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letter which I had occasion to write to Mr。 Crofts (who sent you; I

believe; as well as myself; a copy of his treatise on the English and

German languages; as preliminary to an Etymological dictionary he

meditated) I went into explanations with him of an easy process for

simplifying the study of the Anglo…Saxon; and lessening the terrors;

and difficulties presented by it's rude Alphabet; and unformed

orthography。  But this is a subject beyond the bounds of a letter; as

it was beyond the bounds of a Report to the legislature。  Mr。 Crofts

died; I believe; before any progress was made in the work he had

projected。




        The reviewer expresses doubt; rather than decision; on our

placing Military and Naval architecture in the department of Pure

Mathematics。  Military architecture embraces fortification and field

works; which with their bastions; curtains; hornworks; redoubts etc。

are based on a technical combination of lines and angles。  These are

adapted to offence and defence; with and against the effects of

bombs; balls; escalades etc。  But lines and angles make the sum of

elementary geometry; a branch of Pure Mathematics: and the direction

of the bombs; balls; and other projectiles; the necessary appendages

of military works; altho' no part of their architecture; belong to

the conic sections; a branch of transcendental geometry。  Diderot and

Dalembert therefore; in their Arbor scientiae; have placed military

architecture in the department of elementary geometry。  Naval

architecture teaches the best form and construction of vessels; for

which best form it has recourse to the question of the Solid of least

resistance; a problem of transcendental geometry。  And it's

appurtenant projectiles belong to the same branch; as in the

preceding case。  It is true that so far as respects the action of the

water on the rudder and oars; and of the wind on the sails; it may be

placed in the department of mechanics; as Diderot and Dalambert have

done: but belonging quite as much to geometry; and allied in it's

military character; to military architecture; it simplified our plan

to place both under the same head。  These views are so obvious that I

am sure they would have required but a second thought to reconcile

the reviewer to their _location_ under the head of Pure Mathematics。

For this word _Location_; see Bailey; Johnson; Sheridan; Walker etc。

But if Dictionaries are to be the Arbiters of language; in which of

them shall we find _neologism_。  No matter。  It is a good word; well

sounding; obvious; and expresses an idea which would otherwise

require circumlocution。  The Reviewer was justifiable therefore in

using it; altho' he noted at the same time; as unauthoritative;

_centrality_; _grade_; _sparse_; all which have been long used in

common speech and writing。  I am a friend to _neology_。  It is the

only way to give to a language copiousness and euphony。  Without it

we should still be held to the vocabulary of Alfred or of Ulphilas;

and held to their state of science also: for I am sure they had no

words which could have conveyed the ideas of Oxigen; cotyledons;

zoophytes; magnetism; electricity; hyaline; and thousands of others

expressing ideas not then existing; nor of possible communication in

the state of their language。  What a language has the French become

since the date of their revolution; by the free introduction of new

words!  The most copious and eloquent in the living world; and equal

to the Greek; had not that been regularly modifiable almost ad

infinitum。  Their rule was that whenever their language furnished or

adopted a root; all it's branches; in every part of speech were

legitimated by giving them their appropriate terminations。

{adelphos} '〃brother〃'; {adelphe} '〃sister〃'; {adelphidion} '〃little

brother〃'; {adelphotes} '〃brotherly affection〃'; {adelphixis}

'〃brotherhood〃'; {adelphidoys} '〃nephew〃'; {adelphikos} '〃brotherly;〃

adj。'; {adelphizo} '〃to adopt as a brother〃'; {adelphikos}

'〃brotherly;〃 adv。'。  And this should be the law of every language。

Thus; having adopted the adjective _fraternal_; it is a root; which

should legitimate fraternity; fraternation; fraternisation;

fraternism; to fraternate; fraternise; fraternally。  And give the

word neologism to our language; as a root; and it should give us it's

fellow substantives; neology; neologist; neologisation; it's

adjectives neologous; neological; neologistical; it's verb neologise;

and adverb neologically。  Dictionaries are but the depositories of

words already legitimated by usage。  Society is the work…shop in

which new ones are elaborated。  When an individual uses a new word;

if illformed it is rejected in society; if wellformed; adopted; and;

after due time; laid up in the depository of dictionaries。  And if;

in this process of sound neologisation; our transatlantic brethren

shall not choose to accompany us; we may furnish; after the Ionians;

a second example of a colonial dialect improving on it's primitive。




        But enough of criticism: let me turn to your puzzling letter of

May 12。 on matter; spirit; motion etc。  It's croud of scepticisms

kept me from sleep。  I read it; and laid it down: read it; and laid

it down; again and again: and to give rest to my mind; I was obliged

to recur ultimately to my habitual anodyne; ‘I feel: therefore I

exist。' I feel bodies which are not myself: there are other

existencies then。  I call them _matter_。  I feel them changing place。

This gives me _motion_。  Where there is an absence of matter; I call

it _void_; or _nothing_; or _immaterial space_。  On the basis of

sensation; of matter and motion; we may erect the fabric of all the

certainties we can have or need。  I can concieve _thought_ to be an

action of a particular organisation of matter; formed for that

purpose by it's creator; as well as that _attraction_ in an action of

matter; or _magnetism_ of loadstone。  When he who denies to the

Creator the power of endowing matter with the mode of action called

_thinking_ shall shew how he could endow the Sun with the mode of

action called _attraction_; which reins the planets in the tract of

their orbits; or how an absence of matter can have a will; and; by

that will; put matter into motion; then the materialist may be

lawfully required to explain the process by which matter exercises

the faculty of thinking。  When once we quit the basis of sensation;

all is in the wind。  To talk of _immaterial_ existences is to talk of

_nothings_。  To say that the human soul; angels; god; are immaterial;

is to say they are _nothings_; or that there is no god; no angels; no

soul。  I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my

creed of materialism by Locke; Tracy; and Stewart。  At what age of

the Christian church this heresy of _immaterialism_; this masked

atheism; crept in; I do not know。  But a heresy it certainly is。

Jesus taught nothing of it。  He told us indeed that ‘God is a

spirit;' but he has not defined what a spirit is; nor said that it is

not _matter_。  And the antient fathers generally; if not universally;

held it to be matter: light and thin indeed; an etherial gas; but

still matter。  Origen says ‘Deus reapse corporalis est; sed graviorum

tantum corporum ratione; incorporeus。' Tertullian ‘quid enim deus

nisi corpus?' and again ‘quis negabit deumesse corpus?  Etsi deus

spiritus; spiritus etiam corpus est; sui generis; in sua effigie。'

St。 Justin Martyr ‘{to Theion phamen einai asomaton oyk oti asomaton

 epeide de to me krateisthai ypo tinos; toy krateisthai timioteron

esti; dia toyto kaloymen ayton asomaton。}' And St。 Macarius; speaking

of angels says ‘quamvis enim subtilia sint; tamen in substantia;

forma et figura; secundum tenuitatem naturae eorum; corpora sunt

tenuia。' And St。 Austin; St。 Basil; Lactantius; Tatian; Athenagoras

and others; with whose writings I pretend not a familiarity; are said

by those who are; to deliver the same doctrine。  Turn to your Ocellus

d'Argens 97。 105。 and to his Timaeus 17。 for these quotations。  In

England these Immaterialists might have been burnt until the 29。 Car。

2。 when the writ de haeretico comburendo was abolished: and here

until the revolution; that statute not having extended to us。  All

heresies being now done away with us; these schismatists are merely

atheists; differing from the material Atheist only in their belief

that ‘nothing made something;' and from the material deist who

believes that matter alone can operate on matter。




        Rejecting all organs of information therefore but my senses; I

rid myself of the Pyrrhonisms with which an indulgence in

speculations hyperphysical and antiphysical so uselessly occupy and

disquiet the mind。  A single sense may indeed be sometimes decieved;

but rarely: and never all our senses together; with their faculty of

reasoning。  They evidence realities; and there are enough of these

for all the purposes of life; without plunging into the fathomless

abyss of dreams and phantasms。  I am satisfied; and sufficiently

occupied with the things which are; without tormenting or troubling

myself about those which may indeed be; but of which I have no

evidence。  I am sure that I really know many; many; things; and none

more surely than that I love you with all my heart; and pray for the

continuance of your life until you shall be tired of it yourself。







        JUDICIAL SUBVERSION




        _To Thomas Ritchie_

        _Monticello; December 25; 1820_




        DEAR SIR;  On my return home after a long absence; I find

here your favor of November the 23d; with Colonel Taylor's

〃Construction Construed;〃 which you have been so kind as to send me;

in the name of the author as well as yourself。  Permit me; if you

please; to use the same channel for conveying to him the thanks I

render you also for this mark of attention。  I shall read it; I know;

with edification; as I did his Inquiry; to w

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