The Phrenological Journal and Miscellany

In a former essay (vol. ix. p. 402) I collected a multitude of facts and illustrations, very diverse in their aspect, and brought together from the most dissimilar sources, but all tending to support the conclusion, that, by a law of human nature, the organ of Destructiveness is uniformly excited sympathetically, whenever any other of the cerebral organs is disagreeably active, the intensity of the destructive emotion varying with that of the exciting pain. My present object is to shew, that, by a law perfectly analogous, the organ of Benevolence receives excitement from the agreeable or pleasurable action of the organs of the other mental powers.

As formerly observed, it is through the medium of those faculties which predominate in the human mind, and which, by reason of their strength, are most liable to experience painful as well as pleasurable emotions, that Destructiveness is most frequently roused. Such a faculty, par excellence, is Self-Esteem. Hence an insult is very apt to kindle him who receives it into fury. On the other hand, by offering gratification to Self-Esteem, the benevolence of human beings is wonderfully increased. Goodwill and clemency, therefore, are every where sought for by means of submissive and respectful conduct towards those whose favour it is wished to obtain. So universally is this known and understood, that it hardly stands in need of illustration. A humorous anecdote, related by Selden in his Table-Talk, will therefore suffice for the purpose. A Spaniard being told by his confessor what torments were inflicted by the devil upon sinners, replied, "I hope my lord the devil is not so cruel." The confessor reproving him for this," Excuse me," said the Spaniard,

"for calling him so: I know not into what hands I may fall; and if I happen into his, I hope he will use me the better for giving him good words."

Objects which gratify Philoprogenitiveness and Adhesiveness uniformly attract the benevolent regard of the party to whom they give delight. A man's wife, children, and friends, are treated by him with an amount of kindness far beyond what is extended to his fellow-citizens at large. Dr Thomas Brown expresses nearly the same idea, by saying, that "we desire in a particular degree the happiness of those whom we love, because we cannot think of them without tender admiration ;"* and indeed, so uniformly is Benevolence excited towards the objects of the domestic affections, that the results of its activity in such cases have frequently been confounded with those of the propensities by which it is stimulated. Philoprogenitiveness and Adhesiveness seem to me to be the sources of nothing beyond mere attachment, and desire of the society of their respective objects; deeds of kindness, intentionally such, I humbly conceive to arise from Benevolence alone. Where Amativeness and Adhesiveness concur in rendering a person extremely agreeable, the kindly feeling thus occasioned as an accompaniment, or rather constituent, of love, is of a very intense and decided character. There is nothing, in fact, which a lover will not do in order to please his mistress :

"How have I seen a gentle nymph draw nigh,
Peace in her air, persuasion in her eye;

Victorious tenderness! it all o'ercame,

Husbands looked mild, and savages grew tame."‡

:-

Here, consequently, is found a clear and obvious explanation of the fact, that, generally speaking, there is much more of kindly feeling between males and females than between persons of the same sex. And the more agreeable a lady is rendered by her beauty, the more flattering are the marks of attention she receives.

With respect to Acquisitiveness, it is sufficient to remark, that in all countries, and from the earliest ages of the world down to our own time, gifts have been resorted to as one of the surest and most effectual means of exciting good-will. Love of Approbation is another feeling very generally appealed to for compassing the same end. Savage and other heathen nations, ascribing to their deities the passions and desires of which they themselves were conscious, have universally sought to appease

Lectures, iii. 541.

+ See in particular Dr Gall's remarks on the influence of Adhesiveness upon the character-Sur les Fonctions du Cerveau, iii. 475-7.

Young's Love of Fame. Sat. 5, v. 109–112.