New-York tribune., 1895-02-10

define them Moreover the Americans were
really very moderate in their assertions. They
alleged rights which they knew could be In
vaded but which they also knew were approXi-
mately attained in every state. Human life is
on the whole. profitable. Even tyrant. unless
he Is a victim Of paresis leaves most OF his sub
jects undlsturbed A slave has more liberty
than limitations. His master can drive him to
the field but he cannot make him do more than
| n small measure of work This has been demon
strated 90 often that II has even been used
an argument against slavery. When it comes
TO the pursuit of happiness. the thought of re-
strant is absurd. TIE heaviest taskmaker can
only make lis victims wretched part OF the
time And the freest man on earth finds that
he has several other things TO do besides look
ing after happiness. Such rights are inalienaole
simply because human nature never be
wholly deprived of them. ard every successful
assertion of power on the part of their possessors
adds to them. No ambiguity in the term "natu-
raj rights" affects this conclusion. There is an
element of humor. however. In the fact that
they were included In the Declaration Of Inde-
pendence The real question at issue was wheth-
er America should be a self-governed country,
not whether its individual citizens should nave
all the rights they might wish to claim. But II
the statesmen Of that day had said hatly ana
plainly without any metaphysics, that they
wished to create a constitution for themselves
their prosaic utterances would never nave
stirred public thought in Europe
This is in accordance with Professor Riches :
v,av II was not the abstract truth nor the uni
versal validity OF the doctrine concerning the
rights of man that made it useful in the esh-
tcenth century. The doctrine was simply the pest
expression that could be given to the thoughts oi
the time. Now the world has outgrown Il. 10
assert these so-caed rights Is To be guilty o. an
anachronism. Even if they are looked upon ds
rights which would be guaranteed by society if
society were what 1t ought 10 be- their assertion
must still be put off to that indefinite time when
society shall be perfected. When goats SWIM IN
the sea and fishes browse on the hillops when
every mans reason shall be In agreement WIN
the universal reason. then all these rights can be
asserted: or rather they vii not need to be as
serted for they will be granted without question
AT present the differences among human beings
are so great that II is d mere formaliy to call
them equal Freedom is only possible in linn
tied sense Even the press cannot be allowed to
publish everything. every form Of religion
he tolerated The assertion cf the right II live
seems logically to imply the right OF suicide also
but that is not the view taken by tho modern
world though the severity Of the laws is ten1-
pered by the benevolent lying OF coroners juries
who find mental alteration where none existed
Professor Ritche Is severe on the conduct OF the
United States in the matter of religion tie mas
that someNtates have laws which prevent men
from holding office unless they believe in future
state Of rewards and punshments. 1t Is possible
however that ofhce-hoders might be discovered
even in those States who did not believe in any
thing. The treatment of the Mormons ne dwens
upon in particular as violation Of the religious
liberty upon which the great Republic plumes H.
self He urges the opponents OF poygamy II
transfer their sentiments To a siXteonih century
Protestant or to a devout Catholic or To strict
Anglican. They will then understand he thlrks
how the one ha ,ei the idolatrous sacrihce of the
mass" how the other is horrifed by the Hcense
of divorce. and how the third shrnks from IN b
Deceased Wife's Sister bill. He discusses in sue
cession the rights of public meeting. contract re
sistance to oppression. equality. property. show
ing in each case that they are social. not natc-
raj rights and that their exercise is limited In
marked manner by the organization or society
The truth in the theory Of natural ngntS ne
roncludes-"whai gave the theory It's practitai
value-was the belief in nature as an ideal the
belief in a divine purpose determining the ends
which man should set before him. ana the Deilef
that this ideal this divine purpose. could be DIS
| covered by the Of human reason. the deiect
Of the theory lay In the tendency to set this ideal
In abstract antithesis over against tho actual and
| historical. An adequate theory of rights ana an
| adequate theory Of the State must rest upon
| philosophy OF history.