Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 10th April 1852, Edition Country of 2, Page 17

Page 17
Page 17
17 of 24

On this page

  • Text (4)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      The Tltue Peace. To Thokhton Hunt, Esq. ...

      WCh satisfyit ; M nf ^ hiftins of the ground in a shifting of the phrase , when ™» are called upon to accept the victories of peace as a ™ lid substitute" for those of war . But your assumption oTthis premiss begs the entire question . Human slaughtar is not in my view , the true object—it is an abuse—of this instinct , whose g eneric f unction is more correctly indicated by your second phrase , " the instinct which craves the victory ov er physical danger / ' _ . , . Not to waste time in splitting metaphysic hairs , let us accept this definition as sufficiently accurate , and surely it cannot justly be said that nature has not provided ample means for the gratification of this instinct , without the

      necessary violation of that " idea of humanity , " which affirms the sacredness of human life P What is the experience of the seaman but a continuous victory over physical danger P What of the miner—the builder—^ the founderthe engineer ? What is all hard-handed labour , indeed , but an overcoming of physical difficulties and dangers , ranging through all degrees of the scale , and often pushed to the extreme of peril , demanding heroic courage no less than herculean strength ? Are not all healthy sports , which tax both muscular and mental energies , the same P As to the necessity of physical exercise , there is no difference between us . I never imagined , nor implied , that the instinct which craves this could be " satisfied with a cpnh t in usticdmit that

      troversial victory ; " thougyou mus j e a the mental faculty which acts in combination with the physical instinct , and which indeed adds the zest to the physical victory , is the very same which likewise enjoys the controversial conquest . The fact is , that the instinct for physical exercise takes no cognizance of the object at all . It is concerned only in finding resistance sufficient to elicit muscular power , and may be combined in any way either with malevolence or benevolence , so that the basis of action is physical . The mental iyiptclse to overcome , on the other hand , maybe gratified in either relation , physical or mental . But the need of physical exertion , pushed , as you sayeven to extreme , for the sake of both body and

      , mind , remains nevertheless ; and in all that you say With reference ] thereto I heartily concur—except ^ and this is the pith and marrow of our difference ) in your implication that the " real object , such as interests the instinctive faculties , " should be the " preparation for war . " The " victories of peace" are , in my notion , quite sufficient for this purpose ; the victories , namely ^ of ^ the forge , the plough , the loom , the locomotive ^ the ship , of the thousand forms of physical exe rtion in which the energies of nature are constrained of their -virtues , and made the servants of humanity ; the victories , also , of all bracing sports , of cricket , quoits , bowling , foot-ball , rowing , skating , curling , leaping , racing , and all kinds of gymnastics—each having

      its special " real object , " and all glorified with the universal object , no less '' real , " of a loving service of G-od and humanity , which transforms the hardest labour itself into a pastime . In such victories as these , so undertaken and carried through , " ample room and verge enough" are surely afforded for the faithful and efficient exercise of all the physical instincts and animal energies , not only without their degenerating , but with a positive guarantee against their degenerating , into the " gross , fantastical , tame , and sickly , " indulgences , which , according to you , characterize the present stage of our civilization , and are attributable to peace , but which , as I have said , have no necessary connexion with peace at all , to whatever an extent they characterize the present age .

      Thus , it is an error to say that I would " divert natural instincts" from their truo and direct functions;—I would simply restrain them from running into abuse ; and , as to " suppressing them , " the thing is wholly absurd , and never could enter my imagination . On tho contrary , I hold that this suppression never can bo attempted , not to say " done , " except , as you say , " to the injury of tho entire man ; " and it is precisely that war is a misdirection of these instincts , a diversion of them from their logitimato functions , and by consequence an injury to tho ontiro man , that I oppose your policy , I admit , and lament , tho prevalence of many vices and errors , such as you obviously hintrather than broadly

      , state ; but do not beliovo they aro so general , or almost universal , as you seem to imply ; and I altogether deny the rolevancy , in its direct object and result , of your pro - posed cure . Collaterally , no doubt , something would bo Rjunod by your " preparation for war ; " but , in my opinion , all that , and more , could bo gained by moro rational and appropriate moans , and tho vicos and crimes peculiar to ^ avoid ed at tho same time . Why not attack tho vicos ot tho prosont social stato diroctlyP Why introduce a euro which lias only an indirect relation to tho disease , and which is itself , on your own admission , as bad as tho disease P «

      Contrary to your expectation , perhaps , I go further in agreement with you , in point of principle , and profess the Hamo unbelief in the " perfectibility of the human race "wn ° ' > in a sonso in which" I boliovo you will agree wan mo , namely , that tho race is now , over 1 ms boon , and nvor will ho perfect ,, as tho human raeo . It is not necpsmiry to my argument to maintain tlio visionary porfoe ' timhty implied in tho quotation . It is sufficient to admit uio progroHH ive development of tlio natural typo of our W »* ltH flllloflt proportions , " —a doyolopmont tlio "im s ot which no onocan sot . And that tins involvos tlio fi , o I- flubvov « on of war , tfnd . tho regulation- of tho witicfinow mifi-flirooted into that channel , bo ( hat thoy him . ft ° in th () 74 no of tho n ° lllor ondowmonta of tlio no T ' aml man Hlin 11 acknowledge tho legitimacy of t C T > nharmonv with reason , iuntiafl . and humnnitv .

      * pioio undl y boliovo . That tho voluntary dostruotion of iC ls ono of thoao flcta . "nivorilal conscience of m . J ? 0101 ; affirms . Tho mlvooatoa of war tjiomsolvoa anth . * £° flamo l > rin « iplo , and , in tho ultimate , tlioir ^" ojKwiti ) ( , i > ftt t ] liH ( loHtruction is jiecossary on tho self nii ° n 0 fc Wy ° * ™»« ed , " say you , " foods upon it-Cannofc w « T prTs aa fatftl «< w < ir or B ° > wa * & »*•»• cannot wo eaoapo tho errors , and ovils of both P

      one side only to avoid the same destruction on the other , or to avoid the loss of what is held more dear and sacred . The best that can be said for them is , that of two evils they would choose the least ; or what appears to them such . I simply deny the issue which they put , and maintain that their alternative is not necessary ; and that , on the contrary , it is irrational , founded on an imperfect generalization of the nature of man-7—illustrative of a lack - of faith in his nobler instmcts-T-more often allied to craven fear and selfishness , in which indeed it has its roots , than to that magnanimous and chivalrous spirit which its advocates are so proneto monopolize—in speech . Let the whole duties of brotherhood and humanity be even approximatively fulfilled , and this alternative never would—I had almost said , never could—arise . To the partisans of . war on . opposite sides I would say , Concede to each other the high principle you severally claim for yourselves , — subdue

      selfish preferences , and find in the love of neighbour equal enjoyment with the love of self ; pursue this principle into all its ramifications , and you will find that war is rendered next to impossible . Active , aggressive love—the organizer , not destroyer— -which sees equally in the tyrant and the slave only fellow-men , to be converted to nobler faiths ; this is a principle which affords a sp here of operation for every human faculty- —comprehending even the " being angry and sinning not , "—a principle which he has not yet mastered who imagines it to be allied to anything effeminate or maudlin insentiment ,- ^ -whieh implies , on the contrary , the possession of positive qualities in the highest h

      degree vigorous and manly—a trust calm and serene , hig courage , and glorious self-control ; a principle which Itake to be , centrally , the guiding one of both the Leader itself and its contributor whom I now especially address , notwithstanding their present—let me hope and say , ternporary—speculative inconsistency therewith . Bui you repl y * that , " within the scope of history , " you see , not only no instance of a people having achieved such an attitude as this , but no evidence of the possibility of such an achievement ; and you add , that to make out my case I must show you " people that had retained its freedom , its material welfare , and its greatness , after it had ceased to bear arms . " .

      With all deference I submit , that such an illustration is not necessary to make out my case ; and I am rather surprised that the author of the now celebrated and admirable canon in economics , " Concert in the division of employments , " should demand such evidence of the practicability of any hitherto undeveloped , or only partially developed , principle . If the practice is to be an advance on past experience , is there not something of plgasant absurdity in . asking historical illustrations of it P Does not your own theory of development imply the future realization of a

      state Which has never previously existed ? When and where has any people yet realized in all its fulness your economical principle P Yet , can you doubt that it will bo realized ? Can you refrain from enforcing it with all your might , and from exposing the weakness and disastrous consequences that spring from its neglect , and from acting on inferior maxims P Do you not believe that this principle could bo realized even now , if only a sufficient number of persons could be got to bend their minds vigorously to it ?

      But , though I dispute the relevancy of the historical argument as you put it , I do not hesitate to appeal to history after another fashion . I do not pretend to bring forward what Vivian would call" tho crucial instance" but I do submit , that if there be one thing which history more conclusively demonstrates than another , it is the tendency of the human species to a life from which personal physical warfare will bo excluded . Is it not a fact , that with the advance of civilization the differences between men got adjusted by other and less irrational means ? Do wo not find that tlio category of things about which it is doomed necessary to fight , grows narrower and narrower ago by age , even generation by generation P Ono may imagine a partisan of war in tho good old feudal times avowing his disbelief of the day ever arriving when rival chioftains , adjacent villages , or neighbouring clans , could adjust thoir differences without " tljo arbitration of tho sword . " Ono

      can fancy him calling for historical proof of its possibility , and with complacent incredulity smiling at the amiable weakness of tho poace-man of his day for maintaining a moro catholic doctrine Yot tho stigmatized dream of that day is tho long realized fact of this ; and I do not think that the peoplo of this country will readily forsako tho altogether superior methods which they now liavo of settling thoir disputes , and " follow thoir Leader" back to tho practices of thoso " good old thnoa , " when " ilka man ' s hand had to hand his am hood , " and right , " in tho senso of Jus not justice , " was tho ordor of tho day . I would fain continue , but tho necessarily limited spaco which can bo ' afforded in tho " Opon Council" for such a discussion , obligos mo to defer tho remainder of this letter until next wook . Heliovo mo , in tho meantime , to remain , my dear sir , yours very truly , A . L , Liverpool , 28 th March , 1853 .

      Apbil 10, 1852j / The Leader. 349

      Apbil 10 , 1852 J / THE LEADER . 349

      Providence In History. {To The Editor Of...

      PROVIDENCE IN HISTORY . { To the Editor of the Leader . ) Srn , —Apropos of tho notice in tho Leader of Si * . Tamos Stephen ' s JPAiloaophy of History , I would call your attontion to tho following " curiosity . " In Niebuhr ' H Lectures on Roman History , edited by Dr . Sohmitz , tho aovonth loofcuro begins with the declaration that- — " History is , of all other kinds of knowledge , tlio * no which most decidedly loads to tho belief in a Divine providonco 1 ' or example , if tho Gauls had invndod Italy during tho first Punic war , tho Romans would have boon utterly unable to muko their efforts in Sicily . Again , had Alexander , tho son of PyrrhtiH , tried to avenge tho misfortunes of hie father , in Italy—had

      he formed connexions in Italy at the time when Regulus was defeated , the Romans would ndt have been able to offer any resistance . But Alexander ' s eyes were directed towards petty conquests , the Gauls were quiet , and the Carthaginians had no good generals , except at the close of the war ; in short , it was providential that all things combined to make the Romans victorious . " . Well , be it so . Let us now turn to the tenth lecture , where an account is given of the battle between Hannibal and the Consul Flaminius , at the lake of Trasimenus . While the Romans were passing between the lake and the hills by which it is

      surrounded' * Hannibal ascended the hills from behind , in columns , took his station upon them , and placed his light armed troops where the space between the hills and the lake was narrowest , and formed a very long defile . Here we see again the finger of Providence , for the day was foggy , and the Romans broke up very early , before sunrise , to continue their inarch , in very thick columns , which were unable to manoeuvre . " Concealed by this " providential" fog , Hannibal was enabled to outflank the Romans , and fairly catch them in a trap . " They were driven into the lake , and not more than six thousand forced their way through the enemy . The greater part perished in the lake , and Flaminius was among the slain . "

      Providence , then , has forgot its design of making the Romans victorious , and has changed sides ! It is as fickle as fortune . When " philosophy" like this comes across us in a professed theological writer , or in an historian of the ordinary stamp , it excites no surprise , we take it as a matter of course . But we are not prepared for it in the sagacious , wary Niebuhr . When we see a man of his keen eye and steady step floundering , what must we think of the soundness of the ground on which he is treading ? A . Q .

      The « Trialville" Experiment. Sib,—I Hav...

      THE « TRIALVILLE" EXPERIMENT . Sib , —I have read with much interest the account given in the Leader of 4 ; he " Equitable Village" system being tried in America , and hope we shall be favoured with more ^ particulars . An experiment like this must necessarily disclose new facts , which may not be without use in the present state of social science . Individualism is brought prominently forward as the basis of Mr . Warren ' s theory , but unlike the common practical individualism of the present day , it admits and maintains the principles of justice . Now , without denying the possibility of establishing a system of " equitable commerce" in the manner proposed by Mr . Warren , I think such a result could only be obtained in his way with an enormous sacrifice of wealth . Individualism , at the best , only offers a choice of evils . Either you may have great national wealth , in the aggregate coupled with injustice ; or justice in connexion with universal poverty . To combine the benefits of justice and wealth we must have recourse to ilie proper principles of socialism . Tho reaction towards individualism , indicated by this experiment , and tho works of an eminent French writer , seems to have resulted from an almost universal fault in socialist systems tending to suppress the freedom of individual action . Tho nature of freedom is not very distinctly understood by those who resort to such methods as that under consideration , in order to attain it . Freedom is only complete when knowledgo forms ono of its principal ingredients . Of what use is it that a man is free to do what he pleases when ho knows not what is best to be done ? It may indeed ho pleasanter to err by mistake than by compulsion ; to do wrong , that is to say , by one ' s own mistake , rather than bo obliged to yield to the mistaken dictates of others ; but we require moro than thiB ; wo would have light to guido as well ns liberty to follow good guidance Tho very fact of a man ' s living in society makes his path too intricate and difficult for him to find by his own unaided powers . To society , therefore , which occasions tho difficulty , ho must look for help to overcome it ; but how wociety is to accomplish this tank and become an infallible guido to all its ir > embor » , is still i \ problem for socialists to solve . There is no solution of it to'bo found in individualifem j for it is not by i « olating ourselves , and carefully excluding tho infiuont' 0 of our followmon , thafwc can hope to obtain tvuoliborty . jjoiton , Arthur Uuommmsy .

      Wo Flro Much Obliged To "T." For His Kin...

      Wo flro much obliged to "T . " for his kind oflor ; but adopting tho brief reply ho proposos , wo Jiavo to say , " Nay , " 1 ? . Hine will find an opportunity afforded him of working in tho practical way ho proporly profors . W . Stovons' lotter should appear , if at all , as an advertisement .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 10, 1852, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10041852/page/17/