THE ETHICS OF REVELATION 137 



laws without compulsion, and to promote the most perfect 

 formation of a virtuous conscience, and moral habits in the 

 way which will most effectually prevent the individuals it 

 controls from acting in a manner detrimental to the good 

 or to the views and beliefs" of its co-religionists. Secondly, 

 and this, if not the first is the most important necessity, that 

 it should do the most to impress upon its members the truths 

 of revelation in the manner and forms most calculated to be 

 understood by them, in the lights, and garbed in the parables 

 and dresses of imaginative beauty, that will make the truths 

 it contains appeal in the strongest manner possible to the 

 congregation. Hence it follows that all and every religion 

 that is based upon the truths of revelation can and does enable 

 certain members of the community to lead better lives than 

 they would do without its assistance. That is the best for the 

 community in question which enables it to live in the greatest 

 numbers under conditions of peace, comfort and content. 



It is incumbent on us to respect the opinions of 

 others on religious matters, no matter how antagonistic they 

 may be to our own ideas of right or wrong, and to remember 

 that even though they may not coincide with our own beliefs 

 they may teach and contain the same fundamental truths on 

 which we base our beliefs, and that if they fail to appeal to 

 our minds and modes of life, they may appeal more strongly 

 to the minds and lives of others than the views and beliefs 

 that appeal to us. I, therefore, maintain that religion is best 

 for each man to follow which best enables him to do and per- 

 form the duties of the state of life of those amongst whom he 

 has to live and associate. It' may be that in thousands of 

 years hence mankind may evolve to such a uniform state of 

 perfection that a universal religion may be possible, but even 

 when immortality is gained such a result does not appear 

 likely, because there will be rich and poor in heaven as much 

 as on earth, the only difference will be that when we attain 

 perfect government in state and religious laws, and acquire 

 perfect benevolence, perfect social agreement, and true un- 

 selfish charity in words and actions, dire poverty will no 

 longer exist. But it would not be just to damn and extermi- 

 nate all who could evolve perfect bodies and minds, be- 

 cause they had not evolved perfect virtue, or just because 

 their virtue were in our esteem less important and less magni- 



