ORIGIN OF MORALS

Grey River Argus, 22 July 1910, Page 8

ORIGIN OF MORALS

■ EVOLUTION OF" ' CIVILISATION Mr. Joseph M'Ca'be addressed a large aiudi'ence>'at!'tfte' Town Hall Well-' ington -la"st evennßron [ of- m Morality and eviM'saitdW." ■ He-' ' af once disgiarded as mythical' 'aoid Mosafic law ' giye^ : "<sn^M*bunif "■ S-in'ai;'4Tac : W ! the;- morality', of-- tn'^-HebTiev/s : Egyptian and Baibyloniari'o^rin. 5 The' civilisaitions pf^-— -those; countries . he maintained, fo%rniiefi iJ the basis of the civilisation of^-th'e "Hebrews an origin-' :ally. riob^-ai^ people/' to s '.'ali iri^nts r: snd : jp^p^es'^BejdomJis 1 : ' yr-y~ ;•..' ' ; ' J .Mdit'efnai"Bve v as exem'iDlified by the i^ I ?^^ -O^the aaitsVand^bees' for^ •tHeir'young-Athe estalbH'shjm^n^ of the tfond be'twqen 'parent' and chijd-4ve'fe ]sliown tad^ their [effects in -tfin \ gT^w'th of rnprality : in the animal 'Kingjdom., At the same time, it was Tdoubtful if the ant or the. be^'-had arty ratten"-' ♦igence wbaiteyer. Tihe idea of.a &er<iwaa ■ school; 'wa%' that tney> aetdfl' / rnethanically /.and" with % -no^-'sliaiiow'' of Iconsciptis^ess -'wh-atevtsr; -^H'dweve^' in' the ant arid the /bee one f aw^tHe' ? raw ; i rrvatef ial. 'a 3f= yjOriKty^f ' Some fobserviers'rwere of", oipirtwrn'-tliajt.'^ asrftU jof -horiey ifaukt^ even^Undiir"' penalty fof dea^h, fee r d am- anitf- that'wa's hungry. Clirnaitjic changes of great extent" and; Jnt^nsfy^'had^rpugiht chan^ I^es vdn aiicma^lif^'in ' "to tht ! f it''^t ■■^e ii si§d^ 1 ci'ftain^ l^i^^tiecause' they "were* useful' 'to ■tfie^tcintrhUriitvV:'- ■'; ' ..;•*•. --- i '; " P^MT^-^EQPLFy • -■ T^en Mr. ' M'gfe Das.sed to. primj itie arid' ?skva^e irfc'es^bf "the * present > era, ■ begurinirig^wi^-the.7 extinct :"Tas-manians-Ta rjeople' ; wiihpuf '" Virtue, and ' vice v-4aVmg^lkngUage^ w'^icii "'• needed • heiping- ou^'rwirth: '^gesture' :> and which' was not h«ar.d' v a^terdark/.beQause : .gjs-' •Kir'es-' w'er¥ tlcen' invisible. '"Tiiese, pep'pie';o^;r/ riothapg r ' to^ 'ijhe' Sjnaatir laws 6r afiv other ' moral code!. They rafely •qta^reil^d,. they ''did not li^ -iikirder Sp:?'-al™6st uiiknbvvn.;. The •VeddaJis ] of;"' Qeyl6ri iS were a similarly viceless ' peV-ple'" ' arid Without virtue, . arid - yet they suJDpoiited" "■ the widows bf'their tr^ ce — 5© exaim.ple-(th'at. wasnot -followr ed in our ' higihest 'ciyilijaitiohs- tb'-day. '■^u'i ra ?f^ glances 1 at "the bus-hmen'bf . Africa, some' tierra del'.'Fuegdans.'i'tHe ..Tbdas of India, and^' somer oth'eiM similar races., .M.r.'M''Ga)be 'laid v if ;^ down, thai these people. 1 pTOVfed-^thart: where no moral ideas eiiste^tßte'.'tiio^ial^cqri dition of sueKf people %ak- -g'ooct.^'-'FfeV moment primitive^ "metrsplit ' up into' tribes, thdy -found- themselves at war .with other bribes. : '■■:<■■ ■^■■v^]:v ;"■ ;.i The growitlh* -' of • the /nioral; io^ea- wns shown, ; and tihe effect of "k upon \thc -peoples ■<& tiie T*ac'ifi(: ; '\& ' d^enbed as: ..to' ■'their. uridoiri f g; ; -and iradukf but certain extinction.' 1 5 influence ■ of, pur> Buddhism >>m ; Bttrmafi^ : and' tlie *appy posidoFbf^okien in thaVeoUn-' 1 try ' hadf bfought' 'feu'rurlali c rlfsaf 'iKe' pe:r'fect social' stafd' as' could " be, &ped/ :-.PRESiSUiRE 'FROM .WITIHOUT. It , was -pressure farorn^.wi^ioW, Anot from, any inherent principle, thait was the chicf ■; agency in. ciyilisaJtlpn" lOt was' the conflicjt betvyeep ; nailjioii r-'-kndAna-' . tton, par'iticularjy the, in.teilecitual'rcl'aih,; ■ that bnouglM: to la' ••hdgh iieyet ,of ; Givilis."aticiu. •. \- \- . -H,. .,;■;' :'j;\C <• ■'•'?' '•■ In • ; rnah : . > the . Buddish ■ : ','Thou f shalt: love, thy neighbour; a ! s'--a ; mother: loves -her ohiidreri'^Ava^ carried' out.- Tih^was'vtihe.rigli* idek!''^ -"^ : ■ t . ,Th&; Chines^ ha>d solved-/ tfof prpblenr of. disputdn-g; with^ riioralf . eryeds^f o^" at"; •heart: .they', were 1 ■'sceptics • ".'as^to ; their' go.ds of: pabtheishi ; ; v y but; tri^y ; N^erej •mo?t: faithruV •follSowers SF th^ :; pMios4 '.■6phy: of '^<ytre c5 arid [;;: Kuln,g^f pu)tze'7 J 'brMB. A ]&drj?6altf " ; .-Litts/ i-biie- ofr ttie\be^: wrijt^rs l^!!- c|iapese'lile: Ibrad laidiit down- 7^^"^ 'cfertaan ''wa*y J pf. ••tir-aiisforrriirig; > a j- ; hostile" 1 'crojvd" into',, a ' )-frieridly\©n&'^ jfu^ai&'tesfe: tviduld l "Bke;?to/-see :i !tiie' I in^n- -ih< Welliiigitbn;** .'■ saixi}^ *W'<js>e i ""who •- could- "turn 1 a ; rowdy ' orp wd- "to a : •■f rderiHly on ! e"\yii;h' a few Vo'wis f rom the' .NeAv-'Tesitairi-ep't. ,-■>' '' ,• •^'' t '^* . T. ; •• ' .The. rhßf&l. standard, of," tbje,. Chinese \vA I s-Vxc%e^^g.iy' : iiiglir and -all' author^ 4t ! ies ' a%fee&f upon' that. ■Tn fact •. , class' [■f 6r l cMss," '.&ieir" "morality ,' 'was v-higiher.' th'a'n ''ihajit, of, any nation,' in Eu,i!pi)e." Chinese merchants \.as. a , -were •.■most iionest' %en any ' bo~dy, bf rnerV ■chariitsi-in tie worlp!. "... • ■■'. v -^- >. • Here ]^^'W.Ckbe's : . remarks. were; ; i received with vSome- marks of di^appJxp.yai, but;he> \v&at ; on \yith his lecture, •.-refer)rijag; to ; the.c^aaige that- hiad'corj^e; fpvcrVtihe jiapanese- siince' their •country' was "op.ened'vi to ;\3f€s^r.n irtfteence: also" to the advanced, mopaldty of the! Egyiphians and Babylonians, % . briefly! touching- 'on 'tfe'e of those' peoples, concluding -wiith references'^, ; .toi ,Qre,eik, 1 ; . and,' ; Mediaeyal 1 morality . a.nd » y. ciyi}is,aiti!pnj and . their effect upon modern Europe. -^ :' ■ ■ ■'■• .-'■■' '■ ■ ■ . ■ . _ . .<.