Somuchforthefallacyoflogicalform。Nowletusconsiderthepresentconditionofthelawasasubjectforstudy，andtheidealtowardwhichittends。WestillarefarfromthepointofviewwhichI
desiretoseereached。Noonehasreacheditorcanreachitasyet。
Weareonlyatthebeginningofaphilosophicalreaction，andofareconsiderationoftheworthofdoctrineswhichforthemostpartstillaretakenforgrantedwithoutanydeliberate，conscious，andsystematicquestioningoftheirgrounds。Thedevelopmentofourlawhasgoneonfornearlyathousandyears，likethedevelopmentofaplant，eachgenerationtakingtheinevitablenextstep，mind，likematter，simplyobeyingalawofspontaneousgrowth。Itisperfectlynaturalandrightthatitshouldhavebeenso。Imitationisanecessityofhumannature，ashasbeenillustratedbyaremarkableFrenchwriter，M。Tard，inanadmirablebook，LesLoisdel’Imitation。Mostofthethingswedo，wedofornobetterreasonthanthatourfathershavedonethemorthatourneighborsdothem，andthesameistrueofalargerpartthanwesuspectofwhatwethink。Thereasonisagoodone，becauseourshortlifegivesusnotimeforabetter，butitisnotthebest。Itdoesnotfollow，becauseweallarecompelledtotakeonfaithatsecondhandmostoftherulesonwhichwebaseouractionandourthought，thateachofusmaynottrytosetsomecornerofhisworldintheorderofreason，orthatallofuscollectivelyshouldnotaspiretocarryreasonasfarasitwillgothroughoutthewholedomain。Inregardtothelaw，itistrue，nodoubt，thatanevolutionistwillhesitatetoaffirmuniversalvalidityforhissocialideals，orfortheprincipleswhichhethinksshouldbeembodiedinlegislation。Heiscontentifhecanprovethembestforhereandnow。Hemaybereadytoadmitthatheknowsnothingaboutanabsolutebestinthecosmos，andeventhatheknowsnexttonothingaboutapermanentbestformen。Stillitistruethatabodyoflawismorerationalandmorecivilizedwheneveryruleitcontainsisreferredarticulatelyanddefinitelytoanendwhichitsubserves，andwhenthegroundsfordesiringthatendarestatedorarereadytobestatedinwords。
Atpresent，inverymanycases，ifwewanttoknowwhyaruleoflawhastakenitsparticularshape，andmoreorlessifwewanttoknowwhyitexistsatall，wegototradition。WefollowitintotheYearBooks，andperhapsbeyondthemtothecustomsoftheSalianFranks，andsomewhereinthepast，intheGermanforests，intheneedsofNormankings，intheassumptionsofadominantclass，intheabsenceofgeneralizedideas，wefindoutthepracticalmotiveforwhatnowbestisjustifiedbythemerefactofitsacceptanceandthatmenareaccustomedtoit。Therationalstudyoflawisstilltoalargeextentthestudyofhistory。Historymustbeapartofthestudy，becausewithoutitwecannotknowtheprecisescopeofruleswhichitisourbusinesstoknow。
Itisapartoftherationalstudy，becauseitisthefirststeptowardanenlightenedscepticism，thatis，towardsadeliberatereconsiderationoftheworthofthoserules。Whenyougetthedragonoutofhiscaveontotheplainandinthedaylight，youcancounthisteethandclaws，andseejustwhatishisstrength。Buttogethimoutisonlythefirststep。Thenextiseithertokillhim，ortotamehimandmakehimausefulanimal。Fortherationalstudyofthelawtheblacklettermanmaybethemanofthepresent，butthemanofthefutureisthemanofstatisticsandthemasterofeconomics。ItisrevoltingtohavenobetterreasonforaruleoflawthanthatsoitwaslaiddowninthetimeofHenryIV。Itisstillmorerevoltingifthegroundsuponwhichitwaslaiddownhavevanishedlongsince，andtherulesimplypersistsfromblindimitationofthepast。Iamthinkingofthetechnicalruleastotrespassabinitio，asitiscalled，whichIattemptedtoexplaininarecentMassachusettscase。