AND SUBORDINATION. 73 



live in the memory of mankind. Hence, Public Schools, 

 Lyceums of Natural History, and such Institutions as have 

 for their object the dissemination of knowledge amongst the 

 people, are all movements in the right direction. Let the foun- 

 tains of knowledge be made as public as possible, so that all 

 may drink freely. Let the healing streams be circulated in all 

 directions, until they impart their treasures to every destitute 

 locality, for it is certain that there is no man, however poorly 

 gifted, who may not be made a useful citizen if those gifts are 

 properly cultivated. 



It is not possible that the community should be disturbed in 

 its present social relations by this generous diffusion of infor- 

 mation. Depend upon it, inequality of condition is an eternal, 

 unchangeable law of nature. It does not admit of a doubt, that 

 some men are much more richly endowed with native talent 

 and energy than others, and these will always be the leading 

 branches in the social tree ; others must and will naturally take 

 an inferior and subordinate position. But the branch, if it grows 

 for centuries, will never equal the entire tree in size, and the 

 branchlet must ever continue smaller than the branch. For 

 each has its own limit of growth prescribed by Nature, according 

 to a morphological law which it cannot pass, even under the most 

 favorable circumstances, and by means of which each is rendered 

 subservient to the growth of the other. So, if we suppose all 

 to have the advantages of a liberal education, the variety of gift 

 and intellectual capacity amongst mankind will still remain 

 unchangeably the same, and therefore their social position with 

 reference to each other. There will, however, be this import- 

 ant advantage gained ; each will be rendered more capable of 

 discharging the duties of that position in life in which it has 

 pleased Providence to place them ; and thus the whole com- 

 munity will be benefitted by the prosperity of its individual 

 members. 



It has been proved that there will ever be subordination. 

 But as man is naturally a selfish being, blind submission to- 

 superior talent and energy is not to be thought of for a moment. 

 It has been well said that " History is Philosophy teaching by 

 example ;" now, History teaches most impressively the social 

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