1000000031

MORAL

PHI L O S O P H

Social.Dutia of th. private Kind.

CHITHERTO

h.ve

fonfiJcred onl y Ihe domclli.c

"oeconomic:11 duties, becaufe there

are

tldl

in (he

progrers

'of D"Ule. BUI as man pa{[e. beyoDd

,he

li,tle cirele of

• ramily,

forms conneaion,

with rdation"

friends.,

.neighbours, and

othen;

(rom ""hence reruhs a new tfatn

of du,ie. of the more priva,e Cocial kind, as friendlhip,

clianity, courte(y, good·neighbotJrl¡ood, charity, for·

giveneC" bo(pitality.

• M.n i. admirably formed for .partlcular (ocial attaeh·

menlS .nd daties. There

15 •

peeulior and Clrong pro·

pen6ty iD hi. nature to be affeaed. ""th tbe feDtimenu

.od difpdCitions of o,bers. Men, Jike ctrtain mufltal in·

.hument" are fct to

eaeh

other,

tb~

the

vibrations

or netes eXctted in"one

raiCe

correfpondem nOtes and vi–

bration. io the "theu. The impulfes of pl<afure or pain,

joy

O.f

forrow, made on one mind. ;,re,

a~Jn(\antane

ou. (ympathy of nature, communieated in Come d.gree tO

all; efpecially wheo hearts are in uni(on of kiodnefs ; the

joy

that vibrates in

one, communicates

(he otMr alfo.

We may add, th.t though jóy thu. imparted rwells .the

harmoDy;

yet

grief vibrated to ,he heart of a friend, and

rebouoding from

thence in {ympathetic notes, 'melts,

::ts

",ere, and almoll·di... away. AII the paffion., bu ,

efp~.

cially moCe of tbe Cocial·kind, are contagiou.; and when

the paflion. of one mao mingle wilh Ihofe of another,

tbey increaCe and. multiply prodigiouíly. There i. a moC!

movtng eloqucDcc iD rhe humaD countenaDce,

air,

vojee,

aod gofiure, .wooderfully

expreffi~e

of the moll latent

feeling. Ind pallions of the foul, which da... Ihem, Jike

a IÚbtle llame, into the hearta of others, aná raifes 'coro

refpond<nt feeliog. there: friendlhip, love, good ·humour,

joy,

fpread through every featu!e, and particularly,lhoot

from tbe eyes thtir fofter and 'fiercer .res with

irreuf.

tibie energy. Aod in like manner, Ihe oppofite paffion.

of batres!, eomity,

iII

humour, melancholy,

diffu(~

a fui·

leo aod f.ddeoing air over the face, and,lIalhing from eye

.eye, .kindle a train of fimilar paffiona. Uy IheCe and

cther admirable pitces of machincry, men are formed

for focíety aod the deligh,ful interchaDge of friendly

feotiment and dutits; to iocreafe the happioef. of o·

meu by participatioo, aod their own by rebound; and

to diminiCh, by div,diDg, the comlllon Itock of their

mifery.

The firll eman..

io~r

of the (oeial principie beyond the

bou~d.

of a family, lead u. to form a nea.rer conjunaion

of friendíhip or goodwill wi.h · thoCe who are anywi(e

cooneaed wi.h os by blood or domellic IlIiance.

.hem our affeélion do.., commonly, exert itfelf io a

grea'er or lee, degree, aceording 'o the

n~arntf.

or dif·

tance of the relation . And 'this proportion i. admirably

fuited

.he ex..nt of our powers and th. indigence of

oor C1ate; for it i. only within thofe le{[er <:irele. of con·

fangu inity or alli.nce, th.t the generality of mankind ..e

able tO difplay their abiliú.. or benevolence, and cOJ1fe.

'luently 'o uphold thtir conneaion with foeiety and fub·

ferviency to a public imercf!. Therefore it is our d u.y

to regard rhefe c10rt r _conne8ions as the next oeput01cnt

to Ihat o( a family,

which I)¿ture has marked

Out

for

.... a fphere of aéliví,y and ufefull1ef,; and 'o cultiva« the

VOL:

111. N°.

S I ,

kind affeaions which are the cemeot of thofe endearing

alliance..

Frequcotly, the view of

diCling~iíhing

moral 'lualitie'

in fome of our acquaintance may gi've birth tO that more

noble connea ion we

c.ll

fricnrlO,ip, which is far fuperior

¡J,e .lIiances of confanguiui,y. For thefe >re of a Cu·

perficial , and oflen of

traofitory nature; of which, as

.hey hold more of inClina. thao of reafon, we cannot give

fuch a rational · account. But friendíhip derives all i..

llreng'h and beauty, and the ooly ex.illenee which. is du–

rable, from (he qualities of the t.eart

or from virtuous

aod lovely d,fpofitioo.. Therefore frienrlOlip may be

deCcribcd to be, .. The union of two foqls, ,by

mean.of

virtue, the

com~on

objeét :and cement of their mutual

affeétion.

Withour virtue, or .he fuppofitioo of it,

friendfhip

only

merceoary Jeague, an alliance of

in·.

terdl, whieh mun di{[ohe of eourfe wnen that in'erdl

decay. or fuhfiOs no longer.

i. not fo much

any

par·

ticular paClion, as a compoútion of fome of the nobleCl:

feelings and paffion. of the. mind. G ood fenfe, a jun

taCle aod love of virtue, .• ,borough candor and benignity

of heart, or

wl....

t we ufually caJl • good temper, and

generous fYlOpatlly of fentiments and a!feaion., are the

oecelfary

iDgredie~

of this virtuous conneét.ion.

Whe~

it i. graftcd

eCleem, llrengthened by habit, aod mel ·

lowed by time, it yields infioite pleaCure ever Dew and

ev~r

growiog,

í~

a noble Cupport arnidfl tbe various tríals

'Dd viciffi,ude. of Ji fe, and aD high feaCooing

moll of

O\U

other -cnjoyme,nts. To form and cultivate virtuous

fritnd.lhip mufl be very im¡>roving to the temper; as its

principal objea is virtue, fel off wilh aJl tbe . Jlurcmeo<

coantenance, air, and mal"l1).ers, !hining (orth in the

na–

tive graees of manly hooen femimen.. and affeaion., and

rendeted vrublo as it were ·to tb. friendly Cpea.tor in

eondué\ lInaffeaedly great and good ; and as its principal

exercl{u

#re

lhe very energies of vinue, or lts effeéb

aod

emanatiotU, So (hat. where-ever this amiable altach–

ment

prevai~"

it will

exalt

out. admiration ana

altach–

menl to virtlre, and,

unle~

impeded in ilS courCe by uo·

natural prejudlceo, rUJl nudoto a friendlhip tOthe human

race. For as no

a¡,e

caD merit

and none ought

ulurp,

,he (acred name of·friend , w)¡o hates m.nkind ; fo, who·

ever truly loves them,

~es

.,be OlOCl: e{[eotiál quality

true friend.

The duti.. of

friendlh~

are, a mutual

eCleem.of

each

other, unbribed by

i~tereC!,

and independent of it ; • ge·

nerous confidence, as far dí llant (rom turpicion

from re–

ferve; ao inviolable harmony of fen,im<nlS and di Cpofi tions,

of defigos and inteteCls; a fideli,y unO,.ken by the changes

of fortune ; a conllancy unalterable by dillanc. of time

or place;

refignation,of one's perfonal·interdts to ihofe

of one's friend; and a reci proca), uncnvious, unreferved

exehange of kind offi ces.-But ainidll aH the exertion.

of this moral conncétion, humane 2nd gencrous as it ¡s,

\Ve

mull remember that it operates

within a

narrow (phere,

and its immediate operations re(pea only the individual;

and therefore p. rticular impulfes mull ClilJ be fubor.

dinate <o a more public in,ereCl:, or be alw,ys di rcéled

andocontrouled by the more extenlive conneaí"n. of our

nMure

Wbcn our friendnlip terminates

.any

the o,her

4 D

fex,