The woods were his; he had the
right to do what he pleased with his own."
"Do I understand you that, in America, a man may do what is wrong with his
own?"
"He may do anything with his own."
"To the injury of others?"
"Well, not in person or property. But he may hurt them in taste and
sentiment as much as he likes. Can't a man do what he pleases with his own
in Altruria?"
"No, he can only do right with his own."
"And if he tries to do wrong, or what the community thinks is wrong?"
"Then the community takes his own from him." Before I could think of
anything to say to this he went on: "But I wish you would explain to me
why it was left to this man's neighbors to try and get him to sell his
portion of the landscape?"
"Why, bless my soul!" I exclaimed, "who else was there? You wouldn't have
expected to take up a collection among the summer-boarders?"
"That wouldn't have been so unreasonable; but I didn't mean that. Was
there no provision for such an exigency in your laws? Wasn't the state
empowered to buy him off at the full value of his timber and his land?"
"Certainly not," I replied. "That would be rank paternalism.
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