The Short ConstitutionWade, Martin J. (Martin Joseph)
History
The Short Constitution
Wade, Martin J. (Martin Joseph)
United States. Constitution
I am not endeavoring to make lawyers. I am not trying to train you to
become lawyers. You know nearly all the children in the American schools
have to learn something about physiology and hygiene, but not in order to
become doctors. They study physiology and hygiene in order to understand
the ordinary rules of health, so that they may protect themselves as far
as possible against disease and take care of their bodies intelligently.
Of course sickness will come. Then you must call the doctor.
Well, so it is in this course. I want you to know enough about your
government, your Constitution, and your laws—because these things are
yours—so that you, as members of this great society called America, will
be able to understand your rights and duties, your privileges, your
opportunities, and your obligations. Sometime in your life your problem
may become so difficult, or your rights may become so endangered, that you
will have to call upon a lawyer, just as when illness comes you call upon
your physician.(5)
No one knows anything of real worth about his country until he knows its
Constitution. No one can have in his heart a full measure of gratitude for
the blessings of living in a free country, until he knows of how fully the
Constitution guards every right and privilege which we hold dear. So we
shall enter upon the study of the Constitution of our country.
But in order that you may better understand the Constitution of your
country, in order that you may better study the problems which will be
presented to you in this course, it is necessary for you to understand
something, in a general way at least, of four separate
things—_Government_, _Liberty_, _Authority_, and _Law_. So before talking
to you of the Constitution, I shall talk to you on these subjects.(6)
I know it will not be easy for you at first to understand some of the
words and expressions which it is necessary for me to use. It will be
necessary for me to repeat to some extent, from time to time, but I feel
satisfied that if we will work together in the right spirit, you will find
the matter interesting; and I am sure that the great truths, the great
principles of life, conduct, and action will soon become clear to your
minds.
The important thing to realize at all times is that we are not talking
about something away off in which we have slight interest, but that we are
talking of things which are ours, which affect every one of us, not in the
future, but now.
I can recall a number of faces of men who have been before my court
charged with crimes, who in childhood were sitting where you are sitting
to-day. I have sentenced some of them to long terms of years in the
penitentiary. I was compelled to take away from them their liberty,
because they had shown themselves unworthy, and had shown themselves
rebels against the authority of their country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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