New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CIVILIZATION WITHOUT RELIGION.

oUEssEs AT THE RIDDLE OF EXISTENCE
BY Goodwin Smith. d. C. l.. Octave, PIP vii'' ga
The Macmillan Company
Wha, will happen when the civilized world
ceases to believe any longer in Christianity as a
supernatural revelation of truth? This, In prief'
is the question which Professor Smith discusses
in the five ESSAYS composing this volume. and
which. in a measure he tries TO answer Thoush
he himself has surrendered his belief in super
naturalism, he does not disguise the fact that a
general surrender of such belief must involve
momentous consequences to the world He does
not believe however. that those consequences
will be permanently hurtful to civilization. AT
the worst he thinks that il will experience "a
bad quarter Of an hour after II has finally aban-
doned the old religious sanctions that for so
many generations OF storm and stress nave
guided and safeguarded human impulse. But
this interregnum of moral chaos viii soon end
and men will find new sanctions for right iNihs
In the innate tendency OF every human peihs 10
crafty his desire for bodily health, domestic
happiness and social stability. AS these objects
can be attained only by maintaining the struc-
ture of civilization that has been so slowly ana
painfully built on the postulate Of supernatural
ism, Professor Smith believes that 1t VIII be pre-
served. In other words men will continue 10 act
from purely selfish and materialistic motives
Just as they have thus far acted under the IN
spiration Of divine revelation.
How far this view is correct we DO not under
take to say Indeed, Professor Smith offers It
only as plausible conjecture, and In the nature
of the case he can furnish no proof In support of
II. But the question he raises is one OF profound
Importance Until now most people have been
Influenced In their conduct by their belief that
there 4. a God who will reward goodness and
pieb rtc nd there II
mortal life beyond the grave. the character OF
which will be decided wholly by conduct in this
life II needs no argument to show what tre-
mendous influence this belief has had in pro-
noting progress and building up civilization.
What Will happen IL II is withdrawn from the
stage Of human activity? VIII the only evil re-
suit be "a bad quarter OF an hour" as PROFESSOR
Smith predicts? And will men continue 10 Gull
tivate the good in themselves and resist the evil.
on the ground that such a course will be really
best for them7 Or will they cease to believe
that there Is any distinction between right and
wrong. and crafty all their so-caed evil i'm
pulses when they can do so with safety! These
questions will have no interest for the thick and
thin believer In supernaturalism for he Is GER
tain that unbeef will not finally triumph. IN
spite Of all appearances to the contrary. Nor
will they interest the sensualist aud the voup-
tuary who have already cast aside the restraints
Of a divinely inspired law Of conduct and live
only 10 crafty their own passions. But 10 the
overwhelming majority OF Intelligent people VINO
see the tendency toward pure materialism at
work In the world to-day. the whole future OF
the human race appears TO be bound up IN the
answer that will be finally given to these ques-
lions.
Professor Smith. indeed. does not overstate the
strength OF the drift from supernaturalism what
ever we think Of his belief that the world VIII
after a while get along without It, The old
cosmogonical and historical foundations Of ira
ditional belief have been weakened by science
and criticism. Heretics spring up in the churches
The pulpit is beginning to pay more attention TO
the estate of man In this world than to his con-
dition in the world to come Belief in the dog
mas Of the Church Is not as clear cut as IL used
TO be. The overthrow Of the Ptolemaic geocentric
system of the universe by the Copernican system
three centuries ago has had its effect on dogmatc
religion Man is no longer the centre and crown
of the universe says science. but only minute
PARASITE on one of the least important of the
planets and the dictum Of science has reacted
on the old religious belief in spite Of the Church
Paley's argument from design s now met by the
assertion that ii is worthless until we have some
other world with which to compare this. In point
or TACT, says science, the Sio"o siSAo VI
miscarriage failure. wreck and waste.
What is man? Whence came he? Whittier
goes he? In the hands of what power is he?
What are the character and designs Of that
power? Mr.. Drummond says that man began as
an animal and ,s ascending 10 God on the d.
vinely built stairway of evolution. and guarded
bv the innffable love Of his Heavenly Father.
But what about the unnecessary carnage, cruelty
and suffering that have worked that progress?
Only by ignoring that is Mr. Drummond able TO
build his world, pervaded by love. Mr.. Kidd
saws that altruism acting against reason is the
motive power Of progress. But, in point OF fact
no action of man is extra rational. If a man
acts contrary to his desires IL must be because
his reason tells him that in the sum Of things it
will be 70 his ultimate advantage so TO act. Mr..
Balfour tries to lay the foundations Of belief on
authority as opposed TO reason. thereby assuming
that there can be any lawful authority not found
ed on reason. an assumption that Is contrary TO
the facts. These speculations are ingenious and
not without certain value In period OF In
telectual transition. But. after all is said ana
done, II there is no revelation Of God and
future life the universe is an unmeaning hodge
podge: existence is an insoluble riddle. and hu-
nan life is a fact Of chemistry, whose activities
may be explained like those Of any other chemi-
cal combination of material elements.
Science can take no account Of the supposed
distinction between good and evil. right and
wrong. Evolution is not moral. and does not
necessarily make for the triumph of moral
law. From the point of view Of science. morality
is the body of arbitrary laws which the top
dog in the fight makes for It's own selfish ad-
vantage. and immortality is the course Of con-
duct which the under dog adopts in order to get
the better of the top dog Evolution produces
the assassin well as the philanthropist, the
ferocious tiger well the man who dies for
men. Public opinion approves Of the phIlanthro-