"The people, indeed! precious little part they have had in the making of the laws. Those laws were made, not by the people--who had no voice in their making, but by a small class--originally the Chief--the Emperor--the King--the Barons--the rich Burghers--the people had no part nor voice." "They received the benefit of them." "Only the crumbs which fell from their masters' tables. They got the gibbet, the dungeon, the rack, and the stick." "Wolffert, you would destroy all property rights." "My dear fellow, what nonsense you talk. I am only for changing the law to secure property rights for all, instead of for a class, the necessity for which no longer exists, if it ever did exist." "Your own law-giver recognized it and inculcated it." I thought this a good thrust. He waved it aside. "That was for a primitive people in a primitive age, as your laws were for your people in their primitive age. But do you suppose that Moses would make no modification now?" "I have no idea that he would. For I believe they were divine." "Surely--Moses acted under the guidance of the great Jehovah, whose law is justice and equity and righteousness. The laws he gave were to inculcate this, and they served their purpose when Israel served God. But now when He is mocked, the letter of the law is made an excuse and is given as the command to work injustice and inequity and unrighteousness. Surely they should be, at least, interpreted in the spirit in which they were given. You claim to be a Christian?" "A very poor one." "In name, at least, you claim that there has been a new dispensation?" "Yes--an amplification--a development and evolution." "Precisely. In place of an 'eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth--the other cheek turned--to do to others as you would have them do to you!'" "That is the ideal. I have not yet reached that degree of----" I paused for the word. "I, too, acknowledge that evolution, that ideal. Why should we not act on it?" "Because of human nature. We have not yet reached the stage when it can be practically applied." "But human nature while it does not change basically may be regulated, developed, uplifted, and this teaching is based on this principle. It has not yet borne much apparent fruit, it is true; but it is sound, nevertheless. We both in our better moments, at least, feel it to be sound, and there has been a little, however little uplift, and however hard to maintain.