William Armes

“ I dare not admit the idea that the testimony of Scripture depends for its acceptance upon the sufferance of Modern Science. I take vastly higher ground, and believe that the Christian man may approach with confidence to the investigation of any phenomena in Nature, in the assurance that, so far as it is true, it will not be found inconsonant with what he rightly considers to be the Word of God. ”

“ Perhaps the most singular attempt to graft Infidelity on any thing called a Science, is by those who associate their denial of the Christian Revelation with the doctrines of Phrenology, as if there were any earthly connection between the form of the human skull, or its effects upon the human character upon the one hand, and the truth or falsehood of our Religion on the other ”

“ The answer to this objection I hold to be, that at present, we have nothing to do with the use or abuse of the assumed power; our only object is, to inquire into its existence; that must necessarily be ascertained before it can, in any way, be employed: I feel assured, that, if the power, claimed by Mesmerism, do really exist, it, in common with all the powers of Nature, is capable of producing good ”

“ The reader will bear in mind, that I profess not even to conjecture, in this argument, the truth or fallacy of the system, that Phrenologists p. 25have laid down; I am only endeavouring to disabuse the mind of the serious and pious man of any fears for his Religion, on the possibility that Phrenology should be found true.
No man can have observed human Nature, with even common or ordinary care, but must have been impressed with the fact, that there is as much diversity in the development of mind as is apparent, to common observation, in the structure of the body. ”

“ Every thing new comes to us clothed with suspicion; and the most intelligent and best men are reluctant to forego long cherished ideas and hypothesis in favour of a new doctrine, and too hastily to adopt the novelty, among such persons, is to lose cast in society, and to incur the appellation of Enthusiasts in the world.
Farther, when the bare truth of any discovery has been generally allowed, we find, that the movement has been very slow indeed by which it has advanced to perfection. ”

“ How far I have succeeded the Reader and the Public must determine. I have designed offence to no one, and I hope that no one has been offended. As to the remarks I felt compelled to make upon the Gentlemen who have published upon the subject, I think the reader will allow that I was justified, by the pamphlets p. 27themselves, for the course I have pursued.
I now take leave of the subject, careless as to the success of Mesmerism or Phrenology; and only solicitous that every facility should be afforded for the complete exhibition and testing of so important phenomena. ”

“ By what tardy steps has Naval Architecture advanced from the time that the first Savage ventured upon a plank across the brook, until, in our day, the Navies of the Nations are spreading their canvas up the oceans of the world? ”

“ The difficulty appears to be, to get mankind to understand that the wonders of Nature are no less wonderful because we are permitted, successfully, to explore the various laws and modes of her operations. ”

“ But, should we not rather be the more impressed with the greatness and the condescension of God, just in proportion as we are permitted to advance, cautiously and tremblingly indeed, in the contemplation and understanding of his work? ”

“ I believe much harm is done to Religion by the well intentioned but idle fears of Christians, upon the introduction of any new Science; their Faith and not their Fears should be called into exercise. I believe the Bible to be given by the Author of Nature, and that he never gave any information to his Creatures which could ever p. ”

“ The best men have, in all ages, been too much p. 21disposed to put their Faith in abeyance, while their Fears have been allowed to proclaim a danger to Religion; and, alas! too often to persecute those who have made the most useful and important discoveries.
It is well known that the Copernican System was declared by the Pope, on its introduction, in a bull, specially issued for the purpose, to be “false in fact and heretical in religion,” and its author was doomed to imprisonment for his discovery! ”

“ Who, I ask, does not at once see, that in the one case, we are imposed upon by a clever Impostor, and cannot help ourselves; while in the other, we can test almost every experiment by trials of our own, and need draw no conclusion but from the result of our own individual and absolute experiment. ”

“ One man is mentally competent to, and would excel in one department of Art or Science or of ordinary Business in which another would certainly fail, while the first would be equally deficient in another department, not by any means requiring more than common sagacity to insure success. ”

“ And we venture to affirm of all the other Sciences, that no discovery has been made in any of them, which is not in every way as inconsequential to the point at issue; and that the truths of all Philosophy put together as little interfere with the truths of the Gospel as the discoveries of the Astronomer interfere with the discoveries of the Anatomist. ”

“ Cotton himself, in common with the profession generally.
With the doubts or convictions, resting upon the minds of those who have examined the subject, I have nothing to do; each individual has p. 10the power, given him by the Creator, to examine for himself; and he should be guided by his own convictions, and by those convictions alone; but, when any person is determined to shut his eyes to evidence, and then tells me he cannot see, I can only reply, “It would be Mesmerism indeed if you could;” ”

“ These two gentlemen, sheltering themselves under the names of those great men, who, it is very true, have discarded, or thrown doubt upon the subject of Mesmerism, have pleased themselves with the idea of their honourable companionship: they have exulted in the presumption of being influenced by the same genius ”

“ He asks, “Is any one so foolish, as to believe that there are men whose feet are higher than their heads; trees growing downwards; rain, snow, and hail, falling upwards?”
Lactantius feared that his Religion and the new theory could not exist together. We have become assured of the truth of the theory, and who now fears for the Scriptures on account of the globular form of the Earth?
Some few years since Geology was introduced as a science, the Christian World became alarmed ”

“ It may not be familiar to my readers, that even Navigation, by the discovery and pursuit of which mankind in our day are always passing in large numbers upon the Ocean, which we term in modern language, the “Highway of Nations;” which is quite indispensible to the intercourse and commerce of the world ”

“ The Indian comes before you professing to deceive, he defies you indeed to discern the process of imposture, and sometimes the observer is so astonished that he falls back on the only idea that can serve him at the moment, (so completely are his senses paralyzed) that, there must be some superhuman agency employed ”

“ Much of the difficulty in the minds of well meaning Christians, in all ages, in relation to discoveries in Nature has doubtless arisen from the peculiar and poetical language in which the Scriptural Record is expressed. ”

“ They have, in pursuance of their Theory, mapped out the human scull into compartments, to each of which they have assigned a particular faculty or sentiment, and they profess to tell, with some degree of accuracy, the individual character by the peculiar formation of the head. ”

“ Man is a complex being, “fearfully and wonderfully p. 24made,” having, besides his bodily powers, some principle which keeps the machine in motion, and some unseen, yet evident power of volition by the aid, and at the command of which his several actions are performed. ”

“ Many smaller Meetings have been held, at the houses of the several Gentlemen engaged in the inquiry, and, at those Meetings, a process of examination and of testing the experiments has been pursued, which, could p. 8not be adopted at a Public Meeting. I would here remark, that, at all these Meetings, Mr. Brookes has, cheerfully and gratuitously, afforded every possible opportunity of testing his exhibitions; and, I feel assured, that he will not dissent from my testimony to the courteous, though careful and rigid, character of the investigation. ”

“ Our only object has been, as far as possible, to examine the facts, and to prevent, if in our power, any imposture being palmed upon the Town; and I submit that we have been as honorably employed as Messrs. Taylor and Cotton in their mere attempts at ridicule. To the latter Gentleman I would recommend the perusal of Dr. Dickson’s “Fallacies of the Faculty,” where he would learn that he is not the first professional person who has employed ridicule, instead of scrutiny, on the introduction of new theories, some of which, by the way, are now adopted by Mr. ”