punishment for the offense of pilfering what is of five shillings' value (dollar and a quarter).—Edward Gilliat, "Heroes of Modern Crusades."
(1770)
Lawless Business Men—See Misery an Educator.
LAWLESSNESS
We see in the following incident how men who break law forfeit the right to secure the protection of the law:
A man in the preventive service on the
south coast told this history to Mrs. Norton,
the authoress. He said he had once been a
smuggler. Desiring to reform he went to
his smuggling companions and demanded his
share (one-third) of the boat, as he wanted
to leave the partnership. They refused, and
laughed at his demand; tho he offered to
refer the claim to an arbitrator, they only
laughed the more. This exasperated him;
so he went out one night and sawed off a
third of the boat. This did him no good,
but the expense to his companions would be
more than his share if they had peaceably
given it to him. Mrs. Norton made some
comments on this method of redress, to
which the man rejoined: "Yes, marm, but
you see they darn't nor I darn't complain at
law, 'cos it was a smuggling craft; and that's
how it would always be, if there was no law,
a man wud try and right hisself, and if he
couldn't, he'd revenge hisself. That just it."
(Text.)—Croake James, "Curiosities of Law
and Lawyers."
(1771)
LAWLESSNESS, SPRINGS OF
It was recently my good fortune to be invited
to talk to a club of Jewish boys.
Among other matters I talked to them about
law and lawlessness, and tried to show that
the spirit of lawlessness, now so rife in this
country, manifests itself at first in little
ways. I reminded them of the wanton lawlessness
of automobile drivers in exceeding
speed limits, and then I sought to bring the
illustration close home to them by asking if
they ever saw a fellow at a ball-game, where
scores of men were standing in line waiting
for their turn to get a ticket, pass up to the
head of the line and surreptitiously induce
some friend there, or even a stranger, to
buy a ticket for him, and thus take advantage
of all those who had come before him. They
all recognized the illustration. It is a very
common incident in American life. Then I
pointed out that such a proceeding is a rank
violation of the law of courtesy and fair
play, and that any one who would do that
thing ruthlessly is sowing the seeds of lawlessness,
and may some day expect to reap
the consequences.—George W. Coleman,
"Searchlights."
(1772)
Laymen, Opportunities of—See Pew, If I Were in the.
LAZINESS, EXCUSE FOR
In the book of Proverbs is this verse:
"The sluggard saith, 'There is a lion without;
I shall be slain in the street.'" This means
that a lazy man did not wish to go to work,
and so pretended that there was a lion in the
street, and offered as an excuse for not going
to work that the lion in the street would kill
him if he went out.
It is a fact that every lazy boy and every indolent girl has a lion; that is, some excuse for not doing what is asked. A daughter is told to do her piano practising and exclaims: "Oh, I can't! It is so cold in the parlor" (lazy man's lion). A son is asked to run to the store on an errand and answers that his shoe hurts his foot when he walks (lazy man's lion). On Sunday morning he can not go to church because it is rainy (lazy man's lion). He can not study his lessons because his eyes hurt him (lazy man's lion). She can not eat the crusts of her bread because her gums are sore (lazy man's lion). She can not get up in time for breakfast because her throat pains her (lazy man's lion).
Look out for the lazy man's lion, that foolish excuse for not doing what we should do!—E. H. Byington, Congregationalist.
(1773)
LEADERSHIP, FAITHFUL
Sir Garnet Wolseley, in his Egyptian campaign
against Arabi Pasha at Tel-el-Kebir,
selected a Scotch Highlander to lead his
force over the desert sands by the light of
the stars, so timing the silent march as to
reach the point of assault at daybreak.
March and assault were successful, but the
poor Highlander fell mortally wounded. Sir
Garnet, learning of this, went over to the
brave man, who, seeing his commander, said:
"Didn't I lead them straight?"
Happy the Christian guide who in
death can make a similar claim. (Text.)
(1774)
Leaf, The Form of a—See Creation, A Witness of.
