stout old lady was walking with her basket down the middle of a street in Petrograd to the
great confusion of the traffic and with no small peril to herself. It was pointed out to her that the
pavement was the place for foot-passengers, but she replied: "I'm going to walk where I like. We've
got liberty now." It did not occur to the dear old lady that if liberty entitled the foot-passenger to walk
down the middle of the road, then the end of such liberty would be universal chaos. Everybody would
be getting in everybody else's way and nobody would get anywhere.
In order that the liberties of all may be preserved, the liberties of everybody must be
curtailed. When the policeman steps into the middle of the road and puts up his hand, he is the
symbol not of tyranny, but of liberty. If you are a reasonable person, you will reflect that if he did not
interfere with you, he would interfere with no one, and the roads would be in utter chaos.
Liberty is not a personal affair only, but a social contract. It is an accommodation of interests.
In matters which do not touch anybody else's liberty, I may be as free as I like. If I have a fancy for
dyeing my hair, or wearing a tall hat, a frock-coat and sandals, or going to bed late, I shall follow my
fancy and ask no man's permission
Your personal liberty of action becomes qualified by other people's liberty. I might like to
practice on the trombone from midnight till three in the morning. If I went on to the top of Everest to
do it I could please myself, but if I do it, in my bedroom my family will object, and if I do it out in the
streets, the neighbours will remind me that my liberty to blow the trombone must not interfere with
their liberty to sleep in quiet. There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to accommodate my
liberty to their liberties.
We are all liable to forget this, and unfortunately, we are much more conscious of the
imperfections of others in this respect, than of our own. A reasonable consideration for the rights or
feelings of others, is the foundation of social conduct, which determines if we are civilised or
uncivilised. The great moments of heroism and sacrifice are rare. It is the little habits of
commonplace interaction that make up the great sum of life, and sweeten or make bitter the journey.
i. The old lady’s action resulted in __________
a. chaos and confusion
b. social order
c. fun and entertainment
d. commonplace interaction
ii. The policeman is the symbol of liberty because ____________
a. he interferes with you
b. he pulls up your car
c. he preserves the social order which guarantees your liberty
d. he needs others’ attention
iii. Which of these actions is a hindrance to universal liberty?
a. A person breaking a queue to get a ticket at the theatre.
b. A librarian enforcing silence in a library.
c. A watchman denying access to the premises at unscheduled hours.
d. An official checking the tickets of the travellers
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