Civilisation : Its Cause and Cure 



self-sacrificing characters ; so that the public 

 opinion of one such class, however different from 

 that of others, cannot at least be invalidated on 

 the above ground. There are plenty of clergy- 

 men at this moment who are models of pastors 

 true shepherds of the people though a large 

 and increasing section of society persist in regarding 

 priests as a kind of wolves in sheep's clothing. 

 It is not uncommon to meet with professional 

 thieves who are generous and open-handed to 

 the last degree, and ready to part with their last 

 penny to help a comrade in distress ; with women 

 living outside the bounds of conventional morality 

 who are strongly religious in sentiment, and 

 who regard atheists as really wicked people ; with 

 aristocrats who have as stern material in them as 

 quarry-men ; and even with bondholders and 

 drawing-room loungers who are as capable of 

 bravery and self-sacrifice as many a pitman or 

 ironworker. Yet all these classes mentioned have 

 their codes 'of morality, differing in greater or 

 lesser degree from each other ; and again the 

 question forces itself upon us : Which of them 

 all is the true and abiding code ? 



It may be said, with regard to this variation of 

 codes within the same society, that, though various 

 codes may exist at the same time, one only is 

 really valid, namely, that which has embodied 

 itself in the law that the others have been rejected 

 because they were unworthy. But, when we 

 come to look into this matter of law, we see that 

 the plea can hardly be maintained. Law re- 



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