312 ON THE NATURAL INEQUALITY OF MEN vil 



the safe, if humble, ground of experience, and pre- 

 ferred to prophesy from the sublime cloudland of 

 the d priori; so that, busied with deduction from 

 their ideal "ought to be" they overlooked the "what 

 has been," the " what is," and the " what can be " 



It is to them that we owe the idea of living 

 " according to nature " ; which begot the idea of 

 the " state of nature " ; which begot the notion 

 that the " state of nature " was a reality, and that, 

 once upon a time, " all men were free and equal " 

 which again begot the theory, that society ought 

 to be reformed in such a manner as to bring back 

 these halcyon days of freedom and equality ; which 

 begot laisscz fairc and universal suffrage ; which 

 begot the theory so dear to young men of more 

 ambition than industry, that, while every other 

 trade, business, or profession requires theoretical 

 training and practical skill, and would go to the 

 dogs if those who carry them on were appointed 

 by the majority of votes of people who know 

 nothing about it and very little about them the 

 management of the affairs of society will be per- 

 fectly successful, if only the people who may In- 

 trusted to know nothing, will vote into office the 

 people who may be trusted to do nothing. 



If this is the political ideal of the modern fol- 

 lowers of Rousseau, I, for my part, object to strive 

 after it, or to do anything but oppose, to the 

 best of my ability, those who would fain drive us 

 that way. Freedom, used foolishly, and equal i 



