But says his lordship, “We spare individuals, and make war upon the nation only." So then to preserve friendship from becoming cool and languid," we must make war upon a whole nation; and thus by exciting hatred against the whole, increase our friendship for the several parts!

But it is " in a war for glory," that friendship "exerts the whole fire of its enthusiasm :" yes, such a war as that in which Brescia was taken by storm-the city abandoned to seven days' riot-three females preserved--and the rest of the inhabitants devoted to vengeance or debauchery!

If such are the effects "in a war for glory;" what is the great difference between a war for glory and a war for vengeance? A war for glory is the kind of war which his lordship was disposed to encourage for the benefit of mankind Had he been educated among savages, it might have been accounted for, that he supposed a war for glory justifiable and useful; but considering the age and the country in which he lived, the talents with which he was endowed, and the correct opinions he possessed on many other subjects, his views on this point are truly surprising Let us listen to his language when war is out of the question :

"No argument," he says, "is requisite to prove that to rescue an innocent babe from the jaws of a wolf, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, are right actions; they are perceived to be so intuitively. As little is an argument requisite to prove that murder deceit, perjury, are wrong actions: they are perceived to be so intuitively." Vol iv. p. 10.

"Of our duties to others, one there is so extensive as to have for its object all the innocent part of mankind. It is the duty that prohibits us to hurt others; than which no law is more clearly dictated by the moral sense; nor is the transgression of any other law more deeply stamped with the character of wrong p. 30.

"But let not the moral system be misapprehended, as if it were our duty or even lawful to prosecute what upon the whole we reckon the most beneficial to society, balancing ill with good. The moral sense permits not a violation of any person's right, however trivial, whatever benefit may thereby accrue to another-Hence a

maxim in which all moralists agree, That we must not do ill to bring about good." p. 48.

"No interest of mine, not even life itself, will authorize me to hurt an innocent person P 65.

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Such were some of the observations and maxims of Lord Kames relating to morals. Yet, this same moralist could appear as an advocate for the custom of war, yea, a war for glory," which in truth is the most wanton of any kind of war whatever. “No argument" be thought was necessary "to prove murder and deceit to be wrong;" yet he would plead for a custom, which is carried on by a course of murder and deceit;' yea, a custom which murders men by thousands for the sake of military glory. We must not violate "any person's right"-nor in any case "do ill to bring about good." But nations may fight and destroy one another for the sake of glory. Yet if there be any such thing as wickedness in the universe, making "war for glory" is unjust and wicked.

ARGUMENT II.

"Industry, manufactures and wealth are the fruits of peace; but advert to what follows. Luxury, a never failing concomitant of wealth, is a slow poison that debilitates men, and renders them incapable of any great effort Courage, magnanimity, heroism, come to be ranked among the miracles that are supposed never to have existed but in fable; and the fashionable properties of sensuality, avarice, cunning and dissimulation, engross the mind. In a word, man by constant prosperity and peace degenerates into a mean, impotent and selfish ani. An American savage, who treasures up the scalps of his enemies as trophies of his prowess, is a being far superior. Such are the fruits of perpetual peace with respect to individuals.

mal.

"Nor is the state itself less debilitated by it than its members. Figure a man wallowing in riches and immersed in sensual pleasure, but dreading the infection of a plague raging at his gate; or figure him in continual dread of an enemy, watching every opportunity to burn and destroy. This man represents a commercial state, that has long enjoyed peace without disturbance." p. 296.

ANSWER.

The principal arguments in this passage, his lordship attempted to support by introducing a number of examples of nations who were once warlike, active and pow erful, but afterwards became debilitated by luxury, and fell a prey to other warlike nations. But in this statement, it is believed, he took a very partial view of facts, and drew his conclusions accordingly. Upon this reasoning we may observe,

First. That debilitating luxury is too frequently the concomitant of wealth, cannot be denied. But in respect to the individuals who possess great wealth, it is not true, that they are uniformly debilitated by luxury. Ma. ny wealthy persons are all their days active and useful members of society.

Secondly. It is probably a fact that in every country, the number of persons who possess great wealth is very small, compared with those who possess little or none. Consequently, in the most wealthy communities, by far the greater part of the people have occasion to be active, to obtain a comfortable subsistence while very few are freed from this necessity by the property they have already acquired Shall we then plead for war, to keep a few persons from sinking into sloth and indolence, while it must distress and injure the mass of population!

Thirdly. Even in wealthy communities it is probable, that of the idle and useless persons, the greater number will be found in that class which has but a small portion of property or none at all. It certainly is very far from being true, that idleness, inactivity, uselessness and dis sipation are peculiar to the rich. To judge of the correctness of these remarks, let any person reflect on the number of useless and dissipated characters within the circle of his own acquaintance, and ask himself, whether the greater portion of these are not persons who possess little wealth if any at all.

Fourth. There are more ways than one of procuring wealth. Those persons who acquire great wealth by honest industry and frugality, are far less likely to be ruined by luxury, or to become useless members of society, than those who obtain wealth by dishonest means, or by plundering others in time of war. Nations which have bee successful in their attempts to conquer others, have of

enriched themselves by spoil and plunder, by contributions and enormous tributes, which they have imp、 sed on the conquered nations. This illgotten wealth proves a curse to their own country-the vengeance of God overtakes the nation, and they in their turn experience calamities similar to those they had inflicted Every

nation addicted to war, and which enriches itself by plunder and oppression, treasures up to itself wrath a gainst a day of wrath, which in due time overtakes and overwhelms them.

Let any one acquainted with history say, whether it was not in the manner now described, that the four great empires, the Chaldean, the Medo-Persian, the Grecian and the Roman successively rose to wealth, fame and power; and successively fell into luxury, misery and ruin. If such was the mode of their rise, and their fall, it was not peace, but war that laid the foundation of their overthrow. It was not wealth acquired by peaceful and honest industry, but wealth acquired by war and violence, that proved fatal to their national existence.

Fifth. It is far from being true, that the fall of nations once warlike has always been preceded by too long a peace. By a careful examination of history it will prob ably be found, that as many states have been overthrown and subdued without any considerable time of peace immediately preceding the war which effected their ruin, as there have been which enjoyed a long interval of peace prior to their overthrow. While reasoning on this subject, his lordship seems to have been in the habit of drawing general conclusions from particular facts, with out duly considering whether opposite conclusions might not have been drawn from other facts which were equally notorious.

Sixth. From the fact that peace enriches and thus ruins some individuals, we are not to infer that it enervates and makes drones of a community at large. It ought to be considered that generally, even in time of war, a large portion of the citizens of a state, are far from the operations of war, and still, as in a time of peace, pur. sue a course of honest, active and useful industry ;-that although a war on the part of a successful nation, calls into active service many who had been useless drones, or mischievous members of society, yet it also corrupts

and ruins many others, who had before been both active and useful; and at the close of a war multitudes of these ruined persons return with all their vices to corrupt the general mass of society. In this way also the fall of warring nations is hastened.

Seventh. There are still other causes of the fall of warring empires. When extensive empires are formed by conquering many smaller kingdoms and states—as was the case with the four that have been named-these smaller states are held in subjection for a time by the iron arm of oppression. They groan under their burdens, and stand ready to avail themselves of the first opportunity for successful revolt, and to join any rising power which shall attempt the ruin of the overgrown empire. The more there are of these conquered and oppressed states belonging to an empire, the greater is its danger of ruin. Often, to prepare the way for punishing a conquering power, God in his providence removes the efficient instruments by which the conquests were madesuffers the government to fall into weak and profligate hands, that have neither the wisdom nor the energy necessary to preserve peace nor to make war. This defect in the government becomes known to the oppressed provinces, and they seize the opportunity to free themselves from an intolerable yoke.

In those cases in which it has been supposed that nations were ruined by luxury, the probability is, that the wealth and the luxury were confined to a small part of the empire compared with the whole. When a monarch and his court indulge in luxury and dissipation-as did Belshazzar and his court-the empire is exposed to ruin. Nebuchadnezzar by conquest and plunder formed a great empire, and filled Babylon with wealth procured by murder, robbery and oppression God first punished the monarch for his arrogance, then removed him from the world. The power and the wealth soon fell into the hands of the dissipated Belshazzar, and then the ruin of the empire was sealed. In a similar manner other empires have been cursed with weak and profligate rulers, preparatory to their destruction. As such empires rose by blood, it was just in Providence that they should have blood to drink.

The dissipation and prodigality of rulers may indeed