Resist Not Evil
RESIST NOT EVIL
Title Page
RESIST NOT EVIL
CLARENCE S. DARROW
INTRODUCTION BY DOUGLAS E. FRENCH
Copyright Page
Originally published in 1903 by Charles H. Kerr & Company, Chicago, Illinois.
Copyright © 2011 by the Ludwig von Mises Institute
Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Ludwig von Mises Institute
518 West Magnolia Avenue
Auburn, Alabama 36832
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Matthew 7:1.
Ye have heard that it hath been said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:38, 39.
Introduction
—— by Douglas E. French ——
You always remember books that change your mind. Because these books are so few and far between. We’re drawn to books that reinforce what we already believe. It makes us feel smarter that an author shares our opinion and provides words we can use to make our case on the off chance that’s required.
Preface
It is not claimed that the following pages contain any new ideas. They were inspired by the writings of Tolstoy, who was the first, and in fact the only, author of my acquaintance who ever seemed to me to place the doctrine of non-resistance upon a substantial basis. After reading Tolstoy I determined to make a careful study of the subject, but on a thorough search of book stores and libraries could find next to nothing dealing with the question, while the shelves were crowded with literature extolling the glories of war and the beneficence of patriotism.
I. The Nature of the State
In this heroic age, given to war and conquest and violence, the precepts of peace and good will seem to have been almost submerged. The pulpit, the press, and the school unite in teaching patriotism and in proclaiming the glory and beneficence of war; and one may search literature almost in vain for one note of that “Peace on earth, and good will toward men” in which the world still professes to believe; and yet these benign precepts are supposed to be the basis of all the civilization of the western world.
II. Armies and Navies
How is the authority of the state maintained? In whatever guise, or however far removed from the rudest savage tribe to the most modern democratic state, this autocratic power rests on violence and force alone. The first great instrument which supports every government on earth is the soldier with his gun and sword. True, the army may be but rarely used.
III. The Purpose of Armies
But the great armies and navies are not really kept today for foreign conquest. Now and then, in obedience to the commercial spirit that rules the world, these vessels of destruction are sent to foreign seas. But the rulers of the earth live on fairly friendly terms. Long since, the most ambitious have abandoned their dreams of world power and are content to exploit a portion of the earth. When warships are sent to foreign seas they usually fire a salute rather than train their guns for death. Monarchs the world over respect each other.
IV. Civil Government
After the evolution of society through brute force and the first stages of militarism, comes civil government. In its forms and methods civil government differs from military government, but in its essence, its real purpose and effect, it is the same. Civil government, like military government, rests on violence and force.
