Page:Report of the cattle show at Trearne, 10th Sept. 1836.pdf/5



The progress of men who live by their daily industry, through this world, may be likened to the march of an army through an enemy's country. He who, from fatigue, from disease, from inebriety, from severe wounds, or whatever cause, falls out of the line of march, and lays him down by the way side, is sure, as a matter of eoursecourse [sic], to be destroyed by the peasantry; once let the eolumncolumn [sic] he belongs to pass on a little way ahead, and death is his sure portion. It is a dangerous thing to fall behind the ever-onward march of the world.

Whatever individuals may profess, it is by neeessitynecessity [sic] that the mass of mankind are eompelledcompelled [sic] to toil for their subsistaneesubsistance [sic]—this feclingfeeling [sic] predominates through all the ramifieationsramifications [sic] of eivilisedcivilised [sic] soeietysociety [sic]. In proportion as the neeessiticsnecessities [sic] of men push them on to seek new means of subsistaneesubsistance [sic], so do these new means open upon their view. On casting a retrospeetiveretrospective [sic] glaneeglance [sic] upon those steps whiehwhich [sic] soeietysociety [sic] has traeedtraced [sic] from its infaneyinfancy [sic] to manhood—from a state of barbarick rudness to a condition of luxury and splendour—we invariably find that all improvements have originated in the wants of the people; and that in proportion as they increased in number so did their invention contrive additional means of support. It is from this eausecause [sic] that Scotland, for instance, had no greater overplus of food when it had only a million of inhabitants than it has now, when it supports nearly three times the number. Nay, it had muehmuch [sic] less food in proportion when it had only a million of people; and hcncchence [sic] it is proved that mankind, by their inventions and improvements, greatly increase the means of support beyond the point at which they formerly stood. ThcThe [sic] power of inventing new means of subsistaneesubsistance [sic], just as the old oncsones [sic] are pereeivedperceived [sic] to be inadequate, has been aetivelyactively [sic] at work since the beginning of time, and will operate for the benefit of our raeerace [sic] as long as sun and moon endure. It is in the exereiseexercise [sic] of this transeendanttranscendant [sic] faeultyfaculty [sic] of the human mind that we see the benefieeneebenificence [sic] of the Creator in