Spiritual Evolution of Society 175 



own person. As Professor Marshall states : ' Man 

 was, as it were, ushered straight into the presence of 

 his Creator with no human intermediary ; life became 

 intense and full of awe, and now, for the first time, 

 large numbers of rude and uncultured people yearned 

 toward the mysteries of absolute spiritual freedom. 

 The isolation of each person's responsibility from that 

 of his fellows rightly understood was a necessary con- 

 dition for the highest spiritual progress.' Thus, on 

 the one hand, individual character tended to be greatly 

 strengthened by the isolation of individual responsi- 

 bility, and on the other, to be deepened and softened 

 by being brought into close and intimate contact with 

 those wonderfully moving and impressive altruistic 

 ideals which we have in the simple story of the life 

 and acts of the Founder of Christianity. 



" The resulting difference in character, however, 

 assumes profound importance in the eyes of the 

 student of our social evolution. The fact must be 

 kept in view, which has been throughout insisted on, 

 that it is this softening and deepening of character 

 with the accompanying release in our social life of an 

 immense and all-pervading fund of altruistic feeling 

 which has provided the real motive force behind the 

 whole onward movement with which our age is identi- 

 fied. It may be noticed, consequently, how much 

 further the development of the altruistic feelings has 

 progressed in those parts of our civilisation most 

 affected by the movement of the sixteenth century, 

 and more particularly among the Anglo-Saxon 

 peoples." 



He goes on to show that the power-holding classes 

 are in full, conscious retreat before the in-coming people, 

 that they have lost faith in their own cause, and either 

 openly or in their hearts are on the side of the masses : 

 and " the only fighting policy of the party is one of 



