Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-01-05
CHAPTER V.

HEN We tulh W ClllluItIl bll II
N subject that annoys them
wv they call our attention to
some pigeon on the roof Civ
Ing food to its little one or some
coachman down in the street who is
abusing his horse. Sometimes they
even maliclously propose one of those
alarming questions that put the minds
Of parents on the rack; all this to di-
vert attention from the distressing
topic. | fear that in the face of duty
we are big children, and when that is
the theme seek subterfuges to distract
us.
The first sophism consists in asking
ourselves if there is such Il thing as
duty in the abstract, or if this word
does not cover one of the numerous IL
lusions of our forefathcrS; for duty,
in truth, suppoScs liberty, and the qucs-
ton of liberty leads us into mctaphys-
les. How can we talk of liberty so
long as this grave problem of free will
IS not solved? Theoretically there is
no objection to this, aud IL life were Il
theory and we were here to work out
complete system Of the universe it
would be absurd to concern ourselves
with duty until we had clarified the
subject Of liberty, determined its con
dltions, fixed its limits.
But life Is not Il theory. In this ques-
ton of practical morality, as in the
others, life has preceded hypothesis,
and there is no room to believe that
she ever yields it place. This liberty
relative, | admit, like everything we
are acquainted with, for that matter
this duty whose existence we question
IS none the less the basis of NIL the
judgments we pass upon ourselves and
our fellow men. We hold each other
to n certain extent responsible for our
deeds and exploits.
The most ardent theorist, once out
side of his theory, sCruples not Il whit
to approve or disapprove the acts of
others, to take measures against his
enemies. to appeal TO the generosity
and justice of those he would dissuade
from an unworthy step. One can no
more rid himself of the notion of NOR
al obligation than of that of time or
space and aS surely as we must re
sign ourselves to walking before we
know how to define this space through
which we move and this time that
measures our movements SO surely
must we submit to moral obligation be
fore having put our finger on its deep
hidden roots. Moral law dominates
man whether he respects or deties IL.
See how il is in everyday life-each
one Is ready to cast his stone ut him
who neglects plain duty even II he
nllege that he has not yet arrived ut
philosophic gertrude Everybody will
saw TO him, and with excellent reason:
"Sir, we are men before everything.
First play your part, do your duty as
citizen, father, son. After that you
shall return to the course OF your med
itationS."
However, let us he well understood,
we should not wish 10 turn any one
away from scrupulous research into
the foundations Of morality No
thought which leads men to concern
themselves once more with these grave
questions could lie useless or indiffer-
ent, We simply challenge the thinker
to find way 70 wait till he has I'm.
earthed these foundations before he
docs an act Of humanity, Of honesty
ar dishonesty, ot yalor or cawardtce
ana most DC all 10 we wish to formn
late reply for MI the inslneere who
have never tgied G philosophize and for
ourselves when wc would offer our
state of phlosophie doubt III iustitiea.
lion III oar practical omissions From
the simple faet that We are men. he
fore an theorizinE positive or negative