The benevolent affections are original feelings, flow ing immediately from principles implanted in our na ture. The benevolent affections enumerated by Dr. Reid, are parental affection, gratitude, pity, esteem of the wise and good, friendship, love, and public spirit : to which Mr. Stewart adds filial affection, and affection of kindred. It is obvious, that, on this plan, the enumera tion may be considerably extended ; but this would only be tracing the ramifications of one or two original prin ciples, which assume different aspects according to the circumstances in which they are exhibited. It would be to confine our attention to the branches, the foliage, and the fruit, without considering the root by which they arc nourished ; or the cultivation which is necessary to render them fresh and vigorous.
Of the benevolent affections decidedly original, are love and parental affection ; these lead us at once, with out reasoning, and without calculation of consequences, to desire the happiness of those who are the objects of them : and we believe, that from these two, most, if not all, the other benevolent affections may be derived.
The love of a parent to his child is irresistible : it is a strong constraining principle, alike imperative on man and the greater portion of the brute creation. Some among the ancients imagined that there was a kind of undefinable feeling which they called sof-/n, inclining the hearts of parents and children to each other, though from any accident their features and persons should not have been previously known. This notion now seldom finds a place, except in the dreams of romance. But though the feeling be divested of those mysterious powers, which some, who had more imagi nation than philosophy, once ascribed to it, it is still suf ficiently prominent, and asserts its decided claim as one of the strongest original feelings of our nature.
The parental feeling is powerfully manifested in the lower animals. Every boy must remember how art fully he has been misled by the partridge, the snipe, the lapwing, or the wood-pigeon, when they feigned distress, and exposed themselves to evident danger, for the protection of their young. A hen, proverbial for cowardice, will attack the most formidable mastiff, when he conies too near her brood ; and it is curious to ob serve the intimidating effect of rage, even when de void of strength : the most powerful animals often shrink from the feeblest assailant, when it is armed with the reckless courage inspired by parental affection. We have seen a sheep fairly beat off a fox who attempt ed to seize her lamb. And as a farther illustration of the power of parental affection, and of the intimidation or respect which the courageous display of it inspires into the most powerful animals, we may mention a re corded fact which must be familiar to many readers.
A lion, who had broke out of a menagerie in a town in Italy, seized a child whom he found in the street, and was carrying it off the mother perceiving the circum stance, threw herself, in a frantic manner, before the lion, and loudly demanded her child. The animal, as 'finished or terrified, dropped his intended prey, and al lowed the distracted mother to carry off her child in safety.
In man, indeed, the parental feeling derives additional force from the principle of association, and a thousand adventitious aids are brought into action, to strengthen and confirm its power. \Ve may, nay, we must become more attatched to our own children than to the children of others, were it for nothing else than the mere fre quency of intercourse : and as soon as we see our ca resses appreciated, and our anxious desire to please re paid by a smile, an additional bond of endearment is created, and a mutual interchange of love is established.
We wonder that this was not perceived by the accu rate Dr. Reid to be sufficient to account for the strong affection which a nurse entertains, even for a child that is not her own. " It is very remarkable," he observes, gc that when the office of rearing a child is transferred from the parent to another person, nature seems to transfer the affection along with the office. A wet nurse, or even a dry nurse, has commonly the same affection for her nursling as if she had born it. The fact is so well known, that nothing needs be said to confirm it, and it seems to be the work of It is indeed the work of nature, acting on the infalli ble principles of association : but, in its origin, it has nothing akin to parental affection, which is an inborn, not an implanted quality, and which may be strength ened by various associations, though it is not generated by them.
The desire of founding a family, and transmitting a name to posterity, may operate with some as an in ducement to pay particular attention to the rearing of their offspring. But these are only secondary consi derations ; and the feeling operates in full force, where they are unfelt and unknown. For even when the pros pect of a family presents nothing but additional burdens, and accumulated cares, yet even then the parental feel ing is twined round the heart ; and that man would be reckoned little better than a monster, who would hesitate to risk life itself for the safety of his child.