Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-04-15
THE RIGHT TO TAKE LIFE,

i An article recently appeared in the
C0!,9ffg2tt2RoItst upon the question
whetherit may not be right in certain
circumstances and under suitable safe
guards to take The life of individuals
other than criminals convicted of capi-
tai crimes. This article has called out
several replies: some of which express a
| guarded and qualified approval, and
Others the strongest condemnation. The
startling proposition was defended in
this article, that ia cases of incurable
diseases, such as hydrophobia and abso-
lutte and incurable idiocy it is right to
relieve the sufferer by administering
some drug which would cause death.
! 1t is said that the subject is undergoing
discussion in Europe and that it has
| many advocates. But a sufficient an
.swer to the question may be found in
the mere fact that 1t is startling. 1t
violates the better feelings of mankind
| The moral argument, as it is called, is
found ia the harmony of any proposition
or theory with The better feelings that
are common TO the human race The
sentiment of justice is one of this class
Of feelings and il demands that crime
should receive adequate punishment.
The execution Of murderer, while it is
intensely shocking, does not violate this
sentiment of justice. But to say to
a parent whose child is believed TO
have passed h0pelessly under cloud of
idiocy, that 1t is right to kill 1t. or that
1t is right for a child to kill a father
who has became hopeiessly insane, or
that brother may fightfuly be killed /
Who.is afflicted with. painful and fatal
disease, violates every sentiment the
possession of which, distinguishes hui
man beings from savage animals. 1t
can be tolerated by no one who has any !,
veneration for that supreme gift which /
we call life Phe pagans who knew no I
between the animal and the +
Spiritual adopted this method of dispos- I
ing of those. who Gid not come up to
the standard of perfect animals. Tbs
Spartans killed their inperfeetiy fornie
,d cliiltiTen, iin order to breed "a. perfect
race: of men. The nlaterialists of the
present time are inclined tq, q,heheS+' n''
l,is, ,,,l, ,a,saeia. ts,tr ii can never be The
.reeei.of Christians. A brief but vigor.
BUS article in reply to this question from
.he pen of the Rev. DR. Stevens, of i
has been published in the
Vermont Chr0nicle. In this article it is
sand thai no one can tell that in the cases
supposed human existence would be re-
lieved Of suffering or society OF lncon-
Yenicnce by the adoption of this custom.
"Suffering IS a common lot of all IN this
world, In some form. The child, as /
soon as it begins to live, begins to suf- |
fer. May we expect that the time will |!
come when the parent will be allowed |
to prevent this suffering by infanttcide,
and children will be allowed to relieve.
their aged parents of the burdens of |
old age, and society of the sight of the
enfeebled old man, broken in mind, a bur
den to himself and his children, and
useless to the world
1.-THE heathen have done this for ages.
Mothers have taken the life of their
unfortunate daughters to save them
from the sufferings of the condition to
which they are born. And children
have relieved their parents of the suf-
ferings of old age, by ending their lives
by neglect or violence. Had the article
referred to been found over the sigma
ture of heather mother, we should
not have been surprised. ~.