PART II THE GOVERNMENT OF OHIO CHAPTER X DEFINITIONS AND PRINCIPLES.1 109. Society.-Men living together in human relations, or in relations natural to man, form society. The word is from the Latin societas, which means a union, communion, or association. Men can live as men only in social relations, i. e., in society, with one another; for if they separated and became hermits they would tend to become like the animals in their way of living, and the race would finally perish. The famous saying that man has a social instinct or nature means that he tends to live with his fellow-men, in society. Society exists for the sake of its members, who develop as men, or make progress, only while they are thus bound together. It is only in society that men can enjoy their rights and do their duties. 1 The topics presented in this chapter are abstract and dry. While they are essential to a good understanding of government, they are wholly unsuitable for introductory lessons. The teacher should not, therefore, require the pupil to learn this matter as formal lessons, but should show him how to use it for reference, as the several topics arise in the course of the succeeding chapters. For example, the paragraphs relating to Society, Government, Constitution, etc. The ideas presented in these special topics will be much better understood, and much more firmly retained, if they are approached in this way. When the book has been finished, the chapter may be studied as a whole to excellent advantage. 110. Rights. Men have rights that they are entitled to enjoy, which may be divided into three groups. 1. Civil rights are the rights that belong to men as citizens of a State. The principal rights of this class are the right to life, liberty, happiness, and property; the right to pursue a chosen trade or profession, and to use the public instruments of society, as the highways, for individual purposes. 2. Religious rights relate to the conscience. They embrace the choice of a religious faith and the mode of religious practice. 3. Political rights involve participation in politics or in the affairs of government. The principal ones are the right to vote, or the suffrage, and the right to hold office. Some 111. The Origin and Relation of Rights. of the above-mentioned rights spring out of man's nature, and are called natural rights. Others originate in the arrangements that society ordains, and so may be called artificial rights. liberty, and happiness are examples of the first class; the suffrage and hold Life, ing office examples of the other. All rights that belong to the individual, whatever their origin, may be forfeited through bad conduct. Thus, the murderer forfeits his right to life, and the thief his right to liberty. These several classes of rights are not always found together. Men who were denied all participation in the government have often enjoyed civil rights. Men who have shared directly in the government have not always enjoyed such rights. Still, in intelligent societies the three kinds of rights tend to hold together. For example, if the people participate in the govern ment by voting and holding office they are likely to see that civil and religious rights are maintained. 112. Duties.— Duties are things that men should do. They are inseparably connected with rights, and may be divided into the same classes. Wherever there is a right there is a duty, and wherever there is a duty there is a right. The state is bound to protect the citizen in his rights; the citizen is bound to obey the state, and to respect the rights of his fellow-citizens. Again, if the state gives the citizen a right to vote, the citizen is bound, not merely to use this right, but so to use it as to promote the common good of society. The members 113. The State or Nation. A state is a society of men of a certain stage of advancement living together in the same territory for the promotion of their common good and advantage. To constitute a state, such a society must be free, or, as the saying is, it must be sovereign. It is an independent body politic-an expression which means that the society is in possession of full political powers and a separate, independent government. The word nation is also used to express the same idea. of such a society are known as citizens. state or nation, and so are the United the Dominion of Canada or Ohio is not a state in this sense, because it is not independent, but is only a member of a larger whole. Just what we mean when we say Ohio is a State, will be explained further on. 114. Government. The controlling power or authority in society is called government. It is composed of the various persons or officers who make and France is a States. But |