THE COLONIST.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 114, 23 November 1858, Page 2

THE COLONIST.

NELSON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1858. Agreeing, as we do, with our contemporary, that it is from bur ignorance that all. our 'contentions arise, we would add further, that, amidst all our bickerings and contentions of the things debated upon, we remain as ignorant as ever. In their sublime allegory, the Romans signified that " only through virtue we arrived at honor," while we have been taught that " only through knowledge can we arrive at wisdom." Tins ivou'd at first sight nppe.u* a melancholy truth to the greater portion of mankind, seeing they have little or no spare time fir researches of that kind ; hut upon a closer inspection and consideration of the subject, the prospect is not so discouraging as at first view jit would nppeur. It is very true that it requires years of application and ..mental study to separate . truth • from error; lint- when oncethis. is done, and the precopls by which to distinguish, them exposed to view in intelligible forms an I langtiagv, they -gradually pass into maxims, and thus what a sige's lie was consumed in acquiring, becomes matter of comparatively easy acquirement to posterity. Again, knowledge has bten likened to the atmosphere, to dispel the noxious vapours and dislodge the fogs. Our ancestors felled the forest, drained the marsh, and cultivated the waste, and we now breathe without an effort in the purified climate, the results of the labors of generations, and the progress of .'iges. As to-day the common mechanic may equal in science, however inferior in genius, " the friar," whom his conteiuponv ies feared as a magicians, so the opinions which now startle us well as astonish us, nv»y be received hereafter as acknowledged axioms, and pass into.everyday practice. If such was the view of the state and progress of sages and •philosophers in times gone.by, we might.almost, fancy ourselves fit.subjects to sit for the portrait, as far as relates to the first part of the process. Not so, however, we frar, as respects the philosophical portion of it—-n;unely,. that the prevailing opinions current amongst us may ! hereafter become acknowledged maxims, and j pass into ordinary practice, and for two very obvious reasons. ,The first is, that, judging of our own little world, we appear to be all so selfsufficient as ti suppose we have none of us anything to learn; and as to our opinions ever becoming acknowledged maxims, it would be difficult to find scarcely any amongst us who can, properly speaking, bo said to have an opinion of his own, taking into account the true definition of opinion to bo the result of examination, of reasoning Jo a conclusion; consequently no man can properly be ..said to have tin opinion of his own who is unable to assign tho reasons, of which it is the result. And ye?, so painful is self-examination to the generality- of persons in every rank of life, that very fow subject themselves to the operation, but take what they call opinions from others. And further, such is the imbecility of the human understanding, notwithstanding the schoolmaster is abroad, that most men will rather lake-a false view of almost every subject, than the pains and trouble to obtaiu a correct one... Plence prejudices and superstitions of every kind are dear to them, and hence the difficulty of eradicating auy one of them. Nevertheless, men in their self-sufficiency are prone to account for anything, and if a cabalistic word or phrase is offered them as a solace for their ignorance, they seize it with avidity, use it on all occasions, and absurdly persuade themselves that the use of a few letters which have no meaning, or at least none that they have any power of defining, account .for the phenomena to which they are applied. Again, bearing in mind that one fool makes many—that nothing is so easy as to propagate nonsense ..(except-per-haps it be scandal} — that it requires no great effort to be a fool, and still less to follow a fool— and thus Tom Noakes bites Jack Styles, and Jack runs about like a rabid animal and bites everybody he cau catch —no wonder the still small voice of philosophy is drowned in the clamour they make. For, although there is nothing too absurd for men to believe conjointly with others, they dread to embrace even truth itself if they are to embrace it alone, in silence and in solitude. Men have always believed in masses under the standard of intellectual despots, in the same manner as they fight beneath the banners of some political despots. Here it may be justly observed, that it is reserved for one man perhaps once; in a thousand years to plant a new root of opiniou created by his own solitary opinion. No wonder, therefore, if any one rushes on far beyond the general'body, or exhibits any very strong desire to do so, from that moment he is viewed with suspicion at least, if not with envy and jealousy, and is moreover as carefully shunned as a bad man, with whom, inI deed, he is often,confounded. All originality of thought or opinion may1 be said to be singular, and all singularity is sure to prejudice the individual who shall display such, in proportion as he shall differ from the prescribed rules of what is termed the public opinion of the .limes in which he-may. live; '

Now, on sitting down to discuss the slate of a given community, to begin by talking of any other state of society than that which actually exists, is to avoid the question at issue, and wander away from the subject. - We: mny imagine any state .of society ; but; if we Measi to be useful, we must take sockty sis if. is. Yet. but too many talk, of something which might be, which never has been, and which never can be for years to come; and having committed this

absurdity, add another to it>in"propositions to do certain; thing's, as if the., visions.-,they hail conjured up were realised—our business is with the aciual, not with \i\ie ideal world;

.The foregoing remarks will' more especially embrace some of the numerous ephemeral correspondents.of our Nelson journals, particularly •when they seek to enlighten us upon the much abused and stiil more neglected principles of Political Economy, .the various editions of which they consider as so much paper and ink thrown away, and which they would feign Lave our Executive metamorphose into "paper Mies" wherewith to astonish tho gaping, restless, gambling gold-seekers, who, while gazing at the gaudy, glittering plaything far above their heads, fancy they will rain down nuggets of gold—if they could but follow them far enough.

While contemplating v/hat would be the ultimate effects of these aerial flights upon these gold maniacs, we find ourselves at the end of our tether, and led away from the oiiginal purport with which we sat down to write, which: however, may easily be pardoned, when we are met, at every turn, day and night, with the pbantasmagorial misrepresentations and dissolving : views which the blustering magiclan tern-shewmeri are so i^ce^intly. dazzling us with, so that we are'compelled somewhat abruptly to close our present effusions, in order to-.enable us to retrace, our steps and catch up the thread of our half-finished, lucubrations in time fur our next publication.