The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-01-04
history sof: Eur 4 Morals From
!, Is

II feSeafch5 Which ieidel so we'll IN the f0r-
N mer8 pub licad ion NH st have been reserved
Il q is evident throughout
ss44tt the review OF both histories that he found
much N his dleaying into historical mat
\ ter which eoEl Id be used III .sPaternal~
] ism g. and yet it was. too valuable to be-
Host. And the result was that. stung with
tt the ambition 70. write, he preserved Ill
B this carefully And tais may account fer
the following in such quick succession Of
B pae great work on the heels of another.
IL Kew men in English literature have left
more abundant proof OF. a capacity FOR
Wp.k. Il 3.,ts.g
II It's one Of the curious features Of the
writings OF LeclSy that, though every line
bears the scrutiny OF scholars, yet SO sim
\ pie and luc.d is tie style that not ore OF
dis books is wearisolne reading, even to
the novice. In. his History of the Nor
ais" he follows the changes that have ia k
Ell plaee4in the moral standards aud the
/, moral types from the beginning OF what
I we call civilization down. to very recent
period For, although the outline ana the
title OF the history claims no more extent
Tran that which began with AUGUSTUS aad
ended with the mighty Charlensa gne, yet
it places its foundation in observations
That annotated the former. ana syInnlet-
ricsuiy completes THE Structure IN cond.-
l'tions that. almost touch with our present
day. Certain it is that no cns can read
his work without fully compFehentiilg
she moral changes that have come to tie
world in all its civilized ages.
He shows that O. Roman OF the. time OF
Pliny, an Eng!ishman OF the time OF lien
nv VIII. and another. Englishman OF the
present day, would have altogether dill
'fefeht standardsof morality, and yet each
measured by the standards CT his tire
, might be thoroughly moral man. 1t
Is gratifying to state that this. great work
by no means panders to a morbid taste
for the salacious in literature. There
waslfao lnucIl material of Importance to
turn ASIDE ana crafty the pui'ient
tie shows that the sentiment of human
ity is one Of the first and strongest proofs
Of morality, always. And then he points
out tina. Roman Of the imperial period
might he moral man Of most humane
instinct, ind yet delight in the butcher
iesof the gladiatoritl games; that an Eng
les of the gladiatoral games; that an Eng
he humane and moral man and yet en-
Joy games WHICH: the man OF the, nlhe-
l4enth century would abilor with an abb
horrence only equaled by that witch the
men of Henrys time would regard the
j brutalities Of the Roman period.
He points out that it is not only g
change IN the moral standards that has
been wrought but a change in the prece-
dence which is given to the several viz
tues. Once patriotism was the greatest
virtue that could be conceived Another
time it was courage, and q blind disre-
! gstft for death Another time It was
chiyalrous consideration Of the chastity
of women, Each of these virtues was con-
sidered in all the periods, but as time went
by they shifted position from first place
to lesser considerations.
Not the ideals of the moralists, but the
manner in which those ideals have been
realized by the people, is the question.
And Lecky has never for a moment per-
mitted himself to be nisled by the spoken
word. He has searched down into the
lives and the unspoken, TACT beliefs and
practices Of the people On the other
hand. at, times the morals of the nation
have been. reflected in the teachings and
ytterances of the preachers, the moral
ists. And again he has tested the condi-
tions. He has investigated the realized
morals Of the peoples Of whom he writes.
BY no means a champion OF the Christ
ian church, he simply regards it as
moral agent, sometimes not of the highest
OF most useful kind When the church
was the government, when it was respon-
stble tor every action, moral and political.
Of the people, it's standards were the stan
dards by which the morality of an age
must be Judged. When the church strug-
gled and suffered, when.it enjoined viz
tues to the very highest conception Tor the
period. and whenlit naturally then was a.
moral engine of power and influence but
by no means an accepted character the
har
And one realizes all the way that it is not
pion of infidelity fitting against error,
that he is to be considered, but as cold
and truthful searcher after the facts as
they existed -,
.., He concludes his work with a review
of the changes that have taken place
Fl, the position of woman from what may
be regarded as the barbaric period down
to the present and the moral questions
connected with the relations Of the sexes.
And here is trait of the man S charac-
ter. In writing. this book he necessarily
covers some of the ground gone over in
his former work, the "Rise of Rational
ism, y Instead Of referring to his other
work which he confesses he would regard
as a. patent and eg0tistic advertisement
. of his wares, he tells his story. IT it re-
peat he knows the material is not out OF
place in either volume. And he is right.
In treating of morals he combats the
teaching Of the ,,tilitarian school, first
"from the impossibility of virtue bring
ing pleasure if practiced with that view
in end only w. M. Mallock, in his "Ro-
nance Of the Nineteenth Century''--a
book which cost him prestige not all his
talents have recovered-caught the same
idea; only he elaborated it rather too
near the, lines of offensiveness. while,
perhaps departing from occasional truth.
- Virtue he teaches. must be, followed for
virtues sake, for. the sole reason that 1t
is virtue, and any other course would be
wrong. 1t may be cold doctrine, a cult
without conquest; but it is virtue only
then. s
One curious phase of the "History of
Morals lis. the pointing out OF a phase
OF morality with which we are all fanlsl-
lar. Religious .unveracity. that habit OF
propagating what are regarded as useful
sunerstitions, with the consciousness Of
their being false, or. at least Of suppress
Ing facts that might inyal5date them.
does not in any degree imply industrial
immortality. Dishonesty of speculation
exists with Seracity in business" and it
always has. And good men have Worn
priestly robes and taught tenetsi they did
not believe from the very beginning. 1t
ia curious to speculate on. what the state