The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-04-04
SOCIETY.

SOCIETY.
The love &c society is Inherent in our nu
ture /; i, is designed by Heaven Tor our con
y.uienco and enjoyment, for the mutual al
deviation of wants, aud the participation Q
lows, the sorrows, the pleasures ana 'h'
Mains incident To the human race. Mar
WINS no, made 10 dissipatc his hours in sol
itude.
The genius Of men IRE SO various, w
;mnor,ancc of association SO palpab'e, on
i,nbocili,ies so great, and our attachments
so irresistible, that i, is impossible tor mel
TO live without zach other, unless oy s'o
a,ion Of principle which alone character
ICES humanity. The necessity OF socla
compact was in,ima,ed in respect TO Adam
by his Maker, sit is not good that maj
should be alone.' Though, the anchorltt
affects 10 dcspisc the pleasures OF social III
,crcourse, it is not until no has become
soured BY disappointments, sick OF 'a'
world. frustrated ia his amhi,iousyi ans
caIlous to every feeling Of humanity, thai
he assumes the character and garb Of {
rec!use. retircs from the haunts OF men Y
mincle with the brutes. But though ne
does violence to his nature, and opposes h'
main principle Of his being, he enjoys
kind of society, he mins'es with the iea'h
cred choristers, and assinlates himself with
the animals who roam.ihe trackless desert
He here forms attachments which, IN bel
ter DAYS, were bestowed on moro worthy
objects. A person may be Of solitary
turn there may be hours when he ma.
wish 10 lie alone, but these are comparative.
IL momcntnry with one whose mind has mol
become vitiated BY wrong IDEAS OF human
nature he soon longs to return 10 the busy
haunts Of men, and minsle with The social
circle, composed Of congcnal souls. q
nan NAV 30 solitary in the midst OF COM
pany, provided the faculties OF his soul are
not assimilated with those with whom he
meets. Zimmerman. in bis treatise on SOL
ifudc. observes, "men are frequently soil
,arv without being alone, for 10 constitute
state OF solitude, il IS Sufficient il the mind
be absorbed bv those IDEAS which lis own
reflections create 4 profound reasoncr
is, in general, solitary at the tables Of The
witty and the gay. The philosopher and
the man Of science, is lost in the company
of the ,houghllcss and The giddy. The lea,
table chat. and the mischieyous taiting Of
the multitude, can atfrra no pleasure 10 him
who is absorbed ia the enjoyment q intel
lect. To such one, society, Us tits gen
orally termed, is dreary waste. kindred
souls can only he said to unite in real en-
iovment. Fer there, the mind continually
fingers, and never rests ill il finds its mate
Society is as various as The tastes and dis
positions Of men. and he IL in solitude who
is not allied to his coinpcer. Deprive a
man Of this, and yon ,nke from him the or-
" soIace oflife. There is nothing Which a
man canno, better support than total pri.
walton of that society composed Of minds
formed in the same mould with his own
Absolute solitude. therefore, for length o.
time, is as great punishment, as can be i'm
fic;ed. On this principle, wise legislators
have decreed perpetual solitary confinement
to criminals, as the snrcs, way TO bring
them 10 repentance. The hardened wretch
may iorlify his mind against conviction, in
the company of his vicious fellow prisoners.
but when secluded, all the remorse, the
s,ings and upbraidings ola guilty conscience.
fall with redoublcd force, aud few ere able
to Withstand their impulse.