Complete. “The Spirit of Laws,” Book IV., Chap. v.

IT is in a republican government that the whole power of education is required. The fear of despotic governments naturally arises of itself amidst threats and punishments; the honor of monarchies is favored by the passions, and favors them in its turn; but virtue is a self-renunciation, which is ever arduous and painful.

  This virtue may be defined, the love of the laws and of our country. As such love requires a constant preference of public to private interest, it is the source of all private virtues; for they are nothing more than this very preference itself.

  This love is peculiar to democracies. In these alone the government is intrusted to private citizens. Now government is like everything else; to preserve it, we must love it.

  Has it ever been heard that kings were not fond of monarchy, or that despotic princes hated arbitrary power?

  Everything therefore depends on establishing this love in a republic; and to inspire it ought to be the principle of education: but the surest way of instilling it into children is, for parents to set them an example. People have it generally in their power to communicate their ideas to their children; but they are still better able to transfuse their passions.

  If it happens otherwise, it is because the impressions made at home are effaced by those they have received abroad.

  It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of maturer age are already sunk into corruption.