532 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



sympathy, and that not only is this feeling far stronger and 

 wider than has usually been supposed, but it is capable even now, 

 when once the idea of progress has been apprehended, of inspir- 

 ing the individual to work for the progress in which he shares, 

 and is sure to acquire, as time goes on, a strength incalculably 

 greater. It is because the religion of humanity takes (as he 

 says) such a cheerful view of things in general that Mr. Mallock 

 rechristens it " the creed of Optimism." All the holders of that 

 creed believe, we are told, " that the human lot has something in 

 it which makes it, in the eyes of all who can see clearly, a thing 

 to be acquiesced in, not merely with resignation but devoutness." 

 This is the idea which Mr. Mallock undertakes to dispel by show- 

 ing (1) that the doctrine of a steady progress in human affairs is 

 not proved ; (2) that sympathy is not the powerful emotion that 

 optimists take it to be ; (3) that admitting progress to be a real- 

 ity, and sympathy to be all that it is claimed to be, the thought of 

 the miseries humanity had endured in the past would poison all 

 the satisfaction resulting from its improved condition in the 

 present and its brilliant prospects for the future ; (4) that the 

 more we dwell upon the practical perpetuity of the human race 

 the more is individual influence dwarfed in comparison ; (5) that 

 it is difficult to imagine what form or character the happiness 

 we anticipate for our posterity can take, seeing that the absence 

 of pain is merely negative in its character, and that the idea of 

 an abundance of creature comforts is not one that can give pleas- 

 ure to any human being capable of any high conception of life ; 

 finally, (6) that if we are to see any meaning in life we must follow 

 a light which is not that of science — the light of theological faith. 



Such is the argument of our opponent, supported throughout, 

 it must be admitted, by more or less aptly chosen instances and 

 an abundance of plausible rhetoric. The question is, How does 

 it affect, how does it touch, any vital issue of the present time ? 

 Is it true that there exists in the world to-day a " creed of opti- 

 mism " held in common by a number of otherwise divergent schools 

 of thought, and that the elements of that creed are as described 

 by Mr. Mallock ? To this question we venture to give a negative 

 answer. It is quite possible that individuals here and there may 

 have constructed for themselves some such metaphysical creed as 

 the above ; but to say that any large number of representative 

 thinkers of our time could be got to take their stand on the propo- 

 sitions formulated and criticised by Mr. Mallock is to state what 

 we are confident is not the case. 



The situation to-day is simply this : A theological creed which 

 had descended to our age from very early times has been found, 

 when examined from the historical point of view, to be as little 

 proof against criticism as the moral, political, and scientific ideas 



