New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-07
nrc1y AND GR0wTg or EUROPEAN
SOCIETY.

Hsnry c. Carey hiss demonstrate" a
s,<ious element in Political Beonon! 'D
a., TIE ur,vervinS tendency Of CIVILIZATION IL "
.,o;n.,e mi, element or to dePreeste W opera
a.: ", c.,ev bas made the discovery the nios'
pregnsnt one II appears 70 NE ever i''l-.
cal seieree. that 8 CONSTANT "a" "Poi"''' ~
a.. .1sc. If which il 70 equslize tne eu'eines "
.,,,o.n ,oc;ety, By giving TO eaPltai s'e~i"!
L...;.;,d,.1 ratio Of remuneration, ana 70 iaoof
I'LL ;,e,,a,;ug ratio. The sign and measure OF
"a, o,crstion Of this law il the decline IN the eie-
,os,. of value. For value attaches only to cap La
=, the products Of human industry. The value OF
. thing. says Mr. Carey, is never its UTILITY, else
water would be more valuable than gold; but tne
main. il costs TO produce it, And as nothing u
produced which is not capital, 70 Accordingly '@iu'
"a always sign Of capital.
Now values are continually declining. Ciothing'
lodging and food all Of an improved Sort 700 or
.besper than they were hundred years ago; that
n TO saw, vastly greater number o. men oil.
..o,,en are well fed, well clad, and well Ioagea
now than at any previous period Of the "orid
bi.torv: and the reason of this fact u, that 1901
elothing and shelter, are cheaper or that "s's
roln,s are dselining But why are they declining
WHY is II that food clothing, and shelter, are
cheaper now than they were ia the Gays u 'unu7
(asar or Henry VIII, or the first GeOrge' Ii }"
.oeIy because Of improved facilities OF production;
OR 10 state tho grand fact more fully because
notrys's cooperation in production ~ Perpetuahy
advancing while mans y an equal extent ceases
Nature charges us nothing for her b0Untes She
0iyes us her water her steam her heat, ber "inds
Ter uAettism her electricity, not only at 40 cost
IA ourselyes but in actually dlscharglDg al the
same time the lnnumertble hands when Othei tlso
had been absorbed IN the most serYle laoOrS Inc
constant tendency Of improvements III INC ma
cbiBery Of production, or what 10 the same 'nin5'
1be constant effect Of natures advancing cooPefa-
a., In man ia to restore man t. himself, 10
afford him leisure and means to cultivate the
LioLer parts OF Lis nature and become the good
and yiee creature which God has destined nm 10
be. -,
wish very much that our young men would
read Mr. Carey's books, which for the hrst time
,mske Political Economy humane and religious or
Frederic Bastat's HarmOHies EcOHOmiqaes; for
Then am cure that the intellect OF the country
would Qnther new yigOr, and It's heart swell WIN
a liyelier tide Of Joy. But did not take up my
pen so much for the purpose OF commencing these
EriteTs who, besides, need no COMMUNICATION as
with view TO show how the law which they set
forth with such wealth Of demonstration, illustrates
social progress.
For IL il be true az Carey and Bastiat prove
that man ia becoming by natures advancing co
operation gradually emancipaed from the dominion
OF the material sphere, IL Is quite certain thas
some superior life is dawnlng 10 hln. f0r man
meyer becomes unclothed, save by being clothed
upon. That is to say, he never dies to one thing
except by living to another If, therefore, he Is
becoming freed from the tyranny OF natural want;
IL as tbese writer's show nature Is necessarily
growing subject 10 man it must be that man him.
self ID becoming the subject Of higher lie. FOR
nature does not serre those who are subject TO her,
She ruLs them on the contrary with an iron strict
pess Witness all the vegetable aud animal tribes.
She serves only the subjects Of u higher power.
Now Mr. Carey does not meantO say that men are
growing more religious in the technical sense oil
that void. II il no doubt bessedly true, now as
always, that individual mel are inWardly expand
ing TO the demands Of an Infinite goodness ana
truth; but this is not the fact 10 which these
writers refer. They are Signalling common or
general fact not an individual one. They do not
mean 10 say that this, that or the other special
person il becoming enancpated from physlcal
yassalage, for this has always been true but that
nj men or the whole body Of the community, are
undergoing this emaDc patton. They affirm that
The common or associated life of man is advancing
into higher conditions and they prove the fact BY
alleging the increasing alacrity Of natures service
This higher life 10 the social life. The life which
u now claiming mans subsection, and which IL
therefore eleyating him more and more out oil ma
lures tbraldom ia the life Of society-a life Of the
strictest fellowship with our kinda life which
springs from the growing sentiment OF human
equality. This is that new life OF man upon earth
which ia getting itself recognized IN all our pro-
rressive legislation, but which few Of the
European legislators seem to have any conception
of European institutions are based upon the sen
fiment not of human equality but of human dider-
eDce They divide men into classes-a higher and
lower class or dominant and subject one-and
II ia manifestly absurd TO expect any true social
development within such conditions. England
seems TO be completely fossilzed by this mOnstrOus
faacy. A friend Of mine, aud man Of distlnc
tion told me the other day Of lady one Of his
acquaintance, being obliged TO take her boy from
an excellent school, at which he had been attend
ing for couple Of years, because the master had
been indiscreet enough II take in coniectioners
son. 80 also the head Of ladys school in my
present neighborhood felt herself called upon the
other day ~ reject the application Of rich draper
who desired to place his daughter under her
charge, because, as she said, q compliance with it
would ruin her school. These are straws, bat
they show the drift Of things here better than larger
incidents. They show that the life Of this nation
attached sergely attached as il 10 to is insti
tutions--is dwindling away TO nothing, and that
unless some trump awaken them in time from their
Iethargy, they must fall infallibe prey 10
younger blood. For the sadness Of the thing H.
that even hberal-minded men here justify these
snonstrous wrongs. have talked with popular
elergymen and hterAteurs on the subject and they
seem to have no idea Of any organic change ia the
social constitution Of England being desirable
They say that if you once begin to look in that d.
reetion, you cannot stop short OF socialism. And
socialism Is the buga-boo which now regns su-
preme over ell the adult nOodedom OF Europe