Teachings of Thomas Huxley 51 



IV. 



Moral Teachings. 



THE BASIS OF MORALITY. 



The moral sense has as a fundamental ele- 

 ment the consciousness of distinction between 

 right and wrong. On the judgment as to the 

 relativity of right and wrong depends the fibre 

 of the social fabric and the laws which govern 

 the actions of men. There is a commonality of 

 opinion which decides that an action is wrong 

 partly because education and experience have 

 shown its untoward results, partly because 

 they have shown favorable results from the 

 opposite course. Moral reasoning is a very 

 complex type of mental reasonings dependent 

 in part upon a knowledge of pleasure and pain, 

 approbation and disapprobation, which has been 

 gained from individual experiences since birth. 

 The untaught child has neither the sense of 

 honor nor shame, because it is wholly uncon- 

 scious of self, and of the influence of its actions 

 upon those about it. Just so soon as it becomes 

 conscious of this relationship it ceases the per- 



