Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-03-11

imagination:
Ye brood of conscien'c sceptres tina, frequent
The bad mans restless walc aud haunt his bed,
friends in your aspect, yet beneiicent
In act, as lowering angels when they spread
Their wings TO guard the unconscious innocent
Slow he the statutes Of the land to share
A laxty that could not but impair
Your power TO punt h crime, and so prevent.
And yc beliefs! ceied serpenlike about
The adage on all tongues Mtrder pW out,
How hall your ancient warnings work tor good
In tho full might they hitherto have shown,
II for deliberate shedder of IN ms lOod
Survive not Judgment that requires his own7
With the seventh, Mr.. Wordsworth COM
mencas the consideration Of tho subject in
reference to religious views. That has al
ways appeared to us To be far from reli
gious view, though commonly advanced an
der the name of religion, which rslfe.s 10
what is called 'cutting of IA n."'' ]" nus SINS,
on the ground that it is takiig INTO me hahos
of man issues which p.c 1T to be lett in the
hands of God. and which it belongs to God
alone to dispos.; as IL man and mans hands,
and ,,l rho ISSUES that come ont of mans
hands. zero not equally in the disposal of
Co.'S providence, and as il man were not
ordained by that providence to be the min
lister Of Gods justice upon earth. The only
really religious view Of the subject in our
minds, is that which recognizes the rcspon-
sibilties of man ~ respect of all the agen-
cies and issues whicl, human judgment can
reach, and teaches that man must, as he
would answer before God, do all that in him
lies to prevent crime, and exercise the best
of his human jndgm"n, to discover wherein
that all consists, being assured that, in doing
his best to prevent crime upon earth, he is
doing the par, which belongs to him in re-
gard TO issues bevond the grave. II is mani
lest that the sudden death of sinners enters
into the dispensations of providence; and
whenever it appears to be good for mankind,
according 10 the arrangements of providence,
that such death should he inflicted by human
instruction, it is as false humility, as il is
"a false humanity and a false pirty, for man
10 refuse to be the instrument.
But when this argument is extended to the
abolition Of the punishment by death even
for murder, it appears to us to he still more
imperfect. Those by whom it is used con-
s'der it as overriding all other questions, and
the inquiry whether the punishment is or is
not ef1icacous for tho prevention the crime,
is one which they will not entertain, because
that, they say, isa question Of mere human
eXprdiencv, whereas the other is point of
religious obligation. Yet they admit that
the religious obligation turns upon sinner
being cut of in his sins. Now, assuming
that we are all sinners, and assuming alsn
the efficiency of the punishment for preven-
iion, say to the extent of preventing onc-hall
of the murders winch would be committed
without tit follows that the State, bv
sparing to cut off A who murdered B, would
be the occasion Of e numbering D, and T.
numbering f; that is, of two persons being
cut of in their sins by the hand of the muir.
drrcr. instead Of one ty the hand of the OK
rcn'lonrr. This is an issue which human
Judgment can distinctly reach and take ac-
count of, and in respect of which, therefore,
God has devoyed upon man responsible
agency.
The religious view of tho subject is thu.
introduced:
BEFORE tho wnrld had pass her time Of youth,
While Poli,y md disc pine were weak,
The pryccpt, Ely: for eye, and toott for TOOTH
| came FORTH, linht, tho bu, as # dav-b,,ak
ST-nl as ould then he borne. A Muster meek,
| p D crhel the spirit ios,ered Y that rule,
Patience his law, long-su lorine his school,
| Nn1 Love INC enl, winch ali thrO peace must sce,
| But amen'nhly do they err VIII" strain
His mandates, given rash impulse TO control,
| And keep vndicilve thirs'ln from The SOUL
So Tar that, II consistent in their scheme,
| They must forbid The Stat" To infl.ct pain
Making of social order dream
In the eighth sonnet, Mr.. Wordswor,
di>avuws the Notwithstanding f4llacinus
ly employed on his own side of the question
which would strive to measure out the pun
ishmrnts awarded by the law in proportion
TO the degrees of moral iurpitudc. Legisla
tive enacinemcn,s can be hut rough and 90
neral, either in their ahmrasurrn,rnis or j
their definitions, and the jurisdiction wllic
they CRATE must be limited to suhject-ma,tc
for which it is in their power TO rrovid
means of adequate inquiry and Adjudication
that is, for crime, rs d distinguished both frni
guilt and from sin. THIS limitation is ad
r m,,cd by Mr.. Wordsworth; but a, the sam
time he does not allow that prevention ,
crime is the sole end of punishs,rnt. O
the contrary, no considers the State Il
representing, guiding, and supporting I'll
:, moral sense Of the community, and onl
= ahstaning from giving effect to that sense b
penal law, in so far as it may labor under a
incapacity for doing so:
VIII.
Fit retrhu'ion y the moral code.
Determined lie beyond The STAT . embrace:
Yet, As shr may 70 ch pc ulilc,e,
5 re plants well N, asaiel terror ~ I ie road
Of wrongful acts. Downward il is and broad,
An the main fear once doomed to banishm nt
Fa oitcner III n, had ushpring worse event,
Blood would he split that in his dark abode
Crime might lie better hid. And should the change
Take from the horror e TO fou' deed
| Pu~~mi and 'vldt nee 81 far must tail,
| lrd Guilt escaping, Passion then might plead
IN angry spirits for her old free range
And the "wild justice of Revenge" prevail
Though TO give timely warning and deter
Is one great aim Of penalty, extend
Thy mental vision farther, I'D ascend
Far higher, else full surely shalt thou err.
What is n Slntel The wise bold in her
creature born of Time, tina, keeps one eye
Fixed On the statutes Of ETERNITY
To which her lui emcnts reverenlly defer
Sparkling thr ugh LAWS di,p'ssi rate voice the 81
lndues her conscience W IN externa life
And heing-io preclude or qle the strife
OF individual viii, to elevate
The grpvrllng mind, the erring n recall
And iorlify the moral sense of ALL
IN In tho tenth, tho religious view 10
r sumed: