LITERARY PAPERS 
388 
But to “the self that knows” truths take on in this knowing 
self an effulgence incomparably bright with former states. 
To truth’s justification in each soul and guidance to its 
own freedom, must self look to self alone, and be its own 
guide to that point which makes each particular individual 
free. 
How incompatible is this state with the social world around 
us! From reading Whitman, especially those portions of his 
works bidding us bow in obedience to law, I have understood 
him to be speaking of universal spiritual laws. To these, when 
recognized, we owe allegiance and obedience. In conforming 
and bringing our spiritual nature into touch with our psychi¬ 
cal environment we become freest men and women. These 
thoughts, which are found scattered through Whitman’s 
writings, as it were like jewelled stars in the vast sky, are pre¬ 
sented concisely in his prose under the title “Freedom.” He 
says:— 
“It is not only true that most people entirely misunder¬ 
stand Freedom, but I sometimes think I have not yet met one 
person who rightly understands it. The whole Universe is 
absolute Law. Freedom only opens entire activity and license 
under the law. To the degraded or undeveloped — and even 
to too many others — the thought of freedom is a thought of 
escaping from law, — which, of course, is impossible. More 
precious than all worldly riches is Freedom — freedom from 
the painful constipation and poor narrowness of ecclesiasti- 
cism — freedom in manners, habiliments, furniture, from 
the silliness and tyranny of local fashions — entire freedom 
from party rings and mere conventions in Politics — and 
better than all, a general freedom of One’s-Self from the 
tyrannic dominations of vices, habits, appetites, under which 
nearly every man of us (often the greatest bawler for freedom) 
is enslaved. Can we attain such enfranchisement — the true 
Democracy, and the height of it? While we are from birth 
to death the subjects of irresistible law, enclosing every move¬ 
ment and minute, we yet escape, by a paradox, into true free 
will. Strange as it may seem, we only attain to freedom by 
a knowledge of, and implicit obedience to Law. Great — 
