Page:About people (IA aboutpeople00well).pdf/106

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
100
ABOUT PEOPLE.

the idea of ought in that of liberality, as if our right ought to prove another's wrong, and to compel him to adopt our ideas. Liberality must adjust the equation of ought between ourselves and others. The extent of the application of our ought to some one else establishes the foundation of social relations. Though the world teems with individual and organized efforts for the conversion of others to some one's notion of ought, their attempts should never bear the red mark of persecution, as they have borne it in the past.

Many people consider liberality as a product of the heart. They fancy that definite opinion excludes liberalism, and fear that, the more they know, the less certain will they be of arriving at conclusions; yet they vaguely feel that mental decisions are necessary. Though definite opinions can abide with appreciation of another's convictions, people like to be freed from the burden of making up their mind. Much that passes muster for liberality is sham,

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.