Local Society.
I. Human Incentives.
The two Stimuli of human action. - The egoistic instinct and the social instinct. - Motives for not weakening the social instinct. -Influence on society of the law it prescribes. - The clauses of a statute depend on the legislator who adopts or imposes them. -Conditions of a good statute. - It favors the social instinct. -Different for different societies. - Determined by the peculiar and permanent traits of the society it governs. - Capital defect of the statute under the new régime.
So long as a man takes an interest only in himself， in his own fortune， in his own advancement， in his own success， his interests are trivial： all that is， like himself， of little importance and of short duration. Alongside of the small boat which he steers so carefully there are thousands and millions of others of like it； none of them are worth much， and his own is not worth more. However well he may have provisioned and sailed it， it will always remain what it is， slight and fragile； in vain will he hoist his flags， decorate it， and shove ahead to get the first place； in three steps he has reached its length. However well he handles and maintains it， in a few years it leaks； sooner or later it crumbles and sinks， and with it goes all his effort. Is it reasonable to work so hard for this， and is so slight an object worth so great an effort？
Fortunately， man has， for a better placement of his effort， other aims， more vast and more substantial： a family， a commune， a church， a country， all the associations of which he is or becomes a member， all the collective undertakings in behalf of science， education， and charity， of local or general utility， most of them provided with legal statutes and organized as corporations or even as a legal entity. They are as well defined and protected as he is， but more precious and more viable： for they are of service to a large number of men and last for ever. Some， even， have a secular history， and their age predicts their longevity. In the countless fleet of boats which so constantly sink， and which are so constantly replaced by others， they last like top rated liners. The men from the flotilla now and then sign on these large vessels， and the result of their labor is not， as it is at home， futile or short-lived； it will remain above the surface after he and his boat have disappeared. It has entered into the common mass of work which owes its protection to its mass； undoubtedly the portion he contributes may be worked over again later on； but its substance remains， and often also its form：
* like a precept of Jesus， * like Archimedes' theoremwhich rests a definite acquisition， intact and permanently fixed for two thousand years， immortal from the first day. - Consequently， the individual may take an interest， no longer merely in his own boat， but again in some ship， in this or that particular one， in this or that association or community， according to his preferences and his aptitudes， according to attractiveness， proximity， and convenience of access， all of which is a new motivation for his activities， opposing his egoism， which， powerful as it may be， may still be overcome， since a soul might be very generous or qualified by long and special discipline. Out of this issues every sacrifice， the surrender of one's-self to one's work or to a cause，* the devotion of the sister of charity or of the missionary， * the abnegation of the scientist who buries himself for twenty years in the minutia of a thankless task， * the heroism of the explorer who risks himself on a desert or among savages， * the courage of the soldier who stakes his life in defense of his flag.
But these cases are rare； with the mass of men， and in most of their actions， personal interest prevails against common interest， while against the egoistic instinct the social instinct is feeble. Hence the danger of weakening this. The temptation of the individual to prefer his own boat to the large ship is only too great； if it is desirable for him to go aboard and work there， he must be provided with the facilities and motives which prompt him to go aboard and do the work；at the very least， he must not be deprived of them. Now， that depends on the State， a sort of central flag-ship， the only one that is armed， and which has all subordinate vessels under its guns； for， whatever the society may be， provincial or municipal， educational or charitable， religious or laic， it is the State which sanctions or adopts its statues， good or bad， and which， by its laws， tribunals， and police， insures their execution， whether rigidly or carelessly.
Therefore， on this point， it is responsible； it must adopt or impose the proper statute， the most suitable social form for strengthening the social instinct， for maintaining disinterested zeal， for the encouragement of voluntary and gratuitous labor.