1 62 Spiritual Evolution of Society 



develop our own strength of personality), so also is it 

 the essence of Christianity that the submission of 

 ourselves to mankind must be free, and not servile, 

 compelled. Submission to the Will of God is, in fact, 

 submission to the service of man." This is very able 

 writing, but with all deference I submit that it shows 

 a certain amount of confusion of thought, and the 

 reason is that the writer is imbued with the ideas which 

 govern that portion of society at the present day which 

 may be said to have " great possessions " — the middle 

 and the aristocratic classes. They desire to see the 

 amelioration of the lower orders, but at the same time 

 they will not lose hold of their property. They desire 

 to do good to humanity as a whole, but on the lines of 

 the conditions which have hitherto prevailed in the 

 past, which means the ascendancy of the present in the 

 conduct of affairs. As long as man retains his indi- 

 vidualistic strivings and acquisition of great possessions 

 it is quite impossible for him to " submit himself to the 

 Will of God, which means submission to the service of 

 man." The Founder of the Christian religion was able 

 to say : " I have overcome the world." But how was 

 this done ? By absolute self-sacrifice, by the sub- 

 mersion of His personal individualism in regard to 

 acquiring wealth, property, or possessions of any kind, 

 and by the greatest of all sacrifices — that of His own 

 life — in order that in far-off days the world might come 

 to realise that love of one's neighbour was the true 

 service of God, was the ultimate goal of the law of 

 righteousness proceeding from the Eternal. Mr. 

 Churchill's statement is only one of many transition 

 phases in the evolution which is proceeding towards 

 the " final goal," and which will only be reached when 

 all men come to view " possessions " with the contempt 

 necessary on the part of all who " have overcome the 

 world," and have realised the truth of the words of the 



