226 FROM COMTE TO BENJAMIN KIDD PART in 



his pocket, or is to disguise himself as his big brother. 

 There is no such thing as a new life for the repentant 

 sinner, and there is no influence (to speak of) between 

 man and man. The filthy remains filthy still, and the 

 righteous remains righteous still. We are born good, 

 or else we are damned into the world. Elimination 

 is first among moral forces ; the rest are nowhere. 



What is a truer theory of man's advance in 

 actual goodness? We help each other by influ- 

 ence, example, magnetism. And inwardly we are 

 drawn or driven to righteousness partly by the bitter- 

 ness of sin, partly by (not the pleasures of virtue, but) 

 the beauty of holiness. It would be impossible . to 

 say which has the more power. The great inspiring 

 personality who helps the multitude of little lives 

 may be unoriginal and hackneyed in thought. It is 

 the glow of spiritual goodness, plus a mysterious per- 

 sonal endowment, perhaps of the nature of sympathy, 

 that constitutes greatness and efficiency in this de- 

 partment. But the "worthy little men" are quite 

 as important here as the leaders. Mr. T. H. Green 

 has told us that the Napoleonic wars were able to do 

 some good, as well as mischief, in the world, just 

 because of the courage and loyalty of the millions 

 of private soldiers who were the victims of . one man's 

 ambition. Faithfulness is the greatest of the virtues. 

 Nor must we forget the stored wealth of the past in 

 the form of moral institutions and traditions. 



We have one proof of the all-sidedness of Jesus 

 Christ in this, that He is both the supremely original 

 moral teacher and the supreme personal influence. 

 He so crossed the currents of dignity and respecta- 

 bility in His age that dignity and respectability, feel- 



