22 FROM COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD PARTI 



and much prejudice, and not a little which is now 

 proved to be false. The early history of human re- 

 ligions and human institutions is still indeed extremely 

 obscure. Many theories are put forward ; none can 

 claim a complete victory. And yet it is not too much 

 to say that Comte's neat little sketch of Fetishism, 

 and its uses, and its successors, must be laid aside 

 among the things which are curious but not service- 

 able. However, the question specially before us at 

 this moment is whether Comte's historical survey 

 justifies his agnostic creed. In support of Comte 

 there is one striking fact to be noticed. The field 

 assigned to natural law has constantly tended to ex- 

 pand; supernatural agency, even by those who believe 

 in it, has been put farther and farther back, farther 

 and farther off. So much Comte may certainly claim 

 to have made good. But it is still matter for argu- 

 ment whether this really points to the cessation of 

 theological and metaphysical belief. The question 

 is a metaphysical one, to be fought out on metaphysi- 

 cal grounds. In his dislike and contempt for meta- 

 physics, Comte offers us merely what one may call 

 historical statistics of the dwindling of faith. But 

 that is to postpone the question indefinitely. Till 

 faith in God has died out like faith in witchcraft, 

 history cannot claim to pronounce upon it a sentence 

 of worthlessness. 



Or we may propose another issue. Let us consider 

 Comte's appeal to science. If that works out so 

 clearly and satisfactorily as to carry us unhesitatingly 

 with it, then we may feel that Comte has justified 

 his cavalier attitude towards those mighty allies, faith 

 and reason. On the other hand, if Comte's positive 



