SUNDAY, MAY 14, 1' 1 -IEM I IUAIN IAIL x WiviAUAI.sM
"THE MIND IN THE MAKING"
(Continued)
By James Harvey Robinson
(Published by Harper & Brothers ) fundamental truths in regard to man raping control in spite of our best ef- is that he believes in too much gov-
I. Our Medieval Intellectual Inherit- were assumed to be established once forts to prevent any thoroughgoing ferment. * * *
ance and for all. The Greek thinkers had readjustment. We institctively try to * * * In most countries of west-
GeeksandRhad little in the way of authority on show that Mr. Keynes must surely be ern Europe and in our own land one
The Greeks and Romans had van- which to build, and no inconsiderable wrong about the Treaty of Versailles; may now believe as he wishes, teach
ous theories of the origin of things, number of them frankly confessed that Gibbs must be perversely exag- such religious views as appeal to him,
all vague and admittedly conjectural. that they did not believe that such a gerating the horrors of modern war; and join with others who share his
But the Christians, relying upon the thing could exist for the thoroughly* * * that Mr. Robin's picture of sympathies. "Atheism" is still a
inspired account in the Bible, built sophisticated intelligence. But medi- Lenin can only be explained by a disshocking charge in many ears, but the
their theories on information which eval philosophy and science were guised sympathy for Bolshevism. * * atheist is no longer an outlaw, It has
they believed vouchsafed to them by grounded wholly in authority. The * * ¥ With the firm establishment been demounsrated, in short, that re-
God .himself. Their whole conception mtedieval schoolmen turned aside of Christianity edicts began to be is- ligious dogma can be neglected ii
of human history was based on a far from the hard path of skepticism, long sued by the Roman emperors giaking matters of public concern afed re-
more fundamental and thorough slp- searchings and investigation of actuil orthodox Christian belief the test of dued to a question of private taste
ernaturalism than we find among the phenomena, and confidently believed good citizenship. One who disagreed and preference. * *
Greeks and Romans. The pagan phil- that they could find truth by the easy with the emperor and his religious ad- In the Middle Ages, even in the time
osophers reckoned with the gods, to way of revelation and the elaboration visers in regard to the relation of the of the Greeks and Romans, there was
be sure, but they never assumed that of unquestioned dogmas. three members of the Trinity was sul- little or no conception of progress as
man's earthly life should turn en- This reliance on authority is a fun- ject to prosecution. Heretical books the word is now used.
tirely on what was to happen after Ths ewere burnsrtyisa un
damental primitive trait. We have in- were burned, the houses of heretics This was specially true of the Middle
death. This was in theory the sole destroyed. * * * It was, however, Ages. During these centuries men's
pt ii.eoepateloweie tntol rmormdea
tian.Lifo r hwas bute a Chris-e forefathers, but, like them and through with the Juquisition eginning in the single objective was the assurance of
ifeive, perelow was but a brief, them from long generations of pre- thirteenth century, that the .intoler- heaven and escape from hell. Life was
if decisive, preliminary to the real life historic men. We all have a natural ance of the Middle Ages reached its an angry river into which men
to, come. * * * tendency to rely upon established be- most perfect organizatibn. were cast. Demons were on every
The medieval thinkers all accepted liefs and fixed institutions. * * * Heresy was looked upon as a con hand to drag them down. The only
without question what Santayana has . tagious disease that must be checked aim could be, with God's help, to
strikingly described as the "Christian We are tremendously suggestible at all costs. It did not matter that reach the celestial shore. No one
Our mechanism is much better adapt-
Epic.",This included the general his- . the heretic usually led a conspicu- thought that human efforts should be
torical conceptions of how man came All of us believe nearly all the ti . ously blameless life, did not swear, directed to making the lot of humanity
about, and how, in viey of his origin was emaciated with fasting and re- progressively better by intelligent
and his past, he should conduct his w do, fused to participate in the vain recre- reforms in the light of advancing
life. The universe had come into ations of his fellows. He was, indeed, knowledge,
being in less than a week, and man The findings of modern science have overserious and took his religion too The world was a place to escape
had originally been created in a state shaken the hold of the sources of hard. The offensive parading as an from on the best terms possible. In
of perfection along with all other medieval authority, but they have angel of light was explained as the our day this medieval idea of a static
things-sun, moon, stars, plants and done little as yet to loosen our inveter- devil's camouflage. No one tried to find society yields only grudgingly, and the
animals. After a. time the first human ate habit of relying on the more in- out what the heretic really thought notion of inevitable vital change is yet
pair had yielded to temptation, sidious authority of current practice ** * Because he insisted on ex- far from assimilated, * * * We
transgressed Got's commands, and and belief. We still assu that re- pressing his conception of God in have learned as yet to respect only
been driven from the lovely garden in ceived dogmas represent the ecure slightly unfamiliar terms, the heretic one class of fundamental innovators,
which he had placed them. So sin conclusions of mankind, and that cur- was often branded as an atheist, just those dedicated to natural science and
came into the world, and the offspring rent institutions represent the ap- as today the Socialist is so often ac- its applications. The social innovator
of the guilty pair wrere reby con- proved results of much experiment in cused of being opposed to all govern- is still generally suspect.
taminated and defiled from the womb. the past, which it would be worse than ment, when the real objection to him (Continued on Page 4)
s * * *futile to repeat.
The general account of man, his It is very painful to most minds to lllli1111111111(11111lIIDINIIIlllli llfililllli1111111U111
origin and fate, embraced in the amit that the past does not furnish
Christian Epic, was notable for its pre- us with reliable, permanent standards = E l
quently presented to any revision in a general timidity in the face of con-
the light of increasing knowledge. The ditions which we vaguely feel are es-
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