ETHICS AND RELIGION. 735 



and powerful, communicates something of its qualities to the 

 other. In man's progress in culture of soul there is no part of 

 his nature that does not affect and is not affected by all other 

 parts. 



Let us pass on to the details of man's ethical codes. It is gen- 

 erally agreed that the great mass of these spring from the ex- 

 periences of human intercourse. The ordinary moral rules of life 

 have arisen from men's observation that without them society is 

 not possible. Such is the origin of the feeling against theft, mur- 

 der, and falsehood. The family life is dependent on the subordi- 

 nation of children to parents, and the tribal or national life on 

 the obedience of subjects to rulers. The early particular per- 

 ceptions of the law of kindness arise from a compromise between 

 the instincts of self -development and sympathy. A man helps his 

 fellow-man, but not more than is consistent with the mainte- 

 nance of his own interest. There are special instincts, like that of 

 maternal love, which carry with them absolute self-abnegation. 

 In process of time moral principles acquire a certain universality, 

 and are embodied in ideal forms of men or gods, and these ideals 

 and principles assume an independent shape and enter as inde- 

 pendent forces into moral life. Even the broadest and most un- 

 selfish ethical conceptions and usages of our best developed 

 societies are thus to be traced back to the habits of thought which 

 arise from social intercourse. 



The results of the ethical thought of society are adopted by 

 religion. Observation, as is remarked above, teaches that so soon 

 as the constitution of the community becomes distinctly moral, 

 its religion assumes the same tone the content of the divine 

 character becomes moral, and the deity is conceived to be pleased 

 by conduct which is in accord with his character. It need not be 

 thought derogatory to religion that it should depend on the ex- 

 periences of human society for its moral teachings. The essence 

 of religion is not the content of the divine personality, but man's 

 desire to put himself in sympathy with the divine. The ethical 

 character with which man enters into relation is, of course, of 

 extreme importance ; but the human mind can not truly appro- 

 priate thoughts which it has not learned by experience, and no 

 divine ideal would be effective which had not previously been 

 wrought out by the mind itself. 



Such an ideal may exert a powerful influence on life, but only 

 on condition that it correspond with ethical conceptions held by 

 the community in which it exists. If there is a conflict between 

 these two standards, there is in most cases no doubt as to which 

 of them will determine conduct : men will follow their own con- 

 victions, preserving a respectful attitude toward the divine, but 

 ignoring its guidance in this point. Illustrations of this fact are 



