, 1873-04-21

tcacning. Nowhere il 1t 30 aubllmely taught as
III the sermons Of Christ. Tho point Of dl1loul-
~ In Mr. sponcors position on tllia point rs =
philosopher, aud wloroin ho Ina not rot
sounded the depths Of tho argument AZ profound
" as somo Of his predecessors, Is In lis fniluro
10 800 that Ills isauo will, both capitalists
and workfnglnon Is as IL mistaken and ignoblo "
as their Issue with oaol othor. For Lis philoso-
ply regards both as Irresponsible ooga In tho
social mcchanisn1, moro creatures Of antocedent
caunea. Tic capitalist ia wlat ho is because ho
has succeeded In becoming so, mud tho working
man could not bo othor than he Ia because ho
has failed to DO anything difforont This
Ia tho fataliam which logically results
from tho philosophical contemplation Of things,
as distinguished from tho conscious aonBo Of
yolition, freedom, and Religious responsibility
which arisoa In the mind Of one who actively
partioipatoa In the sal1,o things or evonts Thoy
contradict cnch othor in tloir conclusion, but It
ta the aanao old contradiction which Inns delied
tho spoou1ations Of tho philosophical aud COIL
armcd tho faith Of tho religious through all tho
oenturiog. Mr. Bpencor, In his own realm Of
philosophical contemplation, is m actor, though
hia action consists in looking down from his
eyrto on all other fields Of thought and aronaa Of
strife. As combatant for his peculiar
views, ho wreatles roltgsous1y with pre-
vailing ideas to bend thom to his pot
idea, that all other wrostlinge, inolud-
Ing those Of capital with labor, aro
"ignoble and mean" 11o las religious con-
sotion that for the laboros to accuac the capital
Let Of neanncss Is absurd; also, that for the cap
ttalist to accuse tho laborer Of meannesa Is ridic
ulous. Both aro, lie says, tho necessary md
logical result Of thoir own environment. "Why,
thcn," ho asks, faro thoy 90 ignobiy moan as to
abuse each oshor2 ?" Why, we ask, should Mr..
Spencer atylo either Of thom ignoblo or mcan,
since no regards both Of them nB tho volitionless
and Irresponsible efrocts of their environment,
and recoguizes no inspiration or will, except as
tho result Of organization or eauac? Tho rea-
son Ia, that Mr. Spencer hirnae!f nko them, in
the sphere in which ho is an actor,-i. e., in tho
sphere Of spreading his own philosophy aB
against prevailing ideas,-has a conscious
neBs Of volition, responsibility, right and wrong
character, and ho re]lglously hatos the Viows
that oppose bis ow1s and, In d philosophical Way,
hates those who entertain them. At least he
nsos adjeotivcs which, whom applied by capital-
tsts and lnborera to zach other, ho would regard
"a indicating hatred.
[ Had ho risen TO the truo climax Of his phi1os-
ophy he would admit that the yiows Of capital
f,+o nj 1o1ororu ro t1,n roau1t ~ thar cnvir0n-
meat, that they could not possibly think other
wise, and that thoro could therefore be- nothing
s'ignoble or mean y in their thinking as they do.
This would destroy Afr. spouccr's own motive III
eeeking by his writings to alter their opinions,
md 80 would conduct him to the logical acme OF
philosophical speculation concerning human
conduct, viz: complete paralysis Of moral ef-
fort.
But il it is essential to hlr. spencer's work
That he shall feol that capitaliata md 1aborora
arc morally responsible for their opinions and
conduct, and TINT they Gun bo moan or ignoble
according to tho degree in which they fail to ap-
prehend hia yiows, why can he not sec that It
may DO equally essential to tho mutual relations
Of capitalist and laborer that each shallrogard tho
conduct of the other as flowing not wholly from
organism and environment, but largely from in
dividual vo1iton, and involving personal blanc
and praise? Inspiration, vohton, md RESPONSE
bilty are tho Fundamental assumptions Of re-
Mgion. That human conduct Ia the simple TIM
folding Of chnin Of causos and effects ia the
ine1orable logic Of his philosophy. The
Arnf 11uI %o Il 4rfrnnf lam 'nr1 Fnr II.
ciBm, hut tho last must culminate
III absolute paralysis of moral oirort,
md IN the donial both Of the standards and the
very o1iatonco Of morals. Botwcen these two
extromes of thought, tho average faith Of tho
more usoful portion Of mankind balances in q
medium not entirely religious nor wholly philo-
Rophical, borrowing something, howogor, of the
reformatory energy Of religion and modifying
its influence by so1newhat OF tho halting aud eau
tious spirit Of philosophy. Even Spencer fights,
with the zeal Of q Roundhcal, for tho particular
phase of negatton in which he roliglously be-
Ieves, aud is ns Jealous for tho conversion Of
tho world to tho doctrine that 1t needs no con-
verHion md that rll it's future good will bo inov-
ltably evolved out of existing conditions, as Paul
waa to unfurl the standard OF an incarnate God
and m Infinite individual responsibility.
There aro Indications ihat tho harah feelings
between French and Germans which have pro
vailod since tho Tranco-Prussan war, have beer
materially softened. Tho nows that Count Vot
A1nim is to give way rs Minister to Trance tt
Gen. Manteufol is regarded as an important
concession on tho part Of tho German Emperor