The Detroit times., 1916-10-21
The Right to Revolt
eN Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright 1918. by Frank trane)
Is there to be a revolt?

a gentleman from Manhattan writes
me: Il take exception to your opinion
that men should re fuse to go 10 war.
Society is founded Sm obedience, obedi-
ence to the actual authority and not
visionary one BY the grace Of God one
man is chosen as authority over many
men. What constiutas the grace Of God
has been varlously defined, but all def
nitions resolve into The Law. And it
is obedience TO law that keeps society
from chaos. Ii is the law of humanity
to kill, whether as armies or as indi-
vidual eXecutioners. J."
This is one side Of lGhe case. and there
is some truth in IT,
Without law men ~Eould undoubtedly
fall into unreStrained violence. the strong
would piIlage the weak, and there would
be no redress
Without law there can he no liberty,
for law is necessary 10 maintain the
rights of the feeble, and 10 curb the eX-
.cesses of powerful alsions.
But there is anothe, side to the ques-
ton.
If without law there is no order, so
without revolt there is no progress.
Law is but human. II is established
custom. And custom rr1ay hc wrong It
can harden into injustice and oppression.
II is for this reason we have repre-
sentative governments and parliaments,
since in order 10 maini ain order. and at
the same time prevent revolt, there must
be way To change LAWS when they be-
come inequitable.
There come times when the law re-
quires man TO do VII az his conscience
forbidS.
IN that instance he must weigh the
matter carefully. He as two things to
consider-frst, his owr rights and sec
ond, the importance OF maintaining or
der
If he thinks his own rights are not
too seriously .nterierel with, he should
pocket his grievance AMI obey the law
If he concludes that il is more Hoces-
sary to himself, TO the elfare Of his feI-
lows. and to his duty t. God, 10 refuse
to submit TO the Law hc should revolt
Il is 10 toe settled boy lis own judgment
and conscience. Pcrhips revolt may
mean his Imprisonment. or even death.
Yet it is conceivable that under certain
circumstances he should even risk these
one can sometimes de- more good by
his death than by his lite
Jesus was executed, so was Socrates
and Savonarola.
1t was because ofthe Christian mar
ltyrs cheerfully went 90 death in the
arena Of wild beasts or a the stake that
they conquered at last, and became the
seed Of the Church"
Cromwell was rev olutonist and
Washington Few doubt that the South
American states are bettur Oft as repub-
lies than they would have been had they
not revolted against Spain.
Men now gladly give their lives for
their country because they feel the obli-
cations Of patriotism.
Not many men are willing TO die rath-
er than engage in war. ba cause the SELL
timent of Humanity is yet vague and
weak. and we do not req lie how enor-
nous crime against the race war is.
Anarchy ceased when saen learned to
sacrifice self and the family for the sake
Of the larger unit, the State.
And war, which is inter national anar-
chy. will cease only when men have come
to the conviction that the interests Of
Humanity are above those Of any one
nation, even their own.
We have not reached that point yet.
We need a new crop Of martyrs 10 shock
Ius into larger conscience which in turn
will produce new and better human re-
lations and laws.
s