The Rule of the Road

A.G. Gardiner (1865–1946), the English essayist who wrote under the pen-name 'Alpha of the Plough', was known for his gentle wit and moral insight. In 'The Rule of the Road' he explores what liberty truly means and why it must be balanced with responsibility.

The 'liberty-drunk' lady and the danger of unchecked freedom

Gardiner opens with a humorous anecdote about a stout old lady in Petrograd who walks down the middle of a busy street, causing traffic confusion and endangering herself. When told the pavement is meant for pedestrians, she stubbornly replies, 'I'm going to walk where I like. We've got liberty now.' Gardiner uses her to illustrate the modern danger of becoming 'liberty-drunk'.

He points out the flaw in her logic: if her personal liberty entitles her to walk in the middle of the road, then a cab-driver would be equally entitled to drive on the pavement. Such unchecked individual liberty would end in universal chaos and social anarchy. Liberty, therefore, cannot mean doing exactly as one pleases.

The policeman as a protector of freedom

To preserve the liberties of all, Gardiner argues, the liberties of individuals must be curtailed. He uses the example of a traffic policeman at Piccadilly Circus. When the policeman raises his hand to stop your vehicle, he is not a symbol of tyranny but of true liberty. You may be in a hurry and feel your freedom is violated, but reflection shows that without his interference no one could cross the street and the whole transport system would collapse.

The policeman's restriction on your personal liberty is precisely what makes your actual journey possible. In this way, a reasonable rule of the road, an agreement to give up a little freedom, secures the greater freedom of everyone to move about safely.

The personal and public spheres of liberty

Gardiner defines liberty not as a purely personal affair but as a social contract, a constant adjustment of mutual interests. He divides human life into two spheres. In the personal sphere, in matters that touch no one else's liberty, an individual has complete freedom to do as they please: to dress oddly, play a trombone in an attic, go to bed early or late, or choose their own religious beliefs, without asking anyone's permission.

But in the public sphere, as soon as one's actions affect the peace, comfort or safety of others, personal liberty must be restrained. If you wish to play the trombone on the street at midnight, your freedom to make music directly violates your neighbour's right to sleep in peace.

Consideration for others as the foundation of civilisation

Gardiner shares a personal experience from a train journey where a loud, pompous passenger talked incessantly about politics, war and criticisms of military generals, completely ruining Gardiner's attempt to read a heavy official 'Blue-book' for his work. The talkative passenger was entirely unconscious that he was imposing his voice on others.

From this he draws his central lesson: 'a reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct.' Defending the rights of 'small and quiet people' against aggressive, bullying behaviour, Gardiner concludes that true civilisation is reflected in our small, daily habits of consideration for one another.