The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-10-14
ODD HUMAN NATURE.
SAVAGE INSTINCTS STILL COAT ITS
VENEER OF CIVILIZATION

The worlds Fond Remains UnaItered So ]
Far ms Cruelty Goes, Except That an Ed
uoatcd Minority Has shifted the scenes
Of Action and Glasses.
The first Of modern historians, Thu
cydides, remarks that his study Of Q ehts
In Greece will illustrate human nature
"as long as the nature of man is the
Bame.' It Is tolerably clear that in his
opinion human nature will always be
the same, and every one who reflects at
oil must often ask himself, Was Thu
cydides right2 The great political and
social changes of the world do not
disprove his theory. They only show
a change in mems views Of their own
interest-a change in organization.
Again, nothing is more common or
apparently more Just than the assertion |
that we must judge the people Of the
past by the current morality and prac-
tice Of their age. It is added that NOR
ais and practice have altered and have
improved immensely. The two chief
points insisted on by advocates Of the
notion that human nature has altered
are the idea Of cruelty and the idea Of
honor and good faith in politics. Yet
even in these obvious matters it is most
difficult to come to a conclusion.
Take the case Of cruelty; You havo
Assyrians, Romans, red Indians, massa-
cring ana torturing their eaptives taken
in war. Assyrians, civilized men, and
Pawnees, uncivilized men, are on a level
of abominable wickedness. David Of
Israel was as bad (he could not be worse)
according to sacred history. The Roman
treatment of prisoners-"How cold are
thy baths, o, Apollor-turns us chill
with horror. The middle ages show an
improvement here. Captives in war are
held to ransom and are treated with
courtesy.
But were the middle ages less cruel
than Pawnees, Hebrews, Romans or As
syrians? Obviously the medieval tor
lures inflicted on political prisoners,
witches and heretics were as nefarious
as any known to ancient or savage con-
querors, Nothing is changed but the
victims. Then you find Covenanters
torturing witches, Episcopalians in Eng
land or Scotland torturing Jesuits, wiz
ards or Catholics at large. You find
Covenanters burning naughty little boys
alive; you find William and Mary just
as ready with the "boot" as James II
was. Then the burning Of witches
slowly dies out as the educated class be-
comes skeptical.
But the hangman still hegged men
and women through the streets, and the
pillory endured. As late as Moliepe's day
it was a holiday to see a criminal put 10
! thequeston. The cruelties Of the French
revolution prove that the rack might
have gone out, but human nature had
not become milder. Then think Of the
horrors of our jails and Australian penal
settlements These denominations and
those of American slavery do not suggest
that man is really Of milder mood.
Here, too, came humane reform; the pill
lory, the flogging Of negroes, the rack,
the edisemboweling of political opponents,
are all extinct for the moment, but mobs
still occasionally burn negro criminal
alive.
Then consider the records of the SO
ciety For the Protection of Children.
These awful pages prove that human ma
ture is now rather below the Pawnee or
Assyrian level. The facts about bully
ing al school are unfit to be told. Oneis
reluctantly driven to believe that there
is only thin veneer of humanity, that
the brute in mankind is what he always
has been. An educated minority has
shifted the scene of cruelty; has removed
some classes of victims, captives in war,
poor old women, political adversaries,
from the sweepof the whip, flame of fire,
from the torture pole and the rack.
SO far, well, but it does not follow that
mems hearts are altered The gladia-
torial games would be as popular today
as before the Monk Tolemachus died il
it were not for the sensitive minority
who preach and print and palayer in par.
lament. After ALL one would liefer SEE
n Zulu fight a Maori in a circus thar
scald or beat or starve poor little child
e rs many do. The Zulu and the Maor
e would enjoy the contest; so would tn,
II spectators If only they had the chance
The great fond Of human nature is really
unaltered as far as cruelty goes. W,
r can only do our inhnitesimal best to keel
altering it, as not without hope,
If we turn to political morality, W
see no great cause for exultation. TAX
S, the case Of Marlborough, who is gener
r ally held up as the ideal traitor. 1t ma,
N fairly be argued that he was merely
$ man of his age, who now shows wors
a than most, because his genius was NOR
splendid and his opportunities wer
greater. He was King James creature
Is his led captain, and he deliberately dt
moralized James army, corresponds
II with James son-in-law perhaps, or prol
he ably conspired to hand the king bodil
e. over to his rival, certainly deserted hiI
in the night after making profession {
fidelity.
p William was not firm ON the thro1
u. before Marlborough was intriguing wit
,les' James, probably meaning TO throw hi
l. over again in the interests of Anne an
Of his own advancement, and after AM
was queen heintrigued with the Chevali,
a de st. George. As a man, q subject,
soldier, a statesman, he was false to Il
core, but que youlez vousi de was II,
Xxi more deeply and not moIe often staint
en- in falsehood than Charles II, james /
rly William Of Orange, and beside Suthe
cA land he seems a Bayard. But can v
say, in face of the memories of Dunde
Montrose, Locheil, Nogan may, Of Il
lie honest troopers who have lett Seir trait
leaders with William and returned
James-that all men were traitors, tn
on loyalty WAS dead?
D%e % Clearly we cannot say so. Politician
u.s. we're false--and what are politicians {
lay2 Give them Marlboroughs oppo
rly tuniues, and we shall see whether or u
human nature has altered. Andre
Lang in London Illustrated News.