re éd., chap. x

52. Cette objection à la philosophie politique de Paine trouve une sorte de confirmation dans le passage suivant des Rights of Man, Part I, Introduction : Its (America's) first settlers were emigrants from different European nations, and of diversified professions of religion, retiring from the governmental persecutions of the old world, and meeting in the new, not as enemies, but as brothers. The wants which necessarily accompany the cultivation of a wilderness produced among them a state of society which countries long harassed by the quarrels and intrigues of governments had neglected to cherish. In such a situation man becomes what he ought. He sees his species, not with the inhuman idea of a natural enemy, but as a kindred ; and the example shows to the artificial world that man must go back to nature for information. — Cf. À letter to Samuel Whitbread, esq., M. P., on his proposed bill for the amendement of the Poor Laws, London, 1807, p, 11 : The moral obligation of private, active, and discriminate charity 1 have endeavoured to enforce in the strongest language of which I was capable ; and if I have denied the natural right of the poor to support, it is solely, to use the language of Sir F. M. Eden after his able and laborious Enquiry into the State of the Poor, because « it may be doubted whether any right, the gratification of which seems to be impraticable, can be said to exist ».

53. Cité par Bonar : Malthus and his work, p.76. Cf. la réponse de Malthus à l’Emigration Committee, 1827. On demande à Malthus: What circumstances in your opinion contribut to produce a taste for comfort and

cleanliness among people ? — Malthus répond : Civil and political liberty and education.

54. Godwin, Thoughts occasioned by. Dr. Parr's Spilal Sermon, pp. 73-74.

55. Essay, 1'° éd., ch. xvur, p. 367 : It is probable, that too great, or too little excitement, extreme poverty, or too great riches, may be alike unfavourable in this respect. The middle regions of society seem to be best suited to intellectual improvement; but it is contrary to the analogy of all nature, to expect that the whole of society can be à middle region. The temperate zones of the earth seem to be the most favourable to the mental, or corporeal energies of man; but all cannot be temperate zones. — p. 368 : Though we cannot possibly expect to exclude riches and poverty from society; yet if we could find out a mode of government, by which the numbers in the extreme regions would be lessened, and the numbers in the middle regions increased, it would be undoubtedly our duty to adopt it... (Mais). the extreme parts could not be diminished beyond a certain degree, without lessening that animated exertion throughout the middle parts, which is the very cause, that they are the most favourable to the growth of intellect. If no man could hope to rise, or fear to fall, in society; if industry did not bring with it its reward, and idleness its punishment, the middle parts would not certainly be what they now are. — Malthus écrivait déjà dans the Crisis : « It appears to me that nothing can save the Constitution but the revival of the true whig principles in a body of the community sufficiently numerous and powerful to snatch the object of contention from the opposing factions... The only hope that Great Britain has, is in the returning sense and reason of the country gentlemen, and middle classes of society. »

56. Ann. Reg. 11796, pp. 47 sqq.; 1807, pp. 128 sqq. — Le 11 fév. 1800, Pitt déclare que, tout en considérant toujours son Poor Bill comme bon, il l’'abandonne en considération des objections de « those whose opinions he was bound to respect », c’est-à-dire, selon Bonar (Maltbus, p. 43), Bentham et Malthus. — Malthus opère la conversion de Paley (v. Princ. of Pop., book IV, chap. xxx, p. 968).

51. À lelter to Samuel Whitbread, esq. M. P., on his proposed bill for the amendment of the Poor Laws. Londres, 1807.