Norwich bulletin., 1920-12-30
KOrAEIANs HEAR TALK ON
 AMERICAN IDEA OF TIREyT-


 AMERICAN IDEA OF LIBERTY
 The American Idea of Liberty was the | topic of an interesting and inspiring talk ! by Henry A. Tirrellr at the noonday lun- chean of the Norwich Rotary club held Mr. Tirrell in his opening remarks said that very few people stopped to think what liberty really meant to them.
 MT. Debs has far different idea of liberty than most of us. Our mayor has demonstrated that he has another idea of liberty. You can measure a mans wealth but can you measure his soul7 You can measure the amount of money spent on child by his parents, but caa you measure the depth of their love for the child. Liberty is hard to defne.afihe philosopher has an ideal the,ry but is not practical in the school of experience? Can anyone tell how human nature will act under certain conditions?
 The accepted definition of liberty is freedom from restraint. Where can we dnd asolute freedom from restraint? As we go through life we find three kinds Of restraint. First the restraint of the forces of nature. Second, the restraint that exists in ourselves and third the restraint put upon us by others.
 No country is so endowed with natural
 
 l ing of these restraints through American ambition and progress has been one of the great stabilizing forces in our history. Scentific invention 8 another conqueror of l the natural restraints. Who would have thought years ago that we would he able I to leave the earth and fly about in the air? But vet this has been done.
 In ourselves we find restraint. Many are physically restrained but the greatest power of restraint is ignorance. Educa- tion is overcoming that and no country gives such opportunities for education ts all as America.
 Now we come ts the third restraint. that put upon us by others. People speak of political liberty, but do we have it? l think not There are however group Iof liberties gained through experience and bloodshed which. are ciassed under the head of liberty! But no mind is great enough to plan absolute liberty for everyone. Only experience can teach us these for no human mind can tell how the people of a country will act under changed conditions
 The only test of government is expert ence. This fact is demonstrated fl English history. First we find thu framing of the Magma Charta than othei broadening views of the bill of rights ant finally the complete elimination of tn old belief in the divine right of kings In our own great country we sac tn, trend of liberty Following the Revolu ton there was period when the thir teen colonies were without a centrs governing power, but they did not hav liberty. Taxes and tariff on comnerc' between states was hign. Then came tn, drawing up Of the Constitution whici Gladstone has characterized as thu greatest document ever drawn up at on time. Hut was it drawn up at one time
 It may have been written at one sittin' .but the ideals incorporated in it were tn
 experiences that had been proved age before. It was intended to secure liberty 1, It was a hard document with no senti | ment, document to that did not blow ou about liberty, but sought to secure liberty !, The constitution gives us freedom 0 speech, freedom of press, freedom of re r ligion, but with freedom comes an obligs : tion.
 r Every liberty has two sides We hay ,, freedom of speech but 1t does not giv | us license to slander our fellows. W :. have freedom or the press but we hay no right to publish anything injurious an n false about anyone. We have freedom c : religion, but what are you going to d : should the Morrnons try to spread doc  d Does freedom of religion give anyone th
 right to refuse to fight for this country ,, We all are given equal rights to deyelo ' the best that is in us and liberty is ns given us to abuse. You can not nial 4 Ia man free unless he is able to exercis d that freedom properly.
 -- Many .peopse are using the liberty L. the constitution to attack the goverI s ment, to attack people because ther ,f people have more money, they use it
 attack the courts and in many oth' Is ways without thought of how the hberi d that they receive entails an equal obl Ie gation on their part. The greatest stinni 'e Jus to thrift and prosperity is the owne
 ship of private property. The church IS also attacked but we know from expef k ence that it has been the redeeminE fe ,r ture and stabilizing force of civilization. 'a Mr. Tirrell was greeted with storm IS applause at the conclusion of his talk, al It also rising vote of appreciation 10 There were about 40 present, includii ~ .. i've guests, Joseph Curtis presided 2. the meeting and Clinton E. Lane W
 song leader for the luncheon.
 d. During the luncheon Henry J. LAFo .,- taine rendered a solo and a quartet <. Clinton E. Lane. Milo F. Waters. Claren ts SpAar and Louis A. Wheeler. sang ss sd eral selections Adelard Morin also sa a solo. 4 letter of Christmas greeti
 was read rom the Worcester club. if The new markers for the Rotaria he arrived and were distributed by the & h. retary. The markers bear the Rots
 l emblem and the name of each person,
 nickname and his classiheati tion.
 The meeting closed with the singing = the Star Spangled Banner.