The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-13
MORALITY.

ceptions of morals which came down
with man from the ages before his
tory, the Christian church was born
TO give the world new. luminous and
permanent code. There was no such
code in the beginning. The cave-man's
morals were rudimentary or non-eXist-
cnt. Down through the ages we find
The idea OF right and wrong varied
and changing. and one nations moral /
ity is the gross immortality of another.
Something OF this same condition sur
wives to this day, but not in the Chris
tian church The church is the repos-
.tory and guardian of an unchansins
doctrine. which 1t means to stamp upon
tho world, and any man can measure
himself by it as we'll to-day as l,soe
years ago, and learn II he is doing we'll
or i'll.
Tho philosophers have interested
themselves in this thing that VIC eai-
morality. They have asked themselves
where it came from and what 1t was
for. and upon their way of answering
they have divided into two schools.
One school holds that morality is
merely an instinct developed by the
needs of society to improve the social
order, a kind of trick of natures to
make and keep men good beyond what
any laws could do. The other schooi
holds that morality is of supernatural
or divine origin; that it is mans ac-
acknowledgement of his higher destiny and
his homage to his Creator. The Chris
.ian church is founded on this latter
view. II finds morality to be liked.
separate and permanent thing. ana not
simply an artificial social check. Acts
are right or wrong not only in rela-
ton 10 society. but in themselves and
for other-worldly reasons. and the
voice of morals IS the inner voice which
INCREASINGLY bids the individual to
climb higher or perish.
Now it is plain that from the Chris
tian point of view men can be engaged
in no higher work than in that o
making other men more moral. TO
we know that this small planet in TIL
Infinite void was given to men that the
might grow, uliti SNoi'S e'iSt''sSA' ~ 49,
their race into a higher type, fit an
meet to go higher still. And SO ever
wrong-doer. every erring brother VIII
has more than his share of the oil
Adam in him. or who never had
chance, not only imperiIs his own sal
walton, but by so much mars. scotche
and, it may be, delays the whole splen
did plan. This generation is in homo
hound to start the next generation
nearer the far goal than 1t itself start
ed. Thus the workers for morals ar
the leaders of our race. and so TIL
same agency that gave the world it
new and startling code of morals, TIL
Christian church. fell st once to worl
TO breathe that code. into the souls o
mankind of all nations and peoples
And from the beginning the churcl
found working beside 1t another grea
and far older agency to promote NOR
ais, as the State saw morals. only thi
other agency worked always on tn
negative side of the question, while t
the church belonged the far create
task of working on the positive side
This agency was Law and Punishment
which operated on mems fears, nc
their hopes; which held out penalties
but no rewards, and which touche
only such men, to put it very roughl.
as the church, or morality through rel
gIon, failed to get or hold. And S
these two agencies. working togethe
nut M Of vi f,y
trying TO make the individual mora
the other aiming only to punish hi
when he was immoral. have come dow
to US to the present day; and nobo'
who compares the two can doubt
moment which OF them has had I
nobler work to do, or the more signi
cant, or the one which alone is bull
Ing for the glories that eye hath +
seen nor ear heard.
The visitor from Mars, whom we
like to call in now and then, might n;
&# urally expect from such a situation
this that the work of the lesser agen
would diminish as the greater agcn
carried its light farther and farth
that as the church worked on FIR,
generation TO generation Law a
punishment would find that they h
less and less to do. But the Marti
on looking about him. would disco
no evidences that this was true. G
taiuly. things are infinitely bet
than they would be without
church's work for morality psrh
there has not yet been time for II
10 be much better than they are,
at any rate Law and Punishment
still with US, working away as hare
ever. perhaps even harder. The co
are eiuttered with moral cerel
whom the church. or morality thro
religion. failed TO reach and hold
penitentiaries are as full as evar
dust gathers on tho hangman's N
nor does the electric chair grow ru
And iaws!---on they pour in CT
less stream from every capital n
world, laws pilins on laws forever
ever. more and more felonies