Page:The Red Man and the White Man in North America.djvu/617

Rh most true, — the immense preponderance in gain and good of every kind in a highly civilized state over barbaric life in the wild woods, — but also to infer an absolute, complete, and exclusive blessing in the former. But civilization is not all gain and blessing, certainly not to every one living under it. An intelligent and able reasoner might keep himself within the most rigid conditions of sober truth and full experience in arguing for this plain statement: that it is the direct tendency of our form of civilization to carry human beings towards one extreme as far beyond the simple elements of happiness and every form of good as savage life falls short of them. We may leave fancy idealists to attempt to prove, with Rousseau, that the savage state is the natural and preferable state for man; but we must allow the drawbacks of civilization, — especially such as to an Indian would be most odious, — to the estimates and habits of even a remarkably enlightened savage. Unable as such a savage would be to off-set the obvious evils and blights of civilization by a deep inner discernment and appreciation of its sum of blessings, he might even be moved to plead earnestly with us to induce us to revert to the state of Nature. Civilization, in every example of it as yet ever known in the world's history, has always involved, for a portion of every community, ignorance, subjection, poverty, and repulsive menial services. And though the highest class in advancement, intelligence, culture, refinement, and virtue are the salt and salvation of the whole community, it would not be easy to decide whether civilization could more safely part with its most privileged or its most humble class. Of course in his stage and by his standard of intelligence the savage would make his estimates by contrast, would compare what he sees of the aspects and habits of civilization with his own wonted views and ways. With him all that he needs for life, occupation, resource, subsistence, is wholly free, — all at large, unclaimed, not even to be labored for, save for such effort