The Paonia progressive and the Paonia newspaper., 1911-07-06
whims, by impulses, by opinions;

whimS, by impulses, ny opihiohs'
but he who should say that we are
ruled by law would, be taking long
chances with the truth. With more
LAWS than burden the statute books
OF any other nation. we have less
LAW than ever prevailed in an
equally civilized country. LAW may
be no more than votes of legisla-
ture. LAW is the expression of the
sober will OF whole community.
And as yet the only thing we modern
Americans have been able to agree
on is that we mean to have our own
way or make someone smart for 1t.
Our training in lawlessness begins
almost in the cradle. 1t is the excep-
ton to find American parents who
take steady and Intelligent interest
In the training of their children.
Danny learns to walk softly when
mother is busy or when father Is
cross; but as for learning to follow
definite orderly rules OF conduct to-
ward his elders and associates. he
SeluOIu IltdTs vi SuCh a. AN -
sent to school to get him out OF the
way. Unless he is lucky enough to
be obliged to help earn the family
living, between school and supper he
lives the life of a nomad. He hears
! much OF rights; but nothing OF du-
ties. A thousand things conspire to
teach him the easily learned lesson
that whatever he wants is right; and
that any one who crosses his path is
an obstacle to be removed. II we
were not an uncommonly kindly aud
good-natured breed at bottom, our
list OF murders would be longer yet.
And this course in lawiessness is
extended and amplified as the young
Citizen grows older. He sees whole
communities making laws, and then
deliberately breaking them. He sees
speed ordinances, sunday closing or
dfnances. anti-gambling ordinances
put ON the statute books rs conces-
sions to a ifiofnentary demand; and
then systematically ignored as con-
cession to "pull." He sees the city
first prohibit prostItution; and then
come round to collect a part Of the
profits of the Illegal traffic. He sees
society go maudlln over some worth
less ape who has committed murder
to vindicate his property rights in 4,
woman. He sees corporations main-
tain a force Of lawyers whose duty
II is to enable the corporation to
break laws without being punished. i.
He hears unlimited chatter about the
"unwritten law" and the "hihger
law" but hardly . whisper OF Just
plain Law. What wonder that he
comes to doubt the cIaffns or even
the existence OF so shadowy n thing?
And the remedy? A return Co com.
mon sense. II we would have the
generation Of our children less bloody
and less iawless than our own, we
must begin teaching them that every
right carries with It duty; the duty
to accord an equal right to Others.
w c W 0hOoh
the person who Offends them is not
brave. not heroic: but cowardly,
cruel and contempiible. We must
teach them that the fellow who will
not play the :,nine nccoriliDg To the
rules, and take his losses az they
come, Ia y cad and "a eur. We must
teach them, by example. that re who
brings chileren into the world has
incurred an obligation not wholly
when he sends them to
an overworked aud underpaid
teacher. We must teach them that
lynching is simply collective murder,
murder committed by people too
to kill without the COM
of other murderers