Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-04-12

BALTIMORE, April 1.-THE April number
of the American Catholic Quarterly Re-
view, of Philadelphia, will contain an i'm
portant paper from the pen Of Cardinal
Manning entitled The Law of Nature,
Divine and Supreme"
The article was written for the purpose of
making more clear the doctrine Of the
Catholic church regarding the rights of the
poor, as stated by His Emminence last
January, and which has been more or less
misunderstood.
The following are extracts from the
article: The Atlantic cable has 50 fully
explained the circumstances under which
/ appealed to the law of nature. that
hardly like to worry the reader with repe-
tition. Nevertheless | may so far return
upon the past as TO say that my words
were spoken in conference, not a mere
public meeting and written for use in one
of the most literary, | may say esoteric
reviews.
1t can hardly be necessary to justify
what l have said among Catholics;
might even say among Christians. But
both Catholics and Christians are often not
fully aware of the broad and solid ground
on which they habtually rest. | will
therefore draw orx in full what the other
day gave only in reference. do this not
out of pedantry, but out OF prudence, for
some good men may, for want OF knowi-
edge, be misled.
First-By the law of nature all men have
Q common right To the use of things which
were created for them and their sustenance.
Second-But this common right does not
exclude the possessit n of anything which be
comes proper to each. The common right
is by natural law, and the positive law OF
property is eIpedient for three reasons: (A)
what is our own iSmore carefully used than
what is common; (h) human affairs are
better ordered by recognized private rights;
(c) human society is more peaceful when
each has his own, protected by the law OF
justice-suuni c,Iiqtse.
Third-Theft, therefore, is always q sin,
for two reasons: ta) 1t is contrary To JUS
tice; (b) 1t is committed either by stealth
or by violence.
Fourth-But the human and positive law
cannot derogate from the natural and di-
vine law. According 10 the divine law. all
| things are ordained 10 sustain the life of
man, and therefore the division and appro-
priation of things cannot hinder the sus-
tenance of man in case of necessity. There
fore the possessions of those who have food
superabundantly are due by the natural
law for the sustenarce OF the poor.
This doctrine lies at the foundation of
the positive law 1f property in all Christen.
dom. 1t exists as an unwritten law in all
Catholic countries. In France it is the
Droit au Travail, in England it is clothed
in legal statute in our Poor Law, under
which every one has "a right either to work
| or to bread without work In the old
Scotch law it was recognized under the title
of Burdensech: A starving man had right
TO carry away as much meal as he could on
| his back.
All these authorities give, not by way
of example or eXhortation to larceny but
| in proof of the natural right from which
| they flow.
Itmust be borne in mind that my pur-
pose was to justify and elevate the poor law
of England by showing that it was founded
upon the natural right OF man to life and
to the sustenance of law. In proving this
was compelled to show that this natural
law is supreme over all positive law. The
opponent OF the poor law, to evade the
main question, promptly seized on the
latter to escape the former.
The obligation to feed the hungry springs
| from the natural right of every man to life,
and to the food necessary for the sustea-
ance of life. So strict is this natural right
that it prevails over all positive laws 0f
property. Necessity has no law; and q
starving man has g natural right to bis
neighbcr's bread / am afraid that those
who speak SO confidently about rights, OBJ
legations and laws have not studied, Sr
have forgotten the first principles of all
human positive law. II the law of property
| did not rest upon a natural right it could
| not long exist. They who deny it justify
| the dictum, La Propriete C'Est lie Vol.
Before the natural right 70 live all human
laws must give Nay