150 MORAL CONDITION OF THE CHILD 



ing, imitating self over against it, mildly prompt- 

 ing him to do as his father said and let the apple 

 alone ; and there is or would be, if the obedience 

 had taught him no new thought of self the quick 

 victory of the former. But now a lesson has been 

 learned. There arises a thought of one who 

 obeys, who has no struggle in carrying out the 

 behest of the father. This may be vague; his 

 habit may be yet weak in the absence of persons 

 and penalties, but it is there, however weak. And 

 it is no longer the faint imitation of an obedient 

 self which he does not understand. It carries 

 within it, it is true, all the struggle of the first 

 obedience, all the painful protests of the private 

 greedy self, all the smoke of the earlier battle- 

 field. But while he hesitates it is not now merely 

 the balance of the old forces that makes him 

 hesitate; it is the sense of the new, better, obe- 

 dient self hovering before him. A few such 

 fights, and he begins to grow accustomed to the 

 presence of something in him which represents 

 his father, mother, or in general the law giving 

 personality." ("Social and Ethical Interpreta- 

 tions," 54.) The remaining step to be taken is to 

 eject this representative of authority into all 

 others of the family and all others generally. 



This view of the origin of conscience may 

 shock those who have regarded it as a purely 

 extra-natural production. But it need not disturb 

 our view that it is God's voice, however unsettling 

 it may be to its sometimes supposed infallibility. 



