Knowledge, a condition of morality. 133 



amount of evil and failure. " There is no instance on 

 record of an active ignorant man, who, having good 

 intentions, and supreme power to enforce them, has 

 not done far more evil than good." (Buckle, "History 

 of Civilization," vol. I, p. 167). Ignorance largely 

 precludes happiness, and intelligence is an indispen- 

 sable condition of the highest morality. There are 

 plenty of difficult positions in life in which the desire 

 to do right is not alone sufficient, we must intelligently 

 know what is the right course to pursue. We are all 

 of us ignorant in different degrees, and must be con- 

 tent in many matters to walk by faith until we can 

 walk by sight, and to act according to rule and 

 precept until we have discovered general principles to 

 guide us : blind dogmatic morality and " rule of 

 thumb " method is vastly better than none, and has 

 rendered great services to mankind. Whether com- 

 forting doctrines are true or not, the great bulk of 

 mankind prefer them because they afford immediate 

 relief ; and whether they be erroneous or truthful, 

 men will be benefited by them and continue to believe 

 in them, until their minds are sufficiently advanced to 

 receive a knowledge of verified principles. Rules of 

 morality however, when presented to us with a basis of 

 demonstrable truth, come with a degree of divine 

 authority, and possess greater claim to our observance, 

 than the same rules presented to us as empirical or 

 dogmatic statements only. 



In proportion to our ignorance the more we dislike 

 to be apprised of our defects and the more inclined are 



