viii.] THE SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF POSITIVISM. 153 



"La seulc solution possible do ce grand probleme historique, qui n'a 



jamais pu etre philosophiquement pose jusqu'ici, consiste a conceroir, 

 en sens radicalement inverse des notions habituelles, que ce qui ilevait 

 ■nrcessairement pkrit ainsi, dans le catJiolicisme, e'etait la doctrine, et non 

 I' organisation, qui n'a ete passagerement ruineo que par suite de son 

 inevitable adherence elementaire a la philosophic theologique, destinee 

 a succomber graduellement sous 1' irresistible emancipaton de la raison 

 lnunaine ; tandis qu\ine telle constitution, convenahlement reconstruite 

 8ur des bases intellect uclles a la fois plus ctendues et plus stables, devra 

 linalement presider a V indispensable reorganisation spirituelle des 

 societes modernes, sanf les differences essentielles spontanement corre- 

 spondantes a Vextrtme diversite des doctrines fondamentales ;] a, moins 

 de supposer, ce qui serait certainement contradictoire a l'ensemble des 

 lois de notre nature, que les immenses efforts de tant de grands 

 homines, secondes par la perseverante sollicitude des nations civilisecs, 

 3ans la fondation seculaire de ce chef-d'oeuvre politique de la sagesse 

 humaine, doivent etre enfin irrevocablement perdus pour l'elite de 

 l'humanite sauf les resultats, capitaux mais provisoires, qui s'y rap- 

 portaient immediatement. Cette explication generale, deja evidem- 

 ment motivee par la suite des considerations propres a ce chapitre, 

 sera de plus en plus confirmee par tout le reste de notre operation 

 historique, dont elle constituera spontanement la principale conclusion 

 politique" 



Nothing can be clearer. Comte's ideal, as stated by 

 himself, is Catholic organization without Catholic doc- 

 trine, or, in other words, Catholicism minus Christianity. 

 Surely it is utterly unjustifiable to ascribe to me base 

 motives for stating a man's doctrines, as nearly as may 

 be, in his own words ! 



My readers would hardly be interested were I to follow 

 Mr. Congreve any further, or I might point out that the 

 fact of his not having heard me lecture is hardly a safe 

 ground for his speculations as to what I do not teach. 

 Nor do I feel called upon to give any opinion as to 

 M. Comte's merits or demerits as regards sociology. 

 Mr. Mill (whose competence to speak on these matters 

 I suppose will not be questioned, even by Mr. Congreve) 

 has dealt with M. Comte's philosophy from this point of 

 view, with a vigour and authority to which I cannot for 



