The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-22
SOCIAL ETHICS.
SYMPTOMS OF THE GRADUAL
TRANSPORTATION or MODERN
SOCIETY INTO a BETTER ONE.

SUI III AAAU Il BIZ LE-lt OAE-
Its Principles of Renovation May he
Compared With Those of Christi
anfty at Its BIrth-The Beliefs and
Institutions OF the Past Do Not Suit
IL Any Loneer-Embryo and Syn
thesis of the Humanity of the Flu
ture.
The destiny of a people is more i'm
portant than the events of a DAY. and the
destiny OF humanity is of greater moment
than that OF people. 1t is true that the
events OF a day may influence the fate of
people. and the fate Of this people may
have a wide bearing upon human desti-
MES. But when everything has been done
TO prevent a catastrophe or TO give to the
movement a direction which is in con-
formity with the laws Of progress. then
it is well to withdraw oneself for a mo-
ment from the agitations OF the present
hour in order to take in view of the
whole, and to try to appreciate the events
which are passing before our eyes.
1t is not always easy to understand the
true meaning of an epoch, and in order
to do so, it is often necessary for us to
recur to the analogies of history. Thus our
times, which are called the modern age,
are often compared with the brilliant
period Of GrecO-Roman civilization. The
comparison is just one in many respects.
The resuscitating of art and literature
which has taken place in Europe during
the last three centuries reminds US forci-
bly, of that which took place in the an
cient world after the period of barbarism
and our civilization resembles in more
ways than one that which preceded the
dark night of the middle ages But if we
pushed the comparison still further the
conclusions that we might draw from the
similarity of the two periods would. prob
ably be false. Thus, because democratic
Greece fell undeC the tyranny Of Maeedo-
ma, ana because republican Rome sub
mitted itself to imperial despotism are
we 10 conclude that the nations of modern
LINES LINES are fastening ON to the loss of their
iiDeftlesF Everything concurs to show US
that the contrary is the case.
Many nations burst the Ichains which
nave held them, and Institutions are be
coming generally modified in a liberal
sense. Efforts have been made to reim-
pose the imperial system upon the nation
.Whlch IS looked upon the direct inher-
lIor or the Roman genius, but twice these
eIofts nave been marked with failure, and
II IS 70 be hoped that they will not be re-
Beneath these plausible appearances.
which seem to forbid peremptorily a COM
P1arIIson or the two epochs, we can never
which should not be LOST sight of. Whist
political liberty was brutally sacrificed to
Ine empire by the Romans, the western
polytheistic society. impregnated by the
genius Of the east, produced a doctrine
which was destined to transform the
world and to eliminate slavery from it
10y degrees. This is why there was no
real retrogression at the time of the
Gothlc invasion, and the laws of progress
nave not ceased 10 govern the west even
When It seemed condemned TO the dark
ness of ignorance and barbarism. To-day
| tnese laws manifest themselves by means
or symptoms which are too clear to al
low us to contest their beneficient action;
put we might be led to doubt the future
II modern society did not contain prin-
| ciple OF renovation as did ancient society,
If it did not elaborate germ which may
| De compared to what Christianity was
eighteen centuries ago.
| Snail we undertake the ANALYSIS of this
| germ? But it is not usual to analyze what
/ IS living, and especially what Is hidden
| IN the bowels OF another. Let us content
| ourselves, therefore, with the attestation
| OF the existence Of this germ, or rather
| the embryo which will become the human
| ity of the future and which is already agi-
tatlng itself in its mothers womb, al
Enough not yet prepared to show itself.
but now are we to establish its existence
unless it be by sentiment? Those who
participate in the life of modern society
feel as it does, and also with it, that it
conceals and nourishes within itself a new
being which is the object of all our hopes
Ihose who isolate themselves from this
society, whether it be to live in selfish Sc
clusion, OF. to attach themselves to a worn
out organism, cannot certainly feel what
II experiences they do not sympathize
with its pleasures, nor with It's sorrows,
nor with its perplexities, nor with it's
transports. This is why they deny that
maternity of which it has such an init
mate perception. All that it does in view
OF TINS great event, which should crown
its desires, is treated by them as folly,
absurdity or ridiculous affectation Thew
can nevertheless convince themselves and
reel assured that society Is about to be-
come a mother, but It would only be TO
insult it or to curse it, to follow it with
their coarse jokes, or with their fanatical
We are on the side Of modern society and
consequently of those who believe in its
greatness as well as in the sanctity of the
mystery which is being accomplished at
the present time in her. But we are also
able TO appreciate the uncertainties and
the dangers of such a. situation, in which
everything is of necessity both transitory
and temporary. What can we formulate
or decree which should be definite for a
world which we do not know and which
has not yet seen the light of day? What
We do understand, however and what is
incontestable before the eyes of modern
society is that the beliefs and the insti-
tutions of the past do not seem to suit it
any longer, and certainly will not suit in
any way the society Of the future 1t
knows this, because it knows that the
spirit of science had impregnated it, it is
the spirit of science which it acknowledges
as the father of that humanity which it
bears in it's womb. This is why its princi-
pal work consists of a general sitting of
the materials which have been made use
of by the religious and political world in
which its infancy was passed and which
henceforth can be Of no use. This Sitting
produced the republic in measure neg
ative, under which we live, and which Is
the only rational government to which we
can aspire, while we wait for the synthe-
sis of the future, which will give to us,
or to our descendants, a positive belief on
the subject of the constitution of the un-
iverse and the social system which should
be its logical consequence. The true de-
tenders of the republic are those who con-
slider 1t as necessarily imperfect, but who
seek by every means to purify it and to
render It as worthy as possible of the
IDEAL winch the future still keeps secret |
preserved are of two kinds. There is in
the first place that which is caused by
those men Who are more impetuous than
enlightened in their desires to realize the
ideal, and whose premature efforts EXPOSE
society to a miscarriage whose conse- |
quences would be most deplorable The |
second peril Is that which is created by
the coalition of sceptics of Indifferent on |
lockers and of fanatics of the old avsfanos