226 CANON W. SAUMAREZ SMITH, B.D. 
immortality is the crown, and in some sort the interpreter, of 
the optimistic view of the Hebrew prophets concerning the 
future of the world under a righteous, manifested Theocracy. 
But the goal of the personal hope and of the hope concerning 
the world at large is still the same—a perfected life in a 
purified Universe. 
23. “ Philosophy,” then, lke “Science,” terminates in 
“Religion.” And by means of the Christian religion we 
secure an optimism to which we can hold fast,—not a flimsy, 
superficial, or one-sided theory, denying or ignoring the fact 
of evil, but asobered, practical optimism; in the strength of 
which, men can hope on, and work on, confident that although 
man is strangely 7wAnuueAje, sin, which is the only essential 
evil, is abnormal, and that the end and final cause of the 
created Universe is Harmony ; not “the primitive harmony 
of the Unconscious ” (a lame and impotent conclusion, which 
makes life and the world an illusive passage from nothing to 
nothing!) but the divine harmony spoken of by Panl of 
Tarsus when he says that God shall be all in all. He who 
holds this before him as the terminus ad quem of all hope and 
effort can never cease to be a “ practical optimist.” 
24. For “ practical optimism ”’ is not a complacent setting 
aside of effort. It is, to quote Mr. Sully’s words again, not 
‘the unqualified optimism ” which makes ‘‘a mere rosy 
image of life,” and ‘‘ tends to paralyse the ihe and more 
arduous varieties of human effort,’ but 1t is a view of life, 
and of the course of the world, eb asserts that ‘‘life is as 
good as it can be, provided we make the best of it.’ 
THE CuHarrmMan (Mr. D. Howard, V.P.C.S.—I am sure’ all will 
accord the Author their best thanks for this paper ;—it is a curious 
phenomenon of the progress of science and education that such a paper as 
this, containing a clear and distinct exposition of the real facts of the case 
with regard to optimism and pessimism, should be needed, and should indeed 
be regarded as a matter of great practical importance at the present day ; 
and yet,so it is. No doubt, in some cases, the result of our boasted science 
is to go back to the old longing for nirvana, as if the last hope which 
the nineteenth century can give is an escape from life as from an evil 
intolerable to those who have to endure it, although it be but a mere 
phantom with no real existence; and yet, when we study the writings 
of those who adopt these ideas, we see that they are all put forward 
in the name of science ; but how scientific men can refuse, as these do, to 
take due cognisance of the facts of science I cannot conceive. Who, let me 
ask, are the pessimists of the present day ? Buddhism, we know, is a pessi- 
mism of the most advanced type ; but is it the most miserable who are the 
