The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1956-02-11
Continued From Page One

buEdl law. III flIbuG VI LII
natural law, fundamental,
endowed by their Creator witt
equal human persons are en-,
certain natural rights and OBJ
legations which are inalien.
able precisely because they arr
God-given. They are antece.
dent therefore, both in logic
and in nature. to the forma-
ton of civil societies and tht
casting Of majority votes Of
the braying of filibusters
They are not granted by the
beneficence of any state, dem
ocratic or otherwise; where
fore the tyranny of any state
democratic or otherwise, can
not destroy them. Rather il
is the high moral responsibility
of all civil societies and al
majorities, through the in
strumentality OF civil law, to
acknowledge their existence
and to protect their exercise
by a wise and scientific imple-
mentation of the natural law
In its essence, granted the
existence Of Almighty God
the natural law is a simple
thing. 1t is mans participa-
ton in the Eternal Law Of
God. 1t implies that we know
independently of School Street,
or Beacon Hill, or Washing
ton, or London, or Moscow -
or of the Vatican, for that
matter = that we are all the
children of God, endowed with
immortal souls, destined for
eternal life, bound in con-
science to pursue that deSti-
ny, and possessed of inalien-
able rights to enable us to
do so, 1t commands us to be
patriotic, but warns us that
the state is our servant and
. not our master; because il
directs that we institute gov
ernneilts and laws precisely ia
protect our natural rights
and to help us to attain. in
human dignity, our divine des-
tiny.
Thus 1t gives rational and
spiritual basis for our civil
rights and liberties. Thus it
gives a reason for the essen
tial equality of man; it sup
plies us with a measure of
the essential dignity of hui
man personality. It tells us
why the Chinese coolie is the
equal of the Roman Cardinal:
the Australian bushman the
equal of the European seien-
tist; the African tribesman the
equal of the American mill
lionaire: because they are all
created by the good God to
enjoy Him fully for all eter-
nifty - a breath taking des-
tiny which completely dwarfs
all temporary accidentals.
physical, intellectual, econom-
lc, social and racial; a dest-
my Of awesome dignity which
demands decent human lib
erty for every child of God
on the face of Gods earth
regardless of race, creed, COL
or or national origin.
This is the philosophy Of
the natural law. It is not self
righteous twaddle. 1t is not
a cloud of theory. 1t is the
SOIL Of freedom. 1t is the phil
oSophy upon which this ma
ton was founded and to which
this nation, by its most SOL
emn covenants and usages
IS dedicated. The Declaration
OF independence and the Bill
OF Rights re-affirm the phil
osophy of the Constitution of
this Commonwealth. The Pre-
amble of that Constitution
solemnly declares:
MASSACHUSETTS, DECREE
OF RIGHTS
We therefore, the peo-
pie OF Massachusetts,. ac-
knoUledging Nth CRATE
ful hearts the goodness
OF the great Legislator of
the nniUerse, in attording
rs in the course OF His
providence, an opportun-
ity !. OF forming a neD
constitution e. and de-
DoutIy tmplortng His dt-
rection =. do agree upon,
orddiR and establish the
to1owipg Declaration OF
Rights, and Frame OF
Government, as the Con.
Stitatton of the Common
Dealth of Massachusetts"
Article II Of the Constitu-
ton of our Commonwealth
refers to Almighty God as the
Supreme Being, the Great
Creator and Preserver of the
universe" Indeed, there should
be peace in our minds, there
should be a song in our hearts,
because what a man is be-
fore God, that he is before
the Constitution of the coun-
try and the Commonwealth
we love. Despite the cynics,
the materialistics, the secular
Ists and the positivists in
some academic halls, the glory