THE MAN 27 



Let Nature alone sit high above the lists, " rain in- 

 fluence and judge the prize." 



But the prize, he was sure, would not be theirs, 

 since the most Darwinian of theorists will not ven- 

 ture to propound the doctrine that the physical disabil- 

 ities under which women have hitherto laboured in 

 the struggle for existence with men are likely to be 

 removed by even the most skilfully conducted process 

 of educational selection. 1 



Strongly convinced, as the most pronounced indi- 

 vidualist can be, that it is desirable that every man 

 should be free to act in every way which does not 

 limit the corresponding freedom of his fellow-man, he 

 made his practical protest against the liberty-infrin- 

 ging Deceased Wife's Sister Bill in approving the 

 union of one of his daughters with the husband of 

 her late sister Marian. And while knowing, as few 

 knew so well, what an " immense amount of remedi- 

 able misery exists among us," misery which, " if not 

 effectually dealt with, will destroy modern civilisa- 

 tion," he opposed the means adopted by the Salvation 

 Army to cope with it, not because of its " Corybantic 

 Christianity " and coarse dogmas, but because a 

 fanatical despotism controls it. 



Few social evils are of greater magnitude than 

 uninstructed and unchastened religious fanaticism ; no 

 personal habit more surely degrades the conscience 

 and the intellect than blind and unhesitating obedience 

 to unlimited authority. Undoubtedly, harlotry and 



1 Lay Sermons, p. 22. 



