The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-07-13
THOU SHALT NOT"

The Oldest laws in the world have been violated
uncOunted billions of times. They are violated every
day OF every year and they viii be violated similarly
throughout time. They are violated so persistently by
so many people everywhere that some OF them, at least.
might almost be said 20 be dead letters. They are far
from that. however.
The Ten Commandments form the nucleus Of virtu-
ally all the law, written and unwritten. that we have.
They make up the moral law and have been neither
weakened nor strengthened by man. by incorporating
them into his statutes. Is 1t not a curious thing that
mere man has found it either necessary or desirable to
legislate TO enforce injunctions issued from Heaven?
He did SO, of course. not with any thought Of making
them laws. for that already had been done as completely
as It is possible to be done
IN truth. our criminal statutes. founded on the
moral laws. are but enforcement acts. If man were
different from what he is these latter would be unneces-
sary. But man isn't. A great many of him there are
who simply Will not obey. They have but imperfect
respect for any law and none at all for some laws. They
make a showing Ct reverence for authority. divine or
human. only when it is convenient 10 their purposes so
10 do. Others are not law-breakers but they might be
were they not in fear Of the penalties which the laws
provide for those who violate them. or they feel that if
it were net against the law they would like to do some
forbidden things. These are potential law-breakers.
From their reaction TO man-made laws we learn the
indispensabtlity of the statutes which have been enacted.
These same people would be violators Of the moral laws
we're they not restrained by conscience. which imposes
its own penalties for evil-doing. From all of which we
observe that no law is self-enforcing.
Without d penalty clause attached, a criminal
statute is worthless. You know even the Command
ments are not without their promise of terrible punish
ment for those who go counter to them. The funds.
mental moral laws have enforcement acts written into
them. And deep in the hearts of all people having faith
in things divine or in things human, there is conviction
that these laws should be obeyed, however those same
people may transgress them. Has it occurred TO you
that with possibly one exception there never has been a
serious proposition 10 modify any of the moral laws. by
statutory act? The human conscience rebels against
anything like that.
There is rather a widespread tendency TO excuse a
white lie as harmless. But the prohibition is against
living. which quite properly is held to mean any kind Of
untruth. 1t is the law. That particular one is left
very largely to the individual conscience for its enforce
ment, though there are statutes providing severe punish
ment for lying under certain circumstances.
Thou shalt not steal In the thousands Of years
since it was ordered for the guidance and protection Of
humans never has one person suggested that the statutes
reinforcing the moral law be altered to permit mild
thieving, pocket picking or secret pilfering. say while
keeping the inhibition against burglary OF highway rob-
berry. Nobody would have the temerity TO propose the
equalization OF 2.75 per cent of stealing. And for the
simple reason that the laws that make stealing a crime,
but the moral and the human. are universally recpgniz-
ed as prohibition laws, they condenn even the smallest
degree of dishonest acquisition of things. To that ex-
tent we have universal respect for these laws. We can
rot expect anything more in the present state of de-
velopment Of the human conscience.
Lawbreakers there will be always. The great ma
jority of the people will respect the laws and the au-
thority charged with their enforcement. That much
Will be insisted upon. Man-made laws we may repeal if
such a course appeals to the judgment of the people who.
ultimately, are the lawmakers. There can be no com.
promising with law. Any form Of compromise with law
is notification. We think there is nothing more firmly
established than that in the minds of the vast majority
of Americans today. The signs pointing that way are
Ubiquitous.