CIVIC HELPFULNESS 



PUBLISHED IN THE "CENTURY," OCTOBER, 1900 



IN Mr. Lecky's profoundly suggestive book, "The 

 Map of Life," referred to by me in a former 

 article, he emphasizes the change that has been^grad- 

 ually coming over the religious attitude of the world 

 because of the growing importance laid upon con 

 duct as compared with dogma. In this country we 

 are long past the stage of regarding it as any 

 part of the State's duty to enforce a particular 

 religious dogma; and more and more the profes 

 sors of the different creeds themselves are begin 

 ning tacitly to acknowledge that the prime worth 

 of a creed is to be gauged by the standard of con 

 duct it exacts among its followers toward their fel 

 lows. . The creed which each man in his heart 

 believes to be essential to his own salvation is for 

 him alone to determine ; but we have a right to pass 

 judgment upon his actions toward those about him. 

 Tried by this standard, the religious teachers of 

 the community stand most honorably high. It is 

 probable that no other class of our citizens do any 

 thing like the amount of disinterested labor for 

 (80) 



