DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18731#0018
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When agriculture had civilized mankind,
and the benefits of fociety were experienced,
the attentive part of our fpecies, lefs conftrained
to a conftant exertion of unremitted labor,
found the pleafures arifing from their rational
powers far fuperior to thofe of the fenfes ; not
impeding the efforts of induftry (that natural
fource of wealth and eafe,) but while repofing
the body, invigorating the mind, science be-
came the purfuitof all enlightened underftand-
ings.
There is reafon to believe, that among the
firft eflfays of human fkill, the akts of design
had a principal place : as it is natural for
the hand to form fome kind of imitation of
what the eye beholds, fhall I be permitted to
fuppofe, that the fame fertile imagination,
which could invent inftruments of mufic, was
not deftitute of pi&urefque ideas ? that the
fame hardy ingenuity which could form into
various utenfils the maffy ore, might likewife
poffefs talents fufficient for the application of
colors, which required neither toil nor ftrength
to procure, but were prefented by liberal na-
ture upon the furface of the earth ? If this
fuppofition is juft, the arts may claim an origin
of remote!! antiquity ; it is certain, they were
employed by mankind wherever we can trace
the
When agriculture had civilized mankind,
and the benefits of fociety were experienced,
the attentive part of our fpecies, lefs conftrained
to a conftant exertion of unremitted labor,
found the pleafures arifing from their rational
powers far fuperior to thofe of the fenfes ; not
impeding the efforts of induftry (that natural
fource of wealth and eafe,) but while repofing
the body, invigorating the mind, science be-
came the purfuitof all enlightened underftand-
ings.
There is reafon to believe, that among the
firft eflfays of human fkill, the akts of design
had a principal place : as it is natural for
the hand to form fome kind of imitation of
what the eye beholds, fhall I be permitted to
fuppofe, that the fame fertile imagination,
which could invent inftruments of mufic, was
not deftitute of pi&urefque ideas ? that the
fame hardy ingenuity which could form into
various utenfils the maffy ore, might likewife
poffefs talents fufficient for the application of
colors, which required neither toil nor ftrength
to procure, but were prefented by liberal na-
ture upon the furface of the earth ? If this
fuppofition is juft, the arts may claim an origin
of remote!! antiquity ; it is certain, they were
employed by mankind wherever we can trace
the