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Article ERNEST AND FALK. ← Page 11 of 16 →
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Ernest And Falk.
them , to disunite them Avithout forming great gulfs bctAvccn them , and indurating these , and building high party Avails . E . And how terrible these abysses ! hoAV lofty these Avails ! F . Let me add the third evil . Not only does society commence with dividing mankind into nations and religions . This division into a few separate parts , of Avhich each is in itself a -whole , would still be better than no Avhole at all . No ! society continues to divide men in each of these parts into infinitude . E . In what manner ?
F . Or are you of opimon that a state can be imagined Avithout classes and grades ? Be it good or bad , nearer or more remote from perfection , it is impossible that all the members of it can stand in the same relation to each other . If they all have a share in the legislature , they cannot have an equal share , that is to say , a direct share . There would ,
therefore , be patrician and plebeian classes . If all the goods of the state were equally divided among them , this equal division could not be retained for two generations . One person would understand how to employ his part better than another . Another person would be obliged to divide his carelessly stewarded property among several descendants . Thus would arise richer
and poorer classes . E . Of course . F . And now consider hoAv many evils do not arise from this inequality of class . E . Ah ! if I could but say nay . But , indeed , why should I desire it ? It is too true ! Men can only be united by continual
division ! only made to harmonize by this infinite separation ! So it is , and can never be otherwise . F . And that is just what I have been saying . E . And what do you mean by it ? Do you desire to disgust me with social existence , —to make me Avish that man had never come upon the thought of combining into states ?
F . Do you mistake me so much ? If society had within itself only that single advantage , that real good , by which in its pale alone human understanding can be cultivated , I would bless it , were it ever so bad . E . Who would sit over the fire , says the proverb , must swallow the smoke .
F . Certainly . But , although smoke is the necessary accompaniment of fire , is it sinful to build a chimney ? And was the inventor of the chimney an enemy to fire ? Do you see , that Avas my aim . E . Your aim ? I do not understand . F . The comparison Avas , at any rate , apt . If men cannot be
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ernest And Falk.
them , to disunite them Avithout forming great gulfs bctAvccn them , and indurating these , and building high party Avails . E . And how terrible these abysses ! hoAV lofty these Avails ! F . Let me add the third evil . Not only does society commence with dividing mankind into nations and religions . This division into a few separate parts , of Avhich each is in itself a -whole , would still be better than no Avhole at all . No ! society continues to divide men in each of these parts into infinitude . E . In what manner ?
F . Or are you of opimon that a state can be imagined Avithout classes and grades ? Be it good or bad , nearer or more remote from perfection , it is impossible that all the members of it can stand in the same relation to each other . If they all have a share in the legislature , they cannot have an equal share , that is to say , a direct share . There would ,
therefore , be patrician and plebeian classes . If all the goods of the state were equally divided among them , this equal division could not be retained for two generations . One person would understand how to employ his part better than another . Another person would be obliged to divide his carelessly stewarded property among several descendants . Thus would arise richer
and poorer classes . E . Of course . F . And now consider hoAv many evils do not arise from this inequality of class . E . Ah ! if I could but say nay . But , indeed , why should I desire it ? It is too true ! Men can only be united by continual
division ! only made to harmonize by this infinite separation ! So it is , and can never be otherwise . F . And that is just what I have been saying . E . And what do you mean by it ? Do you desire to disgust me with social existence , —to make me Avish that man had never come upon the thought of combining into states ?
F . Do you mistake me so much ? If society had within itself only that single advantage , that real good , by which in its pale alone human understanding can be cultivated , I would bless it , were it ever so bad . E . Who would sit over the fire , says the proverb , must swallow the smoke .
F . Certainly . But , although smoke is the necessary accompaniment of fire , is it sinful to build a chimney ? And was the inventor of the chimney an enemy to fire ? Do you see , that Avas my aim . E . Your aim ? I do not understand . F . The comparison Avas , at any rate , apt . If men cannot be