286 THE ETHICAL KINSHIP 



located a few hours' journey above the supposedly 

 flat earth. To-day we continue to say * up to 

 heaven,' and ^down to hell' (never *down to heaven' 

 and *up to hell'), and always think of these 

 places as being thus relatively located, although it 

 is extremely doubtful whether any really sane mind 

 continues to believe that hell is on the inside of 

 the earth (or any place else, for that matter), and 

 although up means simply away from the centre 

 of the earth, and away from the centre of a ball 

 means literally every possible direction. The 

 theological theories of the origin, nature, and 

 destiny of man and of the universe in general, 

 all of which originated in savage or semi-savage 

 minds, and all of which bear the unmistakable 

 traces of their origin, continue to cling to the 

 minds of the masses of civilised men, notwith- 

 standing the inherent absurdity of these theories, 

 and notwithstanding the fact that their unsound- 

 ness is vouched for by the most positive and 

 unanimous assurances from the scientific world. 

 Why should civilised men and women, any of 

 them, be indifferent to the sufferings of others, or 

 find delight in such loathsome avocations as the 

 fishing and hunting of their fellow-creatures ? 

 Because their ancestors were savages, and they are 

 not yet sufficiently evolved to be independent of the 

 instincts of their savage sires. There is no other 

 explanation. No human being could enjoy seeing 

 a pack of hounds bunt down and rend to pieces a 

 poor harmless hare — unless he were a savage. No 

 human being could go out to the abodes of the 



