Cerebral physiology and materialism, with the result of the application of animal magnetism to the cerebral organs, an address... / by W.C. Engledue ; with a letter from Dr. Elliotson, on mesmeric phrenology and materialism.

  • Engledue, W. C. (William Collins), 1814-1859.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cerebral physiology and materialism, with the result of the application of animal magnetism to the cerebral organs, an address... / by W.C. Engledue ; with a letter from Dr. Elliotson, on mesmeric phrenology and materialism. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    crush the most superb intellect, and prevent the utterence of thoughts calculated to invigorate the drooping energies of kindred brains. In this land of liberty, the first touch of our shore infuses freedom into the enslaved muscle, but binds tighter the fetters surrounding thought—bids the trembling captive assert the rights of humanity, but prevents the free action of the organ,—the cause of his superiority. We vote millions of our treasure to unchain limbs, but make our judges persecute men for their opinions and thoughts—in theory and outward appearances encourage candour and free aspirations, in practice and in the secret workings of our institutions, render men hypocrites and slaves. But there are some who laugh at our efforts—who treat our views as chimerical, and our ideas of progression as Utopian. These are the drones of society—these are they who first opposed all attempts at education—who exclaimed, “after all, education is but teaching us to do evil in the best possible way;” and now, because the meagre nature of the supply, the miserable pittance dealt forth, prevents the result from becoming immediately apparent, think they are safe in denouncing all who entertain opposite opinions, as enthusiasts and vulgar zealots. Ye drones! look to the past history of your race. Do ye not observe that man is a progressive being—that the impro¬ babilities and supposed chimeras of one age become the facts and scientific truths of the succeeding; and the limits, if there are limits to change and progression, man can neither foresee nor predict. Ye drag-chains to social improvement! it is ignorance that prompts you to declare that man is to remain “degraded,” “radi¬ cally depraved,” “ desperately wicked,”—that all his labours, let them be ever so Herculean, will not make him a better being, or raise him one degree nearer perfection. We scout such opinions, and we hail with surpassing joy the promulgation of a sounder philosophy; we contend that happiness is not incompatible with humanity; but we know that as much as the arid waste differs from the fertile field, so much does man as he is differ from what he might he. Our task, then, is to proclaim the means to be adopted, to teach what is in man, to insist on the inculcation of this truth— “Man know thyself—all wisdom centres there;”and, above all, to each of our body individually I would say, in the words of the poet— - “ To thine ownself be true; And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou can’st not then be false to any man.”