MR. MALLOCK ON OPTIMISM. 539 



logians attack the problem of " constructing a life of perfect hap- 

 piness/' does it follow that the liberal thinkers of the present day- 

 must follow them on that ground, like the magicians of Pharaoh, 

 imitating, to the best of their considerable ability, the miracles of 

 Moses and Aaron ? It would be much to Mr. Mallock's benefit if 

 he could only be persuaded, once for all, that the distinguishing 

 mark of the whole evolutionary school is that they take the world 

 as they find it, and expect no more from it than it is adapted to 

 render. If human history as a whole is predestined to be a fail- 

 ure, that is none of their affair ; they are not in the business of 

 insuring worlds or universes or even civilizations. All they can 

 say — and this they do on the ground of experience — is that, taking 

 the world and the human consciousness as they are, there seems 

 to be one line of conduct which best subserves human interests ; 

 and which, therefore, they will both follow themselves and recom- 

 mend to others. That line consists in practicing the lessons that 

 Nature and history have taught us, using our faculties for the 

 acquisition of real knowledge and our powers of foresight for a 

 wise adjustment of present action to future needs and results. If 

 the man who is filthy spurns this humble, unpretentious philoso- 

 phy, and determines to be filthy still, he must be allowed to exer- 

 cise his preference, as he has done under other dispensations. 

 Wisdom will still be justified of her children, though the gospel 

 of science should be hid to them that are lost. 



Mr. Mallock is much concerned over what the future of 

 humanity will be if his principles do not prevail. He can not 

 " feel any pleasure in the thought of a Humanity ' shut up in infi- 

 nite content/ when once it had secured itself three meals a day, 

 and smiling every morning a satisfied smile at the universe, its 

 huge lips shining with fried eggs and bacon." Well, if the time 

 should ever come when humanity has nothing to be satisfied with 

 save abundance of food and a good digestion, Mr. Mallock's deli- 

 cately chosen image may be in some measure realized ; but why 

 it should be necessary to imagine such a future for society, merely 

 because knowledge is growing and superstition waning, it is not 

 easy to say. Why should not "knowledge grow from more to 

 more," and yet " more of reverence in us dwell," so that — 



"... mind and heart, according well, 

 May make one music as before, 

 But vaster " ? 



It is hard to conceive any reason except such as might be sup- 

 plied by the petulance of a disappointed partisan. Mr. Mallock 

 would fain persuade us that, save on his principles, life is not 

 worth living ; but, despite his elaborate argumentation, the mod- 

 ern world, while departing ever more widely from his favorite 



