New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-06
4 FIRM STAND FoR THE RIGHT
Prom me London Spectr,or.

From The London Spectator.
To attempt 10 stand nrUtial IN the Dat tie OF good
and EVIL u.s. fact 10 carry over our forces to the
eucmy's side. And hence Il seems 10 us that even
faulty life which refuses 10 stand an indifferent
spectator in the battle, but gives an open, even Il
an Inconsistent, allegiance to the side of right,
stand, morally higher than one which, otherwise
comparatively blancle~s has withheld this open
loyalty, aud the protest against EVIL winch Is ITS
shallow. II Is no reiutItOu OF such a view that
TINS duty l. difficult Ia discern, well rs To put IN
practice The larger hall of duty - so likewise.
The stress oi moral progress lies quite rs much IN
discovering a. IN following, the path toward the
right.
oil what We approve than uy the light OF what we
condemn. aud W. viii cndcav"r 10 enforce the Obl-
CATION of Cru,urc by referring TO an instance IN
which everyone will feel II 10 have been the per-
lormanee ol duty. ~ public meeting he'd at
Norwich. the Bishop OF that see rose. his son tells
H., 20 answer proposal that some influential place
should be- ASST urd 10 person mere present wac
must. of course, have been person OF position, 10
dcuouurc he character OF this person IN uuauhigu-
GUS terms No man could have ltss sympathy with
anything harsh than Arthur Stanley, yet his
4" Lie of his FL her contains few passages IN
winch ms admiration Is more evident than TINS
aurcGot", gwen lh T'Iul'tl3h 9i MISS Mlillu'tus
must unjust attack upon the Bishop Tor timidily.
Everyone, whether Ice would or would not have
initiated such conduct must surely icci It~ uobllty,
taxing for granted, what We thluk uuurnlablc
under the circumstances narrated that ~ was just.
II :, not small exercise ol courage IN clerk or lay
man. a mere NEGATIVE exhibition ui dIsapproYhl IN
I
uncommon. but the fearless expression OF such a
feeling .aro to face with the person VINO "Ouid
suppose himself aggreyed by II. hardly ever mas
place except under the influence OF exactly those
nr,punl trrngs whicl ought to rcpreSs such utter
auce And il 1t Is objected that conduct which IS
admirable III teacher IN nigh position IN the
Church ~ not that which Insignificant persons,
making no prctcuce 10 the character OF. teachers,
would do well To initiate. We would answer that
TIN, spirit could be shown hy men at position aud
authority only on the condition that 1t had been
lrt by hem long before there was any opportunity
Of showing u. The moment Tor acting on such
principles would never arrive, II the Importance 0i
these principles were not accepted before ihrN coma
br nut lu practice. TIE opportunity Tor protest
would never occur, If u were also the occasion oil
Jud gm.ut.
tory IN characters so large that the warning escapes
our notice, from the ma yuItu.c of ~ scdc. ma
ton persncd the beginning ol our era because II
bad lot the power OF Indignation. u was pulNerizrh
hy lis submission To individuals, AMI thus lost the
cohesion needed 10 Withstand the shock u ADVERSE
races. The want OF resistance tosome oi the Roman
LmpcrUrs seems To MS one oi Inc great PIoolcIS Oh
history. No one who Ia, ~tudlcl that era can nave
failed To ash himself Why were some oil These
tyraut~ allowed To pOllNtc the caith loT u single
dayg The two THUGS which have formed the
ordinary support of tyranny traditIoual pir,ilso
aud great genius-wctc con~plouon'ly absent III
the worst tyrlnts the cIvilzcd world mas ever
known. BOnupare had a. much OF a pedigree ana
the Buurbuus rs much genus - most OF the I'm
prror, outside the Julian hnc Their deNPotism
was brittle rs u was odnuS NtNtIIheIrSH, u
MAS rUdutIug-naiuly. as we believe, because the
Romans of that age hal ceased To condemn cVli.
They had not by amy means ceased TO admin, COOL
puc thCu alive were among the hrNt men VINO ever
I,rd, hut their guudnc,, was ust ~ hurIul "a tht
wckrncss of their urIghuur,. The Sioic .holhUy
perhaps, also 10 some ,Ntcat ia" early IhTlNtIil
moIalIty-tO,tcrcd a purely individual S'h'' Oh
rigntncs,, from which mo- vigorous rr'l''ll'o c'u
ever sp'iug. ,.,..
This trnurucy To indicate the responsibilities OF
true evil bond seems 10 , one OF tue characteristic
danger, ol our time. II must obviously always ne
TIA danger "l % ueWo'racN' LOT 'hc u"iN'l22 VI ''S
q ham Z.
IIaaird through the ml4ts when form the new
table medium of observation for the many ana 'o
love ui liberty rs 1t appears lo ail "u s"p' .rn -
iHtlatluguBhablc nom the lulrrAi'oh vi "'"uE'
But there N less obvious aud less uhuut'llohdplo
rra,un wiz democratic society NienptrHl 10 lower
it, common standard. |. Is u greater gam 10 VIC
human ideal than wc are az TO suppose, Wheh tue
universal huma. claim is enforced hy some hU'Clal
prtscrpIivc claim which give, IT denniIenrss' ne
dutlc, Of landlord aud tenant Tor IN lance 9s Inef
aIe sanctioned Uy common rccOlcCtlOhs anu lduI-
tiOnS, may not appear more important lhah thosc
common duties of Justice and KINDNESS "hICn po
long To all human relations; yet. II all De stIPPe3
away but these human claims, they Will be louud
tar more difficult &, estimate. and any brSaen WIZ
brcome FAR less evident. soCirly hluo W vi
equals lacks momentum Tor mutual Judgment NJ
u no raised platform Tor examples, no clclosuIo
within which such Judgment ~ comparatively easy;
and from whcl II may, therefore, lah' HH SUM- -
conduct unworthy Oi a gentleman l"S'S 10 mo' ~,
ing, conduct unworthy of man ~ hol 50 Ioau'lS
slammed with social dlsapprOyal Ana lhch' lupi
the tact that such d,anproIaI ha' toat ~ ,
enforcement, however foolish and hurtlul t.t uldy
have been IL a step in the Same direction no Olo
will regret the mlscalicd law OF honor Dut WIN
a it's Disadvantages, tt did Keep up me lllPlessIun
of n corpor1tr conscience and lt- loss renders moro
urgent general recognition of the principle that II
society Is to be an organic whole every ncmOero "
must bG careful To give elect ItO that oApi'N'o" W
dIsplrasure which forms the sole sanction OIL us
common code. And If ever that lndOlent ana COW
aTdy spirit, which is the temptation OF ueuoc-
ncy, shall counterfeit this stern claim thSn atlG
well rs much to all that is heroic rs to all that Is
sanity! Farewell to every cminence aOove t .i
decent le%cl Of bamclessncss when our muSu'i
sclhshDess as much accepts as imposes.