The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1909-07-22
THE VALUE OF RUHaN LIFE.
The Neral Law Still Stands But the
Laws OF God and Man Are
DiSPegdfded.

"Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by
man shall his blood be shed; for IN
the image of God made he man."
These words from God are as bind
ing today as when first revealed to
man, and they teach the value OF
human life and the terrible penalty
for taking it.
We believe in the moral law, be-
cause it is holy, just and good; be-
cause it was formulated by Goodness
to protect HIM from injustice and
written by Wisdom to meet the
highest needs of mans nature. I'm
der the present dispensation no part
Of the moral law is abolished, but on
the other hand, intensified, and made
more binding than ever before. We
should, therefore, have the highest
respect for human life, and do all
possible to make it secure.
The time was when men held it in
higher regard than now, and muir
der trials were not the rule but the
exception, for they used to hang men
for taking the lives Of their fellows.
In the days of the Revolution they
would now and then hang a proml-
nent man for being Tory but never
within the memory of this writer has
a man of prominence or influence
been hanged in North Carolina,
though they have committed muir
der, cold and cruel, in almost every
community in the State.
We preach the doctrine of law and
when the time comes to execute 1t,
we go into jury boxes and acquit
criminals, or if we convict them, we
repent of it, and sign petitions for
their pardon, so that as a result the
mass Of men have lost respect for law
and in the form of mobs are law
unto the themselves. The law on
our statute books has been SO modi-
fed and amended that it is now with
the greatest difficulty that one who
has means and influential friends can
be convicted Of any serious crime.
The man who wantonly takes a
life should pay the penalty with his
own life, and if this principle was
carried out in our courts, murder
would be far rarer than it is in our
midst.
In England, where the population
is dense and where the administra-
ton of law is sure, for the courts of
England measure out justice without
fear or favor to high and low, rich
and poor alike, murder is compare
lively rare and the people in the
mass stand for law and order. A
sturdy English jury is not swept
from it's feet by maudlin sentiment
or imprisoned sophistrv, but con-
siders the law and the testimony
and leaves their decision with the
Judge, who holds his place for life
and is therefore free from fear OF
public sentiment.
Somehow it is different with us
and all the advantage in the trial is
in favor of the criminal. We need 3
public conscience sensitive to the
value of law and so sturdy and true
that it will not apologize for crime
but rather see, for the public good
that the criminal always gets jus
tice.
This is not cruel, but the simple
carrying out of law, which stands
for truth and Righteousness and God
A sickly sentimentality which some
; are pleased to call humanitarianism
forgets all about the dead man ant
the grief-stricken dependents, ant
the majesty Of broken law and rush
es out in peurile sympathy for tn
impenitent criminal, who when h
is shielded from just punishment
has no respect for the law Or its ad
illustrators. N. C. Christian Advo
cate.