This book by Thomas Sawyer Spivey  wasn’t easy to stay with. Once you get passed what seems to be an insane and grotesque world, Spivey gets to the meat of the story by showing us that the Seven Sons of Ballyhack is really just a representation of the seven continents, with seven sons leading each one into certain plunder. In this world, nothing looks exactly like our earth, but everyone acts just like some of the people here, and the unfolding of certain systems is dissected cleverly by Spivey.
When Satan steps in and begins to speak, it immediately draws you in and adds flavor to an increasingly engaging book. After visiting Ballyhack to see what is going on, Satan decides that he will, show “eternal sympathy” to the inhabitants of Ballyhack.
“I am very sad,” Satan begins to speak. “I have been starting new colonies in my realm with people sent there from this country. I thought because they had been convicted under your criminal laws it was right that they should receive the time-honored punishment. I have found out my mistake. They are deserving of eternal sympathy. I shall return at once, apologize, and introduce into my realm all the comforts of home.”
“…Why, practically all your crimes here are committed either in self-defense or in a fit of irresponsible insanity. The human mind as well as the human body has limits to its endurance. A man may be physically as fat as an ox, yet be a mental cadaver. You are starving the mentality and common sense out of your people, by working them to death physically. Your system is driving your thinking people insane and your ignorant masses, who do not understand, into an unspeakable state of crime.”
“…What you call liberty is license. There is a vast difference between liberty and license. Liberty means to speak and act by the dictates of one’s own will, while a license gives one the right to speak and act by the will of someone else. License means to purchase the right to violate the law. If there were no law to prevent free action, there would be no need of license.”
“…I will say this, however, the time has passed when these questions may be openly discussed. I have seen good men in Congress almost choke to death because the rules gag a man on every subject until it is the pleasure of the powers that be to allow him that God-given privilege–the power of free speech. If a man cannot give vent to his views in Congress, where your laws are made, how could the people expect to enjoy free speech at all? If this be your boasted civilization, deliver me from it. Hell is much better. I would rather be primitive and happy than live in this constant state of mental and physical turmoil, without aim or purpose beyond bread and salt. You have deprived your laboring masses of all the essential harmonies of life.”
“…I have never found it to fail; a man who is profiting by a system, no matter whether it is honorable or not, will defend it.”
And so spoke Satan in Spivey’s Seven Sons of Ballyhack.
This final thought by the King of Arak is rather profound:
“My travels have shown me that the world is composed of two classes–those who produce and have a bare living, without time for self-culture, and those who produce not and live in extravagant luxury by the false pretense of rendering some romantic professional service which lifts them above the laboring class…”
In the end, the sons realize their weaknesses and Druble, one of the sons of Ballyhack, draws up a “code of instructions” that consists of “Essentials To National Government.” Â It is a list of 20 items that speak to what makes a stable and long lasting government. I would amend two of them, but for the most part, for those who believe government is essential, the list is well done.
I do not believe government is essential. But regardless, the point made in this book can allow for a system under government to be better managed by the PEOPLE. Not by men who have wrested power from the people.
Very interesting read for a 1911 publication.
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