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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 42

5.—Defending Our Position

5.—Defending Our Position

"What I think I utter, what I will I do."

There is a spirit of independence sounding through this thought. By itself it does not seem much; it is its surroundings which give it such prominent significance. Where it is placed it breathes strongly of defiance, and blisters with the constant spirit of self-importance which page 10 shows up so prominently throughout this exposition of Freethought principles. It is couched in strong and determined language—"We are determined that if religious or guasi-religious and political associations unite to deprive us of our rights as citizens, then we will be found defending our position." The whole affair breathes the sentiments of resistance to the wishes of the community, and most forcibly suggests a pre-determination to instigate an insurrection should this Society not be granted all that its members imagine to be their rights, even although the greater part of the community believe that the concession of these imagined "rights to a few" would be a "wrong to the many." And this is the language of our late Attorney-General, and shows how far the spirit has progressed amongst, and possessed the minds of, the people. Surely it is time that society opened its eyes to the insidious notions which are gaining ground in our midst, when such men will boldly make such statements; and leading newspapers are willing to give publication to them, while they contemn speeches and letters which seek to check the influence of these inflammatory orations. It is quite possible that, with all our modern culture, and improved social condition, there is still the latent spirit, which in other days and other lands has given such evidence of its power, when evoked by imaginary wrongs, dilated and expatiated upon in exciting and vehement language. What is the difference between that which was the immediate cause of the diabolical outrages of the French Revolution, and the sentiments of the exposition of Freethought under our review? The latter is but a seed of the former. Nor do I think that anyone who examines the literature of those who also seem to belong to the same sect as Mr Stout will be able to come to any other conclusion. One thing especially will tend to this conviction—viz., they all admire the very men whose writings and speeches fired the fury which made France bleed and mourn for years! Their cry was, "Defending their rights." With them every man had his "own rights," and he was considered entitled to defend his rights not with standing the result of his actions. If, however, his sword could not maintain his "right," it ceased to exist. Right lay in a man's "strong right arm." I do not give Mr Stout credit for seeing the matter in this true light. He has allowed his "search for the true" to be so circumscribed that he has forgotten the existence of "communities of men" in his intense desire to have every impediment, real and imaginary, removed from the progress of each "individual unit" of those communities. He has allowed himself to drift away into a strangely illogical and false position. To confirm this, I advance to another thought, and sum up what he calls