xni THE DESIRE FOR IMMORTALITY 241 



impeccable orthodoxy, but as an illustration of celestial 

 attraction he is a failure. Similarly, when I expressed 

 similar opinions concerning the attractiveness of the notion 

 of Heaven in the Spectator^ I elicited no contradiction, 

 but only a number of anecdotes bearing out my conten 

 tion. As for Hell, I never met but one man who 

 professed to believe that he himself was destined to 

 eternal damnation, but as he made this avowal with 

 a smiling countenance, and without the least effort to 

 alter his ways, his testimony must be received with caution. 

 In view of this disappointing situation (for surely the fear 

 of Hell, at least, was among the more effective, if also 

 among the cruder, of the incentives to virtue), it might be 

 well if the churches admitted somewhat greater latitude 

 into their myths of the future life (if myths are all we 

 are to be allowed to have) ; both the thought of spirit- 

 communication and that of re - incarnation appear to 

 possess powers of consolation (in certain moods) that 

 might advantageously be utilised. 



It seems probable, therefore, that so far from modifying 

 the impression produced by men s manifest indifference to 

 and dislike for any scientific investigation of the question 

 of their immortality, their attitude towards the religious 

 doctrines only confirms our conclusions. The religious 

 dogmas are accepted because they are what men desire, 

 and so far as they are this : they yield a vague, remote 

 guarantee against annihilation, which may be summoned 

 up or dismissed at pleasure, and does not involve any 

 immediate practical consequences. And what is also very 

 convenient, this policy enables men to avoid a scientific 

 decision of the question and to give to every attempt 

 thereat an air of religious impropriety : thus there is 

 avoided all occasion for any practical readjustment, any 

 rearrangement of life, which grows progressively more 

 irksome and difficult as age advances. But inasmuch as 

 influence increases with age, and our great authorities 

 are all old, it is easily seen that the weight of all religious 

 and scientific authority must be naturally opposed to any 



1 November 24, 1900. 



R 



