Well, it makes me feel as if I were half buried in my own
degradation and blindness. And then, again, they are our property,
and are bestowed upon us by a legal-"
"If that be wrong," interrupted Maxwell, "you have no excuse for
continuing it."
"True! That's just what I was coming at. The evil in its broadest
expanse is there. We look calmly on the external objects of the
system without solving its internal grievances,--we build a right
upon the ruins of ancient wrongs, and we swathe our thoughts with
inconsistency that we may make the curse of a system invulnerable.
It is not that we cannot do good under a bad system, but that we
cannot ameliorate it, lest we weaken the foundation. And yet all
this seems as nothing when I recall a sin of greater magnitude-a sin
that is upon me-a hideous blot, goading my very soul, rising up
against me like a mountain, over which I can see no pass. Again the
impelling force of conscience incites me to make a desperate effort;
but conscience rebukes me for not preparing the way in time. I could
translate my feelings further, but, in doing so, the remedy seems
still further from me-"
"Is it ever too late to try a remedy-to make an effort to surmount
great impediments-to render justice to those who have suffered from
such acts?" inquired Maxwell, interrupting Marston as he proceeded.
"If I could do it without sacrificing my honour, without exposing
myself to the vengeance of the law. We are great sticklers for
constitutional law, while we care little for constitutional justice.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144