JACKBALLISTER’SFORTUNES
WE，ofthesetimes，protectedaswearebythelawsandbythenumberofpeopleaboutus，canhardlycomprehendsuchalifeasthatoftheAmericancoloniesintheearlypartoftheeighteenthcentury，whenitwaspossibleforapiratelikeCapt。Teach，knownasBlackbeard，toexist，andforthegovernorandthesecretaryoftheprovinceinwhichhelivedperhapstosharehisplunder，andtoshelterandtoprotecthimagainstthelaw。
AtthattimetheAmericancolonistswereingeneralarough，ruggedpeople，knowingnothingofthefinerthingsoflife。Theylivedmostlyinlittlesettlements，separatedbylongdistancesfromoneanother，sothattheycouldneithermakenorenforcelawstoprotectthemselves。Eachmanorlittlegroupofmenhadtodependuponhisortheirownstrengthtokeepwhatbelongedtothem，andtopreventfiercemenorgroupsofmenfromseizingwhatdidnotbelongtothem。
Itisthenaturaldispositionofeveryonetogetallthathecan。
Littlechildren，forinstance，alwaystrytotakeawayfromothersthatwhichtheywant，andtokeepitfortheirown。Itisonlybyconstantteachingthattheylearnthattheymustnotdoso；thattheymustnottakebyforcewhatdoesnotbelongtothem。Soitisonlybyteachingandtrainingthatpeoplelearntobehonestandnottotakewhatisnottheirs。Whenthisteachingisnotsufficienttomakeamanlearntobehonest，orwhenthereissomethingintheman’snaturethatmakeshimnotabletolearn，thenheonlylackstheopportunitytoseizeuponthethingshewants，justashewoulddoifhewerealittlechild。