第10章

The present race of men have also instructed their children as they had been previously instructed，and are equally unblameable for any defects which their systems contain.And however erroneous or injurious that instruction and those systems may now be proved to be，the principles on which these Essays are founded will be misunderstood，and their spirit will be wholly misconceived，if either irritation or the slightest degree of ill will shall be generated against those who even tenaciously adhere to the worst parts of that instruction，and support the most pernicious of those systems.For such individuals，sects，or parties have been trained from infancy to consider it their duty and interest so to act，and in so acting they merely continue the customs of their predecessors.Let truth unaccompanied with error be placed before them；give them time to examine it and to see that it is in unison with all previously ascertained truths；and conviction and acknowledgement of it will follow of course.It is weakness itself to require assent before conviction；and afterwards it will not be withheld.To endeavour to force conclusions without making the subject clear to the understanding，is most unjustifiable and irrational，and must prove useless or injurious to the mental faculties.

In the spirit thus described we therefore proceed in the investigation of the subject.

The facts which by the invention of printing have gradually accumulated now show the errors of the systems of our forefathers so distinctly，that they must be，when pointed out，evident to all classes of the community，and render it absolutely necessary that new legislative measures be immediately adopted to prevent the confusion which must arise from even the most ignorant being competent to detect the absurdity and glaring injustice of many of those laws by which they are now governed.

Such are those laws which enact punishments for a very great variety of actions designated crimes；while those from whom such actions proceed are regularly trained to acquire no other knowledge than that which compels them to conclude that those actions are the best they could perform.

How much longer shall we continue to allow generation after generation to be taught crime from their infancy，and，when so taught，hunt them like beasts of the forest，until they are entangled beyond escape in the toils and nets of the law？when，if the circumstances of those poor unpitied sufferers had been reversed with those who are even surrounded with the pomp and dignity of justice，these latter would have been at the bar of the culprit，and the former would have been in the judgement seat.

Had the present Judges of these realms been born and educated among the poor and profligate of St Giles's or some similar situation，it is not certain，inasmuch as they possess native energies and abilities，that ere this they would have been at the head of their then profession，and，in consequence of that superiority and proficiency，would have already suffered imprisonment，transportation，or death？Can we for a moment hesitate to decide，that if some of those men whom the laws dispensed by the present Judges have doomed to suffer capital punishments，had been born，trained，and circumstanced，as these Judges were born，trained，and circumstanced，that some of those who had so suffered would have been the identical individuals who would have passed the same awful sentences on the present highly esteemed dignitaries of the law.

If we open our eyes and attentively notice events，we shall observe these facts to multiply before us.Is the evil then of so small magnitude as to be totally disregarded and passed by as the ordinary occurrences of the day，and as not deserving of one reflection？And shall we be longer told，that the convenient time to attend to inquiries of this nature is not yet come：that other matters of far weightier import engage our attention，and it must remain over till a season of more leisure？

To those who may be inclined to think and speak thus，I would say 'Let feelings of humanity or strict justice induce you to devote a few hours to visit some of the public prisons of the metropolis，and patiently inquire，with kind commiserating solicitude，of their various inhabitants，the events of their lives and the lives of their various connections.Then will tales unfold that must arrest attention，that will disclose sufferings，misery，and injustice，upon which，for obvious reasons，I will not now dwell，but which previously，I am persuaded，you could not suppose it possible to exist in any civilized state，far less that they should be permitted for centuries to increase around the very fountain of British jurisprudence.'The true cause，however，of this conduct，so contrary to the general humanity of the natives of these Islands，is，that a practical remedy for the evil，on clearly defined and sound principles，had not yet been suggested.But the principles developed in this 'New View of Society'，will point out a remedy which is almost simplicity itself，possessing no more practical difficulties than many of the common employments of life，and such as are readily overcome by men of very ordinary practical talents.

That such a remedy is easily practicable，may be collected from the account of the following very partial experiment.

In the year 1784the late Mr Dale，of Glasgow，founded a manufactory for spinning of cotton，near the falls of the Clyde，in the county of Lanark，in Scotland；and about that period cotton mills were first introduced into the northern part of the kingdom.

It was the power which could be obtained from the falls of water that induced Mr Dale to erect his mills in this situation；

for in other respects it was not well chosen.The country around was uncultivated；the inhabitants were poor and few in number；

and the roads in the neighbourhood were so bad，that the Falls，now so celebrated，were then unknown to strangers.