MODERN THOUGHT AND LIFE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19889, 28 March 1930, Page 4

MODERN THOUGHT AND LIFE.

need of unity.

ARCHBISHOP'S MESSAGE.

(PBOM OUR OWW CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, February 13

A series of talks on "Points of View" is being broadcast from the 8.8.C. studio. The first message was given by the Archbishop of York (Dr. Temple) on Monday night. He said that the characteristic of modern thought and life, as distinct from medieval thought and life, had been sectionalism. It was important to see the modern movement against the medieval background, because its distinctive impulse had so largely been one of reaction. The chief need of humanity now more urgent than ever before, -was for some principle that might brine unity into life. It was possible to eo a long way in unifying personality on the basis of self-interest. But they could not go all tho way; for there were generous elements in human nature which could never be brought under its sway. And so far as success was reached by that method it only prepared for deeper failure; for, the self that was unified under the principle of self-interest would come into conflict with other selves governed by the same principle. No sectional principle would do. Self-perfection, self-expres-sion, "Art for Art's sake," "Business is business," "My country, right or wrong"—these were products of the modern departmentalism which had led men to moral bewilderment, aesthetic chaos, industrial class, war, international and intcr-racial jealousy .with the suicide of civilisation as its inevitable outcome. The principle of unity which was to meet our need must be in its nature truly universal.

Medieval Blunder. In another part of his message tho Archbishop said: What was given to the world in Jesus Christ was not the goal of man's destiny, but the direction to be followed and the power to follow it. There still remained the task of bringing all activities into conformity with the mind "which was also in Christ Jesus"; there were infinite vistas of progress before the human race. Each group, and indeed each individual in _ each group, must work out the meaning of all this in the various departments of life. For the Church as a whole, or anyone in its name, to undertake this wonld be to repeat the medieval blunder, and to give up just what was best in the whole modern movement of mapkind.

Four Principles.

But at least four principles could be stated as part of the Christian view of life, and calling for application in great things and small every day. There were:—First, that personality was sacred; progress meant the perpetually fuller recognition of the personal element in human beings in all relations of life; that personal element showed itself in all things in free, intelligent choice.. Secondly, we were not isolated individuals, but members of a brotherhood; progress meant the perpetually fuller realisation in practieo of that fact of fellow-membership in the family of God. Thirdly, the duty of man was to serve God by serving his fellows; progress meant the perpetually greater number of those who put service before gain as the guiding principle of life. Fourthly, Power was subordinate to Love, and Love exerted its power by solf-sacriflce. That was the way of the Cross. Progress came mostly, not through those who fought for it, but through those who suffered for it.