The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1914-06-06
The Growth of Liberty

.
- tory of civilized man h the In
ocsiAni struggle between liberty
and authority. The worlds progre.s is
marked By the victories Of liberty; and
the worlds period Of stAgnAtion are
MARRIED BY the ascsndancy of authority.
We can measure the advance Of eivilifA.
tion Al any point in history by the
amount Of freedom Acquiped a. thA,
time By people and human Institutions
The hrtt efforts o. the LibcrtSriAns
vas for freedom Of thought In this they
followed the path Of least resistance, for
thoughts antagonistie 20 authority can
be entertained with less danger thhn
rebcllious specch or writing. The Lib
ertarians believed that freedom Of
thought would promote knowledge, and
Ut increased knowledge would advance
civilization. But the AuthoritariAns de-
e,ared that freedom Of thought would re-
suit In wrong thinking and danger 10 90
eict.. They insisted that n few had been
chosen by supernatural power 10 think for
the people, and that these few had books
which contained the whole truth the IN.
derstan ing Of which rendered their
Interpreters infallhle. Assuming 90 be
In possession Of all knowledge they con.
demned research and popular investiga.
tion a. unnecessary and misleading. The
authorities Of Church and state united
10 maintain the divine right OF kings and
\ divine monopoly Of teaching; but
thought IL too subtle and elusive 20 be
bound with chains, and after the sacri.
flee Of many great champions, freedom
Of thought was victorious over authority.
The second struggle OF the Liber.
tarihns was for the liberty 10 utter their
free thoughts in speech. To the freedom
~ the brain they wished 10 add freedom
Of the tongue. They believed that the
exchange Of free thoughts and eompari.
son Of ideas would be better for the rare
than the suppression Of ideas that might
offend authority. The enemies Of liberty,
whose power lay in their privileges, op.
posed freedom Of speech for the same
reason that they had opposed freedom Of
thought II was dangerous for each and
every citizen TO speak his mind
! he might speak the truth and up.
set the fictions Of divine monopoly by
which the Authoritarians held and ener-
eised authority. The common people had
4. no license 10 think and speak, Il was
, heir duty 10 obey. But freedom II des.
ned 10 win on every Geld, and the
II
the battle which yet goes on in a sort Of
, guerilla warfare between the open cham.
pions Of liberty and the degraded dupes
, Of decadent authority.
The third contest was for liberty Of
the press II was desirable TO print the
: free thoughts Of men ss well as speak
them. But the old enemy had much 20
conceal; its own weakness and the folly
Of its arrogant assumptions mado Il
fearful Of publicity. Unable 20 turn the
wheels Of progress backward and eliini.
nate the printing press, the Authoritari.
; ans Joined in united effort 20 control this
mighty engine which they could not des.
troy. Authority set up eensors 10 say
, what the people might read and whA'
; they should not read. But the censor Is
:. gradually losing his job, and restr 'ns
|. on newspapers are fading away before
the light Of progress. The old enemy
4 fingers like a homeless spirit TO jibe and
gibber in the streets and use the machin.
D ery Of state and ecclesiastical organiEa.
? tions as Il can; but the reactionary influ.
D ence Of the suppresors IL waning.
Q The fourth stage in the struggle for
4 freedom was for the liberty Of assembly.
4 The people wished TO hear free thought
Z spoken from the rostrum, and be free 10
9 discuss the new ideas uttered by free
e speech and published by free press.
!. Closely allied TO the demanded right Of
,. assembly was the right Of petition and
n general airing Of grievances. Involved
n in these was the demand for freedom "a
Z criticise and discuss persons in high
|, places. At this critical period the
q Authoritarians resort 10 the same pres
2 and platform which they once opposed
: using those means now 10 bolster Their
!. weakening pretensions Congregation,
v are dangerous, for in numbers animated
e with a single purpose there is a power
I irresistible when once set in motion
$ Street meetings are prohibited unless BY
!. permit Of authority. Liberty and lcens,
: are associated in the headlines Of news
q papers and in reactionary oratory. Ere,
n discussion Of matters pertaining tC
, church and state, in public assembly
a might result in concert Of action iniur
a ious 10 authority. But free assembly
petition and discussion have all but wo1
/, he day, and are surely driving the enc
mics Of freedom to the last ditch.
L The fifth important contest for liberty
L is on the religious field. The Liber
|, tarians assert that freedom is as desirable
n in matters Of religion as in other human
@ relations. They declare that every indi
, vidnal should be free to worship in suel
, a way as to satisfy his own conscience
e lor 20 refrain from worship altogether Il
|. 20 disposed. The Authoritarians oppos,
4 this sentiment with an infallible church
Is church armed with keys delivered int,
n its keeping from on high. An infallibli
4 church could not permit faIlible beings Il
Ie choose their own religion; hence III,
4 Inquisition and hunting Of "hereties.' ,
> The last stand Of imperialism and author
. ity Is on the field Of religion. Shall I
|. human dictator stand between God anC
e man, and prescribe the limits Of saliva
v ton, or shall there be free access TO IN,
n Great Libertarian, the One Mediato
whose requirements are simple, straight
=. forward and altogether righteousi
e And 50 the battle RACES; on the mill
le tary field, in the domain Of thought, OF
II the platform, in the printery, in eongre
d cations Of men, and In all the highway
d and hedges Of human endeayor the marel
d Of man toward the goal Of freedom con
le tinues. Wherever liberty has besh ap
a nliad "A has nrovpd a hqnefIt m the rner