His resources prescribe to him his duties
But if Nature is sufficiently invincible to regain its empire, why doesnot Rousseau admit that it had no need of the legislator to gain its cm-pire from the beginning? Why does he not allow that, by obeying theirown impulse, men would, of themselves, apply agriculture to a fertiledistrict, and commerce to extensive and commodious coasts, withoutinterference of a Lycurgus, a Solon, or a Rousseau, who would undertakeit at the risk of deceiving themselves?Be that as it may, we see with what a terrible responsibility Rousseauinvests inventors, institutors, conductors, and manipulators of societicsHe is, therefore, very exacting with regard to them.He who dares to undertake the institutions of a people, ought to feelthat he can, as it were, transform ecery indioidual, wio is by himself aperfect and solitary whole, receiving his life and being from a largerwhole of which he forms a part; he must feel that he can change the con-stitution of man, to forty if, and substitute a partial and moral existence for the physical and independent one winich we hace all receicedfrom nature. In a word, he must deprive man of his own powers, to gioehim others wich are foreign to him.Poor human nature! What would become of its dignity if it were en-trusted to the disciples of Rousseau?Raynal - The climate, that is, the air and the soil is the first clementfor the legislator. His resources prescribe to him his duties. First, he mustconsult his local position. A population dwelling upon maritime shoresmust have laws fitted for navigation... If the colony is located in an in-land region, a legislator must provide for the nature of the soil, and forits degree of fertility .. It is more especially in the distribution ofproperty that the wisdom of legislation will appear. As a general rule,and in every country, when a new colony is founded, land should be giv-en to cach man, sufficient for the support of his family
In an uncultivated island, which you are colonizing with children, itwill only be needful to let the germs of truth expand in the developmentsof reason.. But when you establish old people in a new country, thewhich it is impossible to cure and correct. If you wish to prevent themfrom being perpetuated, you will act upon the rising generation by ageneral and public education of the children. A prince, or legislatorought never to found a colony without previously sending wise menthere to instruct the youth.. In a new colony, every facility is open tothe precautions of the legislator who desires to purify the tone and themanners of the people. If he has genius and virtue, the lands and themen which are at his disposal will inspire his soul with a plan of societywhich a writer can only vaguely trace, and in a way which would besubject to the instability of all hypotheses, which are varied and complic-ated by an infinity of circumstances too difficult to foresee and toOne would think it was a professor of agriculture who was saying tohis pupils-"The climate is the only rule for the agriculturist. His re-sources dictate to him his duties. The first thing he has to consider is hislocal position. If he is on a clayey soil, he must do so and so. If he has tocontend with sand, this is the way in which he must set about it. Everyfacility is open to the agriculturist who wishes to clear and improve hissoil. If he only has the skill, the manure which he has at his disposal willsuggest to him a plan of operation, whir can oagentace, and in a way that would be subject to the uncertainty of all hypo-es,which vary and are complicated by an infinity of circumstancestoo difficult to foresee and to combineBut, oh! sublime writers, deign to remember sometimes that this clis sand, this manure, of which you are disposing in so arbitrary a man-her,are men, your equals, intelligent and free beings like yourselveswho have received from God, as you have, the faculty of seeing, of fore-seeing, of thinking, and of judging for themselvesMably (He is supposing the laws to be worn out by time and by theneglect of security, and continues thus):
under these circumstances, toe must be convinced that the springs ofGovernment are relaxed. Gioe them a new tension (it is the reader woiois addressed), and the coil will be remedied.. Tink less of punishinghe faults than of encouraging the virtues which you want. By thismethod you will bestow upon your republic the tigor of youth. Tiroughignorance of this, a free people has lost its liberty! But if the coul hasmade so much way that the ordinary magistrates are unable to remedy iteffectually, have recourse to an extraordinary magistracy, whose timeshould be short, and its power considerable. The imagination of the cit-items requires to be impressed.In this style he goes on through twenty volumesThere was a time when, under the influence of teaching like this,which is the root of classical education, every one was for placing him-elf beyond and above mankind, for the sake of arranging, organizing,and instituting it in his own wayCondillacTake upon yourself, my lord, the character of Lycurgus or of Solon. Be-fore you finish reading this essay, amuse yourself with giving laws tosome wild people in America or in Africa. Establish these roving men infixed dwellings; teach them to keep flocks...... Endeavor to decelop thesocial qualities which nature has implanted in themMake them begin to practice the duties of umanity.. Cause the pleasures of the passions to become distasteful to them by punishments, and you will seethese barbarians, with emery plan of your legislation, lose a vice and gaina virtueAl these people have had laws. But fe among them have been happyobject of society, which is, to unite families by a common interet ckeWiny is this? Because legislators have almost aluays been ignorant ofImpartiality in law consists in tao things:- in establishing equalityin the fortunes and in the dignity of the citizens.... In proportion tothe degree of equality established by the laws, the dearer will they become to emery citizen. How can amarice, ambition, dissipation idlenessotht, enty, hatred, or jealousy, agitate men who are equal in fortunend dignity, and to who the laws leave no hope of disturbing their
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