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"I hope therefore the united motives of Christianity and humanity will animate every generous spark of benevolence in the mind of the governors, &c. (in which those virtues appeared to be suspended by suffering with impunity the abuses and neglects here complained of), and that they will accordingly take such necessary steps as will guard those benevolent institutions from abuse, neglect, or degeneracy."

— Nolan, William (fl. 1786)

Author

Nolan, William (fl. 1786)

Work Title

An Essay on Humanity: or a View of Abuses in Hospitals

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

Printed for the Author

Date

1786

Metaphor

"I hope therefore the united motives of Christianity and humanity will animate every generous spark of benevolence in the mind of the governors, &c. (in which those virtues appeared to be suspended by suffering with impunity the abuses and neglects here complained of), and that they will accordingly take such necessary steps as will guard those benevolent institutions from abuse, neglect, or degeneracy."

Metaphor in Context

I hope therefore the united motives of Christianity and humanity will animate every generous spark of benevolence in the mind of the governors, &c. (in which those virtues appeared to be suspended by suffering with impunity the abuses and neglects here complained of), and that they will accordingly take such necessary steps as will guard those benevolent institutions from abuse, neglect, or degeneracy. What a heart-felt congratulation it must be to them, in every subsequent stage of life, to reflect, that at one and the same time, they have discharged the sacred duties of Christianity, and complied with the natural dictates of humanity! but, on the contrary, how agonizing would it be to their exalted sensibility, to apprehend that those pious and humane intentions should be counteracted by the depravity of the persons entrusted with the execution of them. The native benevolence of his own mind, prevents a good man from even suspecting that such depraved characters as are here described, have an existence--his own innate goodness being the standard by which he charitably, tho' erroneously, estimates the characters of others by: but though this unsuspicious good-nature is the most infallible characteristic of a generous mind; yet it by no means implies a necessary knowledge of mankind, for it is well known, that both in principle and practice, no two distinct things, stand in more diametric opposition to one another, than man and man. It is therefore but half of a good man's duty to act well himself; the other half consists in making those under his immediate controul act well also.
(pp. 46-7)