260 OPERATIONS SUBSIDIARY TO INDUCTION. 



There probably had been no era in history, except the 

 declining period of the Roman empire, in which this 

 theory could have grown up and made many converts. 

 It could only have originated in an age essentially 

 unheroic. It was a condition of the existence of such 

 a theory, that the only beneficial actions which people 

 in general were much accustomed to see, or were 

 therefore much accustomed to praise, should be such 

 as were, or at least might without contradicting 

 obvious facts be supposed to be. the result of the 

 motive above characterized. Hence the words really 

 connoted no more in common acceptation, than was 

 set down in the definition: to which consequently no 

 objection lay on the score of deviation from usage, if 

 the usage of that age alone was to be considered. 



Suppose, now, that the partisans of this theory 

 had contrived to introduce (as, to do them justice, 

 they showed themselves sufficiently inclined) a con- 

 sistent and undeviating use of the term according to 

 this definition. Suppose that they had succeeded in 

 banishing the word disinterestedness from the lan- 

 guage, in obtaining the disuse of all expressions 

 attaching odium to selfishness or commendation to 

 self-sacrifice, or which implied generosity or kindness 

 to be anything but doing a benefit in order to receive 

 a greater advantage in return. Need we say, that 

 this abrogation of the old formulas for the sake of 

 preserving clear ideas and consistency of thought, 

 would have been an incalculable evil? while the very 

 inconsistency incurred by the coexistence of the 

 formulas with philosophical opinions which virtually 

 condemned them as absurdities, operated as a 

 stimulus to the re-examination of the subject; and 

 thus the very doctrines originating in the oblivion 

 into which great moral truths had fallen, were ren- 



