, 1880-05-16

wlth Thrasea, Helyfdius, Cato, Br11tus, who xays
y M f., me 1aea Of what free State is whose rlt
equality Of their rights and that Of a T realm lin
bdrtv p,s oP Pefore 9h s*e fo
rest BY reason Of bis grandeur wns Antonfn1s
me hn 1ather who had adopted him, whose Image
the rns T1h Fnr gratitude sa and love Hc thinks
own shortcomings This Divine candor breathes
ne, IN every I Ragc- Never did any man write With
nf nnr 9r,Rnety Of himself with the single aim
| than God. ~ ~ oA "A.A1o'
tP;,soper!y speaking. Marcus Aurelius knows no
thnr ~ tth91ugn ha owed ,yel-n}gh every
spirlr; he Is Of no school. The book Of Marcus
fanrssnus, having no dogmatfc base will keep its
9uesuon. II theology he floats between pure
aelsti, poiytheism, interpreted physically il the
s1o'S a manner @ and sort of cosrnical pantheism
hno ho aoes not adhere much more to ono Of these
self inditferenty Of the three appellations-
hnd no speculative philosophy: his theolorV was
a!togetheE NUDE up Of contradictions: ho had
oa mIea co ldea a as to the soul and immortality
without those beliefs which are now regarded ~
me foundations Of morality: How CAME It that
sos &c was ennently religious without having pro-
| 1essea any ol the dog1nns known as natural re-
| Mglon! Ihat Is the question We hnye to study.
| Inc doubts which, from the point Of view If
speonia,tiye @ reason, hover eyer the truths Of
natural religion, nre not, Us Kant has adIufrably
SHOWN, accidental, susceptible Of removal Incl
aent, hs is sometimes Imagined. to certain moods
IN the very nature OF these truths, and it might
oe sald without paradox that il these do.lbts
were removed the truths themselves which they
attack would vanish BY the same stroke Of tho
| pen. Let us suppose, III fact, future punishment
and rewnrd to be proved directly, positively, in
er4 mhnafr o eSden5 to NJ where would Be- he
light-heartcaty hurry on to their damnution. A
crowd of lgnoble souls would win their salvation
The band Of the Det Who tS.se ices not m
see that In such system there Is no longer any
n mGrallty g Or g regon1 IN the moral and religious
without demonstration; there is no longer a
question Of certainty but Of faith. This, you
see. SEE is What deism forgets with its way Of rash
Atnr1naton. 1t forgetS that too precise be-
lefs us to the destiny of man would sweep
4S%ay tSg al al N moral merit. As for ourselves,
emptory argument Of this kind we should do as
sainttous didwhen somebodyspoke to him about
the miraeulous wafer: We should refuse to 20
and see it. What need have we for these british
l0pofs, which have no application save iu the
Efosscr order Of facts and which would cramp
our frccdom2 We should be afraid Of becoming
ike those spectators in the virtues of those
VULGAR Weghers Of scrupcs who carry into the
atiairs Of the soul the course egoism of practical
nie. In the @ tlrst days which followed the be-
this ca1ne to light In the most touching manner
Hs true friends ut heart, the tender souls, loved
belief without proof better than sight Blessed
are they who have not seen and ret have be-
neycd " was the watchword OF the situation,
Charming watchword: eternal symbol of tender |
touching with the hand what should be seen with |
the heart only. Our good Marcus Aurclius, in !
tns us IN all else. was in advance Of the cent t
ur1cs. Never did he care to put himself in har- |
mony with himself as to God and the soul. As |
though he had read Kant's "Criticism Of Practi- |
en be that when the Ta rite Is in
having seen the truth once IN ones life, il one
Is much exposed to contradiction.
n: kenan said: ~ hero touch on one OF the
most delicato points in tho biography of Marcus
Anrelius. It Is, unhappt!y, certain that death
and executed during his reign. The policy Of
the Antonincs was uniform in this respect. They
snw IN CaristianIty secret n,,t-soc1ai sect,
which dreamt or the overthrow of the Empire; |
like al men attnched to tho old Roman prlnci-
pies they believed it necessary to put It down.
Emperor to suppress the edicts which inflicted
cruel and unrighteous penalties. But 1t must be |
remarked ut the outset that the true spirit OF
hended by nobody, and that Christianity, when
it got the upper hand, did not reduce it to prnc-
ice naaI better ta than the Pagan Emperos In the
Illicit societies would have been the ruin of the
Empire, which was essentially based on the prin-
clpe that the State ought not to receive into its
bosom any heterogeneous society.. The. prinoi-
pie was had one according to modern ideas, but
It is none the less certain that 1t was the corner
stone Of the Roman Constitution. Marcus Au-
rciius softencd It down to the best OF bis ability,
md one Of the glories Of his reign is tho exten-
sion WHICH he gave to the right Of association.
Meanwhile he did not 90, down to the root.
The rcprOach which can be brought against
him is the same which might be addressed TO tho
5overefgns Of our day who do not suppress with
stroke Of the pen all the laws restrictive of the
right Of public meetings. Of association, Of the
press At this distance OF time VIC see clearly
hat Marcus Aurclius would havc been wiser had
le been more liberal. Perhaps Christianity. II
eft free, would have developed in less disas-
rous fashion the theocrntic and absolute prlnci-
bic inherent in it. Butone ought not to rcproach
statesman for not having evoked radical rev.
'lution with view to events which were not to
lnppen until many centuries after his time. The
'irtue Of Marcus Aurellus, like our own, rests
m reason, nature. Saint Louis was a very |
'irtuouS man, because he WINS Christian; Mar |
us Aurelius was the mcst pfous Of men, not be-
ause he WIS IL Pagan, but because he was per- |
ected man. He was the honor Of human kind, i
md not of any determfnatc religion. Science
fouid come to destroy seemingly God and the
immortal soul, which the book OF the Thoughts
'ould give US back still young in life and truth.
he religion Of Marcus Aurelius is the absolute
which results from the simple fact |
f lofty moral conscience confronting the uni |
erse- 1t is of no race, of no country. No rev.
luton, no change, no discovery can alter it,