New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-04

something to defend, but that, united with
his fellows, he had the ability to defend it
tTlumphantly Why, ever since European
society began the great struggle to throw
of feudallsm. the cities have been the
leaders IN the work Who, then. In view
of these facts and thousand others, which
W. have not space to recall, but which will
occur 10 The student and observer. can say
that the culture OF the arts and the densi-
tying of population are inimicil to free
dom Ii Is absurd
" But wait" NJ Berryer and those who
think with him will reply, till your popu-
lauon has grown to such an extent that
there IS not food and clothing enough for
all. and they begin to dispute the possession
of these uecessaries. Then see now your
democratic institutions will protest YOU
against social anarchy, from which despot-
ism will be your sole refuge. Wait I'LL the
antagonsm of wealth and poverty, capital
and labor. master and mental is developed
few degrees further. and what then be-
comes of your boasted republic You see
that 1t Is your sparse population which saves
YOU, after all.
No. we see no such thing. Population
can never grow in the way YOU speak of,
and the danger you depict is only imaginary.
All you say rests on the mistaken notion
that as the number of men increases, the
earth becomes less fruitful and that as
each new mouth comes forward to be fed,
there is proportionally less to feed it. This
is altogether a mistake The earth be-
comes more fruitful, and yields more food
aEd more materials for clothing as the com
munlty becomes more numerous, and makes
larger demands upon her This is 4 great
truth, pregnant with cheering conSe-
quences. which stands forth as plain as day
to whoever will see it, and vet men will
not open their eyes to behold.
The earth increases in productiveness
along with the increase of its inhabitants,
because they increase in science and
strength to command its resources. In the
early stages of society, men have poor tools,
they are scattered widely apart, and are
consequently obliged to commence tilling
poor land III order to get food. They can
neither go upon the heavily tlmbered and
moist lowlands, nor can they penetrate be-
meath the soil to bring out the fertlllzlng
minerals that nature has hidden there for
their use, and with which their poor ground
might be enriched But as they advance,
as they procure tools, as nelghborhoods be-
come settled, and capital and skill are ac-
luired, the cultiyator descends and clears
the rich soil of the valleys, and digs out
mari, or muck. or lime, or plaster, to tatten
and improve the hills and sand plains where
he at first began Thus the growth OF So
ciety. where no foreign cause comes in to
disturb the natural process. is really one
continuous progress; because, as Man goes
forward, the land continually yields him a
better return and a thus dense population,
where Mans natural relations to the soil
have not been violated, is necessarily free,
orderly and improving one.
The same is the case with mechanical in
yentions They do not tend to enslaye the
masses, but the contrary. 1t IS true that
they may at times and in exceptional cases
be made the means OF reducing individuals
into 4 worse condition than they occupied
before, but such is by no means their gen.
eral effect The cupidity Of men cannot
50 peryert them as to make them engines
Of evil more than Of good, even to the small
classes of persons most directly under their
influence Nor can cupidity contriye 1t
that the public in general shall not derive
far greater advantage from every such IN
ventlon than he who owns 1t and manages 1t
with view to his own interest tie may
gather up a little hoard of profit, but in so
clety at large II Is poured forth unmeasured,
ike the golden sunlight. The stockholders
Of railroad may grow very rich, but their
wealth is nothing compared to that their
road colfers on the whole community the
Iaborers in a cotton factory may be Cypress
ed, bu. there was worse oppression before.
And if YOU bring up the sewing girls OF
london, or the Irish famine, we reply that
those hideous facts came altogether from
without the natural course OF things, and
cannot be charged as evils attending .he
normal development of industry and popu-
latioa, or, to use 4 more comprehensive term,
Of Society. And accordingly, where there
IS freedom at the start, and men have fair
chance the antaponism between wealth and