r　testimony　to　the　value　of　the　instruments　thus　presented　to　them；　an　unusually　moderate　proportion；　when　it　is　remembered　that　to　the　common　motives　of　which　I　have　spoken　was　added　the　seduction　of　a　gift　for　which　the　profane　public　was　expected　to　pay　so　largely。
  It　was　remarkable；　also；　that　Perkinism；　which　had　so　little　success　with　the　medical　and　scientific　part　of　the　community；　found　great　favor　in　the　eyes　of　its　more　lovely　and　less　obstinate　portion。　〃The　lady　of　Major　Oxholin；〃I　quote　from　Mr。　Perkins's　volume；　〃having　been　lately　in　America；　had　seen　and　heard　much　of　the　great　effects　of　Perkinism。　　Influenced　by　a　most　benevolent　disposition；　she　brought　these　Tractors　and　the　pamphlet　with　her　to　Europe；　with　a　laudable　desire　of　extending　their　utility　to　her　suffering　countrymen。〃　　Such　was　the　channel　by　which　the　Tractors　were　conveyed　to　Denmark；　where　they　soon　became　the　ruling　passion。　The　workmen；　says　a　French　writer；　could　not　manufacture　them　fast　enough。　　Women　carried　them　about　their　persons；　and　delighted　in　bringing　them　into　general　use。　　To　what　extent　the　Tractors　were　favored　with　the　patronage　of　English　and　American　ladies；　it　is　of　course　not　easy　to　say；　except　on　general　principles；　as　their　names　were　not　brought　before　the　public。　　But　one　of　Dr。　Haygarth's　stories　may　lead　us　to　conjecture　that　there　was　a　class　of　female　practitioners　who　went　about　doing　good　with　the　Tractors　in　England　as　well　as　in　Denmark。　　A　certain　lady　had　the　misfortune　to　have　a　spot　as　big　as　a　silver　penny　at　the　corner　of　her　eye；　caused　by　a　bruise；　or　some　such　injury。　　Another　lady；　who　was　a　friend　of　hers；　and　a　strong　believer　in　Perkinism；　was　very　anxious　to　try　the　effects　of　tractoration　upon　this　unfortunate　blemish。　　The　patient　consented；　the　lady　〃produced　the　instruments；　and；　after　drawing　them　four　or　five　times　over　the　spot；　declared　that　it　changed　to　a　paler　color；　and　on　repeating　the　use　of　them　a　few　minutes　longer；　that　it　had　almost　vanished；　and　was　scarcely　visible；　and　departed　in　high　triumph　at　her　success。〃　　The　lady　who　underwent　the　operation　assured　the　narrator　〃that　she　looked　in　the　glass　immediately　after；　and　that　not　the　least　visible　alteration　had　taken　place。〃
  It　would　be　a　very　interesting　question；　what　was　the　intellectual　character　of　those　persons　most　conspicuous　in　behalf　of　the　Perkinistic　delusion？　　Such　an　inquiry　might　bring　to　light　some　principles　which　we　could　hereafter　apply　to　the　study　of　other　popular　errors。　　But　the　obscurity　into　which　nearly　all　these　enthusiasts　have　subsided　renders　the　question　easier　to　ask　than　to　answer。　　I　believe　it　would　have　been　found　that　most　of　these　persons　were　of　ardent　temperament　and　of　considerable　imagination；　and　that　their　history　would　show　that　Perkinism　was　not　the　first　nor　the　last　hobby…horse　they　rode　furiously。　　Many　of　them　may　very　probably　have　been　persons　of　more　than　common　talent；　of　active　and　ingenious　minds；　of　versatile　powers　and　various　acquirements。　　Such；　for　instance；　was　the　estimable　man　to　whom　I　have　repeatedly　referred　as　a　warm　defender　of　tractoration；　and　a　bitter　assailant　of　its　enemies。　　The　story　tells　itself　in　the　biographical　preface　to　his　poem。　　He　went　to　London　with　the　view　of　introducing　a　hydraulic　machine；　which　he　and　his　Vermont　friends　regarded　as　a　very　important　invention。　　He　found；　however；　that　the　machine　was　already　in　common　use　in　that　metropolis。　　A　brother　Yankee；　then　in　London；　had　started　the　project　of　a　mill；　which　was　to　be　carried　by　the　water　of　the　Thames。　　He　was　sanguine　enough　to　purchase　one　fifth　of　this　concern；　which　also　proved　a　failure。　　At　about　the　same　period　he　wrote　the　work　which　proved　the　great　excitement　of　his　mind　upon　the　subject　of　the　transient　folly　then　before　the　public。　　Originally　a　lawyer；　he　was　in　succession　a　mechanician；　a　poet；　and　an　editor；　meeting　with　far　less　success　in　each　of　these　departments　than　usually　attends　men　of　less　varied　gifts；　but　of　more　tranquil　and　phlegmatic　composition。　　But　who　is　ignorant　that　there　is　a　class　of　minds　characterized　by　qualities　like　those　I　have　mentioned；　minds　with　many　bright　and　even　beautiful　traits；　but　aimless　and　fickle　as　the　butterfly；　that　settle　upon　every　gayly…　colored　illusion　as　it　opens　into　flower；　and　flutter　away　to　another　when　the　first　has　dropped　its　leaves；　and　stands　naked　in　the　icy　air　of　truth！
  Let　us　now　look　at　the　general　tenor　of　the　arguments　addressed　by　believers　to　sceptics　and　opponents。　　Foremost　of　all；　emblazoned　at　the　head　of　every　column；　loudest　shouted　by　every　triumphant　disputant；　held　up　as　paramount　to　all　other　considerations；　stretched　like　an　impenetrable　shield　to　protect　the　weakest　advocate　of　the　great　cause　against　the　weapons　of　the　adversary；　was　that　omnipotent　monosyllable　which　has　been　the　patrimony　of　cheats　and　the　currency　of　dupes　from　time　immemorial；Facts！　Facts　！　Facts！　First　came　the　published　cases　of　the　American　clergymen；　brigadier…　generals；　almshouse　governors；　representatives；　attorneys；　and　esquires。　　Then　came　the　published　cases　of　the　surgeons　of　Copenhagen。　　Then　followed　reports　of　about　one　hundred　and　fifty　cases　published　in　England；　〃demonstrating　the　efficacy　of　the　metallic　practice　in　a　variety　of　complaints　both　upon　the　human　body　and　on　horses；　etc。〃　　But　the　progress　of　facts　in　Great　Britain　did　not　stop　here。　　Let　those　who　rely　upon　the　numbers　of　their　testimonials；　as　being　alone　sufficient　to　prove　the　soundness　and　stability　of　a　medical　novelty；　digest　the　following　from　the　report　of　the　Perkinistic　Committee。　　〃The　cases　published　＇in　Great　Britain＇　amounted；　in　March　last；　the　date　of　Mr。　Perkins's　last　publication；　to　about　five　thousand。　　Supposing　that　not　more　than　one　cure　in　three　hundred　which　the　Tractors　have　performed　has　been　published；　and　the　proportion　is　probably　much　greater；　it　will　be　seen　that　the　number；　to　March　last；　will　have　exceeded　one　million　five　hundred　thousand！〃
  Next　in　order　after　the　appeal　to　what　were　called　facts；　came　a　series　of　arguments；　which　have　been　so　long　bruised　and　battered
  round　in　the　cause　of　every　doctrine　or　pretension；　new；　monstrous；　or　deliriously　impossible；　that　each　of　them　is　as　odiously　familiar　to　the　scientific　scholar　as　the　faces　of　so　many　old　acquaintances；　among　the　less　reputable　classes；　to　the　officers　of　police。
  No　doubt　many　of　my　hearers　will　recognize；　in　the　following　passages；　arguments　they　may　have　heard　brought　forward　with　triumphant　confidence　in　behalf　of　some　doctrine　not　yet　extinct。　　No　doubt　some　may　have　honestly　thought　they　proved　something；　may　have　used　them　with　the　purpose　of　convincing　their　friends；　or　of　silencing　the　opponents　of　their　favorite　doctrine；　whatever　that　might　be。　　But　any　train　of　arguments　which　was　contrived　for　Perkinism；　which　was　just　as　applicable　to　it　as　to　any　other　new　doctrine　in　the　same　branch　of　science；　and　which　was　fully　employed　against　its　adversaries　forty　years　since；　might；　in　common　charity；　be　suffered　to　slumber　in　the　grave　of　Perkinism。　　Whether　or　not　the　following　sentences；　taken　literally　from　the　work　of　Mr。　Perkins；　were　the　originals　of　some　of　the　idle　propositions　we　hear　bandied　about　from　time　to　time；　let　those　who　listen　judge。
  The　following　is　the　test　assumed　for　the　new　practice　：　〃If　diseases　are　really　removed；　as　those　persons　who　have　practised　extensively　with　the　Tractors　declare；　it　should　seem　there　would　be　but　little　doubt　of　their　being　generally　adopted；　but　if　the　numerous　reports　of　their　efficacy　which　have　been　published　are　forgeries；　or　are　unfounded；　the　practice　ought　to　be　crushed。〃　　To　this　I　merely　add；　it　has　been　crushed。
  The　following　sentence　applies　to　that　a　priori　judging　and　uncandid　class　of　individuals　who　buy　their　dinners　without　tasting　all　the　food　there　is　in　the　market。　　〃On　all　discoveries　there　are　persons　who；　without　descending　to　any　inquiry　into　the　truth；　pretend　to　know；　as　it　were　by　intuition；　that　newly　asserted　facts　are　founded　in　the　grossest　errors。　　These　were　those　who　knew　that　Harvey's　report　of　the　circulation　of　the　blood　was　a　preposterous　and　ridiculous　suggestion；　and　in　latter　later　days　there　were　others　who　knew　that　Franklin　deserved　reproach　for　declaring　that　points　were　preferable　to　balls　for　protecting　buildings　from　lightning。〃
  Again：　〃This　unwarrantable　mode　of　offering　assertion　for　proof；　so　unauthorized　and　even　unprecedented　except　in　the　condemnation　of　a　Galileo；　the　persecution　of　a　Copernicus；　and　a　few　other　acts　of　inquisitorial　authority；　in　the　times　of　ignorance　and　superstition；　affords　but　a　lamentable　instance　of　one　of　his　remarks；　that　this　is　far　from　being　the　Age　of　Reason。〃
  〃The　most　valuable　medicines　in　the　Materia　Medica　act　on　principles　of　which　we　are　totally　ignorant。　　None　have　ever　yet　been　able　to　explain　how　opium　produces　sleep；　or　how　bark　cures　intermittent　fevers；　and　yet　few；　it　is　hoped；　will　be　so　absurd　as　to　desist　from　the　use　of　these　important　articles　because　they　know　nothing　of　the　principle　of　their　operations。〃　　Or　if　the　argument　is　preferred；　in　t