Malebranch's search after truth, or, A treatise of the nature of the humane mind and of its management for avoiding error in the sciences : vol I : done out of French from the last edition.

CHAP. VIII.

I. The changes that happen to the Imagination of a Child after it is Born, by the Conversation it has with its Nurse, its Mother, and other Persons.

II. Advice how to Educate it well.

IN the precedent Chapter, we have consider'd the Brain of an Infant whilest in the Womb; let us now examine what happens to it as soon as it is Born. In the same time that it quits Darkness, and first sees Light, the cold of the outward Air seizes it; the tenderest embraces of the Woman that receives it, of∣fends its delicate Members; all external Objects sur∣prize it; they are all Subjects of fear to it, because it does not yet know them, nor has it any power of it self, to defend it self, or to fly from them; the Tears and Cries by which it condoles it self, are infallible marks of its pains and fears; for they are, indeed, the Prayers that Nature makes to procure it assistance, to defend it from the evils it suffers, and those it apprehends.

To be able to conceive well the perplexity of its Mind in this condition, we must remember that the Fibres of its Brain are very soft and delicate; and by consequence, all external Objects make very deep impressions upon them: For since the least things are sometimes capable of hurting a weak Imagination, so great a number of surprizing Objects must certainly injure and perplex that of a Child.

But to have a more lively apprehension of the agi∣tations and pains of Infants, at the time of their first coming into the World, and the prejudices which their Imaginations must receive, let us represent to our selves what would be the astonishment of Men, if they saw Giants five or six times higher than themselves ap∣proach near them, without knowing any thing of

their design; or if they saw any new kind of Animal, which had no resemblance to those they have already seen; or only, if a Flying-Horse, or some other Chi∣mera of our Poets, shou'd suddenly descend from the Clouds. These Prodigies wou'd make deep Traces in the Spirits, and the Brain wou'd be confuted, only to have seen them once.

Unexpected and frightful events fall out every day, which makes even Men lose their Wits, whose Brains are not very susceptible of new impressions, altho', they have some Experience, and can defend them∣selves; or, at least, are able to make use of some resolution. Children, when first come into the World, suffer something from every Object that strikes their Senses, to which they are not accustomed: All the Animals they see, are of a new kind to them, since they have seen nothing before like to them; they have neither strength nor experience; the Fibres of their Brain are very delicate and flexible: How then is it possible, but that their Imagination shou'd be injured by so many different Objects?

It is true, that Mothers have already a little ac∣customed their Children to the impressions of Objects, since they have already traced them in the Fibres of their Brain, before they were born, and so they are much less hurt, when they see with their own Eyes what they had before in some manner perceived by those of their Mothers. It is also true, that false Traces, and the injuries that their Imagination re∣ceives at the sight of so many frightful Objects, are effaced and cured by time; because not being Na∣tural, all Bodies are contrary to them, and extir∣pate them, as we have seen in the precedent Chap∣ter. And this is the reason that generally all Men are not Fools from their Infancy, yet it does not hinder, but that there is always some Traces so strong and deep, that cannot be effaced all our Lives

If Men wou'd but seriously reflect upon what passes within themselves, and upon their own thoughts, they wou'd not want Experience to prove what I have

said: They wou'd commonly discover in themselves inclinations, and secret aversions, which others have not, for which there can be no other cause ascribed than these Traces of our Infancy. For since the cau∣ses of these inclinations and aversions are particular to us, they are not founded in the Nature of Man; and since they are unknown to us, it must be that they have acted in a time, wherein our Memory was not capable to retain the circumstances of things, so as to make us able to remember them; and this time can only be that of our most tender Infancy.

Mr. D'Cartes hath told us in one of his Letters, that he had a particular kindness for all squinting Persons, and that in having carefully examined the cause of it, he at last found 'twas a defect he had met with in a young Maid whom he had loved, whilest he was yet a Child, and the affection he had for her, made him love all persons that resembled her in any thing.

But it is not these little Irregularities of our Incli∣nations which mostly deceive us; it proceeds from this, That all our Minds are weak in some respect or other, and we are all subject to some kind of Folly, altho' we are not sensible of it. When we carefully examine the Genius of those with whom we converse, we easily perswade our selves of this, altho' we are our selves an Original of some particular Folly, and may be so accounted by others; yet we shall also find others that have Follies peculiar to themselves, and who differ only as to the more and less.

Now one of the causes of the different Characters of Dispositions, and without doubt, the difference of the impressions that we receive at our Birth, (as we have shown of the particular and extraordinary Incli∣nations,) is, because these kinds of folly being common∣ly constant and durable, they can only depend upon the Constitution of the Animal Spirits, which very easily change; and by consequence, it is necessary that they proceed from false Impressions, which are made in the Fibres of the Brain, when our Memory

was not capable of preserving the Idea's thereof; that is, from the beginning of our Life. A general source of the Errors of Man, is the great disorder of their Brain, caused by the impression of external Objects when first they come into the World; but this cause ceases not so soon as may be imagined.

The common Conversation that Children are obli∣ged to have with their Nurses, or even with their Mothers, who often have no Education, does preju∣dice, and entirely corrupts their Disposition; these Women entertain them only with silly things, as ridi∣culous Stories, or such as are only fit to fright them. They never speak to them but of sensible things, and after such a manner as is too sure to confirm them in the false Judgments of their Senses. And, in a word, they cast into their Minds the Seeds of all the weak∣nesses they themselves have, as of their extravagant apprehensions, ridiculous superstitions, and other the like prejudices; by which means, they neither being accustomed to search after Truth, nor to have any gust of it, they become at last incapable of discerning it, or of making any use of their reason; upon which account, a certain fearfulness and weakness of Spirit seizes them, which continues with them a long time; for there are many persons, who at the Age of fifteen or twenty, that perfectly retain the Spirit of their Nurse.

It is true, that Children don't appear very proper for the Meditation of Truth, and for abstracted and elevated Sciences, because the Fibres of their Brain, being very delicate, they are easily agitated, even by the weakest and least sensible Objects; and their Soul necessarily having Sensations proportionated to the agitation of these Fibres, she lets go her Meta∣physical Thoughts, and pure Intellections, to apply her self only to her own Sensations. Thus, it seems, Children cannot consider the pure Idea's of Truth with sufficient attention, being so often and easily di∣sturbed by the confused Idea's of their Senses.

Yet we may answer, first, that it is more easie for a Child of seven years to be deliver'd from the Er∣rors whereinto the Senses lead it, than for a person of Sixty, who has all his life time followed the pre∣judices of Infancy. Secondly, that if a Child is not ca∣pable of the clear and distinct Idea's of Truth, it is at least, capable of being advertised, that its Senses deceive it upon every occasion; and if we do not teach it the Truth, we ought not, at least, to enter∣tain, or fortify it in its Errors. And, lastly, that the youngest Children, how wedded soever they may be to agreeable and painful Sensations, learn soon what grown Persons can't do in much more time; as the Knowledge of the Order and Relations that there is between all Words, and all Things, which they see and hear: For altho' these Things depend chiefly on the Memory, yet it is plain enough, that they must make great use of their Reason in the manner where∣by they learn their Tongue.

But since the facility that the Fibres of Childrens Brains have for the receiving the impressions of sensi∣ble Objects, * 1.1 is the reason why they are incapable of Judging of abstracted Sciences, it is very easie to re∣medy it. For 'tis certain, that if Children were ta∣ken without fear, without desires, and without hopes; if we did not make them suffer pain, and if we kept them as much as possible from their little pleasures, we might, as soon as they cou'd speak, teach them the most difficult, and most abstracted, or, at least, the most sensible parts of the Mathematics, Mecha∣nics, and other things of the like Nature, which are necessary in the sequel of life: But their Minds are not fit to be applied to abstracted Sciences, when they are agitated by desires, and troubled with frights, which is requisite to be well considered.

For, as an ambitious Man, who shou'd lose his Riches and Honour, or who shou'd have been raised, all of a sudden, to a great Dignity, which he cou'd not have hoped for, wou'd not be in a condition to resolve Metaphysical Questions, or Algebraick Equa∣tions,

but only to do such things as his present passion inspired him with. So Children, in whose Brain an Apple, and Sugar-plumb, make as deep impressions, as Offices and Grandeurs do in that of a Man of Forty, are not in a condition of hearing such abstracted Truths as we teach them. So that it may be affirm∣ed, there is nothing more contrary to the advance∣ment of Children in the Sciences, than the continual Divertisements wherewith they recompence them, and the continual Punishments they threaten them with.

But what is infinitely more considerable, is, that these fears of Chastisement, and these desires of sen∣sible Recompence, with which they fill Childrens Minds, extreamly diverts them from Piety. Devo∣tion is yet more abstracted than Science, it is less re∣lished by corrupted Nature. The Mind of Man is very much inclined to Study, but it is not so to Piety. If, therefore, great agitations permit us not to stu∣dy, altho' we naturally have some pleasure in it, how is it possible that Children, which are taken up with sensible Pleasures wherewith they recom∣pence them, and with the Pains they fright them with, shou'd preserve a sufficient freedom of Mind, to give them any inclination to Piety?

The capacity of the Mind is very much limited, many things are not requisite to fill it, and when it is full, it is incapable of new Thoughts, except it emp∣ties it self of some it had before: But when the Mind is filled with sensible things, it cannot part with them when it will; to conceive this, we must consi∣der we are all naturally inclined to Good, and Plea∣sure being the Character whereby we distinguish it from Evil, it is necessary that Pleasures shou'd affect us, and employ us more than all the rest. Pleasure then being united to the use of sensible things, because they are the Goods of Mans Body, there is a kind of necessity that these goods shou'd fill the capacity of our Minds, until God by imbittering them, gives us a distaste and horror of them, and by his Grace,

makes us feel the sweetness of Heaven, which effaces all the Pleasures of this World. * 1.2 Dando menti caelestem delectationem, quâ omnis terrena delectatio superetur.

But because we are as much inclined to shun Evil as to love Good, and Pain is the Character that Na∣ture has united to Evil, all that we have said of Plea∣sure, must, in a contrary sensce, be understood of Pain.

Since those things, therefore, that make us feel Pleasure and Pain, fill the capacity of the Mind, and that it is not in our power to quit, or not to be affect∣ed with them, when we please; it is plain, that we cannot make Children be inclined to Piety no more than Men, if we do not begin with them according to the Precepts of the Gospel, by a privation of all things that touch the Senses, and which excite great desires and great fears, since all the Passions darken and extinguish Grace, and that inward love to our Duty, which God has implanted in us.

The least Children have reason as well as Men, al∣tho' they have not experience, they have also the same natural inclinations tho' they are carried to very different Objects; they must, therefore, be accustom'd to guide themselves by reason, since they have it, and excited to their Duty by rightly managing their good Inclinations. It destroys their reason, and corrupts their best inclina∣tions to engage them to their Duty by sensible im∣pressions. They appear then to be in their Duty, but 'tis only an appearance; Virtue is neither engraven in their Mind nor Heart; they scarcely know it, and they love it much less. Their Mind is full of fears and desires, of aversions to, and love of sensible things, which they cannot disingage themselves from to gain their Liberty, and to make use of their Rea∣son. Thus Children, who are educated after this base and servile manner, accustom themselves by lit∣tle and little, to a certain insensibility of all the Sentiments of honest Men, and good Christians, which continues with them all their Lives; and when they think themselves freed from Chastisements, either by their Authority or Craft, they abandon themselves

to whatever flatters their Concupiscence and their Senses, because, indeed, they know no other good than what is sensible.

It is true, there are some occurrences wherein it is necessary to instruct Children by their Senses, but it must only be done when Reason is not sufficient. They must first be perswaded to their Duty by Rea∣son, and if they are not capable of acknowledging their obligations to it, it will be best to let them alone for some time; for to force them to do outwardly, what they did not believe their Duty, wou'd not be to instruct them, since 'tis the Mind must be taught and not the Body: * 1.3 But if they refuse to do what Reason tells them they ought to do, it must never be suffered, some sort of severity must rather be used, for in such a case, according to the Wise man, He that spares the Rod hates his Son.

If Chastisements neither Instruct the Mind, nor incline us to love Virtue, yet at least, in some mea∣sure, they correct the Body, and hinder it from relish∣ing Vice, and by consequence, prevent it from being a slave to it. But what must chiefly be observed, is, that Punishments fill not the capacity of the Mind as Pleasures do, for they are no sooner at an end, and we free from the danger of suffering them again, but we are easily induced to forget them, because then they neither solicit the Imagination, nor excite the Passions; nor provoke the Concupiscence. In fine, they leave the Mind wholly at liberty to think on what it pleases, so that we may exercise it to∣wards Children, to keep them in their Duty, or, at least, in the appearance of it.

But tho' it is sometimes necessary to deter and punish Children by sensible Chastisements, yet it must not from thence be concluded, that we ought to perswade them by sensible rewards; we must never make use of any thing that very much affects the Senses, but when the utmost necessity requires it: And there is no need of affecting them with sensible rewards, by representing Pleasures to them as the

end of their Labours. For, on the contrary, it wou'd corrupt their best Actions, and rather incline them to Sensuality than Virtue.

The Impressions of those Pleasures we have once tasted, continue very strongly to affect the Imaginati∣on, and often revive in us the Idea's of sensible Goods, always exciting importunate desires which disturb the peace of the Mind: And, in short, they stir up the Concupiscence upon every occasion, and it is as Leaven that corrupts the whole lump. But this is not a proper place to explain these things as they ought to be.

Notes

• * 1.1

  II. Advice for the well Educating of Children.
• * 1.2

  S. Aug.
• * 1.3

  Qui parcie virgae edit filium su∣um. Pro. 13.24.