The governments, religions, laws, institutions and practices, of the world, have not been yet devised to promote the happiness of man, or the comfort of animals. They have been contrived, rather, to insure the misery of man, and the discomfort of animal life. The very supposition that man was organized by nature to give him the power to think and feel according to his own pleasure, was of itself, when carried [154] into practice, as it has been by all tribes and people, quite sufficient to stay any progress toward the happiness of the human race.

      This single mistake, respecting human nature, is abundantly sufficient to disunite all mankind, and to make them secret or open enemies to each other. For while each man or woman is taught to believe, that every other man and woman, may, if they please, think and feel as they do, it becomes natural for them to be angry with those, who, they imagine, will not, from obstinacy or some worse motive, believe what they believe, who do not like, or dislike, or love and hate, according to their notions of right or wrong.

      It is upon this error that all governments religions, laws, institutions, languages and customs have been formed, and, by it, they have been all made so complex and irrational. And it is solely owing to this error that the world has been so long divided against itself, that it has been always armed for its own destruction, and rendered wholly blind to the natural, and, therefore, easily attained means of happiness.

      Instead of this confusion of intellect, and consequent division of feelings among the human race, man will be trained "to know himself" from infancy, and he will then acquire the inclination to promote the happiness of his fellow-beings, and of the means by which to apply the inclination to practice.

      As men acquire experience, they learn the value of real knowledge, they discover that it is the only solid foundation for virtue and happiness, and that it is the true source of power. Hitherto the book of nature or of real knowledge has been sealed, in such a manner, that no man has yet dared to open it honestly and fairly, for the benefit of the many.

      Innumerable books, however, said to be of divine origin, have been spread over the world, and palmed upon the public as books of real knowledge.

      The fables which they contain have been made to fill the minds of men with all manner of error, and to compel them to commit all kinds of evil, as at this day, as is evident to all who can reflect without prejudice.

      All these spurious books of divine origin are full of high-sounding words in praise of virtue, and learning, and religion; but we now discover, by an unerring standard of truth, that the authors of these dogmas and mysteries did not know anything of real virtue, knowledge, or religion; or, if they did, that they purposely devised these fables [155] to deceive mankind, to keep them in ignorance, that they might be more easily governed, and made to support the governing few in luxury and idleness, to the injury of all parties.

      It is now evident that the reign of these mysteries is rapidly passing away; that it is about to be superseded by knowledge derived from tangible facts, by the only kind of knowledge that ever can be of real benefit to mankind.

      Now, when this description of knowledge shall be taught from infancy to all men, they will have pleasure in acquiring it, and the farther they proceed, the greater will be their gratification, and the more ardently will they desire to pursue it.

      The acquisition of the knowledge, founded on facts, in unison with all other facts, and its truth proved by its accordance with the knowledge previously known and ascertained to be true, will create a continually increasing desire to add, day by day, to the stock acquired in childhood and youth, and thus will the inclination be formed, and permanently established to seek to progress in real knowledge through life.

      In the new state of existence effectual means will be devised to satisfy the desires. Every individual will have the benefit of the best libraries, laboratories, instruments, and implements to assist him in his studies. Men of the most experience, and best minds, and dispositions will be always ready to aid the younger in every branch of knowledge, while all the means will surround the population to enable them to prove the truth of their theories by practice.

      The acquisition of real knowledge will accumulate enormous power to the human race, and to its extension; age after age, there can be no assignable limit. It will be the legitimate means of agreeably and beneficially changing men's sensations; of opening new stores of pleasure which will never satiate, and they will be led on, step by step, in the path of real knowledge, and made more and more acquainted with that power which gives them an existence and hourly support.

      In fact the chief design in the new state of existence, will be to train the young in the best manner, and to provide the means for all to increase continually in the most useful knowledge, and to create the desire to make the greatest attainment in the most valuable pursuits.

      Without this power, whatever may be the other advantages accumulated around any society their condition cannot be satisfactory. All [156] who have had extensive experience, know that by far the largest share of happiness arises, through life, from the society of those to whom we are compelled, by nature, to feel the most regard and the strongest affection.

      With this privilege, few things, beyond the simple necessaries of life, are requisite to insure a considerable degree of satisfaction of mind, and a nearer approach to happiness than power, wealth, and knowledge, combined, can give without it.

      But as the world has hitherto been governed how very few have possessed the privilege of associating at pleasure with those for whom they were compelled to feel the greatest regard and strongest affection! How few enjoy it at this moment over all the world!

      All past institutions have been formed apparently with the intention of obstructing, as much as possible, the happiness that nature designs man should enjoy from his social feelings by implanting so deeply and widely the seeds of affection among the human race. For all the artificial arrangements, by man, in all countries and at all times, appear to be purposely calculated to destroy the pleasures arising from sincerity, confidence, and affection.

      The division of society into governors and governed, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, into single families, into sects and classes, and into numerous tribes and people taught to have opposing feelings for each other, all tend to deteriorate society, and to give a wrong or unnatural direction to all the kindlier feelings of our nature, and to render it difficult or almost impossible, in most cases, for individuals to associate at pleasure with those for whom they cannot avoid having the most regard and strongest affection.

      In the new state of existence this great evil will not be known--every obstacle to the free, open, honest communication between mind and mind will be removed. In this state of society all intercourse between human beings of both sexes, and of all ages, will be, at all times, what is now termed confidential, that is, they will express, under all circumstances, their genuine thoughts and feelings without any reservation whatever.

      Not feeling the necessity for disguising their sensations, they will never acquire the habit of doing so. While, under the existing institutions, almost the whole communication between man and man, and nation and nation, is a continued system of insincerity, by which they endeavor to deceive each other; and when they succeed, it is to their own injury.

      The necessity which exists, under these institutions, to cover our real thoughts and feelings from others, is, of itself, sufficient to degrade [157] man below the inferior animals, and to inflict misery on his whole race.

      By attending to the feelings of children, we discover, that man is most powerfully impelled by his nature, to be honest and sincere, and to hide or be ashamed of any of the sensations which, by his formation, he is compelled to receive. It requires constant watching and great care on the part of those who are around children, to prevent them from expressing all their sensations, and telling the whole truth upon every subject, as far as they know it, and still more exertion to force them to acquire as much practical deceit, as the irrational customs of the most civilized nations require.

      All this degradation and subjugation of the very finest and best feelings of human nature will altogether cease in the new state of existence; for all the practical arrangements, and all the institutions in this life, will be in unison with the laws of nature, and, when the results of this union of practice and principle shall be enjoyed, it will be felt to be an act of insanity, or a real aberration of the human faculties, whenever any individual in conversation with man, woman, or child shall not express the genuine sensations which the existing circumstances make on his organization. Those sensations are, alone, to him, truth; and as soon as men shall be trained to be rational, and shall be under institutions and within circumstances in unison with their training, truth alone will be known among them.

      And, under these arrangements, all will know precisely the impressions which their conduct makes upon others, and a stronger stimulus to every kind of excellence, cannot be given; it will effectually purify the thoughts and feelings of all, and produce a perfection of conduct throughout society, of which the present ignorant, degraded, and irrational race can form no adequate conception.

      When sincerity and truth, and consequently rationality, shall be alone known among men, it will be soon ascertained, by experience, whether nature intended to give man happiness, by limiting or extending his affections; whether she intends him to confine his most exclusive feelings to one of the opposite sex, or to divide it with more than one, and how many.

      However this may prove by experience, we may be assured, when no artificial obstructions shall exist, that the dictates of nature are those which she intends shall, alone, influence to actions that shall the most effectually promote real virtue and happiness.

      Nature, which is now thwarted in every advance to urge the human race to knowledge and happiness, will preserve, until her righteous laws shall be alone obeyed, and they will ultimately direct the [158] intercourse course of society as wisely for the well doing, well being, and enjoyment of the human race, as she has ever done among the whole of the animal and vegetable existences, which are, in this respect, subject to the same general laws.

      One thing is most evident, that nature, by keeping the power of making new impressions to herself, never intended that man or woman should perjure themselves by promising, to each other, that their sensations from and for each other, should continue, without change, until death.

      In the new state of existence, this crime, also, of perjury, will be unknown, for there will be "no indissoluble marriages, or giving in marriage;" on the contrary all will, at all times, possess the power to associate with those only for whom nature compels them to feel the most regard and strongest affection.

      To have the means of traveling at pleasure, or of removing, without inconvenience, from one district to another, is essential to the full enjoyment of happiness.

      This benefit will be provided, in a very effectual manner, in the new state of existence, by arrangements which will be equally advantageous for the traveler and for society.

      The arrangements which will be formed, under this new mode of existence, will be so formed, that when any country shall be regularly settled under its regulation, the traveler will have an opportunity of resting in any direction in which he may proceed, within two miles of the last association or station he may have left or passed.

      He will find, in all these places, whatever can be necessary to his comfort; the same as he enjoyed in the association or society from whence he commenced his travels. It will not be necessary for him to encumber himself with luggage of any description; there will be supplies of all he will require, ready for his use, in each society, and these, as before stated, will be within two miles of each other in whatever direction he may travel.

      These journeys must be, of necessity, subject to general regulations, which will apply equally to all of the same age; for it is evident, all cannot travel at the same time. But it is probable that more than all who wish to change their position at one time, may leave their station without inconvenience.

      As long as travelers do not go out of the territories occupied by the associations who have embraced the new mode of existence, they will [159] not require money or extra provisions of any description, because they will be equally at home, wherever they may wish to stop, for a longer or shorter period.

      The only condition to which they will be liable, is, that they shall occupy themselves, as long as they remain in their new situation, in the same manner in which they were employed in their former association.

      When the change is in progress, from the old to the new state of existence, money of the countries to which the traveler is about to proceed will be supplied to him from the public treasury.

      But rational, as all these reformed, or re-created beings will become, under the new circumstances by which they can be surrounded, no funds, or labor, of the societies, will be uselessly expended. They will all distinctly perceive that a well-arranged economy, in the whole proceedings of these communities, is the true foundation of the highest and most permanent prosperity.

      Whatever temporary difficulties may arise, at first, in bringing all the requisite arrangements for traveling with ease, comfort, and general benefit into practice, a little experience and perseverance, in right principles, will soon overcome them.

[COD 154-160]