because humanity
is worth more than all the stars that scintillate in the heavens. Greater
than Mathematics, because humanity is better than numbers. Greater
than Geology and Zoology, as humanity is above the rocks and animals.
Greater than Theology, because it teaches man to know himself, instead
of presumptively speculating upon gods and dogmas. Greater than all
combined because Phrenology bears upon her resplendent crown the
jewels of knowledge, virtue, morality, culture, temperance, wealth and
progress, and is pregnant with possibilities of good, beyond the present
comprehension of the human imagination.
And when you ask me if Phrenology is developed in the number of
practical facts at her command, I answer, that for every principle and
rule of Mathematics that are serviceable, I will give you two in
Phrenology. For every discovery in Geology, I will give you four in the
domain of the mind. For every fact in Zoology, Entomology or Botany
that has been of value, I will give you six in the science of humanity.
Then you may begin to comprehend the appeal which Phrenology
makes to-night to your selfish interests.
I wish now to draw a distinction between Phrenology and Physiognomy,
because I don't believe I ever went into any community to lecture in my
life, that I did not hear some old fossil say that he believed in the
science of Physiognomy, but he didn't take much stock in Phrenology.
Now I beseech you, as friends of mine (and after I have lectured to an
audience for twenty minutes I always feel that I have so many friends
in it that I am personally interested in the welfare of each one) that if
you have ever made that remark, you will not expose your ignorance of
scientific terms in that way again. I'll excuse you for what you have
done heretofore, but if you make that remark after hearing my lectures,
I shall feel ashamed of you, just as I always feel humiliated when any
friend of mine makes a fool of himself.
PHYSIOGNOMY is the science of external appearances. The
etymology of the word signifies the knowledge of nature derived from
examination or observation. We may speak of the physiognomy of a
landscape, of a country, a state, a continent, or an individual, and by
that we mean the external appearance, that which conveys a knowledge
of the character of the object to the eye. We judge the character of the
thing by its appearances; and in the relation which Physiognomy bears
to character-reading, we judge the character of the man by the external
appearances. We study the size and form of the body, its color, its
texture, its temperament, the expression of the face and the contour of
the head, all of which are physiognomical. We draw certain
conclusions from this inspection of the physiognomical signs, and these
conclusions are phrenological, for every variation of color, form or size
indicates a corresponding variation in a particular kind or intelligence
possessed by the individual. Physiognomy, therefore, is the grand
channel through which we draw our phrenological conclusions, and in
this relation physiognomy forms a part of the grand science of
Phrenology, inseparable from it, and bearing about the same relation to
it that addition does to arithmetic.
There are those who advertise themselves as delineators of character,
under the term Physiognomists. I believe that such persons do so
because they lack the ability and learning to comprehend Phrenology,
and are unable to combat the prejudices of the ignorant. I have never
seen a so-called "Physiognomist" who was not an empirical
mountebank of the purest stamp, and who did not trim his sails to
pander to the silly sentiment which I have just exposed. The
delineations of such persons are worse than valueless, because they are
pure guess-work. They pursue a shadow while they reject the
substance.
Having thus established our definitions, we may proceed to state the
principles of Phrenology. And I believe that I can best do so by taking
you through the successive steps of a phrenological examination, and
by thus practicing the art, illustrate the science.
In forming an estimate of the character of any person, the practical
phrenologist proceeds upon the following physiological postulates,
which I shall not stop to demonstrate, because they may be regarded as
established facts upon which all physiological authorities are agreed,
viz:
1. The brain is the keyboard of the body and the central seat of
intelligence.
2. The power of the brain depends upon the anatomical and
physiological condition of the body which supports it.
3. The character of any object depends upon its physical attributes, viz:
Size, weight, color, form, texture, density, etc.
In applying these postulates to a delineation of character before we pass
to an examination of the brain itself, we must notice
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