Moral progress depends upon diffusion of Science. 135 



of mankind, by proving that their exist no royal 

 roads to happiness, and that the greatest amount of 

 individual and national success can only be secured 

 by a genuine pursuit of truth, as an individual and 

 cosmopolitan duty. Increased knowledge is gradually 

 proving to mankind that the purest happiness is to be 

 obtained by intelligent and virtuous conduct. By 

 shewing Man the unreasonable character of some of 

 his fears and hopes, and substituting for them a 

 greater variety and extent of intellectual pleasures, 

 science is slowly making him more satisfied with his 

 lot on this Earth. Meanwhile the great mass of 

 mankind are still pursuing the ever retreating phan- 

 tom of an easy way to happiness ; the great laws of 

 nature however cannot be evaded, the avoidance of 

 evil and the attainment of good can only be secured 

 by obeying all the great laws which govern our 

 nature. 



Progress in morality is largely dependent upon the 

 diffusion of belief in the universality of scientific laws. 

 When men understand those laws, know that their 

 action is irresistible, and that they have no alternative 

 but to obey them or suffer, they acquire a habit of 

 obeying them. Universality of law in moral actions is 

 often considered to be incompatible with the existence 

 of freedom of the will in selecting ideas, and choosing 

 courses of conduct ; but we are free or not, according to 

 circumstances, both to think and to act. All things are 

 free to be active or not, in accordance with their 

 properties and surrounding conditions, but not in 



