thoughts on man-第51部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

to　do；　and　uncontrolled　in　the　administration　of　the　fruits　of　their　industry。　　But　the　moral　end　of　all　is；　that　a　man　shall　be　worthy　of　the　name；　erect；　independent　of　mind；　spontaneous　of　decision；　intrepid；　overflowing　with　all　good　feelings；　and　open　in　the　expression　of　the　sentiments　they　inspire。　　If　man　is　double　in　his　weightiest　purposes；　full　of　ambiguity　and　concealment；　and　not　daring　to　give　words　to　the　impulses　of　his　soul；　what　matters　it　that　he　is　free？　　We　may　pronounce　of　this　man；　that　he　is　unworthy　of　the　blessing　that　has　fallen　to　his　lot；　and　will　never　produce　the　fruits　that　should　be　engendered　in　the　lap　of　liberty。

There　is　however；　it　should　seem；　a　short　answer　to　all　this。　　It　is　in　vain　to　expatiate　to　us　upon　the　mischiefs　of　lying；　hypocrisy　and　concealment；　since　it　is　only　through　them；　as　the　way　by　which　we　are　to　march；　that　nations　can　be　made　free。

This　certainly　is　a　fearful　judgment　awarded　upon　our　species：　　but　is　it　true？

We　are　to　begin；　it　seems；　with　concealing　from　our　landlord；　or　our　opulent　neighbour；　our　political　determinations；　and　so　his　corrupt　influence　will　be　broken；　and　the　humblest　individual　will　be　safe　in　doing　that　which　his　honest　and　unbiased　feelings　may　prompt　him　to　do。

No：　　this　is　not　the　way　in　which　the　enemy　of　the　souls　of　men　is　to　be　defeated。　　We　must　not　begin　with　the　confession　of　our　faint…heartedness　and　our　cowardice。　　A　quiet；　sober；　unaltered　frame　of　judgment；　that　insults　no　one；　that　has　in　it　nothing　violent；　brutal　and　defying；　is　the　frame　that　becomes　us。　　If　I　would　teach　another　man；　my　superior　in　rank；　how　he　ought　to　construe　and　decide　upon　the　conduct　I　hold；　I　must　begin　by　making　that　conduct　explicit。

It　is　not　in　morals；　as　it　is　in　war。　　There　stratagem　is　allowable；　and　to　take　the　enemy　by　surprise。　　〃Who　enquires　of　an　enemy；　whether　it　is　by　fraud　or　heroic　enterprise　that　he　has　gained　the　day？〃　But　it　is　not　so　that　the　cause　of　liberty　is　to　be　vindicated　in　the　civil　career　of　life。

The　question　is　of　reducing　the　higher　ranks　of　society　to　admit　the　just　immunities　of　their　inferiors。　　I　will　not　allow　that　they　shall　be　cheated　into　it。　　No：　　no　man　was　ever　yet　recovered　to　his　senses　in　a　question　of　morals；　but　by　plain；　honest；　soul…commanding　speech。　　Truth　is　omnipotent；　if　we　do　not　violate　its　majesty　by　surrendering　its　outworks；　and　giving　up　that　vantage…ground；　of　which　if　we　deprive　it；　it　ceases　to　be　truth。　　It　finds　a　responsive　chord　in　every　human　bosom。　　Whoever　hears　its　voice；　at　the　same　time　recognises　its　power。　　However　corrupt　he　may　be；　however　steeped　in　the　habits　of　vice；　and　hardened　in　the　practices　of　tyranny；　if　it　be　mildly；　distinctly；　emphatically　enunciated；　the　colour　will　forsake　his　cheek；　his　speech　will　alter　and　be　broken；　and　he　will　feel　himself　unable　to　turn　it　off　lightly；　as　a　thing　of　no　impression　and　validity。　　In　this　way　the　erroneous　man；　the　man　nursed　in　the　house　of　luxury；　a　stranger　to　the　genuine；　unvarnished　state　of　things；　stands　a　fair　chance　of　being　corrected。

But；　if　an　opposite；　and　a　truer　way　of　thinking　than　that　to　which　he　is　accustomed；　is　only　brought　to　his　observation　by　the　reserve　of　him　who　entertains　it；　and　who；　while　he　entertains　it；　is　reluctant　to　hold　communion　with　his　wealthier　neighbour；　who　regards　him　as　his　adversary；　and　hardly　admits　him　to　be　of　the　same　common　nature；　there　will　be　no　general　improvement。　　Under　this　discipline　the　two　ranks　of　society　will　be　perpetually　more　estranged；　view　each　other　with　eye　askance；　and　will　be　as　two　separate　and　hostile　states；　though　inhabiting　the　same　territory。　　Is　this　the　picture　we　desire　to　see　of　genuine　liberty；　philanthropic；　desirous　of　good　to　all；　and　overflowing　with　all　generous　emotions？

　　　　　I　hate　where　vice　can　bolt　her　arguments；　　　　　　And　virtue　has　no　tongue　to　check　her　pride。

The　man　who　interests　himself　for　his　country　and　its　cause；　who　acts　bravely　and　independently；　and　knows　that　he　runs　some　risk　in　doing　so；　must　have　a　strange　opinion　of　the　sacredness　of　truth；　if　the　very　consciousness　of　having　done　nobly　does　not　supply　him　with　courage；　and　give　him　that　simple；　unostentatious　firmness；　which　shall　carry　immediate　conviction　to　the　heart。　　It　is　a　bitter　lesson　that　the　institution　of　ballot　teaches；　while　it　says；　〃You　have　done　well；　therefore　be　silent；　whisper　it　not　to　the　winds；　disclose　it　not　to　those　who　are　most　nearly　allied　to　you；　adopt　the　same　conduct　which　would　suggest　itself　to　you；　if　you　had　perpetrated　an　atrocious　crime。〃

In　no　long　time　after　the　commencement　of　the　war　of　the　allies　against　France；　certain　acts　were　introduced　into　the　English　parliament；　declaring　it　penal　by　word　or　writing　to　utter　any　thing　that　should　tend　to　bring　the　government　into　contempt；　and　these　acts；　by　the　mass　of　the　adversaries　of　despotic　power；　were　in　way　of　contempt　called　the　Gagging　Acts。　　Little　did　I　and　my　contemporaries　of　1795　imagine；　when　we　protested　against　these　acts　in　the　triumphant　reign　of　William　Pitt；　that　the　soi…disant　friends　of　liberty　and　radical　reformers；　when　their　turn　of　triumph　came；　would　propose　their　Gagging　Acts；　recommending　to　the　people　to　vote　agreeably　to　their　consciences；　but　forbidding　them　to　give　publicity　to　the　honourable　conduct　they　had　been　prevailed　on　to　adopt！

But　all　this　reasoning　is　founded　in　an　erroneous；　and　groundlessly　degrading；　opinion　of　human　nature。　　The　improvement　of　the　general　institutions　of　society；　the　correction　of　the　gross　inequalities　of　our　representation；　will　operate　towards　the　improvement　of　all　the　members　of　the　community。　　While　ninety…nine　in　an　hundred　of　the　inhabitants　of　England　are　carried　forward　in　the　scale　of　intellect　and　virtue；　it　would　be　absurd　to　suppose　that　the　hundredth　man　will　stand　still；　merely　because　he　is　rich。　　Patriotism　is　a　liberal　and　a　social　impulse；　its　influence　is　irresistible；　it　is　contagious；　and　is　propagated　by　the　touch；　it　is　infectious；　and　mixes　itself　with　the　air　that　we　breathe。

Men　are　governed　in　their　conduct　in　a　surprising　degree　by　the　opinion　of　others。　　It　was　all　very　well；　when　noblemen　were　each　of　them　satisfied　of　the　equity　and　irresistible　principle　of　their　ascendancy；　when　the　vulgar　population　felt　convinced　that　passive　obedience　was　entailed　on　them　from　their　birth；　when　we　were　in　a　manner　but　just　emancipated　（illusorily　emancipated！）　from　the　state　of　serfs　and　villains。　　But　a　memorable　melioration　of　the　state　of　man　will　carry　some　degree　of　conviction　to　the　hearts　of　all。　　The　most　corrupt　will　be　made　doubtful：　　many　who　had　not　gone　so　far　in　ill；　will　desert　the　banners　of　oppression。

We　see　this　already。　　What　a　shock　was　propagated　through　the　island；　when；　the　other　day；　a　large　proprietor；　turning　a　considerable　cluster　of　his　tenants　out　of　the　houses　and　lands　they　occupied；　because　they　refused　to　vote　for　a　representative　in　parliament　implicitly　as　he　bade　them；　urged　in　his　own　justification；　〃Shall　I　not　do　what　I　will　with　my　own？〃　　This　was　all　sound　morals　and　divinity　perhaps　at　the　period　of　his　birth。　　Nobody　disputed　it；　or；　if　any　one　did；　he　was　set　down　by　the　oracles　of　the　vicinage　as　a　crackbrained　visionary。　　This　man；　so　confident　in　his　own　prerogatives；　had　slept　for　the　last　twenty　years；　and　awoke　totally　unconscious　of　what　had　been　going　on　in　almost　every　corner　of　Europe　in　the　interval。　　A　few　more　such　examples；　and　so　broad　and　sweeping　an　assumption　will　no　more　be　heard　of；　and　it　will　remain　in　the　records　of　history；　as　a　thing　for　the　reality　of　which　we　have　sufficient　evidence；　but　which　common　sense　repudiates；　and　which　seems　to　demand　from　us　a　certain　degree　of　credulity　to　induce　us　to　admit　that　it　had　ever　been。

The　manners　of　society　are　by　no　means　so　unchanged　and　unalterable　as　many　men　suppose。　　It　is　here；　as　in　the　case　of　excessive　drinking；　which　I　had　lately　occasion　to　mention＇36＇。　　In　rude　and　barbarous　times　men　of　the　highest　circles　piqued　themselves　upon　their　power　of　swallowing　excessive　potations；　and　found　pleasure　in　it。　　It　is　in　this　as　in　so　many　other　vices；　we　follow　implicitly　where　our　elders　lead　the　way。　　But　the　rage　of　drinking　is　now　gone　by；　and　you　will　with　difficulty　find　a　company　of　persons　of　respectable　appearance；　who　assemble　round　a　table　for　the　purpose　of　making　beasts　of　themselves。　　Formerly　it　was　their　glory；　now；　if　any　man　unhappily　retains　the　weakness；　he　hides　it　from　his　equals；　as　he　would　a　loathsome　disease。　　The　same　thing　will　happen　as　to　parliamentary　corruption；　and　the　absolute　authority　that　was　exercised　by　landlords　over　the　consciences　of　their　tenants。　　He　that　shall　attempt　to　put　into　act　what　is　then　universally　condemned；　will　be　a　marked　man；　and　will　be　generally　shunned　by　his　fellows。　　The　eye　of　the　world　will　be　upon　him；　as　the　murderer　fancies　himself　followed　by　the　eye　of　omnipotence；　and　he　will　obey　the　general　voice　of　the　community；　that　he　may　be　at　peace　with　himself。

＇36＇　See　above；　Essay　9。


Let　us　not　then　disgrace　a　period　of　memorable　improvement；　by　combining　it　with　an　institut