56 HUXLEY 



education promotes peace by teaching the realities 

 of life and social obligations, that it promotes in- 

 tellectual development, morality, and refinement, 

 by its discipline. Other chapters in this volume deal 

 with the "Natural Inequality of Men," "Natural 

 and Political Rights," and, finally, " Government." 

 ITie main theme of these latter is the necessity of 

 disabusing our minds of philosophical delusions 

 which have been associated with pohtical thought 

 in past centuries. These chapters were essentially 

 critical and destructive, and at once met with the 

 obvious reply : "If tliis be wrong, what is right ? " 

 Huxley, however, disclaimed any liability for sug- 

 gesting the answer, though he did not refuse to put 

 forward some of his thoughts. And he builds up an, 

 argument of government, based upon those scientific 

 principles, which would enable a man to be success- 

 ful in self-government and in family-government. 



Two volumes (IV. and V.) wliich come in tliis 

 of Collected Essays deal vAih. the great contro- 

 versy of the time which centred roimd the infalli- 

 bility of the Hebrew scriptures, and such topics as 

 absolute inspiration, and so forth. These volumes 

 were doubtless much more striking to the general 

 public at the time of their publication than they 

 would be if issued to-day, for the simple reason that 

 almost everything for which Huxley contended in 

 them has now become part and parcel of the ordi- 

 nary mental equipment of most educated men. The 

 essays are especially intended to destroy any pre- 

 tensions to infallibiUty, no matter by whom they 

 are put forward. " Wherever bibliolatry has pre- 

 vailed, bigotry and cruelty have accompanied it. 

 It lies at the root of the deep-seated, sometimes 



