2007,3,10 In some early states of society, these forces might be, and were, too much ahead of the power which society then possessed of disciplining and controlling them. There has been a time when the element of spontaneity and individuality was in excess, and the social principle had a hard struggle with it. The difficulty then was, to induce men of strong bodies or minds to pay obedience to any rules which required them to control their impulses. To overcome this difficulty, law and discipline, like the Popes struggling against the Emperors, asserted a power over the whole man, claiming to control all his life in order to control his character—which society had not found any other sufficient means of binding. But society has now fairly got the better of individuality; and the danger which threatens human nature is not the excess, but the deficiency, of personal impulses and preferences. Things are vastly changed, since the passions of those who were strong by station or by personal endowment were in a state of habitual rebellion against laws and ordinances, and required to be rigorously chained up to enable the persons within their reach to enjoy any particle of security. In our times, from the highest class of society down to the lowest, every one lives as under the eye of a hostile and dreaded censorship. Not only in what concerns others, but in what concerns only themselves, the individual or the family do not ask themselves—what do I prefer? or, what would suit my character and disposition? or, what would allow the best and highest in me to have fair play, and enable it to grow and thrive? They ask themselves, what is suitable to my position? what is usually done by persons of my station and pecuniary circumstances? or (worse still) what is usually done by persons of a station and circumstances superior to mine? I do not mean that they choose what is customary, in preference to what suits their own inclination. It does not occur to them to have any inclination, except for what is customary. Thus the mind itself is bowed to the yoke: even in what people do for pleasure, conformity is the first thing thought of; they like in crowds; they exercise choice only among things commonly done: peculiarity of taste, eccentricity of conduct, are shunned equally with crimes: until by dint of not following their own nature, they have no nature to follow: their human capacities are withered and starved: they become incapable of any strong wishes or native pleasures, and are generally without either opinions or feelings of home growth, or properly their own. Now is this, or is it not, the desirable condition of human nature?
these forces might be, and were, too much ahead of the power which society then possessed of disciplining and controlling them.
これらの勢力は、彼らを押さえつけ、制御するために社会がそのとき保有していた力よりもかなり前を行くものであったかも知れないし、事実、あった(ものもある)のである。
There has been a time when the element of spontaneity and individuality was in excess,
自発性と個性の要素が過剰であり、
and the social principle had a hard struggle with it.
そして、社会の原則は、それとの闘争で苦労していた時代があったのである。
The difficulty then was,
困難なことは、
to induce men of strong bodies or minds to pay obedience to any rules which required them to control their impulses.
強力な肉体と精神の人間をして、彼らの衝動を制御することを彼らに要求する如何なるルールに対しても従順にさせしめることである。
To overcome this difficulty,
この困難さに打ち克つために、
law and discipline, like the Popes struggling against the Emperors,
教皇が皇帝相手に苦労したように、法や統制が
asserted a power over the whole man,
人の全体に対して権力を主張し、
claiming to control all his life in order to control his character
彼の人格を制御するために、彼の人生のすべてを制御することを要求し、
—which society had not found any other sufficient means of binding.
社会は他に十分な拘束の手段を発見していないのである。
But society has now fairly got the better of individuality;
しかしながら、社会はいまや個人に打ち勝っているのである。
and the danger which threatens human nature is
人間の性格を脅かす危険があるのは、
not the excess, but the deficiency, of personal impulses and preferences.
個人の衝動や好みの過剰ではないのであり、欠如なのである。
Things are vastly changed, since the passions of those who were strong by station or by personal endowment were in a state of habitual rebellion against laws and ordinances, and required to be rigorously chained up to enable the persons within their reach to enjoy any particle of security.
Not only in what concerns others, but in what concerns only themselves, the individual or the family do not ask themselves;what do I prefer? or, what would suit my character and disposition? or, what would allow the best and highest in me to have fair play, and enable it to grow and thrive?
They ask themselves, what is suitable to my position? what is usually done by persons of my station and pecuniary circumstances? or (worse still) what is usually done by persons of a station and circumstances superior to mine?
Things are vastly changed, since the passions of those who were strong by station or by personal endowment were in a state of habitual rebellion against laws and ordinances, and required to be rigorously chained up to enable the persons within their reach to enjoy any particle of security.