Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-05-09

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6etter than ourselves, we are requires to
love him. as ourselves and therefore, in
the supposed case, it would still be gHes-
tlon equally balanced which life ought to
De sacrificed; for it is quite clear that if we
Kill tie assailant, we love him less than
ourselves, which does seem to initiate a.
gainst a duty of charity. But the tru;h is,
that he who, from motives OF obedience TO
the will of God, spares the aggressor's
life even to the endangering his own, does
exercise love both to the aggressor and to
himself, perfectly Ito the aggressor, be-
cause by sparing his life we give him The
opportunity ofrepentance and amendment:
TO himself because every act of obetsf-
ence to God is perfect beneVolence towards
ourselves; 1t is consulting and promoting
our most valuable interests; its propitia.-
ing the favor of Him who is emphaticalsF
" a rich rewarder." So that the question
remains as before, not WHITTIER we shouIa
love orr enemy better than ourselves, but
whether Christian principles are acted u}i-
on in destroying him; and if they are nc,
whether we should prefer Christianity Is
ourselves; whether we should be wilfinp
to lose our life for Christ's sake and the
gospels 49, r. IS s-....-..... ..r..4
Perhaps it will be said. that we should
exercise benevolenccto the public as well
as to the offender. and that we may eyer
else more beneyolence to them by killing
than by sparing him. But very few per-
sons, when they kill man who attacks
them, Kill him out of benevolence to the
public. That is not the motive which IN
luences their, conduct, or whichthey at all
take into the account. Besides, it is by 10
means certain that the public would lose a.
ny thing by the forbearance. To be sure,
man can do no more mischief after he Is
killed; but then it is to be remembered,
that robbers are more desperate and more
murderous from the apprehension OF
swords and pistols than they would be
without it. Men are desperate in proper
ton to their apprehensions OF Danger
The plunderer, who feels confidence that
his own life will not be taken, may conduct,
his plumber with comparative gentleness;
! while he who knows that his life is in inn
mediate jeopardy stuns or murders his
victim lest he should be killed himself
The great evil which a family sustains by
a robbery. is often not the loss, but the ter
roT and danger: and these are the evils
which, by the exercise of forbearaEcss
would be diminished. So that If some bad
! iaer ere prevented from committing rob-
berries by the fear Of death, the public
gains in other ways by the forbearance.
nor is it bv any means certain that the bal
4 ance of dvantages is in favor of the more
i violent course. The argument which VIC
are opposing proceeds on the supposition
that our own lives are endangered Now
it is fact that this very danger results, in
part, from the want of habits of forbear-
Eance. We publicly profess that we would
kill an assaiIant; and the assailant, know
ing this, prepares to kill US, when other
wise he would forbsaf
4 And, after all, fit were GRAINED ct a
person is at liberty to take an a "a s.
life, an order to preserce his 0aoa. l.5N is
he to know. in the majority of instances,
whether his own would betaken2 When
4 man breaks INTO pefson9 house. and
this person, as soon as he comes up with
! the robbef. takes out pistol and shoots
him, we are not to be told that this man
, was killed Gin defence of life" Or, 60 a
step further, and step further still, by
; which the intention Of the robber to com
:, nit personal violence or inffict death is
more and more probable; you must at last
{ shoot him in uncertainty, whether your life
} was endangered or not. Besides, you can
withdraw,-you can fly. None but the
predetermined murderer aoisheS to commit
murder, Bot, perhaps, you exclaim, "Fly !!
: Fly, and leave your property unprotect-
edf' Yes,-unless you mean to say that
preservation of property, as we'll as preser-
vation of life, makes it lawful to kill an of
fender. This were to adopt new & very
4 different proposition; but proposition
: which | suspect cannot be separated in
! practice from the former. He who affirms
/ that he NAV kill another in order TO pre-
serve his life, and that he may endange
) his life in order to protect his property,
5 does, in reality, affirm that he may kill an
: other in order to preserve his property
J But such proposition, in an uncondition-
! al form, no one surely will tolerate The
laws Of the lard do not admit it. nor do they
r even admit the right of taking another's
: life simply because he is attempting to
take ours They require that we should
! be tender even ofthe murderer's life, and
that weshould fly rather than destroy il. t
, Wesay that the proposition that we may
: take life in order to preserve our property
z lis intolerable. To preserve how much !?
. Eve hundred pounds, or fifty, or ten, or
:: smiling. or a sixpence2 1t has actually
) been declared that the rights Of self-defence
Justify man in taking all forcible meth-
e DDS which are necessary in order to pro-
e cure the restitution of the freedom or the
property of which be had been unjustly
4 Il IL