Part 84 (1/2)

And on what authority are these presented? some will ask. Not on ”authority” at all; but on law, natural law, the right and wrong indicated being long since known to us. And are these set presumptuously in the place of the Divine Command? will be tremblingly inquired. By no means. The Ten stand as before--these are auxiliary and merely suggestive of study.

1. Thou shalt learn that human love is a natural law and obey it as the main condition of life: the service of man is the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d.

2. Thou shalt learn that the first duty of human life is to find thy work and do it; for by labor ye live and grow and in it is wors.h.i.+p, pride and joy.

3. Thou shalt keep an open mind and use it, welcoming new knowledge and new truth and giving them to all.

4. Thou shalt maintain liberty and justice for everyone.

5. Thou shalt maintain thy health and thy chast.i.ty. Temperance and purity are required of all men.

6. Thou shalt not lie, break faith or cheat.

7. Thou shalt not gamble, nor live idly on the labor of others, nor by any usury.

8. Thou shalt not steal; nor take from one another save in fair exchange or as a free gift.

9. Thou shalt not do unnecessary hurt to any living thing.

10. Thou shalt not wors.h.i.+p the past nor be content with the present, for growth is the law of life.

THE MALINGERER

Exempt! She ”does not have to work!”

So might one talk Defending long, bedridden ease, Weak yielding ankles, flaccid knees, With, ”I don't have to walk!”

Not have to work. Why not? Who gave Free pa.s.s to you?

You're housed and fed and taught and dressed By age-long labor of the rest-- Work other people do!

What do you give in honest pay For clothes and food?

Then as a s.h.i.+eld, defence, excuse, She offers her exclusive use-- Her function--Motherhood!

Is motherhood a trade you make A living by?

And does the wealth you so may use, Squander, acc.u.mulate, abuse, Show motherhood as high?

Or does the motherhood of those Whose toil endures, The farmers' and mechanics' wives, Hard working servants all their lives-- Deserve less price than yours?

We're not exempt! Man's world runs on, Motherless, wild; Our servitude and long duress, Our shameless, harem idleness, Both fail to serve the child.

GENIUS, DOMESTIC AND MATERNAL

Most of us believe the human race to be the highest form of life--so far. Not all of us know why. Because we do not properly realize the causes of our superiority and swift advance, we do not take advantage of them as we should.

Among various causes of human supremacy, none counts more than our social gift of genius, the special power that is given to some more than others, as part of social specialization. In social life, which is organic, we do not find each one doing the same work, but some, especially fitted for one thing, doing that thing for the service of the others. No creature approaches us in the degree of our specialization, and the crowning power of individual genius.

Because of this power we, as a whole, have benefited by the ”genius for mechanics,” for invention, for discovery, for administration, and all the commoner lines of work, as well as in the fine arts and professions.