Sympathy, when applied to persons and not to things, or not to the principles of moral conduct, i3 the source or the most amiable of our prejudices. It is sympathy that prompts us to undertake the defence and espouse the cause of whoever is in distress, or Is unfortunate and oppressed. Sympathy, too, promotes our own happiness in proportion as it contributes to the happiness and welfare of others. This feeling, however, though enlightened and apparently well directed, often misleads our judgment, and inspires us with prepossessions in favour of individuals, which inves tigation and experience do not justify ; but it is better and more pleasant to be deceived, than to have doubted and mistrusted.
But antipathy, or the prejudice of hatred, exercises the most fatal influence on the human mind. The activity of our sensibility seems not to be satisfied if we sacrifice to it those only whom we have good reason to hate. It requires hecatombs. It embraces whole tribes and nations. Any external difference—a difference of name, of colour, of language, is sufficient, we think, to prevent us front being candid or just ; and we applaud ourselves for the energy of our hatred towards persons in such circumstances, though probably not one of them is known to us. The fault, real or supposed, of a single individual, we extend to his family, to his sect, to his countrymen ; that of one age is attributed j also to the succeeding ages. By such illiberal judgments we flatter ourselves we are showing our horror at vice; and we even sometimes go so far as to regard the sentiments in question the best proof of the soundness of our religious principles. In an Egyptian convent where an English traveller lodged, the monks described to him the vexations they experienced on the part of the Turks. In these mas ters, who are often so oppressively cruel, every thing was a cause of offence ; their opinions, their manners, their habits, their language. " Do you not hate the Turks ?" said one of the monks at length to their guest. " I fear the wicked," replied he, " but I hate nobody." " You hate nobody !" exclaimed they, " then you cannot be a friend to our order." The prejudices of hatred undoubtedly have their origin in the human heart ; but they are rendered a thousand times more inveterate and strong by those who govern us, and who have an interest in cherishing and perpetuating them. Our rulers uniformly study to encourage and augment national hatred. Governments are reciprocally offended at each other ; and the people, who know not each other, and never have had any mutual communication, are made to im bibe the same spirit, and become deadly enemies. The sup
porters of different religious sects, sometimes also, we fear, cherish no great love of liberality towards each other, and thus dishonour the name by which th. y are called. And yet there is any thing but a well-grounded or natural enmity between nations and between churches. How can one man be offended at another because he has a different way of honouring and worshipping God ? How can sentiments which elevate us towards our Creator cause us to quarrel with any of our brethren ? It is not religion which is intolerant ; but it is man,—who has built his power and his greatness on the credulity and prejudice of others: it is man who has cultivated religious hatred, and who has asso ciated it intimately with a sentiment, which of itself inspires only benevolence and love. How can any nation be the natural enemy of another ? Has not each in its own bosom the elements of its own felicity ? If one nation wish assist ance from a neighbouring country, will not that assistance be obtained more readily and efficiently from a people who are prosperous and happy, than from those who are discon tented and oppressed ? But the hatred of which we are speaking originates not in the collective body of a nation, but in sonic individual of it. He who wishes to secure for himself alone the honour and the advantages of his country's prosperity, is jealous of the subjects of another kingdom as he is of his own citizens; he excites mutual jealousy between theta, and he thus directs against his neighbours that jealousy which he feared would be exer cised against himself.
Our natural dispositions would never excite in us preju dices of hatred so inveterate as those we have been describ ing. This is effected by the low artifice of our rulers alone. They have endeavoured and partially succeeded, in making us wish the downfall and oppression of our equals and neighbours; whilst the only thing, In which nations and individuals should take an interest and contend with each other, has not been sufficiently attended to ; namely, the advancement of the dignity of human nature, of liberty, and of reason. This great object is the same in every .ountry and nation, whether allies or enemies. National hostility is merely temporary, and must have a termination ; but the diffusion of knowledge, the establishment of liberty more liberal laws, the superiority of reason over preju dices, are advantages in which the whole human race are concerned, and the effects of which are equally salutary and permanent.