THE ARBITER OF ETHICS 213 



subjective worlds are governed by different forces, the 

 wave of evolutionary philosophy, under scientific domi- 

 nation, has spread to the students of political and 

 social history who are trying to devise a state which 

 shall evolve toward better conditions by natural means. 

 The result is that the attitude of thoughtful people 

 toward the moral questions of the day is one of more 

 or less perplexity. Few of them are willing to accept 

 the doctrine that human nature is essentially good and 

 that the only need of society is to remove all restraint. 

 In the past, the majority of men experienced this neces- 

 sary restraint in the conviction of personal respon- 

 sibility to a God, who actively interfered in their 

 thoughts and deeds, and who rewarded or punished 

 according to a revealed standard of righteousness. 

 But with the growth of knowledge and especially with 

 the impersonal attitude assumed in scientific inquiry, 

 the impression has become widespread that mankind 

 has been left to work out its own destiny. So, as I 

 have said, thoughtful people are perplexed to know 

 where to turn to find an inner check which can replace 

 that sense of personal responsibility to a God which, 

 however men might rebel, did exert a steady and po- 

 tent influence upon them. Some still cling to the idea 

 that the Christian church will ultimately discover again 

 the guiding principle for society; that a new reforma- 

 tion from within is all that is necessary. But the diffi- 

 culty is graver than in the past, as such reformations 



