The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-06

teCt freedom can he p010Yeu only hV RainU
of.PerfectWisdom. knowing all the conditionss
and possibilities and results of action. and
therefore acting only in the best possihle
manner, The nearest approach on earth IN
such perfect freedom is that state of society
and that stats If the individual in which oy
tifcial hindrances are removed, and in which
the individual has attained the most perfect
knowledge of the conditions possibilities and
results of his actions. so that he acts ALWAYS
in the best manner possible for him under
the circumstances Man is. of course limitad
in his Knowledge and in his faculties and he
must recognize those limitations and be pnid-
ed by them. if he wouId maintain the hiShast
freedom. Fake MS an illustration the ca1ta;n
of river steamer. His vessel is puf nnder
his command. hnt if is a boat of a defnita
size. definite draft. and furnished with an
engine of definite power. If now he rms
her in waters too shallow for her draft fbe
eddying currents of her wheel. rebonndinS
from the shoals below. make her the snort o3
their tyrannic power If. on the other hand
he runsIher out into the deep rolling.ocean.th the
swell of the waves strains and disables her
hull: or the engine STRUGGLING with the varIr
ing submersion os the wheels, is broken and
the boat is left helpless thing, to drift he
fore the wind In like manner every man is
bound. if he would maintain his Freedom to
observe the limitations upon his bowers and
faculties imposed by his Creator IF he oc
cupies himself with matters too shallow for
his ability, he is swept away in eddying cur
n0GhlnU
II he rashly undertake things far beyond his
ability, he becomes lost and disabled. the
sport of fools, and grief to the wise
These things are so plain that they scarce
nave need to be stated, much less to be
proved. We have, each in his own breast.
witness in reason, assuring us that we are
not chance sprung, but are the workmanship
of infinite wisdom; and witness in CON
science, In the moral sense, testlfying to us
tnat we are bound to inquire into the pur-
M 70 nf ftan.. Il
form voluntarily and gladly to the condi-
tlons which In His wisdom and goodness He
mas imposed upon us. Thus alone can we
gam tull possession OF that liberty which is
our blrthrlght. True freedom consists in a
voluntary conformity to the conditions
under which God has placed us; and one of
those conditions requires of us obedience to
the moral law. We stand in relation not
only to the physical powers of the universe,
but TO each other. Precisely as our bodily
powers are limited, by our contact on every
side with bodily powers and physical forces,
SO our spiritual powers our rights of action,
are limited on every side by our contact with
our fellow men. We are not only born into
the inheritance. OF air and water and the
riches OF the mineral and organic kingdoms;
much more are we born members of the
family, members of Christendom, members
OF the human race. We are born not only
INTO the world, but into the state; not only
to the possession Of rights, but under obli-
S"oAOii w NuoiVo. LAOlC 10 llO bitG uUCIbN
cept in voluntary recognition of these con-
dltions OF life, and a voluntary endeayor to
conform to them which in its own nature in
wolves an effort to help others to conform to
them. Thus our attempt to examine the
original fundamental conceptions. has
brought us to the consideration of the theme
more especially appropriate to the day. the
nature of civil liberty.
In the Grafton of Lysias to which have
referred the true nature of liberty is set forth
Tuit Cd, oI1
force In Democratic state. he saws we
speak of the demos the peonle. as sovereign
And vet, he continues. the penpIe are NOT in
the true sense sovereign: they are simnly the
constituted ministers To act for fine trne snv-
ereign; the true and riehtful sovereign Is ms
tice. In other words. he tells ms II is acting
like wild beasts to govern nv the mere will
and strength of the majority. if becomes
men to define Justice by law. to conform to
what is wise. To he active In b.lning sacb
other. TO he obedient to tba law and 70
search always for the truth In 'IacLson,S
proclamation Of Decemher 1890 ba Sars
Substantially the same thine oIfbolgb 3o
does not distinguish quite SO sharply as Nv
sias does between the mere will Of fhe mn
iority (which is really as odious a form of
tvranny as any) and tbe indGment ~ tho
majority as to what is inst With ;s low. w 'iio
But it is evident thai real liberty in a do
mocracy can be maintained and defended
only by maintaining the snnremacv If law
This is the great lesson which damocroc~ l.
slow 70 learn We have WITH VIM IN 9ay -
memhrance Of many nf ne nassod fbIos,ftb g
terrific four years Struggle to maintain this
very truth HAT we m5st ali snhn,it % , Ini,f
the majority shall decide to he inst sn NJ Sbai
enact as law only seeking If wa disanraa
with them fo show them their e,ror a ,od
Tins lead them 10 search aITyays fn,y a tha
truth. This is the great lesson Of tbe war s,io
recalled to M with snch noron ond n;ro W 49,
stance in the movements Of The IaSt vel,
IT was NOT the heroism and saIf GO or;;ao n
the honored veterans who were omr guos %
that tbey wished rs ia remember + plos 7of
their hardships their foil their doa a5 NJ ~
valor, their wounds and sufferinos tba;r
perils in the hour when so manT If thei1
comrades fell: nor was If their final nor
severance In yalor until yictorv rewarded
their tolls 1t was not these things which
they would impress upon us. and nnon the
memory and Imagination of the yo1np neonle
who witnessed that solemn procession IF tie
sd of June. 1t is true that these great deeds
and virtues of theirs are worthy of remem.
brance and of honor: vet these were only
means to an end, and the end is nobler than
the means, else all the toll were folly. The
end, the object of the war. is the one great
thing to be borne in mind. That end was fine
establishment of the Soyereignty of law: the
establishment of the true doctrines of de-
mocracy; to wit, that the people alone are to
decide what is just, and to enact that decision
into law; that there is no real liberty excent
in owning that law to be supreme and tn
yielding to it steadfast obedience. IF the
people have been right in their decision as to
what is just, then obedience to the law is
obedience to Justice and to God. and certainly
obligatory. If the people were wrong. and
have enacted injustice, then the remedy is
reason, not violence; the light of truth is
called for, not the torch of rebellion If the
unjust law compels you to suffer. suffer
under protest; if it commands YOU to do
wrong, quietly disobey, but also quietly ac-
cept the penalty, still under protest. The
evil thus suffered will be incomnarahlv less
than the evil of rebellion against law in a
democratic government.
This, repeat it, is the great lesson of the
war, written out last week on the decorated
lines of our streets, LIBERTY UNDER Law.
May itnot be lost upon any one of MS, and
especially not upon any of those whose
memory extends not back to the great strng-
gle, itself, and who may therefore live long
enough to hear again the mad proposal to
right supposed wrongs by rebellion In gov
eminent where the final decision is aI,ya,-e
made by the people. I;berfI mndor = Tnsrs,
this was the great and holy, end Tor Which
the loyal men Of the land neriIed their
lives. and for which so many tbonsands ' Lost
their lives. How greatly thew have ' eD.
riched the treasure of orr histoIrv. how,
MANY names they have added to tbey r,olI IV ~
those whom our conntrvmen daiight 10 10
hold -, ota,,,,,,1 80. -. -AA 1Wro1iSh0 W