192 EVOL UTION AND NA TUEAL THEOL OGY. 



is necessarily inferior to Ancient Greece, any 

 more than the England of Victoria is inferior 

 to that of Elizabeth because we cannot now 

 point to a Shakspeare. 



But even the ancient Athenians could never 

 pretend to such generally diffused intelligence 

 and morality as we see around us in Modern 

 Europe, much as still remains to be perfected. 

 Greece fell, in spite of her wonderful genius 

 and great philosophers, like Eome, mainly 

 from the absence of settled principles of 

 morality, a defect which is but too conspicuous 

 even in the " Eepublic " of Plato. 



Galton* is eloquent on the injury caused to 

 posterity by celibacy in the Church, but he has 

 missed its real end and object. Paul discouraged 

 marriage because it was a hindrance to mis- 

 sionary work ; but celibacy was also a necessary 

 reaction in the ancient Church against the flood 

 of licentiousness which was the destruction of 

 so many of the ancient empires. Celibacy was 

 subsequently extended and encouraged from 

 other motives by the mediaeval Church after 

 its original object had been forgotten, and in 



* " Hereditary Genius." 



