thoughts on man-第28部分

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ber　of　the　community　to　manual　labour；　might　be　sufficient　for　supplying　the　whole　with　the　absolute　necessaries　of　life。　　But　there　are　various　considerations　that　would　inevitably　lengthen　this　period。　　In　a　community　which　has　made　any　considerable　advance　in　the　race　of　civilisation；　many　individuals　must　be　expected　to　be　excused　from　any　portion　of　manual　labour。　　It　is　not　desirable　that　any　community　should　be　contented　to　supply　itself　with　necessaries　only。　　There　are　many　refinements　in　life；　and　many　advances　in　literature　and　the　arts；　which　indispensibly　conduce　to　the　rendering　man　in　society　a　nobler　and　more　exalted　creature　than　he　could　otherwise　be；　and　these　ought　not　to　be　consigned　to　neglect。

＇18＇　Political　Justice；　Book　VIII；　Chap。　VI。


On　the　other　hand　however　it　is　certain；　that　much　of　the　ostentation　and　a　multitude　of　the　luxuries　which　subsist　in　European　and　Asiatic　society　are　just　topics　of　regret；　and　that；　if　ever　those　improvements　in　civilisation　take　place　which　philosophy　has　essayed　to　delineate；　there　would　be　a　great　abridgment　of　the　manual　labour　that　we　now　see　around　us；　and　the　humbler　classes　of　the　community　would　enter　into　the　inheritance　of　a　more　considerable　portion　of　leisure　than　at　present　falls　to　their　lot。

But　it　has　been　much　the　habit；　for　persons　not　belonging　to　the　humbler　classes　of　the　community；　and　who　profess　to　speculate　upon　the　genuine　interests　of　human　society；　to　suppose；　however　certain　intervals　of　leisure　may　conduce　to　the　benefit　of　men　whose　tastes　have　been　cultivated　and　refined；　and　who　from　education　have　many　resources　of　literature　and　reflection　at　all　times　at　their　beck；　yet　that　leisure　might　prove　rather　pernicious　than　otherwise　to　the　uneducated　and　the　ignorant。　　Let　us　enquire　then　how　these　persons　would　be　likely　to　employ　the　remainder　of　their　time；　if　they　had　a　greater　portion　of　leisure　than　they　at　present　enjoy。I　would　add；　that　the　individuals　of　the　humbler　classes　of　the　community　need　not　for　ever　to　merit　the　appellation　of　the　uneducated　and　ignorant。

In　the　first　place；　they　would　engage；　like　the　schoolboy；　in　active　sports；　thereby　giving　to　their　limbs；　which；　in　rural　occupation　and　mechanical　labour；　are　somewhat　too　monotonously　employed；　and　contract　the　stiffness　and　experience　the　waste　of　a　premature　old　age；　the　activity　and　freedom　of　an　athlete；　a　cricketer；　or　a　hunter。　　Nor　do　these　occupations　only　conduce　to　the　health　of　the　body；　they　also　impart　a　spirit　and　a　juvenile　earnestness　to　the　mind。

In　the　next　place；　they　may　be　expected　to　devote　a　part　of　the　day；　more　than　they　do　at　present；　to　their　wives　and　families；　cultivating　the　domestic　affections；　watching　the　expanding　bodies　and　minds　of　their　children；　leading　them　on　in　the　road　of　improvement；　warning　them　against　the　perils　with　which　they　are　surrounded；　and　observing　with　somewhat　of　a　more　jealous　and　parental　care；　what　it　is　for　which　by　their　individual　qualities　they　are　best　adapted；　and　in　what　particular　walk　of　life　they　may　most　advantageously　be　engaged。　　The　father　and　the　son　would　grow　in　a　much　greater　degree　friends；　anticipating　each　other's　wishes；　and　sympathising　in　each　other's　pleasures　and　pains。

Thirdly；　one　infallible　consequence　of　a　greater　degree　of　leisure　in　the　lower　classes　would　be　that　reading　would　become　a　more　common　propensity　and　amusement。　　It　is　the　aphorism　of　one　of　the　most　enlightened　of　my　contemporaries；　〃The　schoolmaster　is　abroad：〃　and　many　more　than　at　present　would　desire　to　store　up　in　their　little　hoard　a　certain　portion　of　the　general　improvement。　　We　should　no　longer　have　occasion　to　say；

　　　　　But　knowledge　to　their　eyes　her　ample　page；　　　　　　　　　　　　　Rich　with　the　spoils　of　time；　did　ne'er　unrol。

Nor　should　we　be　incited　to　fear　that　ever　wakeful　anticipation　of　the　illiberal；　that；　by　the　too　great　diffusion　of　the　wisdom　of　the　wise；　we　might　cease　to　have　a　race　of　men　adapted　to　the　ordinary　pursuits　of　life。　　Our　ploughmen　and　artificers；　who　obtained　the　improvements　of　intellect　through　the　medium　of　leisure；　would　have　already　received　their　destination；　and　formed　their　habits；　and　would　be　disposed　to　consider　the　new　lights　that　were　opened　upon　them；　as　the　ornament　of　existence；　not　its　substance。　　Add　to　which；　as　leisure　became　more　abundant；　and　the　opportunities　of　intellectual　improvement　increased；　they　would　have　less　motive　to　repine　at　their　lot。　　It　is　principally　while　knowledge　and　information　are　new；　that　they　are　likely　to　intoxicate　the　brain　of　those　to　whose　share　they　have　fallen；　and；　when　they　are　made　a　common　stock　upon　which　all　men　may　draw；　sound　thinking　and　sobriety　may　be　expected　to　be　the　general　result。

One　of　the　scenes　to　which　the　leisure　of　the　laborious　classes　is　seen　to　induce　them　to　resort；　is　the　public…house；　and　it　is　inferred　that；　if　their　leisure　were　greater；　a　greater　degree　of　drunkenness；　dissipation　and　riot　would　inevitably　prevail。

In　answer　to　this　anticipation；　I　would　in　the　first　place　assert；　that　the　merits　and　demerits　of　the　public…house　are　very　unjustly　rated　by　the　fastidious　among　the　more　favoured　orders　of　society。

We　ought　to　consider　that　the　opportunities　and　amusements　of　the　lower　orders　of　society　are　few。　　They　do　not　frequent　coffee…houses；　theatres　and　places　of　public　exhibition　are　ordinarily　too　expensive　for　them；　and　they　cannot　engage　in　rounds　of　visiting；　thus　cultivating　a　private　and　familiar　intercourse　with　the　few　whose　conversation　might　be　most　congenial　to　them。　　We　certainly　bear　hard　upon　persons　in　this　rank　of　society；　if　we　expect　that　they　should　take　all　the　severer　labour；　and　have　no　periods　of　unbending　and　amusement。

But　in　reality　what　occurs　in　the　public…house　we　are　too　much　in　the　habit　of　calumniating。　　If　we　would　visit　this　scene；　we　should　find　it　pretty　extensively　a　theatre　of　eager　and　earnest　discussion。　　It　is　here　that　the　ardent　and　〃unwashed　artificer；〃　and　the　sturdy　husbandman；　compare　notes　and　measure　wits　with　each　other。　　It　is　their　arena　of　intellectual　combat；　the　ludus　literarius　of　their　unrefined　university。　　It　is　here　they　learn　to　think。　　Their　minds　are　awakened　from　the　sleep　of　ignorance；　and　their　attention　is　turned　into　a　thousand　channels　of　improvement。　　They　study　the　art　of　speaking；　of　question；　allegation　and　rejoinder。　　They　fix　their　thought　steadily　on　the　statement　that　is　made；　acknowledge　its　force；　or　detect　its　insufficiency。　　They　examine　the　most　interesting　topics；　and　form　opinions　the　result　of　that　examination。　　They　learn　maxims　of　life；　and　become　politicians。　　They　canvas　the　civil　and　criminal　laws　of　their　country；　and　learn　the　value　of　political　liberty。　　They　talk　over　measures　of　state；　judge　of　the　intentions；　sagacity　and　sincerity　of　public　men；　and　are　likely　in　time　to　become　in　no　contemptible　degree　capable　of　estimating　what　modes　of　conducting　national　affairs；　whether　for　the　preservation　of　the　rights　of　all；　or　for　the　vindication　and　assertion　of　justice　between　man　and　man；　may　be　expected　to　be　crowned　with　the　greatest　success：　　in　a　word；　they　thus　become；　in　the　best　sense　of　the　word；　citizens。

As　to　excess　in　drinking；　the　same　thing　may　be　expected　to　occur　here；　as　has　been　remarked　of　late　years　in　better　company　in　England。　　In　proportion　as　the　understanding　is　cultivated；　men　are　found　to　be　less　the　victims　of　drinking　and　the　grosser　provocatives　of　sense。　　The　king　of　Persia　of　old　made　it　his　boast　that　he　could　drink　large　quantities　of　liquor　with　greater　impunity　than　any　of　his　subjects。　　Such　was　not　the　case　with　the　more　polished　Greeks。　　In　the　dark　ages　the　most　glaring　enormities　of　that　kind　prevailed。　　Under　our　Charles　the　Second　coarse　dissipation　and　riot　characterised　the　highest　circles。　　Rochester；　the　most　accomplished　man　and　the　greatest　wit　of　our　island；　related　of　himself　that；　for　five　years　together；　he　could　not　affirm　that　for　any　one　day　he　had　been　thoroughly　sober。　　In　Ireland；　a　country　less　refined　than　our　own；　the　period　is　not　long　past；　when　on　convivial　occasions　the　master　of　the　house　took　the　key　from　his　door；　that　no　one　of　his　guests　might　escape　without　having　had　his　dose。　　No　small　number　of　the　contemporaries　of　my　youth　fell　premature　victims　to　the　intemperance　which　was　then　practised。　　Now　wine　is　merely　used　to　excite　a　gayer　and　livelier　tone　of　the　spirits；　and　inebriety　is　scarcely　known　in　the　higher　circles。　　In　like　manner；　it　may　readily　be　believed　that；　as　men　in　the　lower　classes　of　society　become　less　ignorant　and　obtuse；　as　their　thoughts　are　less　gross；　as　they　wear　off　the　vestigia　ruris；　the　remains　of　a　barbarous　state；　they　will　find　less　need　to　set　their　spirits　afloat　by　this　animal　excitement；　and　will　devote　themselves　to　those　thoughts　and　that　intercourse　which　shall　inspire　them　with　better　and　more　honourable　thoughts　of　our　common　nature。



ESSAY　X。　OF　IMITATION　AND　INVENTION。

Of　the　sayings　of　the　wise　men　of　former　times　none　has　been　oftener　repeated　than　that　of　Solomon；　〃The　thing　that　hath　been；　is　that　which　is；　and　that　which　is　done；　is　that　wh