The millennium will not bring pure happiness to
man; he is too feeble a creature in the presence of forces with which
he cannot cope. Morality is just-the best man can do; and it is not
to be blamed for the twists of fate that make futile its efforts. (3)
Are there not, however, cases where conduct which we agree is right
is not even likely to bring the greatest happiness attainable; where
not only immediate but lasting happiness is to be deliberately sacrificed
in the name of morality? Suppose, for example, a politician who becomes
convinced of the evils of the liquor trade ruins his career in a hopeless
fight against the saloons. He loses his office, his income, his honor
in the sight of his associates; he brings suffering upon his innocent
wife and children; and all for no good, since his fight is futile and
ineffective. Surely any one could foresee that such action would make
only for unhappiness, or for no happiness commensurable with the
sacrifice. Yet if we agree with his premise, that the liquor trade
is a curse to humanity, we deem his conduct not only conscientious
but objectively noble and right. How can we justify that judgment?
In the first place, we cannot be sure, beforehand, that such a fight
will not be successful. Forlorn hopes sometimes win. We must encourage
men to venture, to take chances; only so can the great evils that ride
mankind be banished. If there is a fighting chance of accomplishing
a great good it is contemptible not to try; society must maintain a
code that leads at times to quixotic acts.
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