II SCIENCE AND MORALS 145 



ages of faith " had less scum or less dregs, or even 

 howed a proportionally greater quantity of sound 

 vholesome stuff in the vat. I think it would 

 mzzle Mr. Lilly, or any one else, to adduce con- 

 incing evidence that, at any period of the world's 

 istory, there was a more widespread sense of 

 ocial duty, or a greater sense of justice, or of the 

 bligation of mutual help, than in this England of 

 urs. Ah ! but, says Mr. Lilly, these are all pro- 

 ucts of our Christian inheritance ; when Christian 

 ogmas vanish virtue will disappear too, and the 

 ncestral ape and tiger will have full play. But 

 tiere are a good many people who think it obvious 

 tiat Christianity also inherited a good deal from 

 'aganism and from Judaism; and that, if the 

 toics and the Jews revoked their bequest, the 

 loral property of Christianity would realise very 

 ttle. And, if morality has survived the stripping 

 Gf of several sets of clothes which have been 

 >und to fit badly, why should it not be able to 

 et on very well in the light and handy garments 

 hich Science is ready to provide ? 



But this by the way. If the diseases of society 

 msist in the weakness of its faith in the existence 

 f the God of the theologians, in a future state, 

 id in uncaused volitions, the indication, as the 

 actors say, is to suppress Theology and Philo- 

 >phy, whose bickerings about things of which 

 ley know nothing have been the prime cause 

 ad continual sustenance of that evil scepticism 



VOL. IX L 



