Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-16
RoUssEAU's FINE THEORY.

No theory has ever had a greater
| attraction for theorists and dreamers
of ltopian reform than Rousseau's ex-
position of the Social Contract. II
was the basis of many of the ideas Of
the fathers of the American F,evolu-
don. and his Emile continues to in
spire much of the zeal of noted re-
formers in education.
I'VE cannot, indeed hope" writes
Compare, ito derive from Rousseau
pedagogics a definite and final system
of methods and procedure. But what
is perhaps better. he handed ON to
his successors and still iinparts to all
who read him a spark. at least, of the
flame which burned in him" To many
thinkers. on the contrary, who look
more deeply and dispassionately into
human nature than is common with the
specialist in pedagoglcs, it is just this
flame which is beginning TO he regarded
as dangerous.
Man" says Rousseau, in his theory
OF the social contract. lis born free;
but Is everywhere in chains"
| According to the French philosopher,
| property has introduced harsh in
equality among men. and established
| the rights OF the stronger and richer
| over those Of the weaker and poorer.
! The cure, SO he thinks for this in
justice is, in his own words, as fol-
lows:
The complete alienation of each as
sociatc with all his rights to the whole
| uit for tho first Mace.
each man giving himself entirely, the
condition Is equal for all: and, the con-
! dttion being equal for all, no one has
any interest in rendering it burden
some TO the others. Each of us
places his person and all his power in
| common under the supreme direction
| Of the general will, and We receive
back each member or an indivislble
part of the whole
The theory supposes that each man.
In a state of freedom, viii be true to
his nobler and higher impulses and
that, as matter of fact. he will hdTe
no ignoble and base desires after he
Is made really free from his worst
enemy-society as it is now governed
The whole theory denies the existence
in man of a dual nature--of both good
and evil impulses in his make-up-
and so runs counter to the teachings Of
revealed. as distinguished from the 500
called natural religion.
And, If we correctly understand the
! philosopher, his theory comes to this;
that IN some mysterious way the innate
sense Of human sympathy shall sudden
~ take possession Of society, which has
been long corrupted into warning fac
tons and shall transform it into a sort
Of single person at peace with Itself
an individual possessed Of single
mind and purpose and SO elevate or
ganaed communities into divine and
sclf-respectIng machine that shalt move
smoothly for the general good
There Is a sublime Innocence in Rous-
seau's proposition that II all We're equal
In society. no ono would have any IN
terost I'm rendering It's conditions bur
dcusome 10 others. For though SYM
pathy consists in so putting ourselves
into the place of others that their pain
becomes our pain, and their JOY be-
comes our JOY, yet If the pain or loss
OF another In any way contributes to our
own advantage, we rejoice IN II even
when the feeling Of uneasiness remains
more on less consciously present and
couuarwlse win the JOY or gain OF
another which effects our own disad-
vantage Thus a SON must harbor some
satisfaction I'm tho death Of father
whereby he comes into an estate,
while at tine same lime ne may feel a
sorrow derived both from the sever
ance Of long ties and from the uneasy
forebodng of his own future fate as
brought home TO him boy the present
example,
AS Rousseau did not believe that any
oyil naturally exists IN man. SO he
could not retain any heaven ana he'll
In mis- lhoology Tho gist Of his latin
h pure Delsm, trustful reliance on
some henedcont God who is united
WIN Mature ny a mutual sympathy
,tr'.g. psding "a that which be him