PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

Agriculture, and Commrrcc. 44-5
..:re~5:ed five fold. The two principl~s, thercf3r~, upon
wh~ch population st-em.. primariiy to depen~, the
fcccndiry of the species, and the capaciry of the soil,
v.!t)uid in most~ perhaps in all countries.. enable Il to
procllcd much fartht:r thJD it b~ yet ad-lanced. The
':lUmber of marriageable women, ,,-ho, in each country,
r.:main unmarried, afford a CCm} .. llt3ticn how
Dluch the agency of natur~ In the diffusion of hutUm
lite !S cr~:!lped and contracted; and the quantit}~ of
U9:!,-!:", ~;et,lected, or mj~lnana~eJ s!lrface-together
\vith a cl"'mparison~ like the precedi!lg~ of the crops
rai -ed from th~ ~oi! in ihe neighbourhood of populous
c.ities, and under a J1erfect state of cuIli~ation, \vith
tho~e \\-IJich J~lnd$ ~~f eQual or superior ouali!\, vield
~ • J j-
in different situations-will ~hew in wbat proportion
the indigenous productions of the earth are capable of
being farther ~~gm~nred.
'1 he fundamental proposition upon the subject of
p'Jptllati(;n~ \\:hich JijU~1 f~ujdc every endeavc U,o to imprc\-e
it, ~!!d from \vhich e\~ery cO:lclusion !:~ncerning
it rna)' be deduced~ i·: thi~ : " \Yllerever the commerc~
bt:!,,~e~n the :\!o:xes j~ regulated by marriage, and
a pr(),'i~i;')]l for that Inode ct· ~-lih~;i5tenCe, (0 \vnich each
cl!!s~ of the C()iiiifIUI:!iV i:-: at-cu~t:_llr;~d4 can be procur.
, ~
ed \\~ith eCl~e and c\.-rt,tirl:V. there the number of the
.J ,.
pe(Jple \\~ilJ incrEase; anl1 tIle rapi{ilty ~ as well a~ the
extent of tIle intre;L c, \It"ill be 11ff)porticned to the
d ct;ree In · \\-,1JC 1 • I 1 t I "lese cau~e~ t·Xl~·t. · "
'this propo'ilion we will uraw oul into the severai
principlec; which it contains.
L Fir~t, tIle proposition a~:~crts the :, Tlecessity of
confining the intercourse of the sexes to the marriage
uni