The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-05-08

warmly. The farmer behind the plough feels it
beat in harmony with the creation through which
he moves. Go out into the crowded streets, you
will every where find, that there is no shriveed
nscr, selfish epicure, ambitious politician, no
"incarnatOn of fat dividends" but he has heart.
Seek who you will, the benevolent or the selfish,
the hghminded or the mean, the most wise or the
most Narrow, each one has a heart though some
times, on dissection, it might require microscope
to find lis place.
Just so the power to discern good from evil, right
from wrong, is implanted within every one. 1t is
the gift of God to every man. God has disranchls
ed no one (; lie has cut off no from the Inherit
ance of reason. Wherever there is moral exist
ence, wherever there is a human being, there also
is found the gift of mind. There within the depths
of conscience, Virtue has erected her tribunal there
an arbcr is established to decree what, in the face
of humanity and of the Infinite Mind, shall be ac-
knowledgcd as justice.
Democracy is, therefore, the Power of Justice,
as cherished in the hearts of the people, as inter-
prcted and enforced by the public mind.
know it will be said, that the power of the
people will not, of necessity, be the government OF
justice.
To whom then, but to the whole people, shall
we look for the true Interpretation OF Justice' II
not to the whole people, we must look to fraction
of the people. Now, there is a primary objection
to making this appcol 10 any fraction whatever
For by the very fac, that it is fraction, it has a
separate interest The fraction asks itself, "Ilow
will this look on the exchange, and among the
members of the elan? The people can only ask it.
self, Glow will this look in the history of the race
and before the Creator of mani" If | appeal to
the whole people, shall get an answer in harmony
with general truth if appeal to part of the pco-
pie, the answer will he partial, modified by pccu-
Iiuriiics and II special bias. To take the decision
away from the whole community, in pies an I'M
willingness to have answer resting an universal
truth.
But let US rnayzc this matter more minutely.-
If the expression of the public mind is not 10 be
acknowledged us the interpreter of justice and we
are to look to fraction, that fraction must be the
purcst, or the strongest, or the wcahicst, or the
wiscSt
If we look to the purcs for oraclcs of Justice we
at once get us II political powcra priesthood or Il
church. We get I'm arsiocracy of priests, or an
aristocracy of church members. How unwse the
first is, has been p'orghcd deeply into the history
ofmankid. For The political cNallaton of priest
hood brings with il concession Of monopoly Of
moral truth 1t binds the mind in letters it pro-
claims the slavery oihc soul thus destroying free
dom at its source, ard with freedom destroying the
possibility of public virtue and justice New En-
gland has had IN example Of an arsiocracy of
church members, in the early history Of NIassachu-
sets: and the record Gifts fatal tendency is written
in acts of bigolry, and letters Of blood. besides :
let no man, however purc,-and the truly plouS
man j. ALWAYS humble he 50 arrogant Us 10 claim
in picty superiority to the people for the pco-
pie includes within Itself all the purity and picty
Of all its members
The arislocrucy oilhc strongest has also been tried.
1t is the cudul system and the system of each mo-
dern military dcspoiism, giving dominion to brute
force II j. the system which despises freedom,
and annhiIatcs mind This form Of arstocracy,
far from aspiring to interpret justice, aims only al
asserting lis own WILL
The fraction of the wealthy next urges its claim.
This claim is more frequently maintained. 1t is
the part Of wisdom to found government prop
crty, SAYS Webster, giving u,tcrancc to creed
of our American modern wings. The poet Addison,
once secretary Of state, was good English wing
in his day. lie maintained the same opinion And
John Locke, the great philosopher of the wings de-
clarcs The very design and object of government
to be the protection Of property.
Now. to every rich man there are two things -
First ,hc j. Il man: as such, democracy respects
him, aud gives him equal rights. Next is his
wealth /; but wealth is blind. II cannot reason, and
it cannot feel The money bag has neither hear,
nor mind. The love Of riches is base passion.
If government j. surrendered TO it, then the qucs-
ton will be, 4" What will be thought of il by the
bears and bulls in the sock-narkct !" Therefore
Democracy rejects the government of wealth. She
insists on putting the question, not 10 noteshayers
and money -mGkcrs, no, 10 those who are rich, and
are struggling 10 grow richer, but to conscience and
mind
The fraction Of the learned comes ncxt-the
wise men after the flesh But the people collec-
lively is wiser than they, for it includes within it.
SELF their wisdom also And further Excellent as
men Of learning are in their place, should be loah
to resign the government of the country into the
hands Of college professors or the learned of the
land For learning has pride and an arrogance Of
its own Besides, the pcdant' chair may hold eve
nv passion, mean as well as noble, that human ma
ture knows. 1t is a remarkable fact, that the great
progress in science aud government has not been
made at universities Our fathers were outcasts
from the universities; and Oxford in England taught
the doctrine of passive obedience TO kings, long
after Hooker and HAYNES had founded government
in Connecticut on undivided obedience to God
When the angel of advancing reform knocks at the
gate of our colleges. he is too often met with re-
buff, and compelled as in the days Of the patriarch
to 90 out and break bread with the hcrdsman be-
meath tree And though hearty sympathy with
popular liberty i. the sole condition ON which an
American scholar can hope for enduring fame, or
n college can attain highes. success, it still proves
hard for the very learned to acknowledge that learn
ing. is but n csicrn, and that in every mind there
is n living fountain Of truth Therefore IT is that
Lord Bacon holds it necessary for the inquirer to
become as little child, or he cannot hope TO en-
ter into the Kingdom of intelligence aud we have
good authority for believing that Heaven. i'll its
high purposes of reform, sccris for It's agents not
many wise after the flesh. God hath chosen the
foolish things Of the world TO contuund the wise,
aud God hath chosen the weak things of the world
to coniound the things which are mighty.
Thus Justice refuses 10 Plead before fraction
Of the people. She establishes her open tribunal,
and seeks decree in harmony with conscience and
the voice of God, by appointing the whole people
n the umpire and sovereign arbltcr. Her court Is
an open court. Thither may repair the oppressor
and the oppressed the poor and the rich the
wise after the flesh, and the chosen of God. whose
wisdom il as that Of children the strong and the
weak the learned aud the unlearned the benev-
client and the churl. All are admitted, all are
heard bui the decision is the voice of conscience
~ expressed by the common mind the voi'e Of