I. Secularity in the Modern World 



It will be generally admitted that our civilisation is strikingly 

 distinguished from that of earlier ages by what may be described 

 as its essentially secular character. Religion, which was once 

 regarded as the very foundation of the common life of men, is 

 looked upon to-day as a matter left to individual choice or even 

 caprice ; as something which does not, or at least ought not to, enter 

 into political arrangements or affect the freedom of economic, 

 scientific, artistic, or general social intercourse, whether of citizens 

 of the same State among themselves, or of the citizens of one State 

 with those of another. Religious communities may no doubt 

 often be wealthy and powerful, the statesman or student of affairs 

 will no doubt allow for religious affinities as an actual factor in his 

 calculations, just as he will allow for ties of kinship between ruling 

 families or for similarity of tastes or of educational tradition between 

 politicians ; but it is scarcely regarded as permissible to appeal to 

 them in justification of public action. The hesitation in recent 

 years of British Governments to base their policy with respect to 

 victims of Turkish oppression on any special sympathy due to a 

 common Christianity is an obvious illustration of this point. 

 Health, comfort, leisure, peace, the gratification of a taste for beauty 

 or for knowledge, these are ends which it is taken for granted on 

 all hands may reasonably be pursued, and the attainment whereof 

 in any measure is considered a natural subject for congratulation. 

 On the other hand, to presume an interest in religion is dangerous, 

 and may easily lead to an offence against good manners ; and while 

 a man or a woman may indeed choose to sacrifice such good things 

 as I have enumerated for the sake of religion, we have no right to 

 expect such a sacrifice from anyone who has not by some overt act 

 (such as entering the ministry of some Christian Church) expressly 

 declared himself concerned in the cause. 



It is indeed easy enough to exaggerate the extent to which 

 other centuries were truly " ages of faith," while underrating the 

 influence of religion where its profession is no longer a point of 

 social obligation ; to overlook, for example, the participation of 



