20 COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD PART i 



ends of human welfare. Comte has appeared, and, by 

 attending to his teaching, mankind now at last may 

 enter the land of promise. 



Of course the value of this historical sketch of the 

 progress of the human mind depends upon the degree 

 in which it is true, and in which its truth can be 

 demonstrated. It is hardly necessary to say that while 

 it reveals wide knowledge and great power of generalisa- 

 tion, it also contains many assumptions, and much pre- 

 judice, and not a little which is now proved to be false. 

 The early history of human religions and human insti- 

 tutions is still indeed extremely obscure. Many theories 

 are put forward ; none can claim a complete victory. 

 And yet it is not too much to say that Comte's neat 

 little sketch of Fetishism, and its uses, and its successors, 

 must be laid aside among the things which are curious 

 but not serviceable. However, the question specially 

 before us at this moment is whether Comte's historical 

 survey justifies his agnostic creed. In support of 

 Comte there is one striking fact to be noticed. The 

 field assigned to natural law has constantly tended to 

 expand ; supernatural agency, even by those who believe 

 in it, has been put farther and farther back, farther and 

 farther off. So much Comte may certainly claim to 

 / have made good. But it is still matter for argument 

 whether this really points to the cessation of theological 

 and metaphysical belief. The question is a metaphysical 

 one, to be fought out on metaphysical grounds. In his 

 dislike and contempt for metaphysics, Comte offers us 

 merely what one may call historical statistics of the 

 dwindling of faith. But that is to postpone the question 

 indefinitely. Till faith in God has died out like faith in 

 witchcraft, history cannot claim to pronounce upon it 

 a sentence of worthlessness. 



