The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-22

than when it appears in frantic persecution OF
the people for indulgences that are common
and for tastes that are as universal as the air
wherever man exists. For few hundreds or
thousands of persons to seat themselves In
judgment on people of forty millions and to
arrogate the right to say that certain things
shall or shall not be done as they fancy it
good or bad, is an extreme piece Of imperti-
nence, and, of course, can only pretend
justification under the elastic mantle OF the
moral law which pretence has covered all the
extravagant vagaries of human action, oil the
frenzies, fanaticsms and lunacies that have
plagued the world.
AS this country is politically republic,
ruled by the majority, and as, intellectually,
it is land in which intelligence determines
and doubtful subjects are never thought set
tied in anybody's favor until they have been
discussed, it is Of course, only on moral
grounds that the few pretend to judge Tor the
many, and the minimizing and ignorant to
solve in twinkling points as to which the
most deeply learned are altogether doubtful
but the absurdity of endeavoring to promote
a moral propaganda by acts that are quite out
OF the category of moral agencies is alone
sufficient to condemn the woman's movement
as folly Of the first order. But the MS
chievous incongruity goes deeper than this.
On moral grounds dozen condemn ten thou
sand, though the ten thousand do not assent
at all to the morality as the dozen view it. II,
because of this difference, the dozen were con-
tent to assume position of lofty superiority
and to Danish the ten thousand to the outer
seclusion OF their own bad company by them
selves retiring into miniature worlds that
they could govern according to their
fancies, as was done by the ascetics
and churchmen of old and as is
practised in our own time by tho
Shakers and people of that sort, no fault could
be found with them, and the world might
respect their devotion and honor their con-
victions. But instead of thus depriving bad
world Of their excellent company and leaving
the wicked to take alone the chances of an in
definite and lurid future, they come forth
with their dozen against ten thousand. and
pretend, by divine right Of their private
opinions, to reverse the judgment that the
laws and the general intelligence have given
against them. Their morality condemns the
law as the people have made it, SO away
with the law. Their morality is against the
intelligence of the whole community, and the
intelligence, therefore, must be renowned. 1t
does not matter that your cakes please your
palate, which you fancy it is well to please
sometimes, nor that you do not feel alto
gether happy without your ale; you must
have neither, because bakers dozen of pretty
little moral DULLES, led on by canting sense
ton parsons, all Of whom are virtuous, have
pronounced against the said 'cakes and ale."
One Of the clearest of American thinkers
used to maintain that the world had been too
hard on the poor old doctors who had no faith
in Columbus and objected to Calico, ''be-
cause" he said, ''you must absolutely compel
the new men to prove their new notions, and
you may even put penalty on the propaga-
ton of new notions that prove nonsensical
There must be an ordeal Good ideas will
survive, nonsense only will perish, and crack
Drained people will be prevented from turning
the world into bedlam of their fancies"
But the world has been made thoroughly free.
There is no Inquisition; there is even as little |
as possible restraint on the score of good taste |
and common sense; and i'll the temperance
frenzy We see the tendency of the result 1t
ravels out toward individualism. There is no
social power to restrain extravaganza. Every
little Dorcas Circle, under the inspiration of
its private Stiggins, creates the world anew
for itself morally and otherwise, and marches
out to compel assent by prayers.
They must be wonderfully good, then, these
women and men who are better than all the
world beside-whose virtue is such that it
cannot longer tolerate what has been tolerated
and practised in every land in every age and
by all men and women, and what the law
permits Yet their platform of moral regen-
Grafton is simple enough. They want to do
right and TO compel others to do right. So
far they are like every one else, and most
men will agree with them, save that
under our government people may fairly
claim that they have the right to do
wrong ii they want to on all those scarcely
Vulnerable points not covered by the law.
But, in fact, nearly everybody wants to do
right, and has wanted to always. Only, what
is right? On this point they differ, of course,
for the bowling dervises OF temperance arise
to define the right on the subject of beverages.
Man, they say, may take water and milk,
and probably cider, though, of course, they
must specify the age of the latter fluid; and
he may flavor the water with Coffee peas,
BEANS taraxacine, chiccory, tea sassafras or
other herbs and sugar. Beyond this there is
no safety. He has not restraint enough to be
trusted with wine or distilled spirits or malt
hquors-or, at least ten in twenty thousand
have not, wherefore oil the others must be re-
stricted on account of the ten; for whiskey,