On the record
In point of law, no man can commit suicide; but in point of fact, men do.
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Sumner reflects on the paradox of legal definitions versus actual human actions, using suicide as an analogy.
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More from Charles Sumner
Endeavor, for a moment, by comparison with other interests, to grapple with this sum.
In this contest, we may borrow from the ancient Greek, who, when his hands were cut off, fought with his stumps, and even with his teeth.
But so long as War exists as an Institution this terrible inconsistency must appear.
Their existence is a disgrace to civilization; for it implies the common consent of nations to the Arbitrament of War, as regulated by these laws.
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