The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1905-10-05

asks me to answer the following
questions:
what is duty after alp
lis there any such thing as an ab-
solute standard OF morals?"
"What are the sanctions OF moral
ity?"
what Is the origin and nature of
the sense OF right and wrong, OF con-
science and remorse''
In his letter Mr.. Barber calls these
questions important" and he is
right, for important they surely are,
the most important, in fact, that we
can possibly ask ourselves.
Duty Is thing that touches us
all, and that touches us repeatedly
and persistently; and no matter what
our theories about the moral law
may happen to be, the moral law it,
self Is reality-a reality that keeps
right on about its business regardless
OF what our opinions OF II may be.
viii begin with the last of Mr.
Barber's questions, the one about the
origin Of the moral sense, and /
would say that we know the "origin"
Of scarcely anything.
The great Kant said one day
"There are two things that ill me
with unspeakable wonder, and awe
the starry ornament above, and the
moral law Within
The worlds that roll through space
and the mighty ideas and emotions
that go storming through the human
soul are equally mysterious and In
comprehensive.
The worlds on high and the
thoughts within, are facts about
which there is no room for dispute
but when 1t comes to the question OF
their origin we are dumb.
or course. there are men who claim
to know how, among other things,
the moral sense originated, how the
feeling Of duty arose, and how re.
morse began to lash and sting the
soul OF man; but the clainl has no
foundation whatever.
1t Is all pure speculation, from
Aristotle to Herbert Spencer and
Haeckel.
All that VIZ really know Is that the
moral sense Is here, that 1t speaks
with authority and power, and that
1t does not pay TO tIifie with the com
mands.
This suggests the second question
raised by Mr.. Barber: lis there any
absolute, uniform standard OF moral.
ity?"
No. The standard varies with the
times and peoples. being one thing
in one age and country, and rad.
ically different thing in another age
and country.
But two very important facts are
to be noted; first. the sense of hight
and wrong Is pretty nearly universal
and, second, the greater the advance
from the primitive barbarism the
higher becomes the moral standard.
j The more men and women think,
ma the nolller their character be.
eomcs. the lstronger, at the same
ltime, becetsss7 the voice of datx IL
their lives ssx :.
| The world yas never so thougbkful
land Aohle - today; and q n
also true that7tfkefe was never a ti,De
when the moral law spoke with nrore
authority and power than right now.
Bishop Berkeley once said, in sub.
stance, that "if the moral law wa.
as strong as 1t was right II would
rule the world"
He is blind, indeed, who does not
perceive that the moral law is be.
coming stronger every day. and that
the moral sense Of mankind is In q
healthier and more robust state TO.
day than IL ever was before.
In spots, and in certain speci -
particulars, the world may be WI
than 1t ever was, but upon
whole, humanity's moral conscie
is steadily growing clearer j
stronger.
And so the question, "Wbat
duty, after all?'' The answer
"Duty is the voice Of the highest
mans soul, commanding us TO do ce
tain things and not TO do certal
other things.
We know that it is the higha
though we know but little el5
That is to say. we know that sobV
ETY., and honor, and kindness, a
fair-dealing, and personal purity
better than their opposites; and W ff
the mysteries all about US thick o.
Egyptian darkness, we are yet sar'
OF one tbing-that we feel tbs besl
when we are living the best.
AS to the sanctions" OF morality
there are no sanctions but tile NOR
ality itself.
A clean, noble life is its own sane
tion, its own explanation and reward
Such life needs no argument. i
speaks for itself.
II calls for no reward, for alread
) belonging TO such life are, as Emes
son would say. "all the recorded hen
e6ts OF heaven and earth. "--Hy Rev
Thomas b, Gregory.