The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-01-07
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From ths journal Of Commerce.

LAws,-Some persons seemto think there are no
laws In the country except those which are made by
the Legislature and perhaps the moral law, written
IN the Bible and yet they occasionally speak OF the
laws OF nature, the laws of matter the laws OF mind
.he laws oil trade, aud sometimes express the whole
by The phrase the nature OF things Philosophers VINO
nave examined minutely, have found thai everything
around them was controlled by laws more unalterabie
than those OF the Medes and Persans They md that
these laws have existed from the creation of the
world and they are able, by watching the operations
oil these laws, and finding out what they have accom-
pshed, to determine how long they have been IN OPP
Grafton, and so to determine or at least to CONJECTURE
how long il is since the world was made. Philoso-
pliers say too, that they nothing IN the nature
Of the case which should originate or sustain these
laws For instance, they can discover nothing IN the
nature Of matter which should create or sustain that
great law of attraction which all matter possesses Tor
all other matter, generally called gravitatlon. they
cannot find in the nature of matter any guarantee for
the continuance of this law single day and yet II II
were to be repealed or suspended Tor an hour the
universe would rush back to chaos. SO impossible
II to Ind any self-susalnlng power IN the laws which
pervade and control all things, and yet SO mighty are
they that many men have come to the conclusion that
all this mighty system OF natural laws is nothing
more nor less than the ceaseess energy of the Crea-
TOR acung upon plan determined on from the be-
ginning. One thing certain, VIZ that all knowledge
consists In knowing these laws and another thing
Is certain-al these laws are good, and calcu-
lated IN their operation to promote the highest bene-
nj To man. They are all evidently benevolent The
laws which bind man to his Maker and to his fell
low man, being the most important OF all, and yet
least likely to be found out have, in great kindness
been written IN book and gwen to US. These writ
ten laws are not arbitrary enactments, but rather IN
structlons respecting existing facts Whoever at
tempts to go contrary to one OF these laws will find
not merely that ne mas violated the written statute
but that he has violated the nature OF the case and
put himself out OF ms right position The all
Peryadmg design OF the law Is, to keep every
being and everything IN his and its proper place,
so that the highest possible amount of good
may result The measure oil Its fundamental
enactments IS, Thou shalt love the Lord thy Lord
my od WIN all thy heari ana my neighbor as thy
sell Men are iuiiy at liberty TO use these laws for
their own benefit but they are not at liberty to break
Them or to seek to overthrow them or set them aside
ms Is as true OF the laws OF nature IN one thing as
another ior they are all made to conduce to one
grand result. those laws oy the interruption of
which IN their operation, rum would ensue to the sys-
tenn, are put beyond mans power to disturb them
IL the laws which regulate the solar system were in
any degree under the control OF man, combinations
would very likely be formed among the people OF the