The moral class book, or The law of morals; derived from the created universe, and from revealed religion. Intended for schools ...

Front matter

•moral class boor,

OR THE

LAW OF MORALS;

Dedication

TO THE CHILDREN IX THE UNITED STATES.

You are note an interesting part of the Inhabitants of this country. In a short time, you will be an important part of the many millions, who are engaged in the serious business of life. You will be called on to perform many duties. The purpose of this volume is to prove to you, that by performing these duties in a proper manner, and from good motives, you will make life pleasant, as well as useful. No rule of conduct is prescribed in this volume, even tending to prevent the enjoyment of any real good ; but all the rules prescribed therein, are intended to produce the greatest good, which can be had in human life. You need not be reluctant to study these pages, because they treat of morals ; for, whether this volume convince you of the fact, or not, it is a fact, that to be truly happy, one must

BE TRULY MORAL.

Preface

TO THE SECOND EDITION.

Let it be supposed, that all persons in the United States, who are more than twenty years of age, were inquired of, " What are your motives, in all the acts which you do, or omit ? " The answer would be, substantially, this : " To get all the good I can, and avoid all the evil I can." Suppose, that they were then inquired of; "What do you take to be good, and what, evil ? " The answers to this question, would probably divide the whole number into classes, among which these might be found: First, Educated persons who consider human life a phenomenon, not to be accounted for, nor worth the attempt to account for ; and that in passing through it, one must be governed by circumstances, and manage as well as he can. Second, Those who are intent on worldly good, and who think it can be found in riches, distinctions, and superiority over others ; and who are strangers to all motives which do not conduce to these ends. Third, Those who think that this system of being is vexatious and intolerable; the product of malignant design, and who sincerely believe, that anything may be done that can be, if the operation of human laws can be avoided. Fourth, Those who consider hu-

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man life as intended to be a continued scene of sorrow and probation, and whose motives are, to bear affliction so well, as to be rewarded for it, in a future existence. Fifth, A very numerous class, who never had a serious thought why human life is, or what its end may be, or what is to come after it ; and who have no motives that they can define, or account for ; but who are governed merely by imitation and habit, and who think all men mortal, but themselves.

Suppose that any one should see, that such is the condition of the human race, and should task himself with the labor of inquiring into this mystery of human life ; resolving to throw off all prejudices of education, habit, and custom, and to govern himself, in his research, by plain common sense ; and suppose that he should come to the conclusion, that man's state of being is from awful authority, and unquestionable benevolence ; that man is necessarily a part of a created universe, and that whatsoever man experiences, of suffering or sorrow, (independently of the operation of general laws, indispensable to the whole system) arises from ignorance, or disobedience :

Suppose that in looking back on his own life, and on the lives of others, he can clearly discern, that all disappointments and miseries, can be traced to misapprehension of the purposes for which life was given ; and that if he, and others, had been better instructed, and had observed proper rules, of conduct, life might have been far more useful, individual^ and socially :

Suppose he should think that the errors of life may be referred to defective instruction in youth ; and that the most important of all teaching is that, which has been most neglected, namely, how to

PREFACE. IX

live ; and that all other teaching, when this is neglected, tends, as readily, to individual and social evil, as to individual and social good :

Suppose it to be obvious that excellence in professional pursuit, in mechanic arts, and in all the sciences, depends on knowing and observing accurate rules, might it not follow, that there may be rules for living, applicable to all who live, as certainly as that the atmosphere is necessary to all who live by breathing :

Suppose it should be perceived, that in all those actions which are adapted to give pleasure, and to make human beings satisfied with themselves, and with each other, there are rules, which, if well observed, would make of life a beneficent gift, to be dutifully acknowledged :

Then, would it be assuming too much, to offer the result of examination, though begun in mere speculative curiosity, in the hope that it might have some influence on the young, and lead them to some better knowledge of the purposes intended in human life ?

It is admitted by all, that there is a science in the conduct of human life. It is believed that the teaching of this science should begin, as soon as any other teaching begins.

Teaching, in all things that are worth learning, is conducted by a series of rules, the application of which is not known to the pupil when he begins his course of instruction. If one should desire to make his son a practical ship builder, for example, the son would be placed where he could see the rules carried into effect, which would successively lead him to the attainment of the intended object. At the expiration of his apprenticeship, he would be

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able to build a ship by the application of the scientific and practical rules wherein he had been instructed, and in no other way. If he find, in any case, that he has erred, he would consider whether he understood his rule, and whether it had been rightly used, and would correct his own errors. Morals must be taught in like manner. The object of this volume is so to teach ; that is, to show, that there are moral rules, and their reasonable foundation ; and, also, that these rules are not for one, or two classes of persons, but equally for all the members of society.

It is well known that there are persons who maintain, that the general diffusion of knowledge tends rather to disorder society, than to regulate it for the better. They doubt, especially, as to that education which raises young persons above the condition wherein they may find themselves in adult life ; they assert that desires and expectations are thus excited which cannot be satisfied ; and that the good which might have been had, with more limited information, is lost, without compensation for the loss. This opinion must be founded on the exclusion of all instruction in philosophical views of human life, which have their authenticity in just views of Christian revelation. Can any sensible man maintain, that a cultivator of the earth, or that an artificer in materials which come from the earth, will be disqualified to pursue his vocations contentedly, and profitably, because he is well informed as to the real condition of the human race, the action of matter on matter, the true causes of (what is called) the inequality of social life, and the true principles of social union ? Admit, that mere knowledge, which has no chastening of moral teaching is

PREFACE. XI

mischievous, dangerous, selfish ; yet, so chastened, it becomes enlightening, and consoling, wherever and whatever human condition may be. The law of morality is alike applicable to all men. It is a heavenly light, which shines in the retired apartment of the philosopher, in the halls of legislation, on the bench of justice, in the sacred desk, on the fields of the farmer, on the work bench of the mechanic, in the domestic circle, in the social assembly, in the cottage and palace, in the chamber of the sick, and which even sheds its beam before the startling step, and on the grim visage of Death.

There may be persons who are of opinion, that no system of moral teaching deserves notice, unless it be founded on that peculiar creed which is the right one. What difference, as to morals, can it make, whether a person maintain one, or another, of the many constructions which are given to the Bible ? Whether one believe that a just and inexorable Judge pronounces awful punishment, and forever, on guilty man ; or that there is a merciful and beneficent Father, who exacts obedience to his laws, and who punishes transgression, and who has pleasure in beholding life well spent, the law of morals, as to earthly being, must be the same. The moral system, herein proposed, applies to any creed, and every creed, alike. It leaves to every one his own creed, only insisting that there can be but one true system of moral laws for all men.

All that this volume assumes to do is, to demonstrate that there is a Supreme Being ; that there is a created universe ; that man has his proper place therein ; that by the mere light of reason, man may have an immortal spirit ; that through Christian revelation, this is certainly so : that as

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man properly belongs to this system of being, and is immortal, there must be rules of conduct for him, in this life ; that he can know what these rules are ; and that if he know them, and obey them, he attains to his best condition on earth.

Note. The Words of a school book should be proper words, and properly used. Two or three words are used in this book, which some writers may not use ; as responsibility for responsableness ; accountability, for accountableness. These are English words. Difference in termination, does not in this case make a difference in meaning. If any rule is violated in preferring the one termination to the other, it is only that of taste. Sound, and ease in pronouncing, have led to a preference.

Whether it be best to write participles with double consonants, is questionable. The rule of grammarians, that the double consonants are to be used or not, a sa syllable of the word is accented or not, is unsatisfactory, and not easily applied. Referred, for example, is so written in obedience to this rule. The last r in this word is useless, in speaking, and writing. The present usage has been conformed to ; but, sound, saving of space and labor, and appearance, are thought to be very sufficient reasons, why it should not have been.

A few errors of the press were not noticed in time to be corrected, before the plates were cast. They are, however, such as to be easily discerned, and corrected, by any one who uses this book.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Introduction, . . . . \

II. On the Nature of Evidence, . 5

Introduction

Every thoughtful person finds that inquiries arise in his mind of this nature, What am I ? Whence am I ? For what purpose do I exist ? What is this which is called life ? What is the power of thinking ? Will the consciousness of being cease when this life ends ? If not, will that consciousness relate to the acts done in this life ? If so, in what manner, and with what consequences ? If I doubt what answers I must give to these questions, whydo I doubt ? Is it beyond my power to remove my doubts ? If I believe nothing of a future state of being as a consequence of the present being, have I done what I ought to do, to inform myself whether this be so or not ? If I have a sentiment of being liable to account in a future life for my conduct in this, is it a mere sentiment, or is it founded in reason, and binding on me as a conviction, from which I cannot free myself?

Inquiries also arise in many minds of this nature : If there be a Supreme Being who created and who governs the universe, and who is supremely good and wise, why are the good and wise on earth, sometimes subjected to suffering and to sorrow ? Why is there, to such persons, so much of pain in body and in mind ? Why do disappointments and afflictions fall on those who strive to perform their duty in all things ? Why do not the punishments of divine justice fall on those who violate the laws of the Supreme Being ? Why is it, that worldly prosperity, respect, and honor, are often bestowed on those who violate all the laws which the righteous Judge of all the earth must have prescribed ? Why is it that man is so commonly the bitter and relentless enemy of man ? Why is it that he hazards the destruction of his own property, his own liberty, and even his own life, to destroy property, liberty, and life in others? Why is it that we take pleasure in depreciating the good qualities of others, and in presenting their faults, follies, and errors, to the notice of those who were before ignorant of them ? Why do we feel emotions of dissatisfaction when others prosper, and regard the welfare of others as though it were a wrong done to ourselves ? Why do we mourn over that which is past and which cannot be recalled ; and tremble at that which has not come, and which may never come ? Why is it that kind acts done to others are frequently forgotten by them ; and sometimes regarded by them as a grievous burthen ; and sometimes repaid by acts of unkindness, and reproach, and even of injury ? Why is it that so much of human life is spent in vain and profitless pursuits ? Why is it that when disabled and suffering, in body or mind, that we can so rarely console ourselves with the fact, that we did not cause our own distress ? Why is it that family connexion (seemingly ordained as a necessary condition of human life) is so often a cause of irritation and vexation ? Why are children sometimes inclined to regard parents rather as tyrannical and heartless rulers, than as affectionate and worthy governors ; and why are parents sometimes led to regret that they have given birth to offspring, who are fastened on them by ties which cannot be broken ? Why is it that unceasing parental care, and the wisest precaution in rearing children, are repaid by that bitter disappointment which must be hidden within the heart, and wept over unseen by any human eye ? Why is it that when parental care has been successfully applied, and when we see the coming' forth of fruits, intellectual and moral, that in one little moment the blast of destruction passes over, and the remaining act is, to close the sepulchre on the remnant of lost hopes and joys ?

What is that principle of our nature that compels us to some sort of action ; and which will drive us into such as is hurtful to ourselves and to others, if we are not directed to those of an opposite character ? Whence comes that sense of disappointment when success has crowned our pursuits ? Why is it that one, in the enjoyment of bodily ease, and of worldly wealth, and apparently in command of abundance in those things which the world calls good, and for which mortals submit to unceasing toil, is, sometimes, the most disgusted of all men with life ; finding no pleasure in the smiling earth, in the busy haunts, nor any good under the sun ? Why is it that men need forcible and irresistible powers of government among themselves ? Why do those who know that power is difficult to hold, and more difficult to use aright, earnestly desire it ? Why is it that those who have power, either do not, or cannot, use it honorably to themselves, and beneficially for others ? Why are so many of the human race subjected to the most miserable poverty ; so many wretched from the misuse, and abuse of bodily and mental power ; so many deprived of personal liberty ; and so many hung up between the heavens and the earth by order of their fellow-men, in the presence of curious thousands, who laugh at the exhibition of death, admire the firmness, or despise the weakness of one who, in full possession of all his faculties, knows, that within a few moments he shall be dead by violence ? — How does it happen that good and virtuous men, in reflecting on the change which is soon to come, and when the places that have known them will know them no more forever, do feel a sense of doubt, and even of despondency, as to their future destiny ; and would gladly be assured that all they have habitually thought to be true, is unquestionablv so ? 2*

MORAL CLASS BOOK.

Inquiries of this nature may be indefinitely multiplied. It is of little use to make them, if there be no answers to them. They have been answered, in general, among the learned ; and in a learned manner. Can they be answered to the comprehension of the many, and especially of the young ? Let us suppose that no small part of all that we see of folly, error, and crime, and consequent suffering and misery, arises, not from the laws of the Creator, but from ignorance of these laws, or wilful disobedience of them ; then it would follow, that the remedy lies in making these laws known. When and how is this to be done ? Not by leaving to each individual to find out the meaning and force of these laws through painful experience, and when the consequences of ignorance and disobedience are already fastened on him ; but to make them known, before the responsible action of adult life begins. If there be rules for human life, which come from a Lawgiver who cannot err ; if these rules are laid down for subjects who are entrusted with the liberty of obeying or disobeying, it is inadmissible to suppose that these rules cannot be found out, and made known to all who are to be affected by them.

To disclose these rules and make them operative, is a duty to ourselves, and to each other. The mode of doing it may be differently thought of by different persons. That which seems most likely to be effective is to address human reason, in a simple and intelligible manner, and in such manner that the opening mind may comprehend the truths which are taught. Such is the purpose of this work. As these pages are intended for the use of children, we shall address only their own good sense. They will be called on to judge by the light of reason wherewith their Creator has blessed them. If the intention with which this work is undertaken be proper and practicable, those who will bestow the time and attention necessary to that end, may, it is humbly hoped, be enabled to answer many of the inquiries before suggested, so far as the enlightened minds, which have left a record of their thoughts, can assist and guide us in this search after truth.

The design of this volume, then, is to prove, that there is a Supreme Being, however incomprehensible that Being may be to the human mind ; that He is the Creator, the Preserver, and Governor of the universe ; that He created man as we see man to exist, in his earthly frame, in his physical action, in his intellectual powers, and with an immortal spirit ; that He ordained laws for man's Government, on the observance of which earthly good depends : That life on earth is connected, for good, or for ill, with a future life : and that death is the inevitable, though awful change, ordained to end mortal being, and to begin that which will endure forever.

CHAPTER II. On the Nature of Evidence

1. It is intended to offer evidence, of sufficient certainty to constitute proof of the propositions which have been, and which may be stated, in this volume. There may be some propositions which are only matters of opinion. It is therefore deemed expedient, if not indispensable, that the nature of evidence should be defined. It is intended to maintain all essential propositions, by intuitive, or by demonstrative evidence, or by both.

2. Intuitive evidence is that which is derived through the senses. Every one acts from the conviction that his senses are to be relied on. This sort of evidence is so called, from the Latin word intueor, which implies, seeing by the mind. The mind perceives, instantaneously, through the senses, whether it is day or night, whether a sound is pleasing or terrifying, whether an effluvia is grateful or offensive, whether an object is smooth or rough, whether a liquid is agreeable or disgusting.

Intuitive evidence is also had from long continued experience ; as when one has been accustomed to apply certain demonstrative rules in art, or science, he may perceive, intuitively, their application, as cases arise. So, also, one may have an intuitive perception, whether an action be moral or immoral, becoming' or unworthy. Some persons acquire the power of deciding, intuitively, on moral and intellectual qualities, by using their senses of hearing and seeing, as to the individual who is the subject of their observation. It must be admitted, that such persons have occasion, sometimes, to correct first impressions.

3. Demonstrative evidence, is that which is used when something known is applied, to arrive at that which is unknown. Demonstrative comes from the Latin word demonstro, which signifies to demonstrate, or to show. A great proportion of our knowledge depends on this evidence. How much a particular object measures, or how much it weighs, is known by using some rule of measure, or standard of weight. There are known or admitted rules in all philosophy, and in all the sciences. There are rules in manners, morals, and in religion. If one would know whether an act done, or proposed to be done, be right or wrong, he must make it certain by the application of some acknowledged rule. All that is not certain, intuitively, through the senses, by repeated experience, or often applied rules, can be made certain only by the use of some acknowledged rule or principle which is certain in itself. One comprehensive example will show this to be so : A ship has been driven about on the ocean, for some days by a storm. It is again calm and the sun reappears. The navigators desire to know where they are. Their ship, the sea, the skies, the sun, are intuitively known to them, but these objects would be known to them, in like manner, and the appearance of them would be precisely the same, if they were some hundreds of miles, either way, from their actual position. To know where they are, on the wide ocean, resort must be had to demonstration.

4. Mariners know how to ascertain their distance, north or south from the equator, and how far they are east or west, of the meridian line, which passes through the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, near London. Meridian is made from two Latin words which signify the middle of the day. An imaginary or geographical line is drawn from the north to the south pole, on the surface of the globe. A line is supposed to be drawn along the Heavens corresponding with, or parallel with, the line on the globe. When this line in the Heavens comes to the middle of the sun, it is noon, or middle of the day. By a demonstration, conducted with the help of mathematical instruments called a quadrant, or sextant, (from the number of degrees which these instruments respectively measure,) and by the use of scientific tables, contained in a book,* always carried to sea, the question as to latitude can be easily answered. The instrument is used to ascertain how high the sun is at noon, above the natural horizon of the observer ; that is, what is the sun's altitude, measuring by degrees. The day of the month, being known, the tables, in the Practical Navigator, are consulted to know, what the sun's declination is on that day ; that is, how far he seems to have gone, from the equator, north or south, on that day. Twice in the year, (20th or 21st of March, and 22d or 23d of September,) the sun seems to rise exactly east, and to set exactly west, or in the line of the equator ; on all other days he seems to have declined, or gone north, or south, of the equator. The altitude of the sun being known, his declination for that day being known, then, if the ship and the sun be north of the equator, the degrees of the sun's declination are subtracted from the degrees of the sun's altitude, and the remainder from 90 degress, and the remainder, then, is the latitude of the ship. If the ship be north of the equator, and the sun's declination be

* The book used by all American mariners, and probably by many English mariners, is the work of Dr. Bowditch, called the Practical Navigator. It is, like all other works of this eminent philosopher, perfect for its purpose.

south of the equator, the degrees of declination are added to the degrees of altitude, and the sum is deducted from 90 degrees, and the remainder is the ship's latitude. When the ship is south of the equator, the same rules, reversed, give the latitude. Though this seems very simple, yet to make what mariners call an observation of the sun, with accuracy, requires, at least, knowledge how to use the instruments and tables, which the skilful and scientific have prepared for demonstration.

5. The question, where are ive9 is only half answered, because it is obvious that whether the ship be in the Pacific, or the Atlantic ocean, the observation of the sun gives the same result, the latitude of that line, being the same all around the globe. Another demonstration must be made, to know the distance from the meridian line of Greenwich, (which is that adopted by the practical navigator) and whether the distance be east or west, therefrom. This can be done by complicated calculations, founded on observations of the moon, and of certain fixed stars, called lunar observations, from luna the Latin for moon. But the usual mode is the simple one of depending on a chronometer, (a word made out of two Greek words, signifying a measurer of time, in which sense all timepieces are chronometers) which is set at the true time of the place from which the ship departs, and which keeps that time throughout the voyage. When the sun is at the meridian, wherever the ship may be, it is then noon where she is. Then noon at that place is to be compared with noon, by the chronometer, at the place of departure. If the chronometer show the hour of eleven, the ship is 15 degrees east of the port of departure; if it show the hour of one, the ship is 15 degrees west of the port of departure ; and so of all other hours, and parts of hours, allowing fifteen degrees to an hour. Thus human ingenuity has enabled the mariner, (who may be in a thousand far different positions, in all of which he beholds intuitively the same sea, and the same skies,) to demonstrate the exact point of the globe at which he certainly is.

It' one will take the trouble to observe what he does himself, and what others around him are doing, in the various employments of life, he will learn how much of human thought and action, may depend on demonstrative evidence.

6. Rules are applied to all human conduct. If one does right, he conforms to some rule ; if he does wrong, he violates some rule. This is so in all stations, and conditions, in private or public life, throughout society. In religious belief, right and wrong, or duty and disobedience, depend on what the religious belief is, and on the rules founded in that belief. One may be very sincere in that belief, and may strictly conform to the rules which he recognizes, but he may be essentially wrong in both. Of this, however, he is to judge. No one can read with another's eyes, nor perceive and reason with another's mind. Not so with morals. They are the same for all men. However ignorant, or debased men may be, there is still the same law of right, and justice. To what extent they do wrong, who know not, and could not know, how to do right, is a question independent of the existence of the law.

7. Probability is the third sort of evidence, by which is meant, that in any supposed case in which one finds himself called on to act, or to decide, and is in doubt, he must infer, from all that appears to him to be certain, how he shall act, or how he shall decide. He must gather and apply all the reasons he can, for and against the act he would do, or would not do, and be governed, the one way, or the other, bv the reasons which weisrh most. When one would form an opinion, and has no intuitive evidence to guide him, nor any known rule or principle which he can apply, he can only judsre of the probability of a result. Suppose one were desirous to know what a youth of fourteen, would prove to be at the age of twenty-one. There are some facts, in such a case, which are intuitively known, and some which may be known by demonstration. All these facts are to be taken into view, comprising, among 1 others, the youth's physical 'frame, his disposition, his manners, his attainments, his intellectual powers, his habits. Then the i/s, or chances, are to be taken into view, and among them, these ; if his health continue, if his willingness to be instructed continue, if he make a good use of his time, if he fall into no temptation from evil example, if he feel the obligation of the moral rules which are prescribed to him, the probabilities or chances are, that he will be an honor to his family connexions, and an ornament to society. However probable it may seem that all these ifs will be solved favorably, there is nothing certain as to their being so.