The morning call., 1892-02-03
rRoGnEss OF PATERNALIsAr.

Il is interesting for Americans who were
puzz ed by the sub-treasury system lately
proposed in Kansas to watch the progress
If pateraalism in Europe In the eastern
half OF that continent the drift of legIs,a-
ton IS toward the adoption Of measures
which are calculated TO strip the individual
of lis sovereignty, and 10 place him under
the guardianship Of the state. In Russia
the rayages of famine have reused the Gov
eminent TO action, and it proposes to
amsnd the ordinances Of 1861, so as 10 re-
store the peasants TO the old condition of
serfdom. when they were adscripti glebe,
and could not be moved from the land.
The details of the proposed plan appear to
have been borrowed from the system of the
iucas Of Peru, under which every man was
bound to grow a crop, which was divided
into three parts one for the grower, one
fer the state and one for reserve against
bad haTvps.s.
In Germany two measures have been pro
posed. enc making drunkenness crime
punishable by a long term Of Imprisonment.
and the other placing all the schools in the
hands Of the Protestant clergy. According
to the latest statistics of intemperanCe in
Germany the former measure, if it becomes
a law. will require large addition to the
capacity Of the jails; indeed, in certain dis
tricts, where Bismarck proposed TO turn
the appetite for liquor TO account by estab-
fishing Government distilleries, it will re-
quire nearly all the sober people to act as
jailers fox the lnebriates.
As to the proposition to abolish secular
education and to put a Protestant minister
IF hot
would be hard on the Catholics and the
Jews, who constitute over oDe-quarter Of
tie population Of North Germany and three
quarters Of The population of South Ger
many; but Bismarck started the Germans
in a course OF paternalism, and this is one
OF its natural outgT0wths. The Emperor
argues, on the lines Of Philip II Of Spain,
that his church is the only true church, aud
that all his people should be trained to at
tend it in spite of any preferences they may
have for other churches; and as lie denies
tie right Of his people to dispute MS will
his attitude Is logical
The cardinal principle on which these
Europeans differ from Americans is that
they do not believe in personal liberty,
while we do. The rulers Of Germany and
Russia hold that people would be much bet
ter of If their conduct was regulated by the
governing power; we hold that, in the long
run, a mans conduct is best regulated by
himself, and that his sovereignty ought to
be under his own hat 1t would be a good
thing for Russia. the sovereign holds, if the
peasants could be kept on their farms and
made TO work all day, instead of being al
lowed to wander into villages and stupefy
themselves with vOdki; but, according to
our way of thinking, the gain in crops
which tits plan might secure would be
mora than Offset by the sacrifice Of man
he0d which it would involve among the
peasants. Again, Germany would be a
gamer by the eradication of iutemperance.
but if a man who drinks a glass too much
is placed on the same footing as the house
breaker, il would turn out probably in this
country at least that many druDkarGs would
break into houses.
Whether the German schools would be i'm
proved by beng placed under the control Of
Protestant elergymen is question whic II
Il is not row necessary TO decide. In this
country the question of blending theology
and education has not commended itself TO
public approval. In the last century almost
all academies and colleges were admins
tered by members of the clergy; now such
examples are-rare. 1t has been found that
the cause Of education thrives best under
secular control. The Germans may be diff
feTent, but 1t seems plain that if the pro-
posed change is made another measure of
coercion will be necessary to compel Catho-
lie and Jew parents 10 send their children
to school.
These European autocrats are afraid OF
that which we most reverently charish-in-
diYldual liberty. 1t grows out of their hor-
ror OF political liberty, and it develops into
outbreaks Of paternelism. II the EN- errors
of Germany and Russia had their way they
would regulate by law what their subjects
should eat, what they should wear, where
they should live, what trade they should
follow and what diversions they should en-
joy; there have been times in Germany
VIXEN laws did regulate these things, and in
prehistoric Peru similar laws were in force
for centuries. But it seems odd that they
should crop out at this period, when it is
generally supposed that the human intellect
is getting pretty ripe.