450 
Natural Science and Morality. 
[July, 
the most outrageous injustice invent. Dogmas of this 
nature are simply illustrations of the lengths to which doc- 
trines may go without universal repudiation, when society 
has an instinftive dread that to disclaim them openly would 
affedt injuriously its own stability. It is the old instance of 
the baneful influence of the false idea that good can ever 
come out of error. In short, it is only necessary for anyone 
to refleft impartially on the subject (especially from the 
points of view indicated) in order that the evil which has 
resulted from such doarines may make itself plainly appa- 
rent ; and their retention after the true groundwork of 
morality is recognised could not be palliated by even the 
semblance of an excuse. Indeed such dogmas constitute an 
evident insult to the justice and goodness of the Deity : that 
they are precisely of that charaaer which is calculated to 
allow Clericalism to predominate over the rest of society is 
unquestionable, whether that motive had any part in their 
original invention or not.) . , ,. 
At the same time, is it not a melancholy consideration 
that doarines of the above charaaer (though happily ex- 
cluded from our Board Schools) are still taught to young 
children, at the very dawning of their mental faculties, 
before they are sufficiently matured to distinguish truth from 
error, and without experience to know representative 
opinions (especially those of the unbiassed and intellectual 
few) on these subjeas. Thus the child imagines himself 
isolated in his opposition to these doarines, and years may be 
miserably spent and intelleaual energy wasted in fruitless 
• According to this dogma of infinitely lasting punishment, the punishment 
for vice in this life would be infinitely inadequate, which is praflically tanta- 
mount to teaching that the pursuit of vice must be infinitely profitable in this 
hr + Putting the case as an A priori problem (as is sometimes usefully done in 
nhvsics'l then in order to predominate over the rest of society, the condition 
fundamen tally required is to appeal in the strongest possible way to the inte- 
rests of mankind, by inventing some startling and terrifying danger, together 
with some remedy or means for escape equally startling and exceptional (if 
nossible) * when the rest of society will naturally run after those offering the 
remedy as their rescuers and benefadors. [It almost unavoidably reminds one 
nf^he y storv of the bees who offered their comrades Heaven, and took the 
honey.] Iffin the attempt to strain the magnitude of the danger to an extreme 
citch^ (illustrated by making the punishment eternal ), the limits of justice be 
passed this is a matter of secondary consequence ; since the very incongruity 
of the’dodrine, especially if coupled with an affedation of mystery (whic 
applies equally to the scheme of escape proposed), may tend to make it fasci- 
nate all tlie more, from its seeming originality. It is a well-known fad that it 
£ the policy of men who exercise an ascendancy over others never to be sparing 
on the side of boldness, since the very audacity of the incongruities indulged in 
may tend to cause additional cringing rather than revolt. The more intelligent 
portion of mankind may not be disposed to examine the ^ ror too < closely, from 
I sort of undefined idea, that it may conduce to the stability of society. 
