Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-09-24
But let u. consider The eis. Of This

y DW Hi US ConsiueT inc RIs' OF MS
charge against society. Ii is, IN cs-
sence, this, that some men are poor and
others rich, some.occupy higher posi-
ton j The eyes of their fellow men Than
others, and some possess SUI eIIor intel
leciual advantages to others. Thus
says our author in the passage in whrlr
we have quoted" Wherever + went l
behcid injustice, oppression, me quality
IN wealth, social position, moral and in.
telleclual culture" We are here given
to understand that inequality of wealth
belongs 10 the same category Of crime
as injustice and oppression. Again
"Society is aJl wrong. These Ubiquitous
distinctions OF class"-by-he-by, We
do not understand what this mcans,--
"this injustice, this oppression Of tho
toiling many 10 feed the luxury Of the
idle and worse than useless few, mnsf be
represscd." To the same effect, also,
is Alr. Norton's dic,um--
Poor men may indeed become rich,
and rich men poor, but the rich and ths
poor still remain the perpetual shifting
oi individuals, leaves the classes M they
were, neither lcssening their numbers
nor diminishing their evil consequences.
> The evil does not consist IN The lacr that
thesc individuals rather than those con-
si'ute The rich or the poor, but in ths
feet that there are both rich and poor"
Now, on This subject we would re-
mark, in the first place, we like not tho
spirit which is here exhibited torhe poor
themselves. All this seems to go upon
the supposiiIon that IL is u disgrace to
bs ppor, that if man Is poor he is an
object Of pity, that labor is a curse, that
hand Injured to toll is a badge Of servi-
tude aud an indication of meanness.
And it is remarkable that, while our au-
thor rails at the aye for considering
wealth the supreme good he maniies,ly v
so considers 1t himself, since he clearly
holds forth poverty as The most bitter Of
all possible sublunary infections.
Now, with all this we have no matter
of sympathy. We are, through and
through, republican. We have been
poor, and are not lar removed from It
now bot we never felt il 10 be dis
grace, nor did VIZ blush here publicly to
speak of II. We DO not consider labor
personal, physical labor, the labor of The
spade, The plough, the hoe,-a bitter
atfiction. We are thankful to God that
he has thus made US, and that he has
connect,d d SO many blessings with the
toll ol The body. Nor do we speak on
the subject as theorists. We write
these pages after returning drenched M
pcrspirutIon liOm the lsbOrs Of The field,
with the thermometer at almost 80 de-
grees. In all this we feel 10 desrada-
ton. Aud ~ our intercourse with othor
men, the grasp OF a hard hand sends "a
thr.il OF pleasure along our nerves which
they never experience from the grasp of
IA SOFT one. /, tells US Of indepe ndeuce,
Of sobrlety, OF forecast, D! iull and well
developed maniulness, which can never
be attained by the gloved and scented
undcrlmgs of broadway or oi Bond
street. We are far too republican IN
our notions TO sympdthize with any PHI
Iosopher which does not look at the labor
e. as the per Of any other man in The
realm.
But, again. The result of this grcv-
Gus, and, to an American, unnatural
eIror,-an error which we could scarce
ly forgive, had not our author addicted
himself 50 much to French literature,
and formed his conceptions rather from
foreign description Than nom home OBJ
servaiion, are immediately evident -
lie assures Us that society Is all wiong,
for the slnplc reason that there east
rich and poor. 1t lis granted that there
is nothing TO prevent The rich from be-
coming poor aud the poor from becon-
ing rich /; but all Is wrong, because thus
is allowed, because society permits
such changes TO take place, und any dis
among men, either in ply ysicai
or intc lie ctual condition, to exist.
Now, 10 regard To this view OF socie-
Iy, we have but little TO say. In the
hrst place, however, we are struck with
lhe nntl-IepublIcan assumption on which
It Is founded. Republic an,s'n proceeds
upon the principle That every individual
Is a distinct ana proper man fOfm icrts
et rOiundus, endowed by his Creator WIN
all the powers necessary Tor seli-govern-
ment and seIl-Improvemeni, and that so
ciety must not interfere with hun ~ tho
Just eAeTcIse OF these powers. tie may
use them well or III, and, provided ho
inlure not his peIghbor, he may work
out his own veal or wo, and socieiy
holds beisel. not responsible. kepuI-
lican.sm looks first ol all 10 individual
tree rdom, and therefore she admits into
ltr ~ stem, with great caution, any eh-
Dcm by winch that freedom may he
,biidgcd. Slio seeks iot ire,don,, nut
rr one party or class, but i"r all men.
She knows no man either Ms poW or
ich, she knows hm only rs Il man, and
IL such, she throws over him the eggs
II her protection. Hence she Is care
vi toguaid bnn iI"n oppression Ivy The
many, rs from oppression ny the lew
She guarantees 10 every man HE oppor-
unly oI seeking his o~n happiness ~
us own way, and Vi using, ns well she
: uble, The brnc hts which Gvd has gwen
IN, bot she VIII 20 no imth.r. Shn
assumes no responsibility Tor the wealth
DR. poverty Of one class Vr oi aDoihci,
ar the assumption oi responsibility al.