Teachings of Thomas Huxley 67 



COMMON OBLIGATIONS. 



There are certain obligations which are es- 

 sential to social existence. That all men are 

 created free and equal as it is commonly under- 

 stood is the basest sophistry; but that all men 

 are endowed with certain inalienable rights, 

 among which are the right to life, health, and 

 the pursuit of happiness, is crystallized wisdom 

 of the purest sort. The support of this prin- 

 ciple becomes, therefore, a primary obligation 

 upon each member of society if that society is 

 to be permanent and of the best possible type. 

 "Society is impossible/ 7 says Huxley, "unless 

 those who are associated agree to observe certain 

 rules of conduct towards one another; its 

 stability depends on the steadiness with which 

 they abide by that agreement." Political rea- 

 soning of the a 'priori order is not only faulty 

 but may lead to serious difficulty. Experi- 

 ence is sometimes fallacious; yet it is the chief 

 guide to the solution of all important matters 

 of State, and those who discuss political and 

 social questions from the professorial chair are 

 little less than dangerous if their ideas are not 

 largely moulded and colored by sound experi- 

 ence in the world of politics. The greatest 

 statesmen have never been very profound 

 writers on speculative subjects, for they have 

 found themselves too completely occupied with 



