the knowledge that the sound was accompanied by, or produced by, vibration; and, on the other hand, the vibrations might be observed and measured by a deaf person, who could have no knowledge of tone, and to whom the vibrations would be only motions.

Chemistry, again, treats of the qualitative characteristics of matter, and it may be viewed in one sense as a science complete in itself. But if such a major power could be discovered as would produce the phenomena logically in the observed conditions, then chemistry, from being a science in itself, would become only the classification of a science, and the power, whatever name it might receive, would assume the precedence, because the qualitative relations would be made to function under the influence of the power.

Every function, of whatever character, or wherever found, we assume to present itself under the form of An Agent, An Object, A Product; and this division belongs, in no respect, to any one particular science, but to all,—that is, it is a necessary form of thought, and being so, it belongs to the metaphysician. Now, if a science be viewed as a complete function, it must range all its substantives under one of these heads. Every thing of which science treats must be ranked either as agent, object, or phenomenon; and no science can be considered as completed, even in part, until it has made such a logical ordination as will make the phenomenon to result logically from the operation of the agent on the object. But while a science is undergoing its process of discovery, this logical ordination of its parts is illegitimate, and cannot be made on sufficient grounds; so that the

development of the constituent propositions of a science is necessary before its various portions can be classified in such a manner as to satisfy the requirements of the reason.

Under these circumstances, we have given only a general estimate, sufficient to direct the line of argument without trespassing on special departments, or intruding opinions on subjects that lie beyond our province. To construct an argument that should be in the main correct, is all we could hope to achieve.

3*

CHAPTER I.

ON THE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN PROGRESSION

SECTION I. REMARKS ON THE MATTERS INVOLVED IN POLITICAL SCIENCE.

A DISTINCTION must necessarily be drawn between the science of politics itself, and its application to Man.

The science is purely abstract and theoretic. It professes only to determine the trueness or falsity of certain propositions which are apprehended by the reason; and the reason may take into consideration this trueness or falsity, without dwelling on the fact that man is a moral being, who ought to act in accordance with such principles as are legitimately substantiated. In this sense the science of politics is as purely abstract as geometry, which determines the general relations of figures, without in the slightest degree attempting to pronounce whether there are any real material objects to which its truths can be applied.

But when we have admitted the fact, that man is a moral being, the theoretic dogma becomes transformed

into a practical rule of action, which lays an imperative obligation on man to act in a particular manner, and to refrain from acting in another manner. The theoretic truth determines the relations of moral beings, and consequently determines what ought to be their conditions with regard to each other; the practical rule determines what man may, or may not, do justly, and consequently what the political construction of civil society ought to be.

The science of politics then treats of equity, and of the relations of men in equity. And the general questions which the science has to solve are,

1. What are those actions which men may do equitably?

2. What are those actions which men are by equity bound to do?

3. What are those actions which men cannot do equitably? that is, what are those actions which, though they may actually be done, are not, and never can be, equitable?

Political science, therefore, discourses of human actions; and these actions classified with regard to the agent, are divided into duties, crimes, and negative actions. But when the moral motives of the agent are left out of account, the actions themselves are investigated as to their characteristics, and they may then be treated of in their relation to the two great categories of political science, liberty and property.

Under the heads of liberty and property all questions of politics may be discussed, bearing in mind always that political science treats exclusively of the relations of men. The questions then assume the form of,