52 THE OEIGIN OF MAN 



Father man became " a living Soul," at what period in 

 man's development was he endowed with the hope of 

 a future life? And, if the brute theory leads to the 

 abandonment of belief in a future life with its rewards 

 and punishments, what stimulus to righteous living is 

 offered in its place ? 



Darwinism leads to a denial of God. Nietzsche 

 carried Darwinism to its logical conclusion and it 

 made him the most extreme of anti-Christians. I had 

 read extracts from his writings — enough to acquaint 

 me with his sweeping denial of God and of the Saviour 

 — but not enough to make me familiar with his philos- 

 ophy. 



As the war progressed I became more and more 

 impressed with the conviction that the German propa- 

 ganda rested upon a materialistic foundation. I se- 

 cured the writings of Nietzsche and found in them a 

 defense, made in advance, of all the cruelties and 

 atrocities practiced by the militarists of Germany. 

 Nietzsche tried to substitute the worship of the " Su- 

 perman" for the worship of God. He not only re- 

 jected the Creator, but he rejected all moral standards. 

 He praised war and eulogized hatred because it led to 

 war. He denounced sympathy and pity as attributes 

 unworthy of man. He believed that the teachings of 

 Christ made degenerates and, logical to the end, he 

 regarded Democracy as the refuge of weaklings. He 

 saw in man nothing but an animal and in that animal 

 the highest virtue he recognized was ** The Will to 

 Power" — a will which should know no let or hin- 

 drance, no restraint or limitation. 



