Everybody agrees with this proposition, in the abstract. At this period of time, nobody would dispute “personal liberty,” as a “glittering generality.” People are too smart for that. It would be impolite and unfashionable. They would agree with you, perhaps, that “personal liberty” is the source of all progress, the lever of all conquests, the inspiration of all achievements. “The great, vital, pivotal fact of human life; all progress and all happiness begin and end in personal freedom.” O yes, they will readily agree with the rhetoric involved. “The prize, the precious jewel of the ages, is personal liberty. It has no equivalents. Untold wealth, a mine of diamonds, a palace, are baubles by the side of personal liberty. We recognize the supreme importance of this principle. We are willing that all men should be free--if they will only do what is best for them. We rejoice in the utmost liberty of opinion and action--if people will only do and say what is right.” Thus is “freedom” trespassed upon, under pretence that is for the good of the man or men whose rights are violated. Such was probably the pretext for every tyrannical invasion of popular rights known to history. Thus was it quaintly put by Dio Lewis: “The Inquisition believed in the perfect liberty of all men to be Catholics, but if they caught a man with other notions about salvation, they put a thumb-screw on him. Our Puritan fathers believed in personal freedom as no other men ever did. They left their homes, crossed a stormy ocean, and braved a thousand dangers, that they might be free to think and say what they pleased. And they were perfectly willing that all who came along might think and say what they pleased, unless, as sometimes unfortunately happened, the other men said and thought things which conflicted with the things which the fathers thought and said. They sometimes came across a Quaker, whose views did not seem quite the thing, and they hung him. Our New England fathers believed in ‘religious liberty.’ Indeed, ‘religious liberty’ was their constant boast; but if a man did not believe in hell, they would not let him testify in court.... But our fathers were always very kind about it; they said he was at liberty, perfect liberty, at any time to believe in hell, and then he might swear a blue streak.” What is really meant by this definition of “personal liberty” is the absolute right of every individual that every other individual shall act, in every respect, exactly as he ought; “that whosoever fails thereof, in the smallest particular, violates my social right and entitles me to demand of the legislature the removal of the grievance.” “This doctrine,” continued Mill, “ascribes to all mankind a vested interest in each other’s moral, intellectual, and physical perfection, to be defined by each claimant, according to his own standard.”