CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



henceforth must be the reconcilement of the indi- 

 cations of the three different sources of knowledge 

 anatomy, external manifestations, and con- 

 sciousness. No principle of human nature can be 

 finally accepted till it is verified in all the three 

 ways. 



Sociology, or the science of human Society, 

 comes last of all, as being most complex, or as 

 involving all the phenomena of the previous 

 sciences. The arrangements of society depend 

 on the properties of the inorganic and organic 

 world on the one hand, and on the character of 

 the mind of man on the other. The life of men 

 and of societies is restricted by the mathematical, 

 astronomical, physical, chemical, and vital laws 

 and conditions of the surrounding world, and is 

 rendered more perfect in proportion as these are 

 better known. 



The more immediate dependence of the struc- 

 ture of society on the peculiarities of the mind of 

 man, has enabled the subject to be studied along 

 with this last from the very dawn of human specu- 

 lation, and while all the preceding sciences were 

 in their infancy. But it has been shewn by M. 

 Comte, that every advance in these sciences has 

 been accompanied with some corresponding ad- 

 vance in the mode of viewing social questions ; so 

 that all history attests the existence of a real 

 dependence under the outward appearance of 

 independence. 



The greatest simplification that has been made 

 in the complicated subject of society has arisen 

 from carrying out a distinction derived from the 

 anterior sciences ; the distinction in Mechanics 

 between Statics and Dynamics ; and in Biology 

 between the powers that maintain organic life and 

 the powers that bring about the progress of the 

 being from one stage to another. In society, the 

 terms Order and Progress express the two corre- 

 sponding ideas. Order means the maintenance of 

 the peaceable workings of any one society ; Pro- 

 gress means the advancement from one arrange- 

 ment to another of a superior kind as from the 

 state of slavery to the state of liberty. By dis- 

 cussing the two subjects apart, all the questions 

 relating to society and history are at once freed 

 from a large share of the embarrassments and 

 difficulties that have always surrounded them. 



The doctrines of Social Order are more par- 

 ticularly dependent on the laws of human nature, 

 and are advanced in precision exactly in propor- 

 tion to the accuracy of our knowledge of these 

 laws. The fundamental idea of society being the 

 harmonious co-operation of a multitude for the 

 better attainment of common ends, and the first 

 step in the working out of this idea being the 

 setting up of a central government, or ruling 

 power, the grand requisite of good order is obe- 

 dience to this power. Where the government is 

 obeyed, order reigns, whatever other evils may 

 exist ; where successful disobedience has occurred, 

 there is disorder or anarchy. To secure obedience 

 is, therefore, the problem of Order ; and this must 

 be accomplished by connecting the government 



with some of the most powerful reigning impulses 

 of the human mind. If the sentiment of filial 

 obedience be very strong, and if the people can be 

 induced to consider the supreme civil ruler as a 

 father, they will be disposed to render him obe- 

 dience with the whole force of their filial devotion. 

 If the religious sentiment is high in a people, and 

 if they can be made to believe in the Divine right 

 of kings, obedience may be secured from this 

 source. If society is so constituted as visibly to 

 be for the advantage of the majority of its mem- 

 bers, the sentiment of self-interest will suffice to 

 keep up the spirit of obedience. It will thus be 

 seen that the supports of Order are such of the 

 mainsprings of human action as can, for the time, 

 be brought into harmony with the principle or 

 pretence that lies at the foundation of the existing 

 government. Hence the character of the people 

 is an important consideration in determining the 

 means of securing their obedience. 



Order not only implies a harmonious relation 

 between the mass of a people and their central 

 government it extends to all the smaller associ- 

 ations included within the greater. The proper 

 constitution of local governments, of the spiritual 

 government, of the family, of the relations of 

 master and servant, teacher and pupil, is a matter 

 of adjustment according to the prevailing im- 

 pulses of the individuals concerned, and no 

 one rule can be made universal in any of the 

 cases. 



Progress, which is also termed Civilisation, 

 means the advancement from one state of Order 

 to a higher, or to a state where a superior class of 

 the impulses and capacities of man are brought 

 into action. When a government based on the 

 superstitious prostration of the mind, gives place 

 to one recognised by the reason, on the grounds 

 of its contributing to the well-being of the society, 

 a step of progress has been achieved. So, when 

 a clear knowledge of affairs in a ruler, instead 

 of the arts of oratory, is the means of gaining 

 a people's confidence and co-operation, the society 

 has entered a higher stage of advancement. 



The proper meaning of Civilisation is the 

 application of intelligence to the improvement of 

 the human condition. It includes all that is not 

 derived immediately from nature ; in other words, 

 nature and civilisation together make up the 

 whole of human existence. The instinctive capaci- 

 ties of men are the immediate gift of nature ; the 

 powers acquired by the use of intelligence and 

 will, confirmed into habits, and transmitted by 

 instruction from age to age, are civilisation. The 

 original genius, or inventive capacity of man, is 

 the origin of everything included in human pro- 

 gress. Consequently, civilisation consists of as 

 many distinct streams as there are divisions in the 

 arts of life and the creations of the human intellect. 

 The industrial arts, the training arts, the healing' 

 arts, the arts and forms of social intercourse, the 

 art of government, morality, religion, science, the 

 fine arts, literature, and the art of living, are all 

 included in this one comprehensive designation. 



