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On The Influence Of Government On The Mental Faculties.
rnent . But we may conclude with the theorists , that government built itself at last on the basis of ihdnarchy , afbitrary and limited , ahd of Faction ' s nurse , Democracy . This improvement pf the civil pldn evinces the improvement of the mental faculties . The light burst at once from ! . flie great liitni-« ary of creation ^ but the dawn of intellect leads to the noon of knowled the experienceteaches ' too frequentl' —dwindles
ge ; noon , , , us y away into night . Governriient suffers similar vicissitudes ; each carries within itself the seeds of its dissolution . The transition from the cha > s of a natural state to the more refined rule of subordination , was a singular proof , no less than a rational exertion of the intellectual powers . Idiots had been incapable of it
, and had , therefore , never emerged from their primitive insufficiency ¦ —an insufficiency which had rendered them at best congenial with their •fellow brutes . But as man , by this exchange of situation for the benefit ofthe community , did not intentionally , and indeed could not at any rate , surrender his natural liberty , he could as little debar him of his rao ;
ral . Genius is uncontrouled by climate , " and Unlimited by govern- ' rnent . Government was ori ginally constituted for protection , and when it may apparently have given a cheek to the efforts ofthe understanding , it has rather transferred than expelled attention . Application has been , if you please ,, degmded from literary to active pursuits ; study has given place to the occupations of life ; or ,-the
philosopher has rushed from marshalling ideas in the closet to the generalship of armies in the field . Despotic monarchy has been familiarly esteemed the sickle which mows down all the qualities of the soul . Under such confinement , it is presumed , that man is sunk into meanness and despondence . The idea that one may be absolute ford of all , is incompatible with heart : we revolt at the thoughtand how great
every generous very ; must be our impatience to break the chains which are too heavy to - be endured ! Such chains oppress the better part—sensible of this aggravating triumph * the ruler , intoxicated with the fumes of pride , and revelling in ambition , deems the sufferings of his subject prisoners incomplete , if intercourse with those they love is not denied them . He removes
from them all possibility of communicating their sentiments , conscious that the mind is then exercised in vain . Thanks to civilization , which expanded itself so liberally , and so early in the world ! This more than Gothic barbarism has disgraced few established governments . The jus divinum , on which sottish despotism founded its prerogativesubsisted not but by the favour of ignorance and inability . '
, Absolute sovereigns have been more formidable by their artifices , and poisoning with cajolements those steady spirits who smiled at their resentment . The success of this mock affection has not only maintained the diadem on their heads , which had otherwise been laid low before their day , but their memories have been consecrated from some well-timed liberality , or some grateful condescensions .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Influence Of Government On The Mental Faculties.
rnent . But we may conclude with the theorists , that government built itself at last on the basis of ihdnarchy , afbitrary and limited , ahd of Faction ' s nurse , Democracy . This improvement pf the civil pldn evinces the improvement of the mental faculties . The light burst at once from ! . flie great liitni-« ary of creation ^ but the dawn of intellect leads to the noon of knowled the experienceteaches ' too frequentl' —dwindles
ge ; noon , , , us y away into night . Governriient suffers similar vicissitudes ; each carries within itself the seeds of its dissolution . The transition from the cha > s of a natural state to the more refined rule of subordination , was a singular proof , no less than a rational exertion of the intellectual powers . Idiots had been incapable of it
, and had , therefore , never emerged from their primitive insufficiency ¦ —an insufficiency which had rendered them at best congenial with their •fellow brutes . But as man , by this exchange of situation for the benefit ofthe community , did not intentionally , and indeed could not at any rate , surrender his natural liberty , he could as little debar him of his rao ;
ral . Genius is uncontrouled by climate , " and Unlimited by govern- ' rnent . Government was ori ginally constituted for protection , and when it may apparently have given a cheek to the efforts ofthe understanding , it has rather transferred than expelled attention . Application has been , if you please ,, degmded from literary to active pursuits ; study has given place to the occupations of life ; or ,-the
philosopher has rushed from marshalling ideas in the closet to the generalship of armies in the field . Despotic monarchy has been familiarly esteemed the sickle which mows down all the qualities of the soul . Under such confinement , it is presumed , that man is sunk into meanness and despondence . The idea that one may be absolute ford of all , is incompatible with heart : we revolt at the thoughtand how great
every generous very ; must be our impatience to break the chains which are too heavy to - be endured ! Such chains oppress the better part—sensible of this aggravating triumph * the ruler , intoxicated with the fumes of pride , and revelling in ambition , deems the sufferings of his subject prisoners incomplete , if intercourse with those they love is not denied them . He removes
from them all possibility of communicating their sentiments , conscious that the mind is then exercised in vain . Thanks to civilization , which expanded itself so liberally , and so early in the world ! This more than Gothic barbarism has disgraced few established governments . The jus divinum , on which sottish despotism founded its prerogativesubsisted not but by the favour of ignorance and inability . '
, Absolute sovereigns have been more formidable by their artifices , and poisoning with cajolements those steady spirits who smiled at their resentment . The success of this mock affection has not only maintained the diadem on their heads , which had otherwise been laid low before their day , but their memories have been consecrated from some well-timed liberality , or some grateful condescensions .