272 SOCIAL HEREDITY AND SOCIAL EVOLUTION 



upon a final recompense for sacrifice. Here it is 

 that we find the greatest significance of religion in 

 its relation to the history of man. Eeligion concerns 

 the relation of man to the unseen world, and has had 

 its place in practically all races of men. It has had 

 its foundation usually, if not always, in regulating 

 worship and sacrifice and not originally in its en- 

 deavor to regulate conduct. To-day we regard the 

 regulation of life as the primary object of religion, 

 but we must not forget that this was not its original 

 object. While religion and morals have, especially 

 in later centuries, been closely associated, they have 

 not been identical. Indeed, sometimes the grossest 

 immoralities have been admitted as part of religious 

 observances. This has not been confined to savage 

 races and savage rites, for anyone who will care- 

 fully read the history of the European religious rites 

 in earlier centuries will see that too frequently, 

 indeed almost constantly, religion has been totally 

 disassociated from right living. Its original pur- 

 pose seems to have been a proper regulation of sacri- 

 fice and worship, which should place the individual 

 in proper relations to the unseen world. 



It is a very significant fact that some form of 

 religion has developed in nearly all races of men. 

 But the foundation of these facts cannot be discussed 

 here. It is, however, very important for our dis- 

 cussion to remember one primary feature. The 

 human mind demands that in some way justice shall 

 be meted out to the individual. Therefore from the 

 earliest times man has insisted that in some way a 

 proper recompense should be given to each for his 

 good or bad actions. Inasmuch as many of man's 

 actions cannot possibly be recompensed in this life, 



