330 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



than helping to tear down the good work that the toiling ages have 

 wrought ? 



Can such a system, however, possess any binding force ? Here we 

 find ourselves face to face with the question, whether the evolutionist 

 theory of morals is really adapted to take the place of those regulative 

 systems which Mr. Spencer represents as ready to pass away. One 

 thing is certain : it does not act upon the mind in the same way as 

 systems which appeal to supernatural terrors and hold out a prospect 

 of supernatural rewards. It will not awaken as powerful emotions as 

 theology has in the past awakened ; for theology has connected with 

 theologically-right action rewards wholly incommensurate with the 

 merit of such action, and with theologically-wrong action punishments 

 equally incommensurate with its demerit ; while the natural theory of 

 morals can only point to the natural results of actions and promote, as 

 best it can, a disposition to respect natural laws. No doubt this is 

 tame work after what we have been accustomed to ; but everything 

 grows tame, in a sense, as civilization advances. We no longer tor- 

 ture criminals, nor feast our piety with autos-da-fe. We no longer 

 thrash knowledge into school-children ; and we are so dead to the 

 necessity of cultivating national spirit that we forbid prize-fighting. 

 Upon every hand, the drastic methods of the past are discredited, for 

 we find, in point of fact, that gentler methods are better. Sangrado 

 no longer depletes our veins of the blood needed for carrying on the 

 processes of life ; we keep our blood and let Nature have her way as 

 much as possible. No doubt there is further progress to be made in 

 the same direction ; and who shall say that a system of rational re- 

 wards and punishments in this life, such as the evolution philosophy 

 unfolds, may not be found more efficacious than the monstrous rewards 

 and punishments of the supernatural sphere. Such a system may not 

 inspire death-bed terrors, but neither will it provoke life-long jeerings ; 

 and, if once understood theoretically, its gentle though not always 

 gentle pressure would rarely be absent from consciousness. The 

 villain, it may be said, will think little of sacrificing his higher social 

 to his lower personal self ; and, in his case, therefore, the system 

 would be inoperative. Precisely, and how does Monsieur the villain 

 comport himself now ? Does he occupy a front seat at church (some- 

 thing here whispers that sometimes he does, but that is another kind 

 of villain, and there is no use in mixing up matters), and send his 

 children to Sunday-school, and show in every way the great influence 

 which theological instruction has had upon his mind? Or we may 

 ask whether, in the " ages of faith," the villain was an unknown char- 

 acter? History tells us that, when supernatural hopes and fears 

 above all fears, which are more potent than hopes were at their 

 highest, precisely then was there most of violence and crime. And, 

 when natural morality finally succeeds to supernatural, it is safe to 

 predict that it will find some heavy arrears of work on hand. 



