OCR Text |
Show I RIGHT "Crime" nit-aits something Forbidden by tin- law of the land;' ' sin' is often defined something forbidden bj the law of (iod. , and '"wrong" maj taken to mean omething forbidden by what Lorko called the law nf opinion What aete are to be classed m crimes dependi upon the meanmsj til the law exactly where the line is drawn, and on which side of 11 the ad in .iiesiirin falls llenre the Wnitf-drawn-out arguments i of lawyers and th eloae decisions of courts And when one thinks) of right and wrong in t his same legalietic way there is room for nil sorts of casuistry and moral hair-splitting Omi may try to com1; near the line withoul roainK over it. or to prove that he realb has not eroaaed it when he baa The effect of this on charaeter bad. lint a public-apirited man dors not wish merely in avoid breaking break-ing lawn; and in tin- moral field also it is uften better to leave the question ot laws or rulee in,the background ami judge one's conduct more free) tor what it is in itself and ils natural effeets speak-less speak-less of right and wrong, and more of better and worse to ask il ona'fl Set is the best, the kindest, wisest Of most honorable, that one could have carried out under sil '! circumstances That makes it no longer a question of being on mm side or the other of some absolute ab-solute line, but of frt;itliiiic; ;is near as possible to the perfection that some master in the arl of living night attain, Such an attitude encourages one to barn b) experience, and ii discourages ennobling self -righteousness, snd the harsh condemns-1 tion of others wli h. be weaker, less intelligent or I ess .experienced j than oneself. |