THE CHRONICLE. 
come great who have greatly dis- 
tinguished themselves by the ap- 
plication of talents natural or ac- 
quired ; and men become rich, who 
have persevered with industry in 
the application to trade and com- 
merce, to manufactures, and other 
useful employments. How many 
_persons now of great rank and for- 
tune, who were born without 
either! How many rich merchants 
and traders who begun their career 
in the lowest employments of the 
shop and counting-house! In the 
' progress to this advancement they 
have all, in their stations, contri- 
buted their share toward the show 
of opulence, both public and pri- 
vate; which is to be seen in every 
part of this island. It is by the 
effects of this industry that the 
entleman is enabled to support 
fis rank and station; and the mer- 
chant and tradesman to employ 
his clerks, journeymen, and ap- 
prentices. Hence comes the price 
of the farmer’s corn, and the wages 
of servants of every description. 
By this happy inequality, and de- 
pendence of one man on another, 
employment is found for all, in 
their several vocations to which 
_ they have been called by design or 
accident. This inequality and de- 
pendence is so infinitely diversified 
im this country, that there is no 
place upon earth where thcre are 
89 many ways in which a man by 
_ his talents and industry may raise 
himself above his equals. This has 
hitherto been thought a pre-emi- 
ment happiness that was peculiar 
to ourselves, and ought to be che- 
fished: it has been ascribed to the 
protecting influence which proper- 
hhas always enjoyed under equal 
laws ; and it has increased of late 
years in a wonderful degree, by 
“prosperity which was caused, 
93 
and can only be continued by the 
same influence. Weare, upon the 
fullest deliberation, of opinion, 
that proposing to pull down this 
goodly fabric, which has been gra- 
dually reared by the successive vir- 
tue and industry of all the great 
and good men who have lived in 
this island for centuries; and to sub- 
mit to begin afresh upon a new 
system of Equality, as it is called, 
seems a proposition that can be 
suggested only by the most undis- 
guised wickedness, and entertained 
by the grossest folly. Because, if 
so wild a plan was to be carried 
into execution, and all men were 
made equal, they would from that 
moment begin to struggle who 
should first rise above his equals; and 
it is beyond all question (if there 
was any industry, or any virtue; if 
there was peace and public pros- 
perity ; if there was private happi- 
ness and public virtue in such new- 
formed society) there would gra- 
dually arise an inequality of rank 
and fortune. We foresee, from re- 
cent experiment, in a neighbour- 
ing country, that in the operation 
of bringing to pass such a transi- 
tion, the lives and properties of all 
persons in this island would be ex- 
posed tothe arbitrary disposal ofself- 
opinionated philosophers and a wild 
and needy mob, deluded and insti- 
gated by them; that with the in- 
troduction of equality in rank and 
fortune, an expectation would be 
raised in the lower orders, which 
must first be gratified with plunder, 
and afterwards would sink into a 
state of disappointment and abject 
poverty. When all were equalized, 
there would no longer be a super- 
fluity to pay the hire of servants, 
or purchase the productions of art 
or manufacture ; no commerce, no 
credit; no resource for the active 
but 
