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![such kind of evidence, is so obvious in itself—and so well established as a legal
maxim—that the danger of sometimes convicting, upon a train of specious but
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conclusive, and infallible testimony.]
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
A TALE FOUNDED ON FACT.
The circumstances which I am about to relate, are familiar to many
now living. In some particulars I have varied from the truth; but if in
the relation of an event which excited intense interest, at the time of
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delusive character of circumstantial evidence, my object will be
attained.
Beneath the magnificent sycamores which bordered a lovely stream
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for repose. The party consisted of three brothers, with their families,
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Missouri. On their visages, where the ague had left the sallow traces
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the wiley deportment of violent men, who loved not the salutary](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/28172150-250516105503-984e9fda/85/Mastering-Data-Visualization-With-Microsoft-Visio-Professional-2016-David-J-Parker-59-320.jpg)
Mastering Data Visualization With Microsoft Visio Professional 2016 David J Parker
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- 7. Table of Contents MasteringData Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016 Credits About the Author www.PacktPub.com eBooks, discount offers, and more Why subscribe? Instant updates on new Packt books Preface What this book covers What you need for this book Who this book is for Conventions Reader feedback Customer support Downloading the example code Downloading the color images of this book Errata Piracy Questions 1. Data within Visio Essentials Why use Visio for data diagramming? The evolution of data in Visio before the Microsoft acquisition v1.0 – modifiable ShapeSheets v2.0 – OLE2 compliance v4.0 – Custom Properties, Properties Reporter, and the OLE link to DBs v4.1 – the Database Connectivity wizard v4.5 – ODBC-compliant DB connectivity, built-in VBA The evolution of data in Microsoft Visio v2002 – the improved database wizard v2007 – linking data to shapes, data graphics, and pivot diagrams v2010 – validation rules, Visio services, and containers
- 8. v2013 – improvedBCS, Visio services, and the OPC file format v2016 – Quick Link and improved data graphics Other significant current add-ons that use data The Organization Chart The Space Plan The Pivot Diagram Sadly missed add-ons that used data A returning add-on… Summary 2. Understanding How Data Is Stored within Visio A very quick introduction to data in Visio Defining Shape Data Understanding the Visio object model Starting with the Application object Understanding the relationship of the Master shape and its shape instances Knowing how a shape can be identified How to use a globally unique identifier The danger of using the Index property Reviewing shape text Understanding the DataRecordsets collection Understanding the Validation objects Getting shapes selected in the UI Understanding shape sections, rows, and cells Getting to grips with the ShapeSheet Understanding the Shape Data section Specifying the type of Shape Data Allowing text with the String type Offering choices with the Fixed List type Allowing only a numerical value with the Number type Simplifying True/False choices with the Boolean type Offer some choices but allow others with the Variable List type Presenting a date picker with the Date type Measuring elapsed time with the Duration type Entering monetary values with the Currency type Listing Shape Data rows in code
- 9. Auto-generating hyperlinks fromdata Using the Off-page reference shape to jump around a document User-defined Cells The Visio file format Storing data as hidden XML Knowing how shapes relate in structured diagrams Connections 1D to 1D connections 2D to 2D connections Why the Dynamic connector shape is special Containers Lists Callouts Summary 3. Linking Data to Shapes A very quick introduction to importing and linking data Knowing when to use the Quick Import tool Importing to shapes without existing Shape Data rows Importing to shapes with existing Shape Data rows Using the Custom Import feature Importing from Excel workbooks Editing the column settings Preventing Data Graphics from appearing automatically Linking the data to the shapes Carrying out the same import from an Excel workbook with code Using Excel as a refreshable data source Using Excel as an intermediary source Handling conflicts when data changes Importing from Microsoft Access databases Doing the same import from the Access database with code Importing from SharePoint lists Doing the same import from a SharePoint view with code Importing from SQL Server data Using code to retrieve the SQL Server data
- 10. Getting data withstored procedures Importing data with OLEDB and ODBC Connecting the Visio Samples via ODBC in code Using previously created connections Using XML data Removing external data connections for privacy and efficiency Creating data links to the shapes Linking data to shapes manually Linking data to shapes automatically Linking shapes to a single data row Linking multiple shapes to separate data rows Linking a new shape to a data row Linking multiple new shapes to data rows Summary 4. Using the Built-In Data Graphics Displaying data with graphics Changing the position of a graphic item Configuring the graphic item Using the Advanced Data Graphics dialog Understanding the Graphic Item types Using Text Callouts Using Icon Sets Using Data Bars Applying Color By Value Adding a legend Analyzing the composition of a Data Graphic Summary 5. Using the Pivot Diagram Add-On Choosing a data source Using SQL Server Analysis Services Looking behind the data Configuring the default Data Graphics Breaking down by category Sorting Pivot Nodes Editing Data Graphics of child nodes Selecting Pivot Nodes Configuring columns
- 11. Merging nodes Applying shapesto enhance legibility Configuring the PivotDiagram options Laying the nodes out Overlaying linked data Summary 6. Creating Custom Master Shapes Modifying the ribbon Preparing shapes for data linking Making graphics respond to data value changes Using elapsed days to size and position shapes Sharing custom Templates, Stencils, and Masters Including in a custom template Delivering Templates and Stencils with SharePoint Creating installation packages Summary 7. Creating Custom Data Graphics Understanding the structure of graphic item Masters Knowing which Data Graphic is applied Reviewing a Text Callout graphic item Master Reviewing an Icon Set graphic item Master Reviewing a Data Bar graphic item Master Reviewing a Color by Value graphic item Modifying graphic items Modifying a Text Callout graphic item Changing the symbol height Using Text Callouts to display symbols Modifying an Icon Set Modifying a Data Bar Summary 8. Validating and Extracting Information Introducing validation rules Getting information from data diagrams Using Shape Reports Reading Shape Data Reading User-defined Cells Reading connections
- 12. Listing connected shapes Listingglued shapes Listing routes or pathways through a diagram Reading containment Summary 9. Automating Structured Diagrams Structuring diagrams overview Enabling diagram services Setting undo scopes Selecting a Master shape to drop Dropping and linking shapes to data Connecting shapes from data Adding data-linked shapes to containers Adding data-linked shapes to lists Adding Callouts to shapes Summary 10. Sharing Data Diagrams Thinking about sharing Viewing Visio documents without Visio Embedding the Viewer in a Windows desktop application Embedding the Viewer in a web page Viewing in SharePoint/Office365 web pages Protecting data Coming soon Sharing a Visio document Exporting a Visio document Creating a PDF or XPS document Changing the file type Saving as SVG Publishing as a web page Summary 11. Choosing a Deployment Methodology Sharing custom stencils Sharing custom templates Sharing custom code Summary Index
- 13. Mastering Data Visualization withMicrosoft Visio Professional 2016
- 14. Mastering Data Visualization withMicrosoft Visio Professional 2016 Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. First published: May 2016 Production reference: 1240516 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
- 15.
- 16. Credits Author David J Parker CommissioningEditor Veena Pagare Acquisition Editor Tushar Gupta Content Development Editor Viranchi Shetty Technical Editor Vivek Arora Copy Editor Angad Singh Project Coordinator Izzat Contractor Proofreader Safis Editing Indexer Monica Ajmera Mehta
- 17. Graphics Kirk D'Penha Production Coordinator ConidonMiranda Cover Work Conidon Miranda
- 18. About the Author DavidJ Parker's background has been in data visualization ever since he struggled to produce lists of hospital equipment from Computer Aided Design models of buildings as a budding architect in the '80s. He moved into building and infrastructure asset management in the late '80s using a Unix system and gradually migrated to Windows-based systems throughout the '90s. He became a European Business partner of Visio Corporation in 1996 and presented the database-linked Visio solutions that he was providing merchant banks in London and New York with at several international conferences. David started bVisual Ltd. in 1998, which provides Visio-based solutions to various industries, and became a Silver-level Microsoft partner. He has been a Microsoft MVP (Visio) for the last 12 years and has helped Microsoft Corp, UK and Western Europe, by providing Visio solutions, training, website content, and presentations. David has had several books on Visio published and has been presenting Visio/SharePoint integration courses for many years for Microsoft Western Europe, from Oslo in the North down to Lisbon in the South. He has presented at SQL and SharePoint Saturday conferences and writes a regular blog for people interested in Microsoft Visio.
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- 21. Preface It is difficultto look at a technology website or publication without some mention of data visualization. There is so much data available now, and there will be even more in the future. Data is not useful information unless it can be understood, so tools that can aid comprehension are essential. Microsoft has recently been making large strides in the business intelligence space with tools such as the Power BI stack, but Microsoft Visio has been an operational intelligence tool for businesses since the mid-nineties. Over the years, Visio has matured even more and added many features to provide links to data and special data graphics to visualize this data easily. Technologies advance, expectations increase, and Visio continues to evolve to provide greater capabilities and flexibility. For many, BI (Business Intelligence) is concerned with the slicing and dicing of data, usually using charts and graphs to provide greater insight, but there are many times when information is best presented with less constrained visual forms. This is where Visio excels with thousands of pre-drawn shapes available and its ability to be customized easily. This makes Visio the OI (Operational Intelligence) of choice for many. Microsoft Visio is a multipurpose graphical application that comes with a large variety of templates that cover a wide spectrum of business uses. A Template is a preconfigured Visio document with a selection of Stencils (or libraries) of Masters (or shapes). There are also a vast number of custom stencils available from the web (of varying quality and capabilities). Traditionally, Visio has been used mostly for organization charts, process flows, and network diagrams, but it can do much more than that. Many of the built-in templates come with add-ons that enhance the core application to provide specific actions for a specialized user. This can turn a multipurpose interface into a vertical solution centered one. There are millions of Visio users around the globe, and over a billion Microsoft Office users who are using a similar and familiar interface.
- 22. However, every timeI show how simple it is to link Visio shapes to data, and how the data can be easily visualized, I get the same reaction, "I didn't know Visio could do that!" Visio is considered part of the extended Microsoft Office family, but at the time of writing this book, Visio does not have the web-based add-ons that the main applications have. Nor is there a lightweight web Visio version, unlike the other Office applications. However, it is easy to see that there is a progression in this direction, and a large part of the latency is down to the complexity of maintaining the integrity of such a complex application that combines vector graphics and data. The closest similarity to another Office product is not to PowerPoint, but to Excel. Every shape, and that includes text, in Visio has a programmable ShapeSheet behind it, just like a worksheet in Excel, complete with cells that contain customizable formulas. Also, Visio comes with VBA built in, which makes it easy for power users to write macros, and for developers to prototype. The mature type library can be programmed by standard .NET developers, and there is even a JavaScript object model for the Visio Viewer and Visio Web Access control. Personally, I discovered the power of Visio in the mid-nineties, several years before Microsoft acquired the product/company. I was an early beta-tester of the ODBC data links that were introduced then, and of the newer data-linking feature that was added in 2007. I have been providing custom templates, stencils, and solutions ever since because Visio has the depth to solve a lot of business data visualization scenarios. I cannot deny that I get some pleasure from creating Visio shapes that respond to data value changes. It feels like life is breathed into them, and they continue to live independently, turning a canvas into a constantly updated information dashboard. I believe the skills and the principles outlined in this book will be relevant for many years to come, and they will enable businesses to intelligently comprehend operational data.
- 23. What this bookcovers Chapter 1, Data within Visio Essentials, reviews the evolution of data within Visio from the early nineties to the present day. The chapter also introduces the key features and add-ons in Visio that make data visual. Chapter 2, Understanding How Data Is Stored within Visio, presents the different ways in which data is stored within Visio documents, pages, and shapes. It explains the relationship between the Visio API and the unique ShapeSheet and introduces the concept of structured diagrams. Chapter 3, Linking Data to Shapes, explains how data can be imported into Visio documents and linked to shapes, both manually and automatically. It also shows how multiple hyperlinks can be automatically created by data, Chapter 4, Using the Built-In Data Graphics, demonstrates how the built-in Data Graphics ( Icons Sets, Data Bars, Text Callouts, and Color by Value) can easily display data values. Chapter 5, Using the Pivot Diagram Add-On, explains how this useful add-on can breakdown and aggregate data and be overlaid with refreshable data. Chapter 6, Creating Custom Master Shapes, reveals how built-in Masters can be enhanced to provide better data visualization, and how custom Masters can be created from scratch. Chapter 7, Creating Custom Data Graphics, shows how built-in Data Graphics and Graphic Items can be modified and new ones created. Chapter 8, Validating and Extracting Information, explains how diagrams can be checked for conformance and integrity, and how data can be exported from Visio diagrams.
- 24. Chapter 9, AutomatingStructured Diagrams, demonstrates how data can be used to create Structured Diagrams automatically by connecting shapes together, by adding them to containers and lists, and by associating callout shapes. Chapter 10, Sharing Data Diagrams, explains the different options available for sharing Visio data and graphics with other viewers, especially if they do not have Visio available. Chapter 11, Choosing a Deployment Methodology, discusses the different ways in which custom templates, stencils, and code can be distributed for others to create their own data diagrams.
- 25. What you needfor this book Either Microsoft Visio Professional 2013+, Microsoft Visio 2010 Premium, or Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 are required for all of the examples in this book. Most of the code examples in this book are written using Visual Basic for Applications because it is included within Microsoft Visio. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and the Microsoft SQL Server are used as data source examples.
- 26. Who this bookis for This book is aimed at the departmental-level operational intelligence professional or Microsoft Office power-user. It is also intended for SharePoint/Office365 developers who want to include visual data in corporate websites.
- 27. Conventions In this book,you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning. Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "However, the supporting files are all present and include a file called data.xml that contains all of the data for each shape." A block of code is set as follows: <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <h1>Visio Viewer Example</h1> </head> <body> <object id="DrawingControl1" height="500" width="700" classid="clsid:F8CF7A98-2C45-4c8d-9151- 2D716989DDAB" > <param name="ToolbarVisible" value="1"> <param name="Src" value="http://www.bvisual.net//examples/BaUNetwork Diagram.vsd"> </object> </body> </html> New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "It is listed as Microsoft Visio Document when the Developer | Insert | ActiveX controls | More Controls button is pressed."
- 28. Note Warnings or importantnotes appear in a box like this. Tip Tips and tricks appear like this.
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- 30. Customer support Now thatyou are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase. Downloading the example code You can download the example code files for this book from your account at http://www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you. You can download the code files by following these steps: 1. Log in or register to our website using your e-mail address and password. 2. Hover the mouse pointer on the SUPPORT tab at the top. 3. Click on Code Downloads & Errata. 4. Enter the name of the book in the Search box. 5. Select the book for which you're looking to download the code files. 6. Choose from the drop-down menu where you purchased this book from. 7. Click on Code Download. You can also download the code files by clicking on the Code Files button on the book's webpage at the Packt Publishing website. This page can be accessed by entering the book's name in the Search box. Please note that you need to be logged in to your Packt account. Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of: WinRAR / 7-Zip for Windows Zipeg / iZip / UnRarX for Mac
- 31. 7-Zip / PeaZipfor Linux The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Data-Visualization- with-Microsoft-Visio-Professional-2016. We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out! Downloading the color images of this book We also provide you with a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots/diagrams used in this book. The color images will help you better understand the changes in the output. You can download this file from http://www.packtpub.com/sites/default/files/downloads/1234OT_Colo rImages.pdf. Errata Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in the text or the code—we would be grateful if you could report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.com/submit-errata, selecting your book, clicking on the Errata Submission Form link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded to our website or added to any list of existing errata under the Errata section of that title. To view the previously submitted errata, go to https://www.packtpub.com/books/content/support and enter the
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- 33. Chapter 1. Datawithin Visio Essentials From the very beginning, Visio was responsible for introducing the visual data paradigm for business information reporting. A key concept of Visio from the outset was smart shapes that could respond to information changes. This chapter reviews the evolution of data within Visio, from the introduction of a modifiable ShapeSheet in the very first version (v1.0) in 1992, through to the Quick Import feature in Visio 2016. It is important to understand the important enhancements in Visio's evolution. It will empower the prospective power user and developer with the knowledge of why some code is written a certain way, how it can be more efficient, and which solutions are potential dead-ends. It is always more productive to create any solution on top of a core product because the object model provides documented properties, methods, and events. Visio has a number of add-ons that utilize the core Visio application object model, and that are presented as different templates or diagram types. Although some of these are very popular, such as the Organization Chart add-on, extending either the code or the associated master shapes can be problematic. However, some are still useful, so I will describe these in more detail. When looking at extracts of code from other books, Internet pages, or even colleagues, it can be important to understand that the code may have been efficient for its time but could be better now. I have been guilty of this myself because I have offered code that worked well for many years, while a student has seen the potential of newer enhancements to the object model and proposed a better, more efficient solution. All of the screenshots in this book come from Microsoft Visio Professional 2016, which was run in developer mode. The fact that screenshots of the latest version can still be used to describe core
- 34. parts of theengine that have been enhanced since the first version demonstrates how the product has been built on firm foundations. Tip Running Visio in Developer Mode Either tick the Developer tab in Customize Ribbon or Run in developer mode in File | Options | Advanced | General. In this chapter, we shall cover the following topics: Why choose Visio for data diagramming? The evolution of data in Visio prior to the Microsoft acquisition The evolution of data in Microsoft Visio Reviewing the significant current OOTB add-ons Shedding a tear for the sadly missed OOTB add-ons Why use Visio for data diagramming? Microsoft Visio first appeared as Visio from a company called ShapeWare in 1992. From the very beginning, it was designed as a smart diagramming system. Before long, the company changed its name to Visio Corporation and a new information graphics paradigm was born. At that time, I was working as an implementation consultant for a Unix CAD (Computer Aided Design) system that had a link to a Unify database. I was using this system to provide personnel desk locations, space chargeback, and cable management to merchant banks in the city of London. In those days, you could not buy just the software and install it on your own PC or Mac; instead, you had to buy the hardware too. So, each workstation would cost about £20k
- 35. ($30k). This isquite an investment, and the skills required were quite specialized, thus spending extra for a consultant to actually use it did not seem so expensive. The work for the merchant banks took me over to New York, and the cable management application even took me to NASA in Alabama. However, the merchant banks that I worked for began to demand that any reports were formatted to an exacting standard. They had become used to the WYSIWYG interface in new Windows applications such as Word. "Unfortunately, this was not available directly in UNIX, so, I invested in Microsoft Access for reporting, via FTP. They soon also demanded better printed graphics than was possible in CAD, so I had to seriously reconsider my toolset. The consulting company that I worked for also sold a Windows CAD system that could not produce acceptable graphics either. It was also very difficult to automate, so I surveyed the available alternatives. In the days before easy downloads from the Web were available, every computer magazine had a cover disk (a 3.5" stiffy, not a CD) with a few trial versions of programs on it, and I had previously tried one called Visio 2. I had been impressed with its parametric behavior and the provided ability to automate it using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), so I decided to find out more about the current version at that time, which was version 4. I was excited to find that the technical edition had now brought the ability to import some types of CAD files, which meant that I would be able to utilize some of the drawings that I had been using for years. It also introduced the ability to link to databases via OLE. I began to provide solutions using Visio Technical Edition linking to data in Sybase, Oracle, SQL Server, Access, and Excel using the database connectivity support that was introduced in Visio 4. For example, I was linking 600 trader desks per floor on a single Visio page to the corporate Sybase database, and with a single macro I was able to refresh the text and color fill for each desk with the up-to-date occupant details. These floor plans were used by the help desk on these large open-plan floors to find traders who
- 36. reported something amissin their workstation. At first, I had to automate Visio from an external application, which I did with Microsoft Access or Excel as they already had Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) built in. I also wrote some code in Visual Basic (VB) as executables, but all these methods ran code across application boundaries, which slowed them down. I did manage to wrap VB DLLs with C++ to get them running within Visio as add-ons, but the coding time was increased by too much. Then, Visio itself introduced built-in VBA, so the code could execute far quicker within the Visio environment, and the time taken to write tactical solutions was reduced. The parametric capability of Visio shapes enabled me to construct a single monitor SmartShape that changed size and appearance depending on one of the 33 different combinations of manufacturer and screen size that I entered into the Custom Properties of the shape. Note A case study is available at http://bvisual.net/Case_Studies/ChaseManhattanBank.aspx. I was totally sold on the Visio paradigm and started a business based on providing Visio-based solutions shortly before Microsoft acquired Visio Corporation at the start of the year 2000. Microsoft took over an extremely large amount of code and began the process of assimilating the application into the extended Microsoft Office family. This has had many challenges since the original Visio developers had no access to Windows or Microsoft Office code and practices. The "Big Three" Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) have always blazed the trail as far as user interface design and file format are concerned, and Visio has followed behind at a respectful distance.
- 37. So, after theacquisition, Microsoft reviewed the breadth of features available within the many different editions of Visio (Standard, Technical, Professional, and Enterprise) that they had inherited and began to consolidate them. Over time, a large number of add-ons were added to the base product, and the Visio Corporation voraciously acquired many products that were using the Visio system (for example, IntelliCAD for CAD, InfoModeler for database modelling, and Kaspia for network discovery). Some of the products and code were incompatible with Microsoft's vision for Visio, so they were deprecated. Note For a more complete history of Visio, take a look at http://visio.mvps.org/History, which is maintained by the longest- serving Microsoft MVP for Visio, John Marshall. However, the core engine of Visio has matured and expanded over many years of production use, with very little of it being removed. Therefore, skills learned around Visio shape development or automation have not been a waste of time, and most of the old documentation about these subjects is still relevant. Note An oldie, but a goody, Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions can be found at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/aa245244(v=office.10).aspx. There are three available editions of Visio 2013 and 2016: Standard, Professional, and Pro for Office365. In fact, the last two are exactly the same apart from the licensing method. This book is not about the Standard edition because it does not contain all of the data capabilities.
- 38. The evolution ofdata in Visio before the Microsoft acquisition The period between the years 1992 and 2000 saw Visio burst onto the scene and rapidly grow in size, acquiring almost every other product that used its drawing system. The first sales target was to out-sell the best-selling flowcharting tool of the time, ABC Flowcharter. This was done within 18 months, and Visio was on its way. Beyond the Standard Edition was the Technical Edition, which contained CAD and engineering add-ons, and the Professional Edition, which contained database modelling and network diagramming. Eventually, there was also the Enterprise Edition with network discovery. Note Visit http://www.visiocorp.info/boxes.aspx for more information on the Visio Corporation.
- 39. The timeline displaysthe most relevant milestones of data diagramming, and a short explanation of each follows. They are relevant because these features still exist, and there are still code examples out there that use them. v1.0 – modifiable ShapeSheets The intelligence in Visio comes from its unique modifiable ShapeSheet, which is reputedly modeled on an Excel worksheet. Every single shape in Visio has one, as does each page and even the document itself. So, it is important to understand it. It can be opened from the Developer ribbon by the Shape Design | Show ShapeSheet button. The following screenshot shows an example of a current ShapeSheet, and it also shows the Shape Name dialog: Note the Data 1, 2, and 3 boxes on the Shape Name dialog can actually hold 64,000 characters, but only use it with caution because there are some old add-ons out there that use them. Initially, they were the only way to persist data in the shape. The ShapeSheet on the right of the screenshot shows how it is broken down into sections, rows, and cells. We will learn more about this in the next chapter. In the first version of Visio, there was no User-defined
- 40. Cells or ShapeData section because it was introduced in version 4. The pre-cursor to User-Defined Cells was the Scratch section. Both of these sections are optional because they can be created, and have new rows inserted, as required. This is in contrast to the fixed, mandatory sections such as Shape Transform because every shape needs to have a location and rotation in the page that it is on. In the center of the screenshot is the Drawing Explorer window, which displays the document, pages, shapes, and so on. We will learn more about that too in the next chapter. v2.0 – OLE2 compliance OLE2 and the published object model allowed Visio to be controlled by programming languages such as Visual Basic 3. In fact, Visio was the first non-Microsoft product to have OLE2 compliance. v4.0 – Custom Properties, Properties Reporter, and the OLE link to DBs Custom Properties, later renamed as Shape Data in 2007, not only provides a method of storing typed data for each shape, but also provides a dialog to view and edit them. The following screenshot shows that there is now a Shape Data popup dialog and a Shape Data window that was added years later:
- 41. There will bemuch more about Shape Data in Chapter 2, Understanding How Data Is Stored within Visio. Properties Reports, now called Shape Reports, provide a method to create simple tabular reports from data in Visio shapes. The following screenshot shows the Reports dialog, and there will be more about this feature in Chapter 8, Validating and Extracting Information:
- 42. The OLE linkto databases provides a method to read and write data to/from not only Custom Properties/Shape Data, but also from the newly provided User-defined Cells, and in fact, almost all the ShapeSheet cells and even the position of the shape in the page. The following screenshot shows the Link to Database dialog that can be opened from the View | Macros | Add-Ons | Visio Extras ribbon menu:
- 43. User-Defined Cells werean important addition in the ShapeSheet. They have just two columns: Value and Prompt. This means that formulae can be entered in the Value column with a description of what they are there for in the Prompt column. Before that, developers would use the Scratch section for formulae and descriptions of their purpose. This can make it difficult to understand the ShapeSheet code; however, the Scratch section does remain
- 44. important for geometriccalculations because of the capabilities of the X, Y, and A to D columns. v4.1 – the Database Connectivity wizard This wizard provides an easy-to-use interface for data connectivity, and the following screenshot shows how it can be started from the View | Macros | Add-Ons | Visio Extras ribbon menu:
- 45. All of thedata related add-ons under the View | Macros | Add-Ons | Visio Extras ribbon menu are part of one large add-on, and they are therefore not part of the core engine and object model in Visio. I have covered their functionality in an earlier book of mine (take a look at http://www.visualizinginformation.com), so it is not covered in this book. v4.5 – ODBC-compliant DB connectivity, built-in VBA This version saw improvements in the database connectivity and ODBC compliance, and the inclusion of built-in VBA vastly increased the speed of scripts.
- 46. The speed improvementsthat I could make on automating updates utilizing the database connectivity add-on with VBA were really good. The time taken to update nearly 600 data-linked desks was reduced from 6 minutes to less than 60 seconds. This was a great improvement, but it was still relying on an add-on using ODBC. Although the add-on is capable of two-way connectivity (it can update the data source as well as refresh from the data source), it still has issues. For example, only one link is possible to a single shape. This is restricting in the corporate world, where for example the facilities, IT, and HR departments loathe merging their databases at source.
- 47. The evolution ofdata in Microsoft Visio Post-acquisition, Visio has seen its challenges, not only for the new custodians of the code base, but also for the Visio community. Microsoft has had to undertake some rationalization and integration with the extended Microsoft Office family. This has meant, for example, that developers have had to change the whole Visio user interface to use common Office elements. More latterly, this has meant changing the file structure of Visio documents to use the Open Packaging Convention (OPC) file format. The Visio community saw little improvement as far as data was concerned until Visio 2007, when the core engine was expanded at last. These features have been further enhanced since then, but they remain the cornerstone of data solutions in Visio 2016. v2002 – the improved database wizard Some improvements to the database add-on kept us going for a while, but it uses older connectivity methodology and, as an add-on, it is difficult to extend, as explained earlier.
- 48. This add-on doeshave the ability to read and write data though, which can be useful for power-users and developers. For example, the position of a shape in a page, called its PinX and PinY, or its fill and line patterns and colors, could be captured from Visio and sent back directly to a table in the data source. It is old, though, and other important information is unavailable, such as the containers that a shape is within, which call-out shapes are associated, or even which other shapes it is connected to. Chapter 8, Validating and Extracting Information, will cover extracting all types of information from a Visio diagram. Most Visio users do not realize that there is a sample MS Access database called DBSample.mdb installed in the Program Files | Office | lcid folder. It is named Visio Sample Database in the View | Add- Ons | Visio Extras | Link to Database | Name drop-down list, and it contains a few tables to play with. The Qualifier box displays the installed location. However, I would recommend copying it to a writable folder on your local or network drive before updating it. v2007 – linking data to shapes, data graphics, and pivot diagrams In Visio 2007, there was a plethora of new data features added to the core engine. This means that the Visio object model was extended for Professional edition users at the very least. A new property called DataFeaturesEnabled appeared on the Application object, and a DataRecordsets collection appeared on the Document object. Each normal DataRecordset appears in the new External Data window so that rows of data can be linked to shapes. Importantly, this data can be refreshed, either manually or after a set time period, while the document is open, or by code opening and refreshing each document. This provides extensibility for developers who can now create data automation code on firm foundations. The new pivot diagram add-on also creates DataRecordsets, but these are not displayed in the External Data window.
- 49. Tip Detailed steps todownload the code bundle are mentioned in the Preface of this book. Have a look. The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Data-Visualization- with-Microsoft-Visio-Professional-2016. We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out! The following screenshot from Visio 2016 shows two buttons (Custom Import and Linked Data) that replace the one called Link Data to Shapes, present in the earlier versions. There is no change to the foundation though: The Quick Import button, Data Graphics group, and Data Graphic Fields checkbox were introduced in Visio 2016, and they will be explained in the next chapter.
- 50. The Display Data| Insert Legend button was not introduced until Visio 2010. v2010 – validation rules, Visio services, and containers Further integration with SharePoint was introduced in two ways. First, Visio could be used to create simple SharePoint Workflows, which could then be exported to SharePoint Designer for enhancement. Since it would be dangerous to export badly formed data to SharePoint, Visio 2010 was given a validation rules engine so that the structure of diagrams could be validated. Second, a Visio web part was provided in SharePoint that could not only display Visio documents faithfully, but also be partly refreshed from a suitable linked data source. Validation and Visio services were originally only available in the Visio 2010 Premium edition, but Microsoft decided to offer all of the Premium content in the Professional edition from Visio 2013. Note My previous book, Microsoft Visio 2013 Business Process Diagramming and Validation, covers this topic in great detail. Take a look at http://www.visiorules.com for more information. Container and callout shapes were introduced as part of a structured diagram concept, thus making it easier to construct and navigate diagrams. Validation and structured diagrams are part of the object model and are discussed in more depth in Chapter 8, Validating and Extracting Information.
- 51. v2013 – improvedBCS, Visio services, and the OPC file format The Visio file format has remained unchanged since Visio 2003, but it was time for Visio to join the rest of the Office applications and embrace the OPC file format. This is a zipped up document with many XML parts inside it; because it follows the OPC standard, it becomes accessible to some standard coding techniques. In addition, this version saw the addition of Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint as a refreshable data source for Visio diagrams, and the need to publish documents to SharePoint was removed with native support of the new Visio file format by the Visio web part. Visio files can now be utilized in SharePoint web pages on any modern device, in any modern browser. v2016 – Quick Link and improved data graphics The Quick Link button provides some automatic analysis of data in Excel worksheets, and some improvements were made to data graphics, such as the inclusion of icons in text callout items. These features are discussed in more detail in Chapter 3, Linking Data to Shapes.
- 52. Other significant currentadd- ons that use data There are a few add-ons that use data to generate diagrams, and they even provide the ability to export data. A couple of these utilize more specialist data such as Schedule | Gantt Chart and Schedule | Timeline for Microsoft Project. However, these three add-ons use data to create the layout of a diagram, which can then be enhanced with linked, refreshable data. The Organization Chart First introduced in Visio 4.0, this popular wizard and its supporting add-on provide the ability to create hierarchical organization charts, and as the following screenshot shows, it can use Microsoft Exchange, Excel, text files, or an ODBC compliant data source: The imported data is used to create a hierarchical structure, but there is currently no refresh functionality. However, it can be overlaid with refreshable data using the Data | Custom Import feature that is
- 53. covered in Chapter3, Linking Data to Shapes. There is also the ability to compare two Visio documents in order to check what the differences are. It also has an export feature that outputs the shape data and hierarchical relationship to an Excel workbook, text, or CSV file. This add-on has some other good features that some Visio users love. For example, it has the ability to insert images into the shape easily. This is all done using a non-extendable add-on, which makes it difficult to develop with. The Space Plan First introduced in Visio 2003, this add-on provides the ability to import and, as the following screenshot shows, use Microsoft Exchange, Excel, Active Directory, or an ODBC-compliant data source.
- 54. The imported datais displayed in the Space Explorer window, and it can be refreshed from the ribbon. Unless you need to directly import data from Active Directory or Exchange Server, or particularly like the Space Explorer tree view display or the ability to automatically add shapes onto other shapes (such as Person or Asset shapes onto Space shapes), then I recommend using the Data | Custom Import feature that is covered in Chapter 3, Linking Data to Shapes. The Pivot Diagram
- 55. Random documents withunrelated content Scribd suggests to you:
- 56. drouthier," for sotrue has the eye of the sculptor proved, that every one is said instantly to recognise the cobbler's phiz and person. A strange perverseness, indeed, or fatality, or what you will, seems to have seized upon all the favored few selected as fitting archetypes for these admirable figures. For, Tam's "nether man" occasioning some anxiety in the perfecting of its sturdy symmetry, a carter, we believe, was laid hold of, and the gamashins, being pulled on for half-an-hour, Tam's right leg was finished in rivalship of the said gentleman's supporter. It appears to have been agreed upon that he should return at a fitting opportunity, having thus left Tam "hirpling:" but, in the interval, the story of the sitting unfortunately taking air, and the soubriquet of "Tam o' Shanter" threatening to attach to the lawful and Christian appellations of the man of carts, no inducement could again bring him within the unhallowed precincts of our sculptor's work-room. In like manner, though at a somewhat later period, while the artist was engaged upon the figure of the landlady, no persuasion could prevail upon one of the many "bonny lasses" who have given such celebrity to Ayr, to exhibit even the "fitting of their pearlings" to Mr. Thom's gaze. One sonsy damsel, on being hard pressed to grant a sitting, replied, "Na, na, I've nae mind to be nickinamed 'landlady;' and, as for gudewife, twa speerings maun gang to that name." It will, doubtless, excite the admiration of every one in the slightest degree conversant with the Arts, that these figures, so full of life, ease and character, were thus actually executed without model, or drawing, or palpable archetype whatsoever. The artist, indeed, knows nothing of modelling; and so little of drawing, that we question if he would not find difficulty in making even a tolerable sketch of his own work. The chisel is his modelling tool—his pencil—the only instrument of his art, in short, with which he is acquainted, but which he handles in a manner, we may say, almost unprecedented in the history of sculpture.—This, however, is the minor part; for we think, nay, are sure, we discover in this dexterity of hand, in this unerring precision of eye, in this strong, though still untutored, conception of form and character—the native elements of the highest art. These primodial attributes of genius, by proper culture, may do honor to the country and to their possessor. At all events, instruction will refine and improve attempts in the present walk of art, even should study be unable to elevate attainment to a higher. Now, however, it would be not only premature, but unjust, to criticise these statues as regular labors of sculpture. They are to be regarded as wonderful, nay, almost miraculous, efforts of native, unaided, unlearned talent—as an approach to truth almost in spite of nature
- 57. and of science;but they do not hold with respect to legitimate sculpture—the high- souled, the noblest, the severest of all arts—the same rank as, in painting, the works of the Dutch masters do as compared with the lofty spirits of the Romans—precisely for this reason, that while similar subjects are not only fit, but often felicitous, subjects for the pencil, they are altogether improper objects of sculptural representation. Though, from the circumstance of being the principals in the composition, and from the intrinsic excellence of their conception, these two figures have chiefly occupied the public attention, they ought not to induce forgetfulness of the artist's other labors. These, besides the Landlord and his mate, consist of several1 copies, in various sizes, of this original group, and of numerous sculptures, of different character and purpose, from a "head-stane" upwards, executed by Mr. Thom, since his residence in Ayr as a professional stone-cutter. Here his studio is the resort of all intelligent strangers who visit this ancient and beautiful burgh; while his modest manners, and moral worth have conciliated the respect of every one. The character of the Landlady is well sustained, as the buxom bustling head of a well frequented "change-house." Her lord and master, on the other hand, is represented as one who has little to say in his own house, and better qualified to drink, than to earn his pint. The former seems by no means disinclined to reciprocate glances with Tam; while the latter is so convulsed with laughter at the Souter's stories, as to be hardly capable of maintaining the equipoise of the foaming tankard in his hand. Neither, however, is equal in graphic truth and humor to their two companions. A more gigantic, but by no means so happy a work, is the statue of the Scottish patriot, lately placed in the niche of the New Tower, just erected in Ayr, on the site of the ancient "Wallace Tower" of Burns. In fact, we regard this figure as nearly a failure. It possesses neither the truth of nature, nor the dignity of ideal representation. Omitting others of less moment, we shall pass to the most perfect of all Mr. Thom's works—the figure of "Old Mortality." This, though only a model, and not yet, we believe, even commissioned in stone, offers by far the most striking evidence of genius in its author.2 The costume, attitude, and expression of the old man, as he is represented sitting upon a grave- stone, which he has been occupied in cleaning, are most admirable; and perhaps no artist ever more completely realized the exquisite conception of the original mind. The history of this composition supplies a striking instance of the power of genius over spirits of a congenial stamp, and of the singular coincidences which sometimes take place in its manner of conceiving the same sentiment. During a voyage to London, in
- 58. a Leith steampacket, Mr. Thom one day found in the cabin, Sir Walter's delightful tale of Old Mortality, which he had never read. Taking it up, he quickly became entirely engrossed in the narrative. The description of the old man, to whom posterity is indebted for many a record, else lost, of our single-minded sufferers for conscience' sake—so fixed itself upon the artist's imagination, that he instantly conceived the idea of representing it in sculpture. By way of concentrating his thoughts, he sketched a figure in the imagined attitude, on one of the boards of the book he had been reading. Pleased with his idea, he transferred it to his pocket-book. A few days after his arrival in London, he was introduced to our celebrated countryman, Wilkie, who, with his accustomed kindness, showed him his portfolios. Mr. Thom's surprise may be imagined, when in one of these he found a sketch of Old Mortality, almost identical with his own, executed by Wilkie several years before. The same thought had struck both, and almost in the same manner. 1 There are now five sets; three of which are the size of life, and two, four and twenty inches high. One set is, or is to be deposited at the temple called the tomb of Burns, in Ayrshire.—Another belongs to Lord Cassili. The third is in this country. 2 Since the above has been published, Thom has nearly finished his Old Mortality in a block too small for his conception, and which will oblige him to execute an entirely new figure. [We extract the following affecting story from the "Western Monthly Magazine." Though written in the form of romantic narrative, it presents one of the strongest cases we recollect to have seen, in which innocence is overborne by powerful but false appearances of guilt. It is certainly a strong illustration of the danger of convicting a fellow creature, upon what is technically called presumptive evidence, a topic upon which the gentlemen of the bar are furnished with as wide a field for the display of professional ingenuity, as upon any other in the whole compass of jurisprudence. That it is often safe, and indispensably necessary however to rely upon
- 59. such kind ofevidence, is so obvious in itself—and so well established as a legal maxim—that the danger of sometimes convicting, upon a train of specious but deceptive circumstances, is less than the evil of acquittal in the absence of positive, conclusive, and infallible testimony.] CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. A TALE FOUNDED ON FACT. The circumstances which I am about to relate, are familiar to many now living. In some particulars I have varied from the truth; but if in the relation of an event which excited intense interest, at the time of its occurrence, I shall succeed in impressing upon any one, the delusive character of circumstantial evidence, my object will be attained. Beneath the magnificent sycamores which bordered a lovely stream in the southwest part of Kentucky, a company of emigrants had pitched their encampment, for the night. The tents were set up, the night-fire threw its gleam upon the water, the weary horses were feeding, the evening repast was over, and preparations were made for repose. The party consisted of three brothers, with their families, who were wending their way to the new lands of the distant Missouri. On their visages, where the ague had left the sallow traces of its touch, few of the nobler traits of the human character were visible. Accustomed to reside upon the outskirts of society, little versed in its forms, and as little accustomed to the restraints of law, or the duties of morality, they were the fit pioneers of civilization, because their frames were prepared for the utmost endurance of fatigue, and society was purified by their removal. Theirs were not the fearless independence, and frank demeanor which marks the honest backwoodsman of our country; but the untamed license, and the wiley deportment of violent men, who loved not the salutary
- 60. influence of thelaw, nor mingled of choice with the virtuous of their own species. As they stirred the expiring fires, the column of light, mingled with the smoke and cinder, that rose towards the clear sky of the mild May night, revealed two travellers of a different appearance, who had encamped on the margin of the same stream. One was a man of thirty. Several years passed in the laborious practice of medicine, in a southern climate, had destroyed his constitution, and he had come to breathe the bracing air of a higher latitude. The wing of health had fanned into new vigor the waning fires of life, and he was now returning to the home of his adoption with a renovated frame. The young man who sat by him, was a friend, to whom he had paid a visit, and who was now attending him, a short distance, on his journey. They had missed their way, and reluctantly accepted a sullen permission of the emigrants to share their coarse fare, rather than wander in the dark, through unknown forests. Hamilton, the younger of the two, was, perhaps, twenty-seven years of age—and was a young gentleman of prepossessing appearance, of cultivated mind, and of a chivalrous and sensitive disposition. His parents were indigent, and he had, by the energy of his own talents and industry, redeemed them from poverty, and placed them in easy circumstances. In one of his commercial expeditions down the Mississippi, he had met with Saunders, the physician. An intimacy ensued, which though brief, had already ripened into mature friendship. 'Affection knoweth nought of time, It riseth like the vernal flowers; The heart pulse is its only chime, And feelings are its hours.' Together they had hunted over the flowery barrens, and through the majestic forests of their native state—had scaled the precipice, and swam the torrent—had explored the cavern, and visited whatever was wonderful or curious in the region around them; and both
- 61. looked forward, withpainful feelings, to the termination of an intercourse which had been pleasing and instructive.—As they were to separate in the morning, the evening was spent in conversation— in that copious and involuntary flow of kindness and confidence which the heart pours out at the moment when friends are about to sever, when the past is recalled and the future anticipated, and friendship no longer silent, nor motionless, displays itself like the beauty of the ocean wave, which is most obvious at the moment of its dissolution. Early in the morning, the two friends prepared to pursue their journey. As they were about to depart, one of the emigrants advanced towards them, and remarked: 'I reckon, strangers, you allow to encamp at Scottville to-night?' 'Yes,' said Saunders, 'I do.' 'Well, then, I can tell you a chute, that's a heap shorter than the road you talk of taking—and at the forks of Rushing river, there's a smart chance of blue clay, that's miry like, and it's right scary crossing at times.' Supposing they had found a nearer and better road, and one by which a dangerous ford would be avoided, they thanked their informant, and proceeded on their journey. In some previous conversations, Saunders had learned, that his friend had recently experienced some heavy losses, and was at this time much pressed for money, and wishing to offer him assistance, had from time to time deferred it, from the difficulty of approaching so delicate a subject. As the time of parting approached, however, he drew the conversation to that point, and was informed that the sum of five hundred dollars, would relieve his friend from embarrassment. Having a large sum in his possession, he generously tendered him the amount required, and Hamilton, after some hesitation, accepted the loan, and proposed to give his note for its
- 62. repayment, which Saundersdeclined, under the plea that the whole transaction was a matter of friendship, and that no such formality was requisite. When they were about to part, Hamilton unclasped his breast-pin, and presented it to his friend. 'Let this,' said he, 'remind you sometimes of Kentucky—I trust, that when I visit you next year, I shall not see it adorning the person of some favored fair one.' 'I have not so much confidence in you,' laughingly returned the other; and, handing him a silver-hafted penknife curiously embossed, 'I am told that knives and scissors are not acceptable presents to the fair, as they are supposed to cut love, so I have no fear that Almira will get this—and I know that no other human being would cause you to forget your friend.' They then parted. As Hamilton was riding slowly homeward, engaged in thought, and holding his bridle loosely, a deer sprang suddenly from a thicket, and fell in the road, before his horse, who started and threw him to the ground. In examining the deer, which had been mortally wounded, and was still struggling, some of the blood was sprinkled on his dress, which had been otherwise soiled by his fall. Paying little attention to these circumstances, he returned home. Though his absence had been brief, many hands grasped his in cordial welcome, many eyes met his own in love, for few of the young men of the county were so universally beloved, and so much respected as Hamilton. But to none was his return so acceptable as to Almira ——. She had been his playmate in infancy, his schoolmate in childhood, in maturer years their intimacy had ripened into love, and they were soon to be united in the holiest and dearest of ties. But the visions of hope were soon to pass from before them, as the mirage of the desert, that mocks the eye of the thirsty traveller, and then leaves him a death-devoted wanderer on the arid waste. A vague report was brought to the village, that the body of a murdered man was found near Scottville. It was first mentioned by a traveller, in a company where Hamilton was present; and he instantly exclaimed, 'no doubt it is Saunders—how unfortunate that I
- 63. left him!' andthen retired under great excitement. His manner and expressions awakened suspicion, which was unhappily corroborated by a variety of circumstances, that were cautiously whispered by those, who dared not openly arraign a person whose whole conduct through life had been honest, frank, and manly. He had ridden away with Saunders, who was known to have been in possession of a large sum of money. Since his return, he had paid off debts to a considerable amount. The penknife of Saunders was recognized in his hands—yet none were willing, on mere surmise, to hazard a direct accusation. The effect of the intelligence upon Hamilton was marked. The sudden death of a dear friend is hard to be supported—but when one who is loved and esteemed, is cut off by the dastardly hand of the assassin, the pang of bereavement becomes doubly great, and in this instance, the feelings of deep gratitude which Hamilton felt towards his benefactor, caused him to mourn over the catastrophe, with a melancholy anguish. He would sit for hours in a state of abstraction, from which even the smile of love could not awaken him. The elections were at hand; and Hamilton was a candidate for the legislature. In the progress of the canvass, the foul charge was openly made, and propagated with the remorseless spirit of party animosity. Yet he heard it not, until one evening as he sate with Almira, in her father's house. They were conversing in low accents, when the sound of an approaching footstep interrupted them, and the father of Almira entered the room. 'Mr. Hamilton,' said he, 'I am a frank man—I consented to your union with my daughter, believing your character to be unstained—but I regret to hear that a charge has been made against you, which, if true, must render you amenable to the laws of your country. I believe it to be a fabrication of your enemies—but, until it shall be disproved, and your character as a man of honor, placed above suspicion, you must be sensible that the proposed union cannot take place, and that your visits to my house must be discontinued.'
- 64. 'What does myfather mean?' inquired the young lady, anxiously, as her indignant parent retired. 'I do not know,' replied the lover, 'it is some electioneering story, no doubt, which I can easily explain. I only regret that it should give him, or you, a moment's uneasiness.' 'It shall cause me none,' replied the confiding girl: 'I cannot believe any evil of you.' He retired—sought out the nature of the charge, and to his inexpressible astonishment and horror, learned that he was accused of the murder and robbery of his friend! In a state little short of distraction, he retired to his room, recalled with painful minuteness all the circumstances connected with the melancholy catastrophe, and for the first time, saw the dangerous ground on which he stood. But proud in conscious innocence, he felt that to withdraw at that stage of the canvass, might be construed into a confession of guilt. He remained a candidate, and was beaten. Now, for the first time, did he feel the wretchedness of a condemned and degraded man. The tribunal of public opinion had pronounced against him the sentence of conviction; and even his friends, as the excitement of the party struggle subsided, became cold in his defence, and wavering in their belief of his innocence. Conscious that the eye of suspicion was open, and satisfied that nothing short of a public investigation could restore him to honor, the unhappy young man surrendered himself to the civil authority, and demanded a trial. Ah! little did he know the malignity of man, or the fatal energy of popular delusion! He reflected not that when the public mind is imbued with prejudice, even truth itself ceases to be mighty. Many believed him guilty, and those who, during the canvass, had industriously circulated the report, now labored with untiring diligence to collect and accumulate the evidence which should sustain their previous assertions. But arrayed in the panoply of innocence, he stood firm, and confident of acquittal. The best counsel had been engaged—and on the day of trial, Hamilton stood
- 65. before the assembledcounty—an arraigned culprit in the presence of those before whom he had walked in honor from childhood. As the trial proceeded, the confidence of his friends diminished, and those who had doubted, became confirmed in the belief of the prisoner's guilt. Trifles light as air became confirmations strong as proofs of Holy Writ to the jealous minds of the audience, and one fact was linked to another in curious coincidence, until the chain of corroborating circumstances seemed irresistibly conclusive. His recent intimacy with the deceased, and even the attentions which friendship and hospitality had dictated, were ingeniously insisted upon as evidences of a deliberate plan of wickedness—long formed and gradually developed. The facts, that he had accompanied the deceased on his way—that he had lost the path in a country with which he was supposed to be familiar—his conduct on hearing of the death of his friend—the money—the knife—caused the most incredulous to tremble for his fate. But when the breast-pin of Hamilton, found near the body of the murdered man, was produced —and a pistol, known to have been that of the prisoner, was proved to have been picked up near the same spot—but little room was left, even for charity to indulge a benevolent doubt. Nor was this all—the prosecution had still another witness—the pale girl who sate by him, clasping his hand in hers, was unexpectedly called upon to rise and give testimony. She shrunk from the unfeeling call, and buried her face in her brother's bosom. That blow was not anticipated—for none but the cunning myrmidons of party vengeance, who had even violated the sanctuary of family confidence, in search of evidence, dreamed that any criminating circumstance was in the possession of this young lady. At the mandate of the court, she arose, laid aside her veil, and disclosed a face haggard with anxiety and terror. In low tremulous accents, broken with sobs, she reluctantly deposed, that the clothes worn by her brother, on his return from that fatal journey, were torn, soiled with earth, and bloody! An audible murmur ran through the crowd, who were listening in breathless silence—the prisoner bowed his head in mute despair—the witness was borne away insensible—the argument proceeded, and after an
- 66. eloquent, but vaindefence, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty! The sentence of death was passed. * * * * * The summer had passed away. The hand of autumn had begun to tinge with mellow hues the magnificent scenery of the forest. It was evening, and the clear moonbeams were shining through the grates of the prisoner's cell. The unhappy man, haggard, attenuated, and heart-broken, was lying upon his wretched pallet, reflecting alternately upon the early wreck of his bright hopes, the hour of ignominy that was just approaching, and the dread futurity into which he should soon be plunged. It was the season at which his marriage with Almira was to have been solemnized. With what pride and joy had he looked forward to this hour! And now, instead of the wedding festivities, the lovely bride, and the train of congratulating friends, so often pictured in fancy, he realized fetters, a dungeon, and a disgraceful death! The well-known tread of the jailer interrupted the bitter train of thought. The door opened, and as the light streamed from a lantern across the cell, he saw a female form timidly approaching. In a moment Almira had sunk on her knees beside him, and their hands were silently clasped together. There are occasions when the heart spurns all constraint, and acts up to its own dictates, careless of public opinion, or prescribed forms—when love becomes the absorbing and overruling passion—and when that which under other circumstances would be mere unlicensed impulse, becomes a hallowed and imperious duty. That noble-hearted girl had believed to the last, that her lover would be honorably acquitted. The intelligence of his condemnation, while it blighted her hopes, and withered her health, never disturbed for one moment her conviction of his innocence. There is an union of hearts which is indestructible, which marriage may sanction, and nourish, and hallow, but which separation cannot destroy—a love that endures while life remains, or until its object shall prove faithless or unworthy. Such was the affection of Almira; and she held her promise to love and honor him, whose fidelity to her was unspotted,
- 67. and whose charactershe considered honorable, to be as sacred, as if they had been united in marriage. When all others forsook, she resolved never to forsake him. She had come to visit him in his desolation, and to risk all, to save one who was dear and innocent in her estimation, though guilty in the eyes of the world. The jailer, a blunt, though humane man, briefly disclosed a plan, which he, with Almira, had devised, for the escape of Hamilton. He had consented to allow the prisoner to escape, in female dress, while she was to remain in his stead, so that the whole contrivance should seem to be her own. 'I am a plain man,' concluded the jailer, 'but I know what's right. It 'aint fair to hang no man on suspicion— and more than that, I am not agoing to stand in no man's way— especially a friend who has done me favors, as you have. I go in for giving every fellow a fair chance. The track's clear, Mr. Hamilton, and the quicker you put out, the better.' To his surprise, the prisoner peremptorily refused the offer. 'I am innocent,' said he; 'but I would suffer a thousand deaths rather than injure the fair fame of this confiding girl.' 'Go, Dudley—my dear Dudley,' she sobbed: 'for my sake, for the sake of your broken-hearted father and sister—' 'Do not tempt me—my dear Almira. I will not do that which would expose you to disgrace.' 'Oh, who would blame me?' 'The world—the uncharitable world—they who believe me a murderer, and have tortured the most innocent actions into proofs of deliberate villainy, will not hesitate to brand you as the victim of a cold-blooded felon. And why should I fly? to live a wretched wanderer, with the brand of Cain on my forehead, and a character stamped with infamy?'—
- 68. He would havesaid more—but the form, that during this brief dialogue, had sunk into his arms, was lying lifeless on his bosom. He kissed her cold lips, and passionately repeated her name—but she heard him not—her pure spirit had gently disengaged itself, and was flown forever. Her heart was broken. She had watched, and wept, and prayed, in hopeless grief, until the physical energies of a delicate frame were exhausted: and the excitement of the last scene had snapped the attenuated thread of life. Hamilton did not survive her long. His health was already shattered by long confinement, and the chaffing of a proud spirit. Almira had died for him—and his own mother—oh! how cautiously did they whisper the sad truth, when he asked why she who loved him better than her own life, had forsaken him in the hour of affliction—she, too, had sunk under the dreadful blow. His father lived a withered, melancholy man, crushed in spirit; and as his sister hung like a guardian angel over his death-bed, and he gazed at her pale, emaciated, sorrow-stricken countenance, he saw that she, too, would soon be numbered among the victims of this melancholy persecution. When, with his last breath, he suggested that they would soon meet, she replied: 'I trust that God will spare me to see your innocence established, and then will I die contented.' And her confidence was rewarded—for God does not disappoint those who put their trust in him. About a year afterwards, a wretch, who was executed at Natchez, and who was one of the three persons named in the commencement of this narrative, confessed that he had murdered Saunders, with a pistol which he had found at the place where the two friends had slept. 'I knew it would be so,'—was the only reply of the fast declining sister—and soon after she was buried by the side of Dudley and Almira.—Reader, this is not fiction—nor are the decisions of God unjust—but his ways are above our comprehension. EMILLION.
- 69. LAW LECTURE ATWILLIAM AND MARY. A Lecture on the Study of the Law; being an Introduction to a course of lectures on that subject, in the College of William and Mary, by Beverley Tucker, Professor of Law. —Richmond: T. W. White. Nov. 1834. It is impossible for a Virginian not to feel an interest in old William and Mary. Recollecting the many able men who have been nurtured within its walls, and signalized as lawyers, legislators and statesmen, we cannot but feel gratified at every effort in its behalf that promises to be of use. From the time of Judge Semple's last appointment as Judge of the General Court, until the month of July, the law chair had remained vacant. A vacancy in so important a department continuing for so long a period, could not fail to be prejudicial to the institution. It was in vain that the other professorships were ably filled. The circumstance of the lectures in the law department being suspended, made many fear that the other professorships would one by one share the same fate—that this vacancy was but a precursor to others— that a failure to fill this would be followed by like failures hereafter—and that in a few years the doors of this venerable pile would be closed. These inferences are strengthened by the fact, that a very important professorship (the professorship of mathematics) had formerly been permitted to remain vacant for even a longer period than that which is the subject of these brief reflections. With such anticipations, it is no wonder that every class has latterly been characterized by the smallness of its numbers. The Board of Visiters, at their meeting in July, resolved that the vacancy should continue no longer, and conferred the appointment of law professor upon Beverley Tucker. Mr. Tucker is well known as a writer upon constitutional questions, and his appointment to the bench of another state, after a short residence in it, affords evidence of the estimation in which his legal attainments were there held. The same professorship to which he is now appointed, was filled many years ago by his father
- 70. St. George Tucker,whose edition of Blackstone's Commentaries, and subsequent appointment first in the state and then in the federal judiciary, have given him a reputation with members of the bar throughout the Union. The letter and answer which precede the introductory lecture of Professor Tucker, sufficiently explain the circumstances under which that lecture is published. Williamsburg, October 27, 1834. Dear Sir:—The students of William and Mary, highly gratified by your able and eloquent address, delivered before them this day, have held a special meeting, and by unanimous vote adopted the following resolution: Resolved, (At a meeting of the students in the large lecture room on the 27th inst.) That a committee be appointed to address a note to Professor Tucker, for the purpose of expressing their admiration of the able and interesting lecture which he has this day delivered, introductory to his course on law, and to solicit the same for publication. We hope for your assent to this request, and in performing this agreeable duty, we tender you our sentiments of respect and esteem. JNO. W. DEW, WM. T. FRENCH, CHAS. H. KENNEDY, JOHN MURDAUGH, Committee. Professor Tucker. Williamsburg, October 28, 1834. Gentlemen:—I acknowledge the receipt of your polite note, and am happy to comply with the request which it conveys. Identified with the College of William and Mary by the early recollections and warm affections of youth, I have nothing so much at heart as a desire to be found worthy to aid in restoring that venerable institution to all its former prosperity and usefulness. Your approbation is dear to me, as encouraging a
- 71. hope that myefforts may not be unavailing. If I shall be so fortunate as to send out into the world but one more, to be added to the list of illustrious men, who are every where found upholding, with generous, devoted and enlightened zeal, the free institutions inherited from our fathers, in their true spirit, I shall have my reward. If I can succeed in impressing on my class the conviction, that freedom has its duties, as well as its rights, and can only be preserved by the faithful discharge of those duties, I shall have my reward. If I can do no more than to furnish to the profession members devoted to its duties, and qualified to sustain its high character for intelligence and integrity, by diligence and fidelity even in its humblest walks, I shall still have my reward. In either case I shall have rendered valuable service, to you, to this venerable institution, to this scene of my earliest, happiest and best days, and to Virginia—my mother—the only country to which my heart has ever owned allegiance. Far as my feet have wandered from her soil, my affections have always cleaved to her, and as the faithful mussulman, in every clime, worships with his face towards the tomb of his prophet, so has my heart ever turned to her, alive to all her interests, jealous of her honor, resentful of her wrongs, partaking in all her struggles, exulting in her triumphs, and mourning her defeats. May she again erect herself to her former proud attitude and walk before the children of liberty in the pathless desert where they now wander, as a "cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night." For yourselves, gentlemen, and those whom you represent, be pleased to accept my acknowledgments for the compliment implied in your application. I would ask you to accept the expression of another sentiment, if I knew how to express it. Returning to Williamsburg after an absence commencing in early life, the long and dreary interval seems obliterated. I find myself remitted at once to the scenes and to the feelings of youth. It would seem more natural to me to come among you as a companion than as an instructer. But this may not be much amiss. My business is with your heads, but the road to them is through the heart, and if I can only bring you to understand and reciprocate my feelings, there will be nothing wanting to facilitate the communication of any instruction I may be capable of bestowing. I remain, gentlemen, with high regard, your friend and obedient servant, B. TUCKER. To Messrs. J. W. Dew, John Murdaugh, Wm. T. French, and Chs. H. Kennedy.
- 72. YOUNG GENTLEMEN: I gladlyavail myself of an established custom, to offer some remarks on the mutual relation into which we have just entered, and the studies which will occupy our attention during the ensuing course. This day is to you the commencement of the most important æra of life. You have heretofore been engaged in studies, for the most part useful, but sometimes merely ornamental or amusing. The mind, it is true, can hardly fail to improve, by the exertion necessary to the acquisition of knowledge of any kind, even as the athletic sports of the boy harden and prepare the body for the labors of the man. But, in many particulars, what you have heretofore learned may be of little practical value in the business of life; and your past neglects may perhaps be attended with no loss of prosperity or respectability in future. Some of you are probably acquainted with sciences of which others are ignorant; but are not for that reason any better prepared for the new course of studies on which you are about to enter. Nor will such knowledge necessarily afford its possessors any advantage at the bar, or in the senate, or on any of the arenas, where the interests of individuals and nations are discussed, and the strifes of men decided. But the time is now past with you, young gentlemen, when you can lose a moment, or neglect an opportunity of improvement, without a lasting and irreparable detriment to yourselves. You this day put on the toga virilis, and enter on the business of life. This day you commence those studies on which independence, prosperity, respectability, and the comfort and happiness of those who will be dearest to you, must depend. For, trust me, these things mainly depend on excellence in the profession or occupation, whatever it may be, which a man chooses as the business of his life. The humblest mechanic will derive more of all these good things from diligence and proficiency in his trade, than he possibly can from any knowledge unconnected with it.
- 73. This, which istrue of all occupations, is most emphatically true of that which you have chosen. To be eminent in our profession is to hold a place among the great ones of the earth; and they, who devote themselves to it, have the rare advantage of treading the path which leads to the highest objects of honorable ambition, even while walking the round of daily duties, and providing for the daily wants of private life. The history of our country is full of proof that the bar is the road to eminence; and I beg you to remark how few of its members have attained to this eminence in public life, without having been first distinguished in the profession. To win its honors, and to wear them worthily, is to attain an elevation from which all other honors are accessible: but to turn aside disgusted with its labors, is to lose this vantage ground, and to sink again to the dead level of the common mass. You should therefore learn to look on the profession of your choice, as the source from whence are to flow all the comforts, the honors, and the happiness of life. Let it be as a talisman, in which, under God, you put your trust, assuring yourselves that whatever you seek by means of it you will receive. I have the more naturally fallen into these remarks, as they are in some sort suggested, and are certainly justified by the history of this institution. If you trace back the lives of the men, who at this moment occupy the most enviable pre-eminence in your native state, you will find that they received the rudiments of their professional and political education at this venerable but decayed seminary. There are certainly distinguished members of the profession, and illustrious men out of the profession, to whom this remark does not apply. But when Virginia (Magna Parens Virum,) is called on to show her jewels, to whom does she more proudly point than to men who once occupied those very seats; who here received the first impulse in their career; who here commenced that generous strife for superiority which has placed them all so high. The subject of our researches, young gentlemen, will be the municipal law of Virginia. The text book which will be placed in your hands is the American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries,
- 74. published thirty yearsago by one of my predecessors in this chair. You will readily believe that it would be my pride to walk, with filial reverence by the lights which he has given us, and that, in doing so, I should feel secure of escaping any harsh animadversion from those to whom I am responsible, and who still cherish so favorable a recollection of his services. I shall certainly endeavor to avail myself of this privilege; though it may be occasionally necessary to assume a more perilous responsibility. A brief sketch of the plan which I propose to myself, will show you how far I shall follow, and wherein, and why, I shall deviate from the path which he has traced. Municipal law is defined by Mr. Blackstone, "to be a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power of the state." By Justinian it is said, "Id quod quisque populus sibi jus constituit, vocatur jus civile:" which has been well rendered thus: "It is the system of rules of civil conduct which any state has ordained for itself." Whatever definition we adopt, we shall find that municipal law is distinguishable into four grand divisions, which may be properly designated by the following description: 1. That which regulates the nature and form of the body politic; which establishes the relation that each individual bears to it, and the rights and duties growing out of that relation, which determines the principles on which it exercises authority over him; and settles a system of jurisprudence by which it operates to protect and enforce right, and to redress and punish wrong. 2. That which determines the relations of individual members of society to each other; which defines the rights growing out of that relation; and regulates the right of property, and such personal rights as must subsist even in a state of nature. 3. That which defines the wrongs that may be done by one individual member of society to another, in prejudice of his rights,
- 75. whether of personor property, and provides means for preventing or redressing such wrongs. 4. That which defines and denounces the wrongs which may be done by any individual member of society, in violation of the duties growing out of his relation to the body politic, and provides means for preventing and punishing such violation. The first of these divisions is treated by Mr. Blackstone in his first book, under the comprehensive head of "The Rights of Persons." Under the same head he includes so much of the second division as relates to such personal rights as must have belonged to man in a state of nature, and such as grow out of his relation to other individual members of society. Such are the relative rights of husband and wife, parent and child, guardian and ward, and master and servant—and the absolute rights, of personal liberty, and of security to life, limb and reputation. These rights are obviously not the creatures of civil society, however they may be regulated and modified by municipal law. They in no wise depend on "the nature or form of the body politic;" nor on "the relations which individuals bear to it;" nor on "the rights and duties growing out of that relation;" nor on "the principles on which it exercises authority over individuals;" nor on "the system of jurisprudence." As little indeed do they depend on "the rights of property," but they have much in common with them. Together with them, they collectively form the mass of "individual rights," as contradistinguished from "political rights." Neither class derives its existence from civil society, although both are alike liable to be regulated by it, and the two together form the subject of almost all controversies between man and man. Now with rights in actual and peaceable enjoyment, law has nothing to do. It is controversy which calls it into action; and as both this class of personal rights, and the rights of property, have the same common origin—both subsisting by titles paramount to the constitutions of civil society; as both are the ordinary subjects of controversy between individuals; and as these
- 76. controversies are allconducted according to similar forms, decided by the same tribunals, and adjusted by the like means,—it is found convenient to arrange them together in a course of instruction. Such I believe has always been the practice in this institution. Proposing to conform to it, I have thought it best, in the outset, to intimate this slight difference between this practice and Mr. Blackstone's arrangement. There is another particular in which Mr. Blackstone's order of instruction has been advantageously changed at this place. His is certainly the true philosophical arrangement of the subject. When we are told that "municipal law is a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power in the state," it is obvious to ask, "what is that supreme power, and whence comes its supremacy?" When we are told that it is "the system of rules of civil conduct, which the state has ordained for itself," the first inquiry is, "what is the state?" Thus whatever definition of municipal law we adopt, the subject of inquiry that meets us at the threshold is the Lex Legum; the law which endues the municipal law itself with authority. If the individual to be instructed were one who had heretofore lived apart from law and government, yet capable (if such a thing were possible) of understanding the subject, it is here we ought to commence. To him it would be indispensable to explain, in the first instance, the structure of the body politic; to specify the rights surrendered by individuals; and to set before him the equivalent privileges received in exchange. We too might be supposed to require a like exposition before we would be prepared to submit to the severe restraints and harsh penalties of criminal law. But in regard to controversies between individuals we feel no such jealousies. In these, the law, acting but as an arbiter, indifferent between the parties, no question concerning its authority occurs to the mind. The readiness with which we acquiesce in its decisions, is strikingly manifested in the fact, that the whole of England, Ireland and the United States are, for the most part, governed by a law which has no voucher for its authority but this acquiescence. The
- 77. same thing maybe said of the authority of the civil law on the continent of Europe. It thus appears that the mind does not always require to be informed of the origin of the law which regulates and enforces, or protects individual rights, before it will condescend to inquire what are its behests. Prima facie it should be so; but being, in point of fact, born in the midst of law, habituated to it from our infancy, and accustomed to witness uniform obedience to its authority on the part of those whom we were taught to obey, we learn to regard it as a thing in rerum natura, rather than of human invention; a sort of moral atmosphere, which, like that we breathe, seems a very condition of our existence. There is therefore no inconvenience to be apprehended from taking up the subject in an inverted order, treating first of individual rights, and reserving those that grow out of the relation of the citizen to the body politic, and the correlative duties of that relation, for future inquiry. While there is nothing to be objected to this arrangement, there is much in favor of it. It is important that they who engage in the study of political law, should come to the task with minds prepared for it; well stored with analogous information, and sobered and subdued by the discipline of severe investigation. There is a simplicity in some views of government which is apt to betray the student into a premature belief that he understands it thoroughly; and then, measuring the value of his imagined acquirements, not by the labor that they have cost him, but by the dignity and importance of the subject, he becomes inflated, self-satisfied and unteachable; resting in undoubting assurance on the accuracy and sufficiency of such bare outline as his instructer may have thought proper to place before him. But in those countries where the authority of government rests on a questionable title, they who are entrusted with the education of youth, may naturally wish to keep them from looking into it too narrowly. Hence it may be a measure of policy with them, to introduce the student, in the first place, to the study of political law, in the hope of making on his raw and unpractised
- 78. mind, such animpression, as may secure his approbation of the existing order of things. The faculty of investigating legal questions, and forming legal opinions, may almost be regarded as an acquired faculty; so that, in the earlier part of his researches, the student necessarily acquiesces in the doctrines which are pronounced ex cathedra by his teacher. At this time he readily receives opinions on trust; and if it be his interest to cherish them, or if he is never called on in after life to reexamine them, he is apt to carry them with him to the grave. This is perhaps as it should be in England and other countries of Europe. Having no part in the government, it may be well enough that he should learn to sit down contented with this sort of enlightened ignorance. But with us the case is different. The authority of our governments is derived by a title that fears no investigation. We feel sure, that, the better it is understood, the more it will be approved. It rests too on a charter conferring regulated and limited powers; and the well being of the country requires that the limitations and regulations be strictly observed. Now every man among us has his "place in the commonwealth." It is on the one hand, the duty of every man to aid in giving full effect to all legitimate acts of government; and on the other, to bear his part in restraining the exercise of all powers forbidden or not granted. Every man therefore owes it to his country to acquire a certain proficiency in constitutional law, so as to act understandingly, when called on to decide between an alleged violation of the constitution, and an imputed opposition to lawful authority. Such occasions are of daily occurrence. Scarcely a day has passed, since the adoption of the federal constitution, when some question of this sort has not been before the public. Such is the effect of that impatience of restraint natural to man. So prompt are the people to become restive under laws of questionable authority, and so apt are rulers to strain at the curb of constitutional limitations, that one or the other, or both of these spectacles, is almost always before us.
- 79. When you comethen, young gentlemen, to the study of political and constitutional law, you will find it no small advantage to have been engaged for some months before in studies of a similar character. The opinions you will then form will be properly your own. I may not be so successful as I might wish, in impressing you with those I entertain; but I shall be more gratified to find you prepared to "give a reason for the faith that is in you," whatever that faith may be, than to hear you rehearse, by rote, any political catechism that I could devise. I shall accordingly postpone any remarks on constitutional and political law, until your minds have been exercised and hardened by the severe training they will undergo in the study of the private rights of individuals, of wrongs done in prejudice of such rights, and of the remedies for such wrongs. All these topics are embraced in the second and third division of municipal law, that I have laid before you. To these belong the most intricate and difficult questions in the science of law. In introducing you to the study of these, let me say, in the language of one from whom I am proud to quote, that, "I cannot flatter you with the assurance that 'your yoke is easy and your burden light.' I will not tell you that your path leads over gentle ascents and through flowery meads, where every new object entices us forward, and stimulates to perseverance. By no means! The task you have undertaken is one of the most arduous; the profession you have chosen one of the most laborious; the study you are about to pursue, one of the most difficult that can be conceived. But you have made your election. You have severed yourselves from the common herd of youth, who shrink from every thing that demands exertion and perseverance. You have chosen between the allurements of pleasure and the honors which await the disciples of wisdom. You yield to others to keep the noiseless tenor of their way in inglorious ease. You have elected for yourselves the path that philosophers and moralists represent as leading, up a rugged ascent, to the temple of fame. It may be the lot of some of you to elevate yourselves by talents and unabating zeal, in the pursuit you have selected. But these distinguished honors are not to be borne away
- 80. by the slothfuland inert. Nulla palma sine pulvere. He who would win the laurel, must encounter the sweat and toil of the arena. Nor will it suffice that he occasionally presses on to the goal. If he slackens in his efforts he must lose ground. We roll a Sisyphean stone to an exalted eminence. He who gives back loses what his strength had gained; and sinking under the toil his own indolence increases, will at length give up his unsteady efforts in despair."—1. T. C. Introduction, p. vi. I can add nothing to these striking remarks but my testimony to their truth. There is, perhaps, no study that tasks the powers of the mind more severely than that of law. In it, as in the study of mathematics, nothing is learned at all that is not learned perfectly; and a careless perusal of Euclid's elements would not be more unprofitable, than that of a treatise on the laws of property. Nor will a mere effort of memory be of more avail in the one case than in the other. Both must be remembered by being understood; by being through the exercise of intense thought, incorporated as it were into the very texture of the mind. To this end its powers must be fully and faithfully exerted. As, in lifting at a weight, you do but throw away your labor, until you man yourself to the exertion of the full measure of strength necessary to raise it; so, in this study, you may assure yourselves that all you have done is of no avail, if you pass from any topic without thoroughly understanding it. And let no man persuade you that genius can supply the place of this exertion. Genius does not so manifest itself. The secret of its wonderful achievements is in the energy which it inspires. It is because its prompting sting, like the sharp goad of necessity, urges to herculean effort, that it is seen to accomplish herculean tasks. He is deceived who fancies himself a favored child of genius, unless he finds his highest enjoyment in intellectual exercise. He should go to the toil of thought like the champion to the lists, seeking in the very certaminis gaudia the rich reward of all his labors. There may be something startling, I fear, in this exhibition of the difficulties that lie before you, and it is proper to encourage you by
- 81. the assurance thatby strenuous effort they may be certainly overcome. Remember too that this effort will be painful only in the outset. The mind, like the body, soon inures itself to toil, and wears off the soreness consequent on its first labors. When this is done, the task becomes interesting in proportion to its difficulty, and subjects which are understood without effort, and which do not excite the mind to thought, seem flat and insipid. But lest the student should falter and give back in his earlier struggles, it is the duty of the teacher to afford him such aids as he can. This is mainly to be done by means of such an analysis and arrangement of the subject as may prevent confusion, and consequent perplexity and discouragement. There are two sorts of analysis, each proper in its place. The one philosophical, by which the different parts of a subject are so arranged, as to exhibit in distinct groups those things that depend on the same or like principles, and such as are marked by characteristic points of resemblance; giving a sort of honorary precedence to the most important. The other sort of analysis may be termed logical. It is that method by which different propositions are so arranged, as that no one of them shall ever be brought under consideration, until all others which may be necessary to the right understanding of that one, have been established and explained. Of this last description sire Euclid's elements, in which it is interesting to observe that no one proposition could with propriety be made to change its place; each one depending for its demonstration, directly or indirectly, upon all that have gone before. Blackstone's Commentaries may be cited as an example of philosophical analysis. He has indeed been careful to avoid perplexing his reader, through the want of a strictly logical arrangement, by dealing chiefly in generalities, and never descending to such particulars as might be unintelligible for want of a knowledge of matters not yet treated of. This I take to be the reason why his work has been characterized as being "less an
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