Slike strani
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

but she has implanted in him a system of social affections, which, though not necessary to his exiftence, are effential to his happiness. There is no period in life when this love for fociety ceases to act. It begins and ends with our being.

If we examine, with attention, into the compofition and conftitution of man, the diverfity of his wants, and the diverfity of talents in different men for reciprocally accommodating the wants of each other, his propenfity to fociety, and confequently to preserve the advantages resulting from it, we fhall easily discover, that a great part of what is called government, is mere impofition.

Government is no further neceffary than to fupply the few cafes to which society and civilization are not conveniently competent-and inftances are not wanting to fhew, that every thing which government can usually add thereto, has been performed by the common consent of fociety, without government*.

There is a natural aptnefs in man, and more fo in fociety, because it embraces a greater variety of

[ocr errors]

* For upwards of two years from the commencement of the American war, and to a longer period in several of the American ftates, there were no established forms of government. The old governments had been abolished, and the country was too much occupied in defence, to employ its attention in establishing new governments-yet, during this interval, order and harmony were preferved as inviolate as in any country in Europe.

abilities

[ocr errors]

abilities and refources to accommodate itself to whatever fituation it is in. The inftant formal government is abolished, fociety begins to act. A general affociation takes place, and common interest produces common fecurity.

So far is it from being true, as has been reprefented, that the abolition of any formal govern. ment is the diffolution of fociety, that it acts by a contrary impulfe, and brings the latter the clofer together. All that part of its organization which it had committed to its government, devolves again upon itself, and acts through its medium.When men, as well from natural inftinct, as from reciprocal benefits, have habituated themselves to focial and civilized life, there is always enough of its principles in practice to carry them through any changes they may find neceffary or convenient to make in their government. In short, man is fo naturally a creature of society, that it is impoffible to put him out of it.

Formal government makes but a small part of civilized life-and when even the best that human wisdom can devife, is eftablifhed, it is a thing more in name and idea, than in fact. It is to the great and fundamental principles of fociety and civilization to the common ufage univerfally con ́fented to, and mutually and reciprocally maintained-to the unceafing circulation of intereft, which, paffing through its million channels, invigorates

the

[ocr errors]

the whole mafs of civilized man-it is to thefe things, infinitely more than to any thing which even the best instituted governments can perform, that the fafety and profperity of the individual and of the whole depends.

The more perfect civilization is, the lefs occafion has it for government, because the more does it regulate its own affairs, and govern itself; but fo contrary is the practice of old governments to the reason of the cafe, that the expences of them increase in the proportion they ought to diminish. It is but few general laws that civil life requires, and thofe of fuch common usefulness, that whether they are enforced by the forms of government or not, the effect will be nearly the fame. If we confider what the principles are that first condense men into fociety, and what the motives that regulate their mutual intercourfe afterwards, we shall find, by the time we arrive at what is called government, that nearly the whole of the business is performed by the natural operation of the parts upon each other.

Man, with respect to all these matters, is more a creature of confiftency than he is aware of, or that governments would wifh him to believe. All the great laws of fociety are laws of nature. Those of trade and commerce, whether with refpect to the intercourfe of individuals, or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal intereft. They are

followed

followed and obeyed, because it is the intereft of the parties fo to do, and not on account of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose.

But how often is the natural propensity to fociety disturbed or destroyed by the operations of government! When the latter, instead of being ingrafted on the principles of the former, affumes to exift for itself, and acts by partialities of favour, or oppreffion, it becomes the cause of the mischiefs it ought to prevent.

[ocr errors]

If we take a retrospect of the riots and tumults which, at various times, have taken place in the world, we shall find, that they did not proceed from the want of a government, but that government was, itself, the generating caufe-instead of confolidating fociety, it divided it-it deprived it of its natural cohesion, and engendered difcontents and diforders which, otherwife, would not have exifted. In thofe affociations which men promifcuoufly form for the purpose of trade, or of any concern, in which government is totally out of the question, and in which they act merely on the principles of society, we see how naturally the various parties unite-and this fhews by compari fon, that governments, fo far from being always the cause or means of order, are often the deftruc tion of it.

Excefs and inequality of taxation, however dif

guifed in the means, never fail to appear in their effects. As a great mafs of the community are thrown thereby into poverty and difcontent, they are constantly on the brink of commotion-and, deprived, as they unfortunately are, of the means of information, are eafily heated to outrage. Whatever the apparent caufe of any riots may be, the real one is, always, want of happiness. It fhews that fomething is wrong in the fyftem of go, vernment, that injures the felicity by which society is to be preserved.

Having thus endeavoured to fhew that the social and civilized state of man is capable of performing within itself almost every thing neceffary to its protection and government, it will be proper on the other hand, to take a review of the prefent old governments, and examine whether their principles and practice are correfpondent thereto.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

IT is impoffible that fuch governments as havề

hitherto exifted in the world could have com menced by any other means than a total violation of every principle facred and moral. The obfcu

rity

« PrejšnjaNaprej »