Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-04-07
&eadiuq fur the Sabbath,
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
TWO VIEWS OF THREE LADIES on THE
LAW OF LOVE.

TWO VIEWS OF THREE LADIES on THI
LAW OF LOVE.
A few weeks ago had occasion to speal
of the summary punishment inflicted upor
small boy who attempted to rob me Of my
watch in the street. Having cane of suita
BILE size in my hand, l did unto him wha
to me seemed right. Many men, of many
minds, have expressed their opinions very
freely on the propriety Of such administration
of justice. Among other letters, have two
from ladies. 4 will copy passage from each
and then talk with you and the writers. Ont
lady writes:
II was never so much surprised in my life
as when read, in your own letter, that you
chastised boy in the street who tried to stea
your watch. | thought you were good man
and loved all men, especially little boys and
it would have been like what took you tc
be, if you had taken the boy home with you
and given him good supper. and sent him
away with some money for his mother. But
to whip him was so cruel, so hard hearted
that | am sick to hear of it. | am 80 sorry
for that poor child" And so on.
The next day the mail brought me letter
of quite another sort and if had been hum
bled by the reproof of the gentle lady whose
good graces had lost, it was balm for my
wounds to have the oil of kindness rubbed in
50 pleasantly by the hand of fair correspon
dent, who is pleased to write:
"You are man after my own heart. You
never wrote anything that pleased me &C
much as the account you gave of Furnishing
that young robber. Men, as well as women
are nowadays 50 much given to what they
call love, that the idea of doing right seems tc
he pretty much lost sight Of But what
took my pen n hand for was not so much tc
say what have said, as to ask favor. You
will think it curious taste for woman tc
indulge, but have been making collection
of canes canes that have a history, canes
carried by distinguished men, or that have
been brought from famous places: and now
feel as if my collection will not be complete
unless you send me that cane of yours, which
was so we'll employed, ETC., etc.
"P. S.-Please let me have that cane.
will send you another just as good. But
want that one."
In the same line with that of the first Of
the two letters given above, is third on an
other subject but as it includes the same
principle, will give you few lines of it. A
lady writes:
"What you say of the wrongfulness of g
law that releases poor debtor from the duty
of paying his debt, seems to me hard and un
merciful. When man has given up all he
has, why should he be required to do any
more? You seem to have no feeling for any
one but the creditor, who is, perhaps, a rich
man and does not need any more; while the
debtor is poor and needs all he can get tc
support himself and family. Do you call il
Christian to require poor man to pay what
he owes to. rich man ?" ETC., etc.
These three letters are fair examples of the
two sets of opinions prevailing among women
and men of the present day. The lady No
expresses my mind, and would send her
that cane with great pleasure if it were mine
But it is not, and the owner is not within
reach. I have a cane from the top of Car
! mel and one from the banks Of the Nile, and
another from Mount Vernon, and | would
gladly send her cane because she thinks as
do But she wants that one, and it is not
mine to give away. She is sensible woman
All people are supposed to be sensible who
think as we do.
But ladies No. and No. 3 have fallen
away from the truth as they learned it in the
Bible and Catechsm when they were children
they have come to believe that such virtues
US right and duty and justice are obsolete
IF their ideas were adopted universally, there
would be no laws or penalties, no government
no order, no safety, but every man would dc
what seemeth right in his own eyes.
Love is the fulfilling of the law. But is
it love that suffers a child to play with fire
because it wants to? Or to have its own way
when an older and wiser person knows it to
he a bad way2 Which is the most like lOue
to train up a child in the way he should 60
or to let him 60 as he likes to train? We are
now considering the principle by which the
family and society and the State should be
governed. And I ask you, dear lady friends
No. l. and No. 3, whether it be better to have
them regulated by this sentiment which you
call love, or by that higher love by which
God (who is love itself) rules, and who has
said that He will render to every man &C.
cordng to his deeds?
Because it comes hard for poor man to
pay his debts, and it is very easy for a rich
man to 60 without getting his dues, this sen.
tmental school of nloralists teach that laws
ought not to be made to require the poor man
to stick to his promise and keep faith with
his creditor. Because it is very hard to put
man to death for murder, there are scores
of weak women and weaker men who will deck
murderer's cell with roses and pray the
Governor to let the wretch 60 unhung.
Society is debauched with this miserable
sham which is called philanthropy, but there
is not drop of love in an ocean of such
stuff. 1t is cruelty in the extreme Love
considers the consequences; takes in the whole
of humanity, and asks what would be the
effect on the whole, if the course were the
same in the case of all thieves and murder
ers and bad boys Would it be well to have
it understood that no poor man is in duty
bound to pay debt? That each murderer
shall be petted by six pretty women and par.
doned without fail? That every young thief
in the city shall be rewarded by good sup
per and a dollar, and sent home rejoicing
Is there anything in the Bible like that ?
There are private injuries which we love to
forgive. Even our enemies we are bound to
love and a good man would not hurt his en-
emy if he could. And Goals of fire on his head
may be kindness. But that is not the rule
for the government of the family or the State.
To do right is the law of Goo, and whatsoever
is more or less than right, is wrong. In the
government of God in heaven and earth, every
one is expected to do his DUTY. And that is
the highest requirement of the moral law.