a new view of society-第21章

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at　the　simplicity　and　irresistible　power　of　truth　alone　can　disentangle　them　and　expose　their　fallacy。　It　becomes　then　necessary；　to　prevent　the　evils　of　a　too　sudden　change；　that　those　who　have　been　thus　nursed　in　ignorance　may　be　progressively　removed　from　the　abodes　of　mental　darkness　to　the　intellectual　light　which　this　principle　cannot　fail　to　produce。　The　light　of　true　knowledge；　therefore；　must　be　first　made　to　dawn　on　those　dwellings　of　darkness；　and　afterwards　gradually　to　increase；　as　it　can　be　borne；　by　the　opening　faculties　of　their　inhabitants。　　　　　To　proceed　on　this　plan　it　becomes　necessary　to　direct　our　attention　to　the　actual　state　of　the　British　population；　to　disclose　the　cause　of　those　great　and　leading　evils　of　which　all　now　complain。　　　　　It　will　then　be　seen　that　the　foundation　on　which　these　evils　have　been　erected　is　ignorance；　proceeding　from　the　errors　which　have　been　impressed　on　the　minds　of　the　present　generation　by　its　predecessors；　and　chiefly　by　that　greatest　of　all　errors；　the　notion　that　individuals　form　their　own　characters。　For　while　this　most　inconsistent；　and　therefore　most　absurd；　of　all　human　conceptions　shall　continue　to　be　forced　upon　the　young　mind；　there　will　remain　no　foundation　whatever　on　which　to　build　a　sincere　love　and　extended　charity　for　man　to　his　fellow　creatures。　　　　　But　destroy　this　hydra　of　human　calamity；　this　immolator　of　every　principle　of　rationality；　this　monster；　which　hitherto　has　effectually　guarded　every　avenue　that　can　lead　to　true　benevolence　and　active　kindness；　and　human　happiness　will　be　speedily　established　on　a　rock　from　whence　it　shall　never　more　be　removed。　　　　　This　enemy　of　humanity　may　now　be　most　easily　destroyed。　Let　it　be　dragged　forth　from　beneath　the　dark　mysterious　veil　by　which　till　now　it　has　been　hid　from　the　eyes　of　the　world；　expose　it　but　for　an　instant　to　the　clear　light　of　intellectual　day；　and；　as　though　conscious　of　its　own　deformity；　it　will　instantaneously　vanish；　never　to　reappear。　　　　　As　a　groundwork；　then；　of　a　rational　system；　let　this　absurd　doctrine；　and　all　the　chain　of　consequences　which　follow　from　it；　be　withdrawn；　and　let　that　only　be　taught　as　sacred；　which　can　be　demonstrated　by　its　never…failing　consistency　to　be　true。　　　　　This　essential　object　being　accomplished　（and　accomplished　it　must　be　before　another　step　can　be　taken　to　form　man　into　a　rational　being）；　the　next　is　to　withdraw　those　national　laws　which　chiefly　emanate　from　that　erroneous　doctrine；　and　which　now　exist　in　full　vigour；　training　the　population　to　almost　every　kind　of　crime。　For　these　laws　are；　without　chance　of　failure；　adapted　to　produce　a　long　train　of　crimes；　which　crimes　are　accordingly　produced。　　　　　Some　of　the　most　prominent　to　which　allusion　is　made；　are　such　as　encourage　the　consumption　of　ardent　spirits；　by　fostering　and　extending　those　receptacles　to　seduce　the　ignorant　and　wretched；　called　gin…shops　and　pot…houses；　those　laws　which　sanction　and　legalize　gambling　among　the　poor；　under　the　name　of　a　state　lottery；　those　which　are　insidiously　destroying　the　real　strength　of　the　country；　under　the　name　of　providing　for　the　poor；　and　those　of　punishment；　which；　under　the　present　irrational　system　of　legislation；　are　supposed　to　be　absolutely　necessary　to　hold　society　together。　　　　　To　prove　the　accuracy　of　this　deduction；　millions　of　facts　exist　around　us；　speaking　in　a　language　so　clearly　connected　and　audible；　that　it　is　scarcely　credible　any　man　can　misunderstand　it。　These　facts　proclaim　aloud　to　the　universe；　that　ignorance　generates；　fosters；　and　multiplies　sentiments　and　actions　which　must　produce　private　and　public　misery；　and　that　when　evils　are　experienced；　instead　of　withdrawing　the　cause　which　created　them；　it　invents　and　applies　punishments；　which；　to　a　superficial　observer；　may　appear　to　lessen　the　evils　which　afflict　society；　while；　in　reality；　they　greatly　increase　them。　　　　　Intelligence；　on　the　contrary；　traces　to　its　source　the　cause　of　every　evil　which　exists；　adopts　the　proper　measures　to　remove　the　cause；　and　then；　with　the　most　unerring　confidence；　rests　satisfied　that　its　object　will　be　accomplished。　　　　　Thus　then　intelligence；　or　in　other　words　plain　unsophisticated　reason；　will　consider　the　various　sentiments　and　actions　which　now　create　misery　in　society；　will　patiently　trace　the　cause　whence　those　sentiments　and　actions　proceed；　and　immediately　apply　the　proper　remedies　to　remove　them。　　　　　And　attention；　thus　directed；　discovers　that　the　cause　of　such　sentiments　and　actions　in　the　British　population　is　the　laws　which　have　been　enumerated；　and　others　which　shall　be　hereafter　noticed。　　　　　To　withdraw；　therefore；　the　existing　evils　which　afflict　society；　these　unwise　laws　must　be　progressively　repealed　or　modified。　The　British　constitution；　in　its　present　outline；　is　admirably　adapted　to　effect　these　changes；　without　the　evils　which　always　accompany　a　coerced　or　ill…prepared　change。　　　　　As　a　preliminary　step；　however；　to　the　commencement　of　national　improvements；　it　should　be　declared　with　a　sincerity　which　shall　not　admit　of　any　after　deviation；　that　no　individual　of　the　present　generation　should　be　deprived　of　the　emolument　which　he　now　receives；　or　of　that　which　has　been　officially　or　legally　promised。　　　　　The　next　step　in　national　reform　is　to　withdraw　from　the　national　church　those　tenets　which　constitute　its　weakness　and　create　its　danger。　Yet　still；　to　prevent　the　evils　of　any　premature　change；　let　the　church　in　other　respects　remain　as　it　is；　because　under　the　old　established　forms　it　may　effect　the　most　valuable　purposes。　　　　　To　render　it　truly　a　national　church；　all　tests；　as　they　are　called；　that　is；　declarations　of　belief　in　which　all　cannot　conscientiously　join；　should　be　withdrawn：　this　alteration　would　tend　more　perhaps　than　any　other　which　can　be　devised；　to　give　stability　both　to　the　national　church　and　to　the　state；　and　a　conduct　thus　rational　would　at　once　terminate　all　the　theological　differences　which　now　confound　the　intellects　of　men　and　disseminate　universal　discord。　　　　　The　next　measure　of　national　improvement　should　be　to　repeal　or　modify　those　laws　which　leave　the　lower　orders　in　ignorance；　train　them　to　become　intemperate；　and　produce　idleness；　gambling；　poverty；　disease；　and　murder。　The　production　and　consumption　of　ardent　spirits　are　now　legally　encouraged；　licences　to　keepers　of　gin…shops　and　unnecessary　pot…houses　are　by　thousands　annually　distributed；　the　laws　of　the　state　now　direct　those　licences　to　be　distributed；　and　yet；　perhaps；　not　one　of　the　authors　or　guardians　of　these　laws　has　once　reflected　how　much　each　of　those　houses　daily　contributes　to　public　crime；　disease；　and　weakness；　or　how　much　they　add　to　the　stock　of　private　misery。　　　　　Shall　we　then　continue　to　surround　our　fellow　creatures　with　a　temptation　which；　as　many　of　them　are　now　trained；　we　know　they　are　unable　to　resist　with　a　temptation；　too；　which　predisposes　its　victims　to　proceed　gradually　from　a　state　of　temporary　insanity；　into　which　they　had　been　led　by　the　example　and　instruction　of　those　around　them；　to　one　of　madness　and　bodily　disease；　creating　more　than　infantile　weakness；　which　again　produces　mental　torments　and