The Irish standard., 1895-01-05
He IRISH srnNDARD: sATIRDA z, JAM AIRY s.

]. "a 81 tJIll(1Al u AIN ~
8. License is freedom to do whatever the
law of God does not permit Us to do.
i Liberty is violated only when ones rights
ARE violated or abridged. In forbidding
/ man to do what the Law of God, the laws
Iof his country, founded on principles OF
Justice, forbid him to do, none OF his
q rights are denied or curtailed, hence his
liberty is not violated.
''The watchword of our times among a
certain class, who imagine they are vail
ant champions Of mental freedom is
liberty of thought. liberty of conscience
and impartial freedom for the honest
opinions OF men. These are high sound
ing phrases and are as sweet music to
the human ear, but they are too often the
notes OF SIRENS song, Turing the human
mind to certain captivity. If mon would
|stop but a moment for reflection they
would clearly understand that the hon.
esty Of thought does not give weight or
Importance or truth to it. If SO, luna
tics would be the best of reasoners, for
none ara more honest in their thoughts
than they. Thought must be judged
with reference to it's truth, and not with
reference to the honesty OF him who
thinks it, This plausible plea OF honesty
in thinking ie justification Of every or
ror and crime. Guiteau and Prendergast,
if we can believe them, expressed their
honest thoughts by means Of murder
Gus revolver, and if the reckless theories
about honest thought be true. they had
right to indulge their liberty Of honest
thinking in that manner. If the honesty
Of the thinker be the criterion by which
it is to be permitted to think whatever
he pleases, his conduct must be weighed
in the same balance. The law, therefore,
is guilty Of gross violation Of the slave.
holders liberty of honest thought when
it will not permit him to traffic in human
flesh and tramples upon the Mormon's
liberty of honest thought, when it does
not permit him to violate public decency
/ and propagate polygamy in a Christian
country.
Such idiotic folly has been displayed
of late by illiberal fanatics, who hypocrit'
ioally pretend to be bold and fearless
champions Of liberty of thought and free.
dom Of conscience. But their plea for
mental freedom is miserable pretence,
for it is quite evident that by liberty of
thought and of conscience they under,
stand merely the privilege Of agreeing
with them. Some of these lightweight
champions of liberty of thought, who
rashly rush into into an intellectual con-
test far beyond their mental strength,
like pigmies attempting to WELD giants
weapons, succeed only in making them
selves ridiculous and in amusing the
spectators Some of them have referred
again and again to the statement OF Pope
Gregory XVI, made in 1882, that liberty
OF conscience is a mad conceit-delira-
| mentium. This extract from the Pope's
encyclical letter is exultingly exhibited
by these deluded fanatics to prove that
| the Catholic Church is the determined
foe Of liberty of thought and conscience
The teaching of the Pope does not con-
denim liberty of conscience. What is
| condemned is the setting up of each in
dividnal conscience as the sovereign ar
bitter in all cases whatsoever. Conscience
is free, enjoys all the liberty to which it
is entitled when subjected only 10 the
| will and the law OF God. The notion
that conscience must be free to conform
or not to conform to Gods law, tree to
run into every excess and absurdity, is
in very truth real delusion--a delira'
mentium--or madness. as every man OF
sound sense and reason must admit.
Human society cannot tolerate uncon-
trolled license of thought or Of conscience
any more than unbridled license Of
conduct. Some bounds must be set TO
the license of thought and Of conscience:
These bounds cannot be set by the in
dividual himself, that would be to leave
conscience without any restraint what
| ever.
"Civil government cannot determine
the limitation of conscience, for civil
government is only the executive Of
more ultimate authority than it's own
and has no right to meddle with con.
ecience. Whatever restraints are to b.
disposed upon conscience must be i'm
posed by the law of God. Conscience is
accountable only to God, and to subject
it to any fallible authority is intolerable
tyranny. If there be on earth no
authority through which God speaks