THE RULE OF THE ROAD

A.G. Gardiner

Summary: According to A.G. Gardiner, the rule of the road means that in order that the liberties of
all may be preserved the liberties of every individual must be curtailed. Curtailment of personal
liberty is needed in order to enjoy a social order which makes personal liberty a reality. But according
to the old lady walking down the middle of a street in Petrograd, liberty was that she was free to do
whatever she liked. She could walk down any track as they had got liberty. However individual
liberty would be universal chaos if such liberty entitled the foot passengers to walk down the middle
of the road and in the same way it also entitled the cab-driver to drive on the pavements. Everybody
would be getting in everybody else's way and finally, nobody would get anywhere. Individual liberty
would have become social anarchy
According to the author, we can be free as we like in matters which do not touch other people's liberty
as in personal matters like choosing a dress, studying a subject, keeping long hair, etc. We need not
ask other's permission. There is a big kingdom of our own in which we rule alone and in this
kingdom, we are as free as we like. But as soon as we come out of our own kingdom our personal
liberty of action is restricted by other people's liberty. One has to accommodate one's liberty to the
liberties of those among whom one is. When the author got into the railway carriage, he was trying to
read a blue-book in the railway carriage but he could not read because the necessary quiet was not
there as at the next station a couple men entered the carriage and one of them kept talking to his friend
in a loud and pompous voice till the rest of the journey. But the author did not ask them to talk in a
lower tone because the man believed that nobody could have anything better to do than to listen to
him. A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct.
According to the author, we can be neither complete anarchists nor complete socialists because the
world in which we live in is complex. So, we should be a judicious mixture of both because we have
to preserve our individual liberty and at the same time social liberty

COMPREHENSION
1. The writer describes the old woman in the middle of the road being or ‘no small peril to
herself’? What does that mean? [Tick the correct option]
(i)She was in a dangerous frame of mind.
(ii)She was running the risk of being run over by the traffic.
(iii)She was about to run over people on the road.
Ans: (ii)She was running the risk of being run over by the traffic.
2. The writer says, ‘individual liberty leads to social anarchy’. Do you agree/disagree? Give
reasons for your answer.
Ans: If individual liberty is enjoyed without restrictions, and is enjoyed without taking note of other's
liberty will certainly lead to social anarchy. When an individual is allowed to completely use his
liberty unrestricted, then everybody will be getting in everybody else's way and nobody would get
anywhere rather individual liberty would have become social anarchy.

3. Why should we not feel offended when stopped by a traffic policeman?

Ans: We should not feel offended when stopped by a traffic policeman because he is a Symbol not of
tyranny but of liberty. He makes arrangements for us so that everybody can enjoy liberty.

4. What is the difference in the liberty one has in dressing to please oneself and in playing the
trampoline at night?
Ans: There is a vast difference between choosing a dress and playing a trampoline at night. The
liberty one has in dressing to please oneself does not create any physical problem to others. But by
playing trampoline at night will disturb the neighbours because they will not be able to sleep at night
peacefully. So there is a vast difference between the two. By dressing, nobody would be disturbed but
by playing trampoline all will be disturbed.

5. ‘The truth is that I never read Blue-books for pleasure. I read them for the very humble
purpose of turning an honest penny out or them’.
(a) What does the writer mean when he says he never reads ‘Blue-books for pleasure?
Ans: He never read Blue-books for pleasure means that it was not his hobby to read the ‘Blue-books’.
But he read them only for earning money honestly.
(b) What is ‘Blue-book’? Why does he read them?
Ans: A ‘Blue-book’ is a book that contains government records. He read them for his professional
purpose and for earning money.
(c)Explain ‘turning an honest penny out of them.’
Ans: ‘Turning an honest penny out of them’ means to earn money using the records found in ‘Blue-
books.’

6. As I wrestled with clauses and sections, his voice rose like a gale.
(a) Who does ‘his’ refer to?
Ans: A fellow passenger who boarded the train at the next station is the ‘his’ referred to here.
(b) What does this description imply?
Ans: This description implies that the writer could not continue his reading of the ‘Blue-book’ when
one of his fellow passengers was talking very loudly.
(c) What were the topics being discussed by the speaker?
Ans: The speaker was discussing about international politics criticizing France and Germany.
(d) Were they interesting? What was their effect on the writer?
Ans: They were not interesting rather they were boring. The effect of this discussion on the writer
was that he would not continue reading his ‘Blue-book’ because of the speaker's loud voice.
(e)The writer has used another comparison to convey his feeling about the speaker's voice.
Quote the line from the lesson. What is such a comparison called?
Ans: ‘It was like a barrel-organ groaning out some uninteresting songs of long ago.’
This kind of comparison is called 'metaphorical' comparison.

7. ‘By what right, my dear Sir, do you go along our highway uttering that hideous curse on all
who impede your path?’
(a) Who is the writer discussing in this line?
Ans: The writer is discussing some motorists who use aggressive bullying horns deliberately.
(b) What is the ‘hideous curse referred to in this line?
Ans: In this line, the ‘hideous curse’ is referring to the use of aggressive bullying horns deliberately
by some motorists.
(c)What is this kind of behaviour called?
Ans: This Kind of behaviour can be called 'aggression or ‘tyranny’.
(d) Explain ‘impede your path.’
Ans: ‘Impede your path’ implies those who get into your path. The people on the road impede the
path of the motorists.

8. ‘It is like little habits of commonplace intercourse that make up the great sum of life and
sweeten or make bitter the journey.’
(a) What is the journey being referred to here?
Ans: The journey being referred to here is the life itself.
(b) How can the journey be made sweet?
Ans: The journey can be made sweet by our little habits of common place intercourse with regard to
other people's convenience.
(c)What makes the journey bitter?
Ans: The use of individual liberty without taking care of social liberty makes the journey bitter.
(d) Explain 'common place intercourse’.
Ans: ‘Common place intercourse' implies social relationships. It is the give and takes in society.

9. What does the rule of the road mean?

Ans: According to the author the rule o the road means that in order to preserve the liberties of all.
The liberty of every individual must be curtailed. To enjoy social liberty, it is important to curtail
personal liberty. It is through social liberty makes personal liberty a reality.
10. What was the meaning of liberty to the old lady walking down the middle of a street in
Petrograd?
Ans: According to the old lady liberty means she was free to do whatever she liked. She could walk
down any track because she had got the liberty.

11. When would individual liberty be universal chaos?

Ans: Individual liberty would be universal chaos if such liberty entitles the foot passengers to walk
down the middle of the road and by the same way it also entitled the cab driver to drive on the
pavements. Everybody would get anywhere. Individual liberty would have become social anarchy.

12. Why did the author read the ‘Blue-book' in the railway carriage? Could he read it? Why?
Ans: The author A. G Gardiner never read 'Blue-books' for pleasure. He read them to gain more
professional efficiency that would enable him to earn some more money honestly. So he was trying to
read a Blue-book in the railway carriage. But he could not continue his reading of the book because
the necessary reasonable quiet was not there as at the next station a couple of men entered the carriage
and one of them kept talking to his friend in a loud and pompous voice till the rest of the journey.

13. Why did the author keep quiet when he could not read the ‘Blue-book'?
Ans: The author was quiet because if he had asked the fellow passenger to talk in a lower tone also
the man would have thought that the author was a very rude fellow and had no civic sense. Because
the man believed that nobody could have anything better to do than to listen to him and he was
convinced that everybody in the carriage thanked him for having an illuminating journey.

14. What is the foundation of social conduct as mentioned in the story?

Ans: An individual must take into account the rights and feelings of the people among which he is
and shape his behaviour likewise. This may be called social conduct. According to the author, a
reasonable consideration for the right and feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct.

15. Why one should be a judicious mixture of both?

Ans: We can be neither complete anarchists nor complete socialists because the world in which we
live in is complex. So, one should be a judicious mixture of both because we have back to preserve
our individual liberty at the same time social liberty.

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