Moral Motive 189 



principle which modern science reveals now as founded in 

 his physical nature. 



The evolution of this principle into a moral law is a 

 natural growth. It visibly takes that form anew, in the 

 family, when it has become lost in the larger world. For 

 ages the maternal instinct alone, fought off a hostile world, 

 in solitary knowledge of the great wisdom. And then the 

 father, as lover first, and father afterwards; and then the 

 brother, sister, son and daughter, learned in weakness the 

 value of affectionate strength; and the knowledge spread 

 through many degrees of instinctive perception of the worth 

 of community, opposed to outer hostility; and enlarging 

 until beyond the family, first the clan, and then the tribe 

 and nation, were in some degree included in its brotherhood ; 

 and at last the instinct is defined by intellect, and its in- 

 fluence for good is recognized and formulated. 



The measure of world civilization is in the extent of this 

 influence. The process is shown to be far short of com- 

 pletion now. The present age in which many individuals 

 are still held to moral laws by a major force instead of by 

 their own personal perception; and in which tribes are by 

 brotherhood bound into nations, and yet those nations 

 remain in armed repulsion; is not civilized to the degree of 

 its capability, although it is doubtless advancing as fast as 

 is permitted by persistence of habits long practiced. The 

 opposition of these backward elements is founded on legiti- 

 mate conservative instincts, which adhere to customs by 

 which they have profited, even when they seem to profit 

 less, acting of course upon the basis of experience which has 

 often shown cause for change to be evanescent, and untrust- 



