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of the cane） the only objection made to his proceedings takes the shape of
clamorous demands that _he_ should be caned instead of being allowed to
cane other people。
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The Sin of Athanasius
It seems hopeless。 Anarchists are tempted to preach a violent and
implacable resistance to all law as the only remedy； and the result of that
speedily is that people welcome any tyranny that will rescue them from
chaos。 But there is really no need to choose between anarchy and
tyranny。 A quite reasonable state of things is practicable if we proceed on
human assumptions and not on academic ones。 If adults will frankly give
up their claim to know better than children what the purposes of the Life
Force are； and treat the child as an experiment like themselves； and
possibly a more successful one； and at the same time relinquish their
monstrous parental claims to personal private property in children； the rest
must be left to common sense。 It is our attitude； our religion； that is
wrong。 A good beginning might be made by enacting that any person
dictating a piece of conduct to a child or to anyone else as the will of God；
or as absolutely right； should be dealt with as a blasphemer： as； indeed；
guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost。 If the penalty
were death； it would rid us at once of that scourge of humanity； the
amateur Pope。 As an Irish Protestant； I raise the cry of No Popery with
hereditary zest。 We are overrun with Popes。 From curates and
governesses； who may claim a sort of professional standing； to parents and
uncles and nurserymaids and school teachers and wiseacres generally；
there are scores of thousands of human insects groping through our
darkness by the feeble phosphorescence of their own tails； yet ready at a
moment's notice to reveal the will of God on every possible subject； to
explain how and why the universe was made （in my youth they added the
exact date） and the circumstances under which it will cease to exist； to lay
down precise rules of right and wrong conduct； to discriminate infallibly
between virtuous and vicious character； and all this with such certainty
that they are prepared to visit all the rigors of the law； and all the ruinous
penalties of social ostracism on people； however harmless their actions
maybe who venture to laugh at their monstrous conceit or to pay their
assumptions the extravagant compliment of criticizing them。 As to
children； who shall say what canings and birchings and terrifyings and
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threats of hell fire and impositions and humiliations and petty
imprisonings and sendings to bed and standing in corners and the like they
have suffered because their parents and guardians and teachers knew
everything so much better than Socrates or Solon？
It is this ignorant uppishness that does the mischief。 A stranger on
the planet might expect that its grotesque absurdity would provoke enough
ridicule to cure it； but unfortunately quite the contrary happens。 Just as
our ill health delivers us into the hands of medical quacks and creates a
passionate demand for impudent pretences that doctors can cure the
diseases they themselves die of daily； so our ignorance and helplessness
set us clamoring for spiritual and moral quacks who pretend that they can
save our souls from their own damnation。 If a doctor were to say to his
patients； 〃I am familiar with your symptoms； because I have seen other
people in your condition； and I will bring the very little knowledge we
have to your treatment； but except in that very shallow sense I dont know
what is the matter with you； and I cant undertake to cure you；〃 he would
be a lost man professionally； and if a clergyman； on being called on to
award a prize for good conduct in the village school； were to say； 〃I am
afraid I cannot say who is the best…behaved child； because I really do not
know what good conduct is； but I will gladly take the teacher's word as to
which child has caused least inconvenience；〃 he would probably be
unfrocked； if not excommunicated。 And yet no honest and intellectually
capable doctor or parson can say more。 Clearly it would not be wise of
the doctor to say it； because optimistic lies have such immense therapeutic
value that a doctor who cannot tell them convincingly has mistaken his
profession。 And a clergyman who is not prepared to lay down the law
dogmatically will not be of much use in a village school； though it
behoves him all the more to be very careful what law he lays down。 But
unless both the clergyman and the doctor are in the attitude expressed by
these speeches they are not fit for their work。 The man who believes that
he has more than a provisional hypothesis to go upon is a born fool。 He
may have to act vigorously on it。 The world has no use for the Agnostic
who wont believe anything because anything might be false； and wont
deny anything because anything might be true。 But there is a wide
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difference between saying； 〃I believe this； and I am going to act on it；〃 or；
〃I dont believe it； and I wont act on it；〃 and saying； 〃It is true； and it is my
duty and yours to act on it；〃 or； 〃It is false； and it is my duty and yours to
refuse to act on it。〃 The difference is as great as that between the
Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed。 When you repeat the
Apostles' Creed you affirm that you believe certain things。 There you are
clearly within your rights。 When you repeat the Athanasian Creed； you
affirm that certain things are so； and that anybody who doubts that they are
so cannot be saved。 And this is simply a piece of impudence on your part；
as you know nothing about it except that as good men as you have never
heard of your creed。 The apostolic attitude is a desire to convert others to
our beliefs for the sake of sympathy and light： the Athanasian attitude is
a desire to murder people who dont agree with us。 I am sufficient of an
Athanasian to advocate a law for the speedy execution of all Athanasians；
because they violate the fundamental proposition of my creed； which is； I
repeat； that all living creatures are experiments。 The precise formula for
the Superman； _ci…devant_ The Just Man Made Perfect； has not yet been
discovered。 Until it is； every birth is an experiment in the Great Research
which is being conducted by the Life Force to discover that formula。
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The Experiment Experimenting
And now all the modern schoolmaster abortionists will rise up
beaming； and say； 〃We quite agree。 We regard every child in our school
as a subject for experiment。 We are always experimenting with them。
We challenge the experimental test for our system。 We are continually
guided by our experience in our great work of moulding the character of
our future citizens； etc。 etc。 etc。〃 I am sorry to seem irreconcilable； but it
is the Life Force that has to make the experiment and not the schoolmaster；
and the Life Force for the child's purpose is in the child and not in the
schoolmaster。 The schoolmaster is another experiment； and a laboratory
in which all the experiments began experimenting on one another would
not produce intelligible results。 I admit； ho