4. Sensations are to be considered, not only as the original materials for the various operations of intellect, but as the sources of all the mental pleasures and pains. In the earliest periods of life, probably there is no sensation unaccom panied either with pleasure or with pain ; and as man is constituted, this is neces• saty, both to fix the attention upon the objects of sense, and for self-preservation. Pleasurable sensations are called sensible pleasures, painful sensations sensible pains. The pleasurable sensations leave behind them pleasurable ideas, which are called mental or intellectual pleasures ; and in the same manner the painful sen sations leave behind them painful ideas, which are called mental pains. Mental pleasures combine with one another, and form more complex feelings, and these with others, and so on till, owing to the very great complexity of the whole, the component parts are not discernible. In this stage of their progress it is that they generally fall under our inspection. They appear to us at first to have no con nection with sensations; but this is merely because we cannot readily sepa rate them into their component parts. Reasonable evidence can be adduced to show, that all the mental pleasures and pains have their origin, indeed are form ed solely of the relics of sensible plea sures and pains.
5. Considering sensible pleasures and painsas the rudiments of mental pleasures and pains, it is requisite, during the early part of life, to keep the inlets of sensation in a fit state for receiving them, and not to check the one, or to impose the other, except where an enlightened regard to the future welfare requires it. The health of the body should be attended to, not merely as a means of present and fu ture sensible enjoyment, but as increas ing the fund of materials for the purest mental pleasures. Childhood should be regarded as the time for the acquisition of materials. not only for the intellect, but for the affections. its pleasures should be restrained only by those limits which the laws of sensation and association im pose ; which require that they should be moderate, and connected only with such objects as will not lead to future pains : its unavoidable pains should, as far as possible, be removed ; and no avoidable ones imposed, except what the laws of association require, that is, those which are necessary for the removing or pre venting of greater evil, either by reme dying bodily disorders, and destroying false associations, or by connecting sen sible pains with such objects as would lead to future pains, more important ei ther as to Avidness or duration.
6. The grand law insensible pleasures and pains is, that by frequent repetition they lose their vividness. This is a law, to which may be traced various important facts connected with the moral culture.
Whatever be the peculiar mode by which. impressions from the objects of sense are transmitted through the nerves to the brain, it seems decidedly probable, that the difference between pleasurable and painful sensations consists (as far as re spects the sensations themselves) in de gree only : that pain has the same cause as pleasure, except that it acts more in tensely. "All pleasure," as Hartley re marks, "appears to pass into pain by in creasing its cause, impression, duration, sensibility of the organ upon which it is impressed, &C.: thus an agreeable warmth may be made to pass into a troublesome or burning heat, by in crease or continuance ; and the same thing holds with respect to friction, light, and sound." Hence, since repe
tition diminishes the vividness of the sensation, (provided there be no increase in the exciting cause, or in the sensi bility of the organ, &c.) great pain will by repetition gradually subside Into pain less intense ; pains may he converted by repetition into pleasures, and plea sures may be converted into indiffer ent sensations. This progress may be observed in the effects of spirituous liquors, or any other stimuli, which strongly affect the organs of taste. There are probably no cases in which the taste of spirituous liquors would originally be otherwise than disagree able ; by degrees the repeated use of them brings the sensations which they occasion within the limit of pleasure ; even then a considerable increase of the quantity taken would heighten the sen sations to the limits of pain ; but sup pose the pleasurable portion continued without increase, the repeated use of it diminishes the vividness of the pleasure, till at last the sensation produced is com pletely indifferent—We here adduce the fact merely as illustrative of the general principle.
7. We have stated, in the separate arti cles above referred to, that the original sensible pleasures derived from the taste and smell are very numerous, and far ex ceed the pains ; that the original sensi ble pleasures derived from the sight and the hearing are also numerous, while the original sensible pains are few ; and that the original sensible pleasures derived from the sense of feeling are le.is intense than the pains derived from that sense, which are more numerous and vivid than all the other sensible pains united. From this account we should be led to infer, that the pains of sensation are very far exceeded by the pleasures of sensation.— This will be still more evident, when we recollect that the pleasurable sensations are those of constant occurrence : the pain ful sensations much more rare. In the ear ly part of life, most sensations that are not painful are pleasurable ; and the pleasura ble are continually recurring. The eye and the ear seem to convey scarcely any thing but pleasurable sensations to the infant mind; the taste and smell are continually pouri:1 in their pleasurable sensations, seldom mixed with pain ; the feeling, when the body is healthy, " when life is felt in every limb," is also constantly add ing to the stock of pleasurable sensa tions, those derived from the glow of health and the active motions of child hood ; to balance all this, there are, in some few cases, frequent pains of body ; but more frequently the pains arising from ill health, are of seldom recurrence, and the artificial sensible pains are still less frequently received. Such is the matter of fact ; and if we consider the cause of the sensible pleasures and pains as dif fering only in degree, we shall readily ad mit, that, on the whole, the pleasurable sensations very far exceed the painful sensations ; for the sensible pains being produced by an excessive action of the organs of sensation, common impressions will not produce them, and should they become very frequent, by the grand law of sensation, already stated, they will gradually diminish in vividness, and at last come within the limits of pleasure.