460

CONCLUSION.

dined to continue those efforts in the same direction. Thequestion in this case was, whether the increase of knowledge, themore general diffusion of it amongst all classes of the community,tended to prevent the commission of crime ? He was far frombeing able to come to the conclusions, which had been somewhatmore dogmatically stated, than he should have expected, in thereport of two French gentlemen sent out by the French king,‘ that it was now universally admitted, that those parts of the worldwhere knowledge was most diffused were not the most exemptfrom crime, but rather the contrary.’ Who ever expected, thatincreasing the knowledge of the community would immediatelyand directly have the effect of diminishing crime ? Whoeverdid entertain such an expectation, had no right to complain ofdisappointment, when he found the effect did not follow his meri-torious labors, because he had formed groundless and unreasona-ble expectations. The tendency of knowledge, that is, its ulti-mate tendency, was, to improve the habits of the people, tobetter their principles, and to amend all that constitutes theircharacter. Principles and feelings, combined, make up what iscalled human character. And that the tendency of knowledgeis, to amend this character by the operation of knowledge, andin proportion to its diffusion, there can be no doubt. Its ten-dency is,” continued the Lord Chancellor, “ to increase habitsof reflection, to enlarge the mind, and render it more capable ofreceiving pleasurable impressions from, and taking an interest in,matters other than mere sensual gratification. This processoperates likewise on the feelings, and necessarily tends to im-prove the character and conduct of the individual, to increaseprudential habits, and to cultivate, in their purest form, the feel-ings and affections of the heart. Now,” he said, “ it hardly re-quired any illustration from fact,, or any demonstration fromreasoning, to show, that the consequences of such a changein the human character must inevitably be, to diminish crime.The effects of knowledge are not new ; they were well knownto the ancients, who had said the same thing in much betterwords;

‘ Emollit mores nee sinit esse feros.’

“ Knowledge increases the prudential habits, and improves the