THE ATTITUDE OF PHILOSOPHY 



straint, but will be self-restrained ; one in which 

 the citizen will tolerate no interference with his 

 freedom, save that which maintains the equal 

 freedom of others ; one in which the sponta- 

 neous cooperation which has developed our in- 

 dustrial system, and is now developing it with 

 increased rapidity, will produce agencies for the 

 discharge of nearly all social functions, and will 

 leave to the primary governmental agency no- 

 thing beyond the function of maintaining those 

 conditions to free action, which make such 

 spontaneous cooperation possible ; one in which 

 individual life will thus be pushed to the great- 

 est extent consistent, with social life ; and in 

 which social life will have no other end than to 

 maintain the completest sphere for individual 

 life.'^ 1 



If the scrutiny of these contrasted theorems 

 still leaves us in any doubt as to the retrograde 

 character of Comte's ideal society, a single prac- 

 tical illustration will more than suffice to con- 

 vince us. We have seen that certain Jacobins 

 of the Commune announced their intention to 

 permit scientific research only to such persons 

 as might succeed in convincing an examining 

 committee of average citizens that their re- 

 searches were likely to be of direct practical 

 value. I need not say that, if such a rule could 

 be enforced, the intellectual advancement of 

 ^ Spencer, Recent Discussions, p. 128. 



VOL. IV ZSZ 



