TO THE POOR. 277 



not a social, revolution, unexampled in the history of 

 European nations. Such changes in masses of men 

 which make important changes in societies, though not 

 radical changes in either case have occurred, and are 

 possible again. 



These times of renewing and regeneration of human 

 nature seem to occur at intervals, according to some law 

 which Science has not yet fathomed so far as to be able 

 to state all the conditions, or to predict the time of 

 recurrence of the seasons of grace. But they have their 

 causes ; and they recur. And moreover, upon such a 

 period of renovation, there are signs that we may be now 

 entering ; nay, perhaps we have already entered upon it 

 for some time without being fully aware of the fact. 



It is true that religious faith of the dogmatic sort is 

 undoubtedly " dry " at the present time. But our social 

 faith, our faith in an improvable society, and one soon to 

 be improved, is by no means so. On the contrary, the 

 social hope seems to wax and strengthen as the religious 

 wanes. And it is possible that if the masses of men 

 generally take to heart the new scientific teaching, which 

 in effect makes the future life of little or no practical 

 account, and the present life everything, thus reversing 

 the comparative value placed upon them by religion ; if 

 they should come to the conclusion that now or never is 

 the time to realize, if not happiness, at least greater social 

 justice and social equality, so far as the latter is com- 

 patible with Nature's inequalities ; and if, moreover, they 

 can get men of genius and honesty and energy to espouse 

 their cause a thing not in itself impossible, and unlikely 

 only because of the rarity of the combination, but of 

 which we have had a few examples already in the present 

 and the past generations then, without a total revolution 

 in the nature of men or things, social and political results 



