Elements of the philosophy of the human mind. By Dugald Stewart. Rev. and abridged, with critical and explanatory notes, for the use of colleges and schools. By Francis Bowen ...

IMAGINATION. 345
senting any image to the mind, but by having, from use, the
sane effect on being mentioned, that their original has when it
is seen. Suppose we were to read a passage to this effect:'The river Danube rises in a moist and mountainous soil in the
heart of Germany, where, winding to and fro, it waters several
principalities, until, turning into Austria, and leaving the walls
of Vienna, it passes into Hungary; there, with a vast flood, augmented by the Saave and the Drave, it quits Christendom, and,
rolling through the barbarous countries which border on Tartary, it enters by many mouths into the Black Sea.' In this description, many things are mentioned; as mountains, rivers, cities, the sea, etc. But let anybody examine himself, and see
whether he has had impressed on his imagination any pictures
of a river, mountain, watery soil, Germany, etc. Indeed, it is
impossible, in the rapidity and quick succession of words in conversation, to have ideas both of the sound of the word, and of
the thing represented; besides, some words expressing real essences are so mixed with others of a general and nominal import, that it is impracticable to jump from sense to thought, from
particulars to generals, from things to words, in such a manner
as to answer the purposes of life; nor is it necessary that we
should."
In further confirmation of this doctrine, Mr. Burke refers to
the poetical works of the late amiable and ingenious Dr. Blacklock [the blind poet]. " Iere," says he, "is a poet, doubtless as
much acfected by his own descriptions as any that reads them can
be; and yet he is affected with this strong enthusiasm, by things
of which he neither has, nor can possibly have, any idea, further
than that of a bare sound; and why may not those who read
his works be affected in the same manner that he was, with as
little of any real ideas of the things described?"
Some words do not raise ideas, but only excite emotions. - Before I proceed to make any remarks on these passages, I must
observe in general, that I perfectly agree with Mr. Burke, in
thinking that a very great proportion of the words which we
habitually employ, have no effect to raise ideas in the mind; or
to exercise the powers of conception and imagination. My no