Social Statics

Even were the fundamental proposition of the expediency system not thus vitiated by the indefiniteness of its terms, it would still be vulnerable. Granting for the sake of argument, that the desideratum, "greatest happiness," is duly comprehended, its identity and nature agreed upon by all, and the direction in which it has satisfactorily settled, there yet remains the unwarranted assumption that it is possible for the self-guided human judgment to determine, with something like precision, by what methods it may be achieved. Experience daily proves that just the same uncertainty which exists respecting the specific ends to be obtained, exists hkewise respecting the right mode of attaining them when supposed to be known. In their attempts to compass one after another the several items which go to make up the grand total, " greatest happiness," men have been anything but successful ; their most promising measures having commonly turned out the greatest failures. Let us look at a few cases. When it was enacted in Bavaria that no marriage should be allowed between parties without capital, unless certain authorities could " see a reasonable prospect of the parties being able to provide for their children," it was doubtless intended to advance the pubUc weal by checking improvident unions, and redundant population; a purpose most pohticians will consider praiseworthy, and a provision which many will think well adapted to secure it. Nevertheless this apparently sagacious measure has by no means answered its end; the fact being that in Munich, the capital ^of the kingdom, half the births are illegitimate !