第6章

Shall misery，then，most complicated and extensive，be experienced，from the prince to the peasant，throughout all the nations of the world，and shall its cause and the means of its prevention be known，and yet these means withheld？The undertaking is replete with difficulties which can only be overcome by those who have influence in society：who，by foreseeing its important practical benefits，may be induced to contend against those difficulties；and who，when its advantages are clearly seen and strongly felt，will not suffer individual considerations to be put in competition with their attainment.It is true their ease and comfort may be for a time sacrificed to those prejudices；but，if they persevere，the principles on which this knowledge is founded must ultimately universally prevail.

In preparing the way for the introduction of these principles，it cannot now be necessary to enter into the detail of acts to prove that children can be trained to acquire 'any language，sentiments，belief，or any bodily habits and manners，not contrary to human nature'.

For that this has been done，the history of every nation of which we have records，abundantly confirms；and that this is，and may be again done，the facts which exist around us and throughout all the countries in the world，prove to demonstration.

Possessing，then，the knowledge of a power so important，which when understood is capable of being wielded with the certainty of a law of nature，and which would gradually remove the evils which now chiefly afflict mankind，shall we permit it to remain dormant and useless，and suffer the plagues of society perpetually to exist and increase？

No：the time is now arrived when the public mind of this country，and the general state of the world，call imperatively for the introduction of this all-pervading principle，not only in theory，but into practice.

Nor can any human power now impede its rapid progress.

Silence will not retard its course，and opposition will give increased celerity to its movements.The commencement of the work will，in fact，ensure its accomplishment；henceforth all the irritating angry passions，arising from ignorance of the true cause of bodily and mental character，will gradually subside，and be replaced by the most frank and conciliating confidence and goodwill.

Nor will it be possible hereafter for comparatively a few individuals unintentionally to occasion the rest of mankind to be surrounded by circumstances which inevitably form such characters as they afterwards deem it a duty and a right to punish even to death；and that，too，while they themselves have been the instruments of forming those characters.Such proceedings not only create innumerable evils to the directing few，but essentially retard them and the great mass of society from attaining the enjoyment of a high degree of positive happiness.

Instead of punishing crimes after they have permitted the human character to be formed so as to commit them，they will adopt the only means which can be adopted to prevent the existence of those crimes；means by which they may be most easily prevented.

Happily for poor traduced and degraded human nature，the principle for which we now contend will speedily divest it of all the ridiculous and absurd mystery with which it has been hitherto enveloped by the ignorance of preceding times：and all the complicated and counteracting motives for good conduct；which have been multiplied almost to infinity，will be reduced to one single principle of action，which，by its evident operation and sufficiency，shall render this intricate system unnecessary：and ultimately supersede it in all parts of the earth.That principle is the happiness of self，clearly understood and uniformly practised；which can only be attained by conduct that must promote the happiness of the community.

For that power which governs and pervades the universe has，evidently so formed man，that he must progressively pass from a state of ignorance to intelligence，the limits of which it is not for man himself to define；and in that progress to discover，that his individual happiness can be increased and extended only in proportion as he actively endeavours to increase and extend the happiness of all around him.The principle admits neither of exclusion nor of limitation；and such appears evidently the state of the public mind，that it will now seize and cherish this principle as the most precious boon which it has yet been allowed to attain.The errors of all opposing motives will appear in their true light，and the ignorance whence they arose will become so glaring，that even the most unenlightened will speedily reject them.

For this state of matters，and for all the gradual changes contemplated，the extraordinary events of the present times have essentially contributed to prepare the way.

Even the late Ruler of France，although immediately influenced by the most mistaken principles of ambition，has contributed to this happy result，by shaking to its foundation that mass of superstition and bigotry，which on the continent of Europe had been accumulating for ages，until it had so overpowered and depressed the human intellect，that to attempt improvement without its removal would have been most unavailing.

And in the next place，by carrying the mistaken selfish principles in which mankind have been hitherto educated to the extreme in practice，he has rendered their error manifest，and left no doubt of the fallacy of the source whence they originated.

These transactions，in which millions have been immolated，or consigned to poverty and bereft of friends，will be preserved in the records of time，and impress future ages with a just estimation of the principles now about to be introduced into practice；and will thus prove perpetually useful to all succeeding generations.