| OCR Text |
Show MENTAL CONS'rl'l"lTTlON OF ANl..MAL5. h1mseLf. He is only a part of a ~eri~s of phen?mena., traceable to a principle good in the 1nain, but wh~c~ ad· mits of evil as an exc.epbon. We have se~n that I~ I~ for wise ends that God leaves our moral faculties to an lll~..o.t.. fi· nite range of action; the generi:ll g.ood result~ of tl.1i:, ar· ran()"ement are obvious· but exceptions of ev1l are Inseparable from such a syslem, and this is one of them. To cmne to particular illustration-when a peopl.e are op· pressed, or kept in a state of slavery, they Invan~b.ly con .. tract habits of lying, for the purpose. of decCl ving and outwitting thejr superiors, falseh~od being~ refuge of the weak under difficulties. What IS a habit 1n parents be .. comes an inherent quality in children. We are not, therefore, to be surprised when ~ traveller tell~ us t~1at black children in the West Indies appear to he by Instinct, and never answer a w bite person .truly even in t~e simplest matter. Ilere we have secretiveness roused In a people to a state of constant and exalted exerci~:J~; an ove.r-tenrlency of the nervous energy in that direction is the consequence, and a new organic con?ition is es~ablished. This tellse- upon the progeny, w h1ch comes Into the ¥vorld with secretiveness excessive in volun1e and activity. All other evil characteristics may ~e r~adily conceived as being implanted in a nevv generation In the same way. And sometim~s not. on~, but several ge~eration~, may be concerned In bnnging up the result to a pitch which produces crime. It is, however, to be observed, that the general tendency of things is to a limitation not the extension of such abnormally constituted bein'gs. The criminal brain finds itself in a social s?ena whei:e all is against it. It may struggle on for a t1me, but the medium and superior natures are never long at a loss in getting the better of it. The disposal of su~h bein()"s will always depend much on the moral stn~e o~ a com~unity, the degree in which just views prevaLl.with l't:!o·ard to human nature and the feelino·s which acc.Ident b ' . 0 . . may have caused to predominate at a parucular ttme. Where the mass was little enlightened o~ refined, and terrors for life or property were highly excited, malefa~tors have ever been treated severely. But when order IS generally triumphant, and r~ason allowed sway, men ~e· gin to see the true case of cnmwals-namcly, that wh1le one large department are victims of erroneous s?cial c?n· ditions, another are brought to error by tendencies wh1ch MENT .AL CONSTITUTfON OF ANIMALS. 18rl they are ~nly un.for~unate in having inherited from nature. C~Iminal JU_nsprudence, then, addresses itself less to the ~nect punishii_lent tbal! to the reformation and c~re-talnng of t.ho~e hab~e to Its attention. And such a tr eat~ent of cnm1nals, I~ may be further remarked, so that I~ stop ~hort of a~ording ~ny encouragement to crime (a p01nt which. expenenc~ will determine,) is evidently no more than JUSt~ce,. see1ng how accidentally all forms of the moral constitution are distributed, and how thor-· oughly mutu~l obligation shines throughout the whole frarne of society-the strong to help the weak, the good to redeem and restrain the bad. ~he s:?m of. all we have seen of the psychical constt! uho_n or man Is., that its Almighty Author has destined tt, 1~1\e everythmg else, to be developed from inherent qu~hhes, and t~ haye a mode of action depending solely on Its ~w~ organizatiOn. Thus the whole is complete on <>ne pnnc1ple. T~e masse~ of space are formed by law; taw makes th~m In du~ hme theatres of existence for pla~ts ~nd animals; . sensation, disposition, intellect, are all In hk~ manne~ devel?ped and sustained in action by law. It IS most Interesting to observe into how small a ~eld the whole of the my~teries of nature thus ultimately Iesolye themselves. The 1norganic has one final compre- · hensive law, GRAVITATION. The organic, the other great department cf mundane things rests in like manner on ~ne law, and t~at is-;-DEVELOPM~NT. Nor may even these be after al-': twain, bnt only branches of one still mo~·e c01np;ehe.ns1ve law, the expression of that unity which mans vnt can scarcely separate from Deity itself PURPOSE AND GENERAL CONDITION OF THE ANIMATED CREATION . WE hav~ ~ow to inquire ho\v this view of the constitution and on gin of nature bears upon the condition of man upon the e~rth, and. his relation to supra-mundane things . . That. enJoyment IS the proper attendant of animal exIstenc~ IS pressed upon us by all that we see and all we expen~nce. Everywhere we perceive in the lower crea~ ure~, In their 01:din~ry condition, symptoms of enjoyment. r hen whole being Is a system of needs, the supplying of 15 173 |
