Compared With Our
Wondrous Progress In Physical Science And Its Practical
Applications, Our System Of Government, Of Administering Justice,
Of National Education, And Our Whole Social And Moral
Organization, Remains In A State Of Barbarism.
[See note next
page.] And if we continue to devote our chief energies to the
utilizing of our knowledge
The laws of nature with the view of
still further extending our commerce and our wealth, the evils
which necessarily accompany these when too eagerly pursued, may
increase to such gigantic dimensions as to be beyond cur power to
alleviate.
We should now clearly recognise the fact, that the wealth and
knowledge and culture of the few do not constitute civilization,
and do not of themselves advance us towards the "perfect social
state." Our vast manufacturing system, our gigantic commerce, our
crowded towns and cities, support and continually renew a mass of
human misery and crime absolutely greater than has ever existed
before. They create and maintain in life-long labour an ever-
increasing army, whose lot is the more hard to bear, by contrast
with the pleasures, the comforts, and the luxury which they see
everywhere around them, but which they can never hope to enjoy;
and who, in this respect, are worse off than the savage in the
midst of his tribe.
This is not a result to boast of, or to be satisfied with; and,
until there is a more general recognition of this failure of our
civilization - resulting mainly from our neglect to train and
develop more thoroughly the sympathetic feelings and moral
faculties of our nature, and to allow them a larger share of
influence in our legislation, our commerce, and our whole social
organization - we shall never, as regards the whole community,
attain to any real or important superiority over the better class
of savages.
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