Page images
PDF
EPUB

a fecond time in your way) is fufficiently compenfated, by the immediate benefit which you propose by the falfhood.'

The next part of this book is on Relative Duties that are indeterminate.' Thefe are charity, including the treatment of our domeftics, dependents, and flaves. The 'fubject of flavery is diftinctly confidered; but it is no imputation to the ingenious author, that he has advanced little that is new on it: we have had fo many treatises, full of reason and argument, as well as of declamation, that almost every topic seems o have been exhausted, and every perfon must have been long fince convinced, except thofe for whom the arguments were intended, who are unfortunately too much blinded by intereft and neceffity. But what is that neceffity of which so much has been faid? Merely, fays our author, that of buying for fix pence, which, if the work were done by voluntary hired fervants, would coft one halfpenny more. Trifling as this difference is, and distant from the forcible plea of real neceffity, we are not certain that even this would be the result; perhaps many circumftances would compenfate for the different prices. The other fubjects are, refentment, anger, revenge, duelling, litigation, gratitude, and flander. They are examined in the most clear and candid manner.

There is another clafs of relative duties which deferves a separate confideration, viz. thofe which refult from the conftitution of the fexes, There is no fubject, in which the moralift can more properly interfere, and none in which the ' voice of the charmer' will be lefs heard, charm he never fo wifely.' Paffions of this kind are firmly rooted, and ufually violent, fo that perhaps the best arguments against the irregular indulgence of them, would be the mifery which ufually attends it. We praised our author's chapter on Human Happiness with more freedom, because we perceived its application to this before us; and, in fome parts, Mr. Paley has followed the train of argument which we have mentioned. The feveral duties which belong to this head are particularly confidered, and deferve attention. But on that of polygamy, though we wish to oppose it with zeal, we must be so far the friend of truth, as to diminish the force of one argument against it. We have been told, that Providence has defigned the present inftitution, by the proportioning the number of females to the males fo nearly that, making allowance for the chances of war and other hazardous profeffions, the numbers may be confidered as equal. But this is the effect of, rather than an argument for monogamy. Where polygamy prevails, the number of females is greater than that of the males; and if fuch arguments were allowed, they may be retorted

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

with at leaft equal force. It has been fuppofed a fact, that the fex of the child is determined by the fuperior strength of either of the parents; and, perhaps with particular limitations, it may be true, and account for this variety under different inftitutions. But, independent of the caufe, polygamy certainly increases the number of females, and this fact deferves confideration. There is one view of the fubject which we think has not been fo fully infifted on as it deferves. If woman was defigned as the friend and the affiftant of man, polygamy is unnatural and absurd; for two fuch friends are incompatible; and that the human mind revolts at the idea, appears from the jealoufies excited by the most distant competition. This is an argument interwoven with the nature of mankind, and connected with our exiftence; it cannot be controverted, it cannot be eluded, but by degrading woman to a rank, which every man of delicacy and feeling would at once oppose. It is with these that we can only contend; for the libertine who is funk below humanity, and the philofopher who has reasoned himself out of, though not above it, may fafely continue in their opinions. To convince them would not be a victory; to reafon with them would be labour misapplied.

This book is concluded with reflections on the duty and rights of parents, and the duty of children. We have been led fo far, that we can only extract a small portion of our author's remarks; but these we cannot omit.

The most serious contentions between parents and their children, are thofe commonly, which relate to marriage, or the choice of profeffions.

A parent has, in no cafe, a right to deftroy his child's hap pinefs. If it be true, therefore, that there exift fuch perfonal and exclufive attachments between individuals of different fexes, that the poffeffion of a particular man or woman in marriage be really neceffary to the child's happiness; or if it be true, that an averfion to a particular profeffion may be involuntary and unconquerable; then it will follow, that parents, when this is the cafe, ought not to urge their authority, and that the child is not bound to obey it.

The point is, to difcover how far, in any particular inftance, this is the cafe. Whether the fondnefs of lovers ever continues with fuch intenfity, and fo long, that the fuccefs of their defires conftitutes, or the difappointinent affects, any confiderable portion of their happiness, compared with that of their whole life, it is difficult to fay; but there can be no difficulty in faying, that not one half of those attachments, which young people conceive with fo much hate and paffion, are of this fort. I believe it also to be true, that there are few aver

fions

fions to a profeffion, which refolution, perfeverance, activity in going about the duty of it, and above all, defpair of changing, will not fubdue: yet there are fome fuch. Wherefore, a child who refpects his parent's judgment, and is tender, as he ought to be, of his happiness, owes, at leaft, fo much deference to his will, as to try fairly and faithfully, in one cafe, whether time and abfence will not quench his affection? and in the other, whether a longer continuance in his profeffion may not reconcile him to it? The whole depends upon the experiment being made on the child's part with fincerity; and not merely with a defign of compaffing his purpofe at laft, by means of a fimulated and temporary compliance. It is the nature of love and hatred, and of all violent affections, to delude the mind with a perfuafion that we shall always continue to feel them, as we feel them at prefent. We cannot conceive that they will either change or ceafe. Experience of fimilar or greater changes in ourselves, or a habit of giving credit to what our parents, or tutors, or books teach us, may controul this perfuafion; otherwise it renders youth very untractable for they fee clearly and truly, that it is impoffible they thould be happy under the circumstances propofed to them in their prefent ftate of mind.After a fincere, but ineffectual endeavour, by the child, to accommodate his inclination to his parent's pleasure, he ought ́not to fuffer in his parent's affection, or in his fortunes. The parent, when he has reasonable proof of this, should acquiefce : at all events, the child is then at liberty to provide for his own happiness.

Parents have, on no account, a right to urge their children upon marriages, to which they are averfe; nor ought, in any fhape, to refent the children's disobedience of fuch commands. This is a different cafe from opposing a match of inclination, because the child's mifery is a much more probable confequence; it being easier to live without a perfon that we love, than with one whom we hate. Add to this, that compulfion in marriage leads to prevarication; as the reluctant party promifes an affection, which neither exifts, nor is expected to take place and parental, like all human, authority ceafes at the point, where obedience becomes criminal.'

Though we wished to have concluded our account of this valuable work in one article, yet we find that much still remains; fo that we shall resume it at another opportunity.

Elays Hiftorical and Moral. By G. Gregory. 8vo. 55. Johnson.

WE

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

E have received much pleasure from the perufal of these Effays. The author, if not always exact or original, is generally entertaining and inftructive: if he does not penetrate the depth of his fubject, and strike us with astonishment

D 3

at the novelty and comprehenfion of his ideas, we ought to remember that he writes only lighter effays; and we foon perceive, that he aims rather at an elegant conciseness, than at the more diffuse mode of compofition, which would leave nothing farther to add. He attempts to inveftigate the principles of moral action, through the medium of historical evidence,' and to difcriminate caufes' inftead of accumulating facts. Yet he fometimes fpeculates, and fometimes errs: his knowlege and learning are confiderable; the chief errors, and they are far from numerous, are in the deductions from facts. We mean not to blame the author even for his mistakes think with able men of different ages, may be no fault; though authority, on the other hand, cannot fanction errors. A deep penetration will detect them, and a happy boldness expofe them in their native colours; but many, who perceive the fault, are afraid of contradicting the concurrent opinion of ages, and it will require fomewhat more than difcernment to oppofe, with fuccefs, the moft rooted prejudices. Our author too often creeps with the croud, and, too cautious of a storm, seems afraid to foar above them.

; to

The firft Effay is on the Progress of Manners and Society. We are taught, he says, that the human race is derived from one original stock; this opinion, our author thinks, is most agreeable to the great fimplicity obfervable in the works of Providence, and supported by the most ancient tradition of all nations. A more intimate acquaintance, however, with nature, seems to have raised doubts on this subject; and Mr. Gregory's reafoning, though defigned to remove, has rather strengthened them. He thinks, there is no evidence that the power of climate is incapable of producing a difference in the external appearance, anfwerable to that which characterises the inha bitants of the different regions of the earth. We do not fuf. pect our author of having artfully increafed the difficulty, by veiling it in a negative proportion. His ufual candour forbids it; but we shall add, that we have no reason to fuppofe a climate capable of producing this change; no inftance has yet been adduced, and different races of men, of different colours, fhapes, and manners, have been found in fituations very fimilar. The author again recurs to the subject, in a future effay; and then alleges a ftrong argument in its favour, viz. the fertility of children, born from a mixed race; the contrary is, we know, obferved in animals of different species. This fact of natural history is not, however, fo general as has been apprehended; but fince we are not now contending on the fubject, and only expreffing fome difficulties to direct future enquirers, we shall purfue our author's reafoning. Mr. Gre

gory

gory traces the different ftages of fociety with accuracy, from the relation of different voyagers; but we strongly mistrust thofe obfervers, who tell us of nations without any trace of religion. It is remarkable that this hafty decifion very generally occurs, where the acquaintance is flight, and the opinion has been often retracted after frequent vifits. The fact is only of importance in the history of the human mind: religion or infidelity would gain little by its eftablishment. Our author feems to have little refpect for the patriarchal form of government; and, in his opinion, a ftrong argument against it is, that a ftate of anarchy generally preceded the feudal fyftem. But this mistake feems to have arifen from his not tracing the fubject to its fource. We shall have another occafion to refume it; and it will appear probable that, if the patriarchal scheme is to be confidered as the first form of government, it must have preceded the state of anarchy. It is peculiar to this fcheme, that, in the earlier ftages of population, it was the most obvious and moft immediate prefervation against confufion. The practical improvement to be deduced from our author's reasoning is of great confequence, and is worth tranfcribing.

As a corollary from the preceding Effay, it feems to follow, that improper means have ufually been employed for the civi lization of barbarous nations. Miffionaries have been fent among them, and schools have been erected for their inftruction, without effect. They are found incapable of receiving abstract ideas, or attending to any chain of reafoning on moral or religious topics. It is of little purpose to give a literary education to a few of the children of favages, fince it only serves to render them different from the rest of the community, and unfit for that stage of fociety in which they are engaged. A nation, it appears, muft arrive at knowledge and civilization by proper gradations. The first application of which the mind feems capable, in a rude ftate, is to the mechanic arts. The introduction of these among uncivilized people will excite their curiofity and their emulation; and the conveniencies procured by means of these arts will always be a fufficient recommendation of them. If, therefore, it be the object of any government, or public inftitution, to civilize and inftruct a barbarous nation, let it not attempt to make divines and philofophers of the younger favages; let them be made carpenters, fmiths, boatbuilders, wheel-wrights, &c. and let the females be taught to fpin and to weave, The introduction of these arts will render the fociety ftationary, and an application to agriculture will fucceed.

'It is a fact now generally allowed, that Christianity can only be received by people whofe minds are difciplined, and capable of more continued attention than savages generally are. It is

D 4

found

« PreviousContinue »