The
government is rightly jealous in such matters, and does its very best
to keep all artistic objects of real value in the country. It is right
that this should be so. The law relating to the matter was framed by
Cardinal Pacca, under the papal administration many years ago, and the
modern rulers have had the intelligence to maintain it and enforce it.
Like other laws it is frequently broken. In this it resembles the Ten
Commandments and most other rules framed by divine or human
intelligence for the good of mankind and the advancement of
civilization. The most sanguine lovers of their fellow-men have always
admitted the existence of a certain number of flagitious persons who
obstinately object to being good. David, who was hasty, included a
large proportion of humanity amongst "the wicked"; Monsieur Drumont
limited the number to David's descendants; and Professor Lombroso,
whatever he may really mean, conveys the impression that men of
genius, criminals and lunatics are different manifestations of the
same thing; as diamonds, charcoal and ham fat are all carbon and
nothing else. We should be thankful for the small favours of
providence in excepting us from the gifted minority of madmen,
murderers and poets and making us just plain human beings, like other
people.
There is no international law forbidding a man from making digressions
when he is telling a story.
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