Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-09-18

William Curtis Esq, of New York City, tn
subject of which was The Nature, nut,
and Responsibilities Of Patriotism The
discourse was a noble one, worthy of it,
noble theme. The concluding part was a
follows
The ultimate object Of government i not
the regulation of trade and the prevention
Of crime, but the development of the race
\ good government is not symbolz'd bv a
system of police. hut by n process of nature
and he is not the best citizen who informs
when laws have been broken, but he who
interests himself that only such laws arc
made as ought to be obcyed. And your
duty as patriots is to understand, and
clearly, that, by all it's nnteccdents, your
conntry is c0nsccratcd to the cause of Free
dom: that it was discovered when the great
principle Of Human Liberty was about to
be organized into human institutions; that
it separated politically from Its mother
country because that principle had been
assailcd, and that it began its peculiar
existence by formally declaring its faith in
Human Freedom and Equality; aud there-
fore. that whatever in its government or
policy tends to limit nr destroy chat lrool' m
.ui qualify is Hu'i-imcn"an onl uupitri-
o'ir, because America aud Liberty are
ins'prrahle ideas.
Doubtless, in every civilized and intel.
lgent society there is no need Of saying
that the public laws must be obeyed. But
the rule is subjected to a very grave excep-
tion. The name of law has always been
the glove muflad in which the hand of
tyranny has taken liberty by the throat.
You have no right to sophisticate your
L. Y . 20 hot 1n,t
is, under all circumstances, to be obeyed :
you would be poor children of seven years
armed dlsobedience to laws if you believed
that. \ civilized and intelligent society
obevs the law. When the law begins to
| grind, that community changes it if it
makes its own laws, or protests il it does
not. ! protest is Of no avail, and the law
/ still grinds, the community changes the
/ lawmakers, at whatever cost of time, and
money, and blood
! You have heard it n thousand times. It
is fourth Of July oration. Bnt we must
/ 20 one step further, to the issue of which
so far as we can see, the whole future Of
the race depends In the world upon
which you are entering, you will be told
that with us all excuse for disohedionce j.
removed because we can 50 easily and often
change the laws; that if Charles | had
really summoned the whole people of Eng
land to parliament. and had executed
their will, Cromwell and Ilampden would
/ have had reason: that if the American
colonies had been fairly represented,
Washington would have been mere rebel.
But. gentlemen, amid the ilrson Of cor
rupt politics. and the shivering sophistries
Of timidity ard Indifference and ease, which
blow upon every generation Of young
uu fI' 40, ti,,t, Sir,pcp Il l,tys nvpr
spriugng grain, remember steadily what
laws are Of two kinds-those which concern
us as citzens. and those which effect us AS
men. We are born men, with certain in
despcnslhle moral duties, whether our birth
chance in China or New England and We
are born citizens, with certain obligations
to the law If therefore the laws Of the
land, enacted by the majority OF the people
declares that you must pay II heavy tax
that Il railroad may pierce your garden
that a duty may be leyed upon the
goods you import-howeve injurious the et
feet may be, you can have no right to resist
/ forciably, because the Consequences of
rorcahlc resistance would be universal
confusion and injury, and because, if it be
/ found to be grievance by the majority,
/ they Will presently put it right, and mean
while, your pecuniary loss is your share Of
the compromise for the general security
/ These are laws that concern us only as
citizens in our relation to the State In
/ themselves, they have no moral character or
importance.
But # the law of the land enacted by the
majority declares that you must murder your
child under two years Of age, or prostitute
yeur daughter, or deny "A cup of water to
the thirsty, or return to savage Indians
an innocent captive, flying for his life
whom they have stolen from his country
and ensldyed for their own gain, under the
name of ciyilizing HIM, you have no right
to obey, because such laws nullify them
selves, being repulsive to the holiest hu-
man instincts, and obedience to them
would produce a more disastrous pubic
generalization than any possible revolution
could breed. To authorize an untruth by o
federation of State said the Cobhler Of Aga
wan, one of the stern old Puritans, two
hundred and seventy years ago, lis to build
Il sconce against the walls of heaven, to
batter God out Of his chair Such laws
God and man require you to disobey, for
upon the people who, under and pretence,
could weld to them, there is no tyranny SO
terrible that it might not be i'm posed.
Win you obey, under the plea that it is
AN' "''N '''''N } '' '~'N 49, 49, ,lNNh
the law, but must try and alter it by and
by BY and by but God Is "od to-day
and to-day child Is born to you he is un-
der two years oll' to-day the thirsty wretch
falls parched and painting at your feet; To-
day the captIye from those Indians red as
murder crouches on your hearthstone, and
the law is knocking at your door give me
that child, give me that thirsty wretch,
give me that frightened fugitive am the
law YES, and uod IS knocking at your
heart, Nv hoseVer doeth lt unto the least OF
these, my hretheren' doeth 1t unto me
IT we heheve that our country embodlcs
any principle, that 1t Is ,peopIed Tor ano-
ther purpose thah the carry spanlards peo
pied 1t, and that as moral agents and self
respecting men, we have something to dc
in America besides turning the alr and wa
ter and earth into wealth we shall need t.
cling to no principle so strongly as this
that no possible law can bind us to do
morGl wrong All other inconvenience
ana disadvantages we may suner ior tn