assist the mind in the perception of the agreement or disagreement of
ideas; but, on the contrary, that they invert the natural order in
which the thoughts should be placed, and in which they must be placed,
before we can draw a just conclusion. To children who are not
familiarized with scholastic terms, the sound of harsh words, and
quaint language, unlike any thing that they hear in common
conversation, is alone sufficient to alarm their imagination with some
confused apprehension of difficulty. In this state of alarm they are
seldom sufficiently masters of themselves, either to deny or to
acknowledge an adept's major, minor, or conclusion. Even those who are
most expert in syllogistical reasoning, do not often apply it to the
common affairs of life, in which reasoning is just as much wanted as
it is in the abstract questions of philosophy; and many argue, and
conduct themselves with great prudence and precision, who might,
perhaps, be caught on the horns of a dilemma; or who would infallibly
fall victims to _the crocodile_.

Young people should not be ignorant, however, of these boasted forms
of argumentation; and it may, as they advance in the knowledge of
words, be a useful exercise to resist the attacks of sophistry. No
ingenious person would wish to teach a child to employ them. As
defensive weapons, it is necessary, that young people should have the
command of logical terms; as offensive weapons, these should never be
used. They should know the evolutions, and be able to perform the
exercise of a logician, according to the custom of the times,
according to the usage of different nations; but they should not
attach any undue importance to this technical art: they should not
trust to it in the day of battle.

We have seen syllogisms, crocodiles, enthymemas, sorites, &c.
explained and tried upon a boy of nine or ten years old in playful
conversation, so that he became accustomed to the terms without
learning to be pedantic in the abuse of them; and his quickness in
reasoning was increased by exercise in detecting puerile sophisms;
such as that of _the Cretans_--Gorgias and his bargain about the
winning of his first cause. In the following sorites[90] of
Themistocles--"My son commands his mother; his mother commands me; I
command the Athenians; the Athenians command Greece; Greece commands
Europe; Europe commands the whole earth; therefore my son commands the
whole earth"--the sophism depends upon the inaccurate u