NOTES 



Rights against Duties 



Now that the war appears to be over, the men who rule us 

 and who caused it are busy explaining that it was really due, 

 not to themselves, but to poor Humanity in general. The 

 Politicians blame the Militarists ; but when charged with 

 helping to precipitate the disaster by refusing to prepare for 

 it, reply that the people would never have made the necessary 

 sacrifices — though they never asked the people to do so. 

 On the other hand, the Militarists declare that in any case 

 war was inevitable owing to the pugnacity of the people, and 

 that they seized the offensive because it is the best defensive 

 — though they omit to mention that they never attempted 

 to placate their enemies, but for fifty years went about clank- 

 ing the sabre and shaking the mailed fist. Lastly the Anar- 

 chists blame both — but do not explain how it is that when 

 they have the power they commit what are perhaps the foulest 

 crimes recorded in history. Meanwhile poor Humanity is 

 left to-day among her tombstones, counting her losses and 

 weeping. 



This war, like previous ones, was due to the single fact 

 that many people — perhaps the majority of mankind — prefer 

 their rights to their duties. Let us analyse this word right. 

 It is unfortunate that in the English language the same word 

 denotes different if not opposite things. As an adjective right 

 is the equivalent of proper and true, and is a good word. But 

 what do we mean by the unqualified substantive, a right ? 

 It connotes a property which belongs to us by some supernal 

 sanction. A right is not the same as a legal right — which is 

 conferred upon us by the law of our country. Nor is it the 

 same as a just right — which we may think is due to us by the 

 balancing of justice between man and man. But when we 

 say that we have a right to live, or to breathe, or to eat, we 

 imply that we possess this right quite independently of our 

 fellow men ; that we were endowed with it when we were 



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