OBJECTIONS TO THE EVOLUTION ETHICS. 381 



internal punishments, the pains and penalties annexed 

 to wrong doing, they will resolutely overlook, till these 

 will gradually become remitted, and at length die a 

 natural death, from the gradual hardening of the heart, 

 the alienating of the moral perceptions, and the slow 

 corruption of conscience, the moral judge, by a continual 

 bribing process. And when men have thus wholly or 

 partially slain the inner moral self, the reduction of the 

 area of moral conduct (if, indeed, any true morality can 

 be said to remain) will be very great indeed, considering 

 how many evil actions men may perpetrate that no 

 external punishment can reach neither law, nor the 

 unfavourable opinion of the good, which might not be 

 regarded, nor yet that of their fellows, which would be 

 regarded, but who themselves will be, in general, men of 

 the same relaxed moral principle. 



In the same manner, as they have reduced the pro- 

 hibitive, men will reduce the sphere of the hortatory 

 and positive moral precepts to such actions only as 

 promise rewards of an outward tangible and visible 

 character, to results that admit of a ready material 

 investment and with a prospect, if necessary, of imme- 

 diate realization. The inner satisfaction from duty done 

 or conscience followed, they will lightly rate, and, indeed, 

 properly, as they will but slightly feel them. Nor will 

 it be only positive moral conduct that they will thus 

 reduce; all other kinds of conduct, all .pursuit of ideal 

 aims, all heroic action, all action to any end which does 

 not promise prompt material payment the only result 

 they will have smy capacity in their souls to enjoy 

 they will be disposed to dispense with. 



And all the more will men be so disposed to act and 

 to live, when they are informed, as they now are by a 

 school of scientific moralists different from the evolu- 



