THE WONDERS OF LIFE 



the nineteenth century may point with pride, are far 

 from being universal; they are struggUng daily with re- 

 actionary views and powers in Church and state, with 

 militarism, and with ancient and venerable immorality 

 of every kind. 



C. The higher culture which we are just beginning to 

 glimpse will set itself the task of creating as happy and 

 contented a life as possible for all men. A perfect ethic, 

 free from all religious dogma and based on a clear knowl- 

 edge of natural law, will be found in the golden rule, 

 "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Reason tells us that 

 a perfect state must provide the greatest possible hap- 

 piness for every individual that belongs to it. The ad- 

 justment of a rational balance between egoism and al- 

 truism is the aim of our monistic ethics. Many barbaric 

 customs that are still regarded as necessary — war, duel- 

 ling, ecclesiastical power, etc. — ^will be abolished. Legal 

 decisions will suffice to settle the quarrels of nations, as 

 they now do of individuals. The chief interest of the 

 state will be, not the formation of as strong a military 

 force as possible, but the best possible instruction of its 

 young, with special attention to art and science. The 

 improvement of technical methods, owing to new dis- 

 coveries in physics and chemistry, will bring greater 

 satisfaction of our needs of life. The artificial produc- 

 tion of albumin will provide plenty of food for all. A 

 rational reform of the marriage relations will increase 

 the happiness of family life. 



The darker sides of modern life, of which we are all 

 more or less sensitive, have been laid bare by Max 

 Nordau in his Conventional Lies of Civilization. They 

 will be greatly altered if reason is permitted to have its 

 way in practical life, and the present evil customs, based 

 on antiquated dogmas, are suppressed. But, in spite of 

 all these shades, the luminous features of modern civili- 

 zation are so great that we look to the future with hope 



400 



