ARTS THE origin of the arts is founded in the natural wants and desires of man. As formed by Nature, he is the most helpless and unprotected of all beings ; destitute of covering from the inclemencies of the weather ; unpro vided with any weapons either for defence or attack ; and untaught by instinct to seek out and prepare the food most suitable to his constitution. In such a state he is destitute of those comforts and enjoyments, which are secured to almost the meanest of the animal tribes. But he is provided with capacities of intellect, which, when properly called into exercise, are sufficient to find a re medy for all his original wants. Spurred by the neces sities of his situation, he invents clothing for his naked ness, constructs dwellings for shelter, arms himself with offensive and defensive weapons, and discovers many expedients for converting into suitable food, the vege table and animal stores which Nature has scattered around him.
Thus arise in succession the various arts that are either useful or ornamental to life. Their progress keeps pace with the improvement of the human spe cies, and is illustrative of the developement of the fa culties of the human mind. The interval between a rude and refined state of the arts is indeed immense ; and it is not easy completely to fill up every link of the chain of progression : but the investigation is not only curious, but highly useful, as it throws light upon the history of society ; proves the benefits arising from the intercourse and reunion of families; and the happy fruits which spring from peace and good government ; under the fostering influence of which alone the arts arc found to flourish, and to attain that maturity which is characteristic of a polished nation.
According to many authors, the arts owe their origin to the imitative principles of human nature ; and man had no other prompter for their invention than the brute creation. " It may be true," says Lord Monbocido, " that men first learned to build from the swallow ; from the spider to weave ; and from the birds to sing," (Orig.
and Prog. of Lang. b. i.) This hypothesis makes a pleasing figure in the versification of Mr Pope ; but it is certainly more congenial to the fancy of a poet than the science of a philosopher.•('). The wants of uncivi lized man were too pressing to wait the tedious progress of any such course of instruction as this for the various arts subservient to his necessities; and the models here supposed to have suggested his imitation, were too rude, and too dissimilar to the expedients suited to his situ ation. to have served him any useful purpose. It is, in deed, altogether superfluous to seek for any other mo tive to the invention of the ordinary arts of life, than the pressing wants of man in a mere state of nature, and destitute of this assistance : The first rise of the arts is hid in the remoteness of an tiquity, and is indeed almost coeval with the origin of man himself. That many arts were known and prac tised before the deluge, is directly testified by holy writ. Moses tells us, that Cain built a city (Gen. iv. 17:) ; that Tubal Cain practised the art of working metals, and particularly iron (v. 22.); that his brother Jubal was the inventor of musical instruments (v. 21.), &c. But the greatest part of these arts may be supposed to have perished with the deluge. This is, indeed, ex pressly declared by the best writers of antiquity, who unanimously aver, that the arts previously invented, were lost in this great catastrophe ; and that many ages elapsed before they were discovered again, because the earth was left almost a desert, and the first men had little communication with one another, (Plato De Leg. 1. iii.). Even should we suppose that various arts were preserved by Noah and his sons, the confusion of tongues, and dispersion of families, which so soon fol lowed the flood, must have nearly effaced the traces of those that remained, by tending effectually to replunge men into a state of original barbarism.