3 1 6 E VOL UTION OF TO-DA Y. 



In the first place it must be noticed that this 

 moral sense is a universal possession of mankind. 

 There is no race so low as to be devoid of con- 

 science. But just here has arisen a misunderstand- 

 ing. The intuitionalist, seeing this universal factor, 

 claims that all men are born with the intuition of 

 right and wrong; meaning by this an intuition of a 

 difference between right and wrong. But many 

 scientists imagine that this claim is that men are 

 born with a knowledge of right and wrong actions. 

 They think, therefore, if they can show that differ- 

 ent people have different ideas as to right and 

 wrong, they have disproved the claim. Now every 

 one knows that different races have different codes 

 of morals. It is possible to find races of men who 

 consider as praiseworthy acts, those which we look 

 upon as the greatest crimes. Cruelty, dishonesty, 

 theft, murder, are all believed by some people to be 

 deeds of great merit. On the other hand, acts 

 which we consider of no importance whatever are 

 by some races looked upon as crimes. Moreover 

 there has been a gradual development of our moral 

 nature. Civilized man is much higher in the grade 

 of morals to-day than he was a few centuries ago. 

 Not many generations ago our forefathers consid- 

 ered it a duty to burn the Salem witches ; but we 

 recall such acts with horror, and would consider 

 them not only barbaric but wrong. Thus from the 

 earliest times there has been a constant growth of 

 morals. Now there are many who think that such 

 facts as these prove that the moral sense is not alike 

 in all men. As soon as this is admitted the signifi- 

 cance of the intuitionalist's argument is lost. 



