论公民自由与中等社会——以《新民丛报》为考察对象

Discussion on Civil Liberty and Middling Society ——Taking Miscellany for New Citizens as Object of Study

自由并不是任何人都能行使,如果一个人没有足够的智识、品德,特别是自己的自主性受到损伤,那么他就无法实施自由。在古希腊、古罗马时期,公民就是自由人,奴隶没有自由。到了近代,只有解放了的奴隶成为公民时,才享有自由。《新民丛报》学人认识到了公民自由的重要意义,因而积极提倡公民自由,以反对中国人的奴性,更重要的是他们认识到了中等社会在实现自由方面的价值。

Freedom does not mean that anyone can exercise it. If a person does not have enough intellectuality and moral character, es- pecially his independency, he is not free to do something. Citizen was freeman, and slaves were not free in Ancient Greece and Rome. In modern society, only free slaves have freedom. Authors of Miscellany for New Citizens had known the importance of civil liberty, thus strongly opposed the Chinese people~ servility. They recognized the value of the middling society on the realization of freedom.