24 WILL CHRISTIANITY SURVIVE THE WAR? 



shadowed, I think, by Mr. H. G. Wells in one of his specu- 

 lative essays, this colossal world conflagration may possibly 

 have a disappointing effect, by obscuring the prospect of 

 humanistic religion, or at least postponing indefinitely the 

 practical activity of the newly developed sense. On the other 

 hand, to those who do not believe that any social improve- 

 ment in the sphere of morals is to be looked tor as attainable 

 by biological evolution, but only, if at all, by the conscious 

 efforts of man himself, the tragedy of this war may afford 

 a reasonable stimulus for striving to bring about such a 

 degree of international comity regarding political and social 

 questions as might serve to render almost impossible the 

 incidence of any future war between the members concerned. 

 Such an effort, however, would, I suggest, be strictly rational, 

 and not "religious" in any intelligible sense of that word 

 of myriad meaning. 



Third. As to the matter of the training of coming genera- 

 tions, I agree that it should be based on reason, and on 

 science in the widest sense of the word. The young should 

 be guided as soon as possible along the path of rational 

 thought ; and, as regards " religious " matters, any definite 

 teaching should be confined to an intelligible account of the 

 genesis of the chief religions that now prevail in civilized 

 countries. I allude here only to the education required by 

 the State, being opposed to any general attempt to interfere 

 with the private teaching of any religion, or any superstition, 

 unless demonstrably and seriously and widely harmful. We 

 have a good example, in this matter, in the country of our 

 geographically nearest Allies. 



V 

 BY THE HON. JOHN COLLIER 



IF there is one thing more evident than another, it is that 

 Providence does not govern the world, or that, if it does, it 

 governs it very badly. Of course, this is no new discovery; 

 it must have been obvious at any time to an impartial 

 reasoner ; but the horror of the Great War has made it so 

 much more obvious that many people are beginning to 

 realize it who have hitherto successfully avoided all such 

 speculations. There is no getting away from the dilemma 

 that an all-powerful God could have prevented the war, and 



