298 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



the Pliocene saw the introduction of man's contemporary 

 the horse, etc.^ 



This, however, is not a point of any great importance. 



(i) The reader will note the author's insertion of the 

 word "leading" before "Rationalists". They may be 

 what he describes ; but the old question arises, How 

 about the "masses," the "millions" that Mr Gould 

 would wish to annex ?- The great complaint is the want 

 of enthusiasm among the followers of Rationalism ; and 

 as we have seen in the first two chapters of this book, 

 the past thirty years have proved the powerlessness of 

 Secularism or Rationalism to satisfy the demands of 

 the feeling of reverence in the heart of man. 



(2) The author here says, " The moral law springs 

 from the human heart ". Religion, as Christ taught us, 

 does, but pure morality was a matter of discipline. 

 Love, justice, mercy, truth, helping the needy and suffer- 

 ing are no doubt now valid and binding ; but were not 

 so universal as he would seem to imply. History, 

 certainly, does not support this idea ; pity for a foe was 

 regarded with contempt. 



As an example, where the above traits would be ex- 

 pected to be first seen, as a broad general rule the wife 

 was bought and remained a chattel or slave — as with the 

 Kaffirs of to-day. The children were no better off; the 

 Roman parent had the power of life and death over 

 them ; and female infants were regularly exposed to 

 death, if not wanted, as they are in China to-day. 

 "Millions of years" have not done away with this 

 abominable custom. 



The true family life began with Christianity. Yet 



' See above, p. 210. 



2 " The New Secularism," Agnostic Annual, 1903, p. 16 ; see above, 

 pp. 11 et scq. 



