272 ADMINISTRATIVE NIHILISM vi 



" Leviathan," the representative of the sovereign 

 authority in the living organism, though he 

 derives all his powers from the mass which he 

 rules, is above the law. The questioning of his 

 authority involves death, or that partial death 

 which we call paralysis. Hence, if the analogy of 

 the body politic with the body physiological 

 counts for anything, it seems to me to be in 

 | favour of a much larger amount of governmental 

 1 interference than exists at present, or than I, 

 I for one, at all desire to see. But, tempting as 

 the opportunity is, I am not disposed to build 

 up any argument in favour of my own case upon 

 this analogy, curious, interesting, and in many 

 respects close, as it is, for it takes no cognisance 

 of certain profound and essential differences 

 between the physiological and the political 

 bodies. 



Much as the notion of a " social contract " has 

 been ridiculed, it nevertheless seems to be clear 

 enough, that all social organisation whatever 

 depends upon what is substantially a contract, 

 whether expressed or implied, between the mem- 

 bers of the society. No society ever was, or CVT 

 can be, really held together by force. It may seen i 

 a paradox to say that a slaveholder does not make 

 his slaves work by force, but by agreement. And 

 yet it is true. There is a contract between the 

 two which, if it were written out, would run in 

 these terms : " I undertake to feed, clothe, house, 



