WILL THE HUMAN RACE IMPROVE?


At these words, oppressed with the painful sentiment with which their
severity overwhelmed me: Woe to the nations! cried I, melting in tears;
woe to myself! Ah! now it is that I despair of the happiness of man!
Since his miseries proceed from his heart; since the remedy is in his
own power, woe for ever to his existence! Who, indeed will ever be
able to restrain the lust of wealth in the strong and powerful? Who can
enlighten the ignorance of the weak? Who can teach the multitude to know
their rights, and force their chiefs to perform their duties? Thus the
race of man is always doomed to suffer! Thus the individual will not
cease to oppress the individual, a nation to attack a nation; and days
of prosperity, of glory, for these regions, shall never return. Alas!
conquerors will come; they will drive out the oppressors, and fix
themselves in their place; but, inheriting their power, they will
inherit their rapacity; and the earth will have changed tyrants, without
changing the tyranny.

Then, turning to the Genius, I exclaimed:

O Genius, despair hath settled on my soul. Knowing the nature of
man, the perversity of those who govern, and the debasement of the
governed--this knowledge hath disgusted me with life; and since there
is no choice but to be the accomplice or the victim of oppression, what
remains to the man of virtue but to mingle his ashes with those of the
tomb?

The Genius then gave me a look of severity, mingled with compassion; and
after a few moments of silence, he replied: