254.

rious impreffions of the Deity, or malevolence and ill-will towards any part of his creation, we inadvertently lay the foundation of a blind and fuperftitious bigotry, or perhaps of that very scepticism against which we, with fo much zeal, but fo little judgment, attempt to guard.

The power of affociation over the mental faculties is extremely obvious, but I fhall poftpone the confideration of it, till we come to treat of the cultivation of the un. derstanding; and at prefent confine myself to an examination of those early affocia tions which affect the heart.* The influence of these has not, I believe, been generally attended to fo much as the impor tance of the subject seems to require. Love and hatred are the great springs of human action. In their various modifica

* The reader will obferve, that in making the heart the feat of the paffions, I make ufe of the popular language without contending for its propriety; it is fufficient for my purpose that it is intelligible.

tions they give rife to every paffion and affection of the human foul; and according to the objects with which they are affociated, and to the paffions which they produce, will vice or virtue predominate in the character of the individual. How far

the primary paffions of love and hatred, with their several dependent paffions, may be, and actually are, influenced by early affociation, it shall now be my endeavour to explain by the most obvious and familiar examples.

By tracing the rife of the malevolent paflions, to the earliest stage of life, I shall, as I hope, give a powerful incentive to maternal vigilance; and by fhewing how the benevolent affections may at the fame early period be infpired, I give a new motive to maternal virtue. Such, at least, is the glorious aim I have in view; and were all mothers poffeffed with the fame zeal for the happiness of their offspring as is felt by my friend, I fhould not defpair of its accomplishment. Adieu.

LETTER III.

Associations producing the Passion of Fear.

HE firft clafs of affociations that

THE

comes under our confideration, are those that are rendered permanent by means of strong fenfation. These are chiefly, if not entirely, of the painful kind; the fenfations that excite averfion being much ftronger than those which produce pleafure; and as hatred is the fource of all the malevolent paffions, and gives rife to all the malevolent difpofitions of our nature, every affociation that produces it, is particularly deferving of our attention.

That the infant mind is at an early period fufceptible of terror, is a discovery unhappily

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happily made by every ignorant nurse. This inftinct, implanted by the wife Creator as a protection to the helpless state of infancy, is an inftrument in the hands of fenfelefs ignorance which is too frequently applied to the worft of purposes. It is the first, the conftant, engine of tyranny. In proportion as it is made to operate, the mind will be debafed and enfeebled; deprived of its power and energy, it will remain the willing flave of fenfation.

In one of the woes denounced against a finful people in fcripture, it is declared by the Prophet," that they shall be afraid where no fear is." I can fcarcely form an idea of a greater calamity; and yet to this calamity is many an innocent being expofed by the injudicious treatment of the nursery. Of the many happy methods employed to induce a quiet fubmiffiion to the arbitrary decrees of the nurse, notice has been taken in a work of fuch deferved celebrity, that I muit fuppofe you are acquainted with its

contents.