Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-07-10
PERMANENT AND universal LAWS.

1t has been very justly remarked, that the
precepts of the law of Moses though ahat
code was designed for peculiar people un-
der peculiar circumstances, embody and set
forth those eternal and Interchangeable princi-
Piles of right and justice, upon which all good
laws and all sound morality must forever be
founded. We earnestly solicit careful atten-
ton to the following brief exposition of a
LAW, embodying an immutable principle,
and consequently as imperative upon us as
on any individuals or nations in past time.
"lf an o1 gore man or aeoman that
they die, then the or shall be stoned-Jut
the owner shaHJe quit. But # the or acere
mont to push acith his horn IN time past,
and 1T hath been testified to has oaoner, and
he hath not kept him in; but that he hath
killed man or aeoman, the o.c shall be
stoned, and has opner also shall be put to
death. h."-ExoDUs xxi. %, 20.
The principle of this law is all that we
are concerned with at present. And it is a
very plain one-and a very broad one
brought out here in specific case, but ex-
tending to ten thousand others.
It is this. Every man is responsible to
God for the evils which result from his self
ishness, or his indifference to the welfare of
others. This principle will help US to illus
trate the law.
off an OK gore man or woman, that
they die, then the OK shall surely be stoned,
but the owner of the OK shall be quit" The
design in stoning the OK, was to produce an
effect upon men-to show them how highly
the law-giver valued human life. The very
beast that destroyed it should be cast forth as
an abomination.
God says to Noah: "Your blood of your
lives will I require at the hand of every
beast will I require it, and at the hand of
man." A stigma shall be fixed upon man
or beast that shall destroy him who is made
after the similitude of God. But why is the
owner in this case quit, or guiltless? Sim
ply because the death is not in any way the
result of his carelessness, or of his selfish
ness From anything within his knowledge
he had no reason to expect such result
But if the OK hath been wont to push with
his horns, and he knew it, he shall be re-
sponsible for the consequences, whatever
they may be. For he had every reason to
expect that mischief would be done, and
took no measures to prevent it. And if the
OK kill man or woman, the owner hath
done the murder, he shall be put to death.
Why? The death was the result of the sell
fshness, or of his Indifference to the lives Of
others. And according to the law of God,
his life shall 60 for it. The principle of this
law, is principle of common sense.
You see fellow creature struggling in
the water. You know that he can never de-
liver himself. And you know that very
little assistance, such as you can render, will
rescue him from watery grave. You look
on and pass by. True, you did not thrust
him in. But he dies by your neglect. His
blood will be upon your head. At the bar
of God, and at the bar of conscience you
are his murderer. Why? You did not kill
him. Neither did the owner of the OK lift
a hand. But lie shall surely be pat to death.
You had no malice, neither had he. You
did not intend his death-at the very worst,
you did not care This is just his crime
He did not care. He turned loose wild
fiery, ill-tempered, ungovernable animal,
knowing him to be such: and what mischief
that animal might do, or what suffering he
might cause, lie did not care. But God held
him responsible.
Take another case upon the same princi-
pie. And it is concerning this which has
caused fear and trembling to most of U.S.
Your dog has gone mad. You hate to kill
him, for he has or had some good qualities.
You hate to tie him up, for it is too much
trouble: and you hate worst of all, to believe
that he is mad. 1t has been testified to you
that many have died of his bite, already raw
ing mad; and that many more in different
stages of the disease, are coming to the same
miserable death. But still you will neither
shoot nor shut up the cause of this wretchedr
ness. You affect to doubt whether any one
of them had the real hydrophobia, or wheth-
er the bite will produce the same effects
again: and SO you leave him loose among