NORTHWESTERN
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ETHICAL ADDRESSES
I . __7
SERIES III. No. 8. OCTOBER, 1896.
The International
Ethical Congress.
/
KELIX A D LEK.
PHILADELPHIA :
S. BURNS WESTON, 1305 Arch Street.
Published Monthly (except July and August.)
(Entered at Philadelphia as second-class matter.)
Yearly, $1.00. Single Numbers, IO cts.
Ethical Addresses
FIRST SERIES 1894
Contents: What Do We Stand For? by Felix Adler ; An Eth¬
ical View of Life, by W. M. Salter ; What Does It Mean to
Be Religious, and What is Religion? by W. L. Sheldon ; The
Religion of Ethical Culture, by M. M. Mangasarian; The
Modern Saint, by Felix Adler ; Morality—What Does It
Mean ? by W. M. Salter ; True Liberalism, by W. L. Sheldon ;
Teaching and Teachers, by M. M. Mangasarian ; Prayer and
Worship, by Felix Adler ; The Highest Rule of Life, by
W. M. Salter.
SECOND SERIES—1895
What We Mean by Duty, W. L. Sheldon ; Our Besetting Sins,
M. M. Mangasarian ; " Ethical Agnosticism," Wm. M. Salter ;
Consolations, Feltx Adler ; Worship in the Spirit, W. L.
Sheldon ; The Freedom of Ethical Fellowship, Felix Adler ;
" Ethics or Religion ? " Wm. M. Salter; The Four Types of
Suffering, Felix Adler ; Octavius B. Frothingham Memorial
Exercises, Edmund C. Stedmam, George Haven Putnam, Jus¬
tice George C. Barrett and Prof. Felix Adler.
Each series, bound in fine cloth, $1.00. Single numbers, 10 cents.
THIRD SERIES—1896
The Monroe Doctrine and the War Spirit in the United States,
by Felix AdlRR; The Venezuelan Question, by Wm. M.
Salter ; The New Woman, by W. l- Sheldon; Bad Wealth
and How It Is Sometimes Got, by Wm. M. Salter ; Address
of May 15th, 1876, by fflix adler ; Twentieth Anniversary
of the Society for Ethical Culture of New York, addresses by
Alfred R. Wolff, Wm. M. Salter, M. M. Mangasarian
and Felix Adler ; Armenia's Impending Doom, by M. M.
Mangasarian ; The International Ethical Congress, by
Felix Adler.
IVouian's Influence on Public Affairs and The Ethics of ATor'el Read¬
ing will be the subjects of the Addresses in the next two numbers.
Yearly, $1.00; two copies to one address, $1.50; three copies
to one address, $2.00 ; single numbers, 10 cents.
Special Offer. —Series I and II, bound in cloth (two volumes,) will
be sent to one address for $1.50, or either volume may be had with sub¬
scription for 1896 for $1.50. Address
S. BURNS WESTON, 1305 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
THE RECENT CONGRESS OF AMERI¬
CAN AND EUROPEAN ETHICAL
SOCIETIES AT ZURICH.*
by felix adler.
Light is the symbol of life. There is ever a cheer¬
ing quality in it, whether we see it in a landscape or in
a room ; but there are occasions when the benignity of
the light comes home to us with a peculiarly satisfying
completeness. One such occasion is especially present
in my mind at this moment: We have been traversing
the sea; we are about to emerge from the waste of
waters ; we approach the land; but the moment is an
anxious one, for the night is dark and the coast is girt
with dangerous reefs and rocks. Suddenly, as we peer
into the darkness, a beacon light flashes ahead ; it shows
but for a moment and disappears ; it waxes and then it
wanes, and then as we get nearer it grows and grows
until it seems to fill the eye, and through the eye the
soul, with its flood of splendor. Ah, how we realize
at such a moment the benignity of the light! How
grateful we are for the friendliness of man ! At great
cost and often at the risk of life, have these watch-towers
been placed on the fringes of continents to warn men
of the dangers which they must avoid and to indicate
the port of safety to which they must steer.
* Given at Carnegie Hall, New York, Sunday, October 18th, 1896.
(133)
134 the international ethical congress.
So, too, in the moral world watch-towers have been
erected to warn us of the dangers to be avoided and
to indicate the port of safety to which we must steer.
From of old Christianity and indeed all the religions
of the past have been busy raising these towers ; but
many of them are crumbling into decay; and new
rocks, new reefs, new points of danger have been dis¬
covered of which the religions of the past have never
given us warning and which are now becoming the scene
and the cause of frequent disaster. It is the purpose of
the Ethical Movement to help to repair these crumbling
towers and to place beacons on those dangerous rocks
which have heretofore escaped notice. And that the
importance of this purpose is being recognized not only
in our own community but also abroad in foreign coun¬
tries among persons who live in an environment totally
different from ours, is a fact that marks a significant step
in the advance of our cause. I wish to-day to report to
you concerning the recent Congress of Ethical Societies
at Zurich, in which this community of interest and of
purpose became manifest despite great differences.
The countries represented at the Congress, besides
the United States and England, were Germany, Austria,
Italy and Switzerland. The conferences were preceded
by courses of lectures on ethical subjects by eminent
ethical professors ; and at these lecture courses the
French government was officially represented by two
delegates, the Minister of Education having deputed
them to report especially upon the degree to which the
Ethical Societies have succeeded in devising a course of
ethical instruction for children, a subject in which the
French Republic has a notable interest.
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. 135
Now Germany, of all these countries, is the one where
the Ethical Movement has obtained, till now, the largest
extension ; the number of societies is considerable ; they
are planted in all the chief cities of the Empire. And
this is all the more interesting when we remember that
the entire movement in Europe is only four years old,
apart from England. The fact that there are now these
numerous societies in Germany, that there is at least one
strong society in Vienna, and that, as I shall show you
presently, the movement is spreading to Italy and Switz¬
erland, indicates that there is something in the idea for
which the Ethical Movement stands that appeals to
people irrespective of nationality, irrespective of local
conditions.
I should like first to say something about the prepa¬
ration which existed in Germany for the reception of the
idea for which this movement stands. Germany has
been a very religious country. The German people have
been profoundly susceptible to religious influence. The
Protestant Reformation, as we all know, originated in
Germany, and as late as the last century we find that the
thinkers and the men of science were still on the side of
positive religion. Even Kant, who shattered the tradi¬
tional proofs of the existence of a Deity, nevertheless
made a place in his system for the belief in a personal
God. Now within a hundred years all this seems to
have changed. A cold breath has swept over Germany.
Intellect seems to be no longer on the side of faith.
The highly educated class hold aloof. They are not
actively antagonistic to religion—they are indifferent ;
they no longer lend it their support. Outwardly, indeed,
the churches maintain their preeminent position through
136 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
the favor of the government. The military authorities
show their respect for the prevailing opinions ; men who
take high rank in the various sciences now and then attend
divine service ; but it is felt that, on the whole, the sanc¬
tion of the educated elite of the country is lacking. Of
course I do not mean to imply that Germany has ceased
to be a religious country. The masses, for instance, are
still very powerfully under the influence of religious tradi¬
tions. I shall never forget a scene I witnessed four
years ago at Treve, when the so-called seamless coat
of Christ, which is exhibited once every fifty years,
was shown to the people. I shall never forget that
scene : the eager multitudes, especially the throng of
peasants that stood in the streets under the open
skies day and night, waiting for a chance to approach
the relic—singing, chanting, with their crosses, their
banners, and their priests leading them. I could not
help gathering the impression that religious fanaticism,
like a hot bed of coals, is slumbering under white ashes
and ready, perhaps, to start into a devouring flame at
the first breath, and to become all the more misguided
and dangerous because the participation of the educated
classes is missing.
When a country is thus divided into two classes,
when there is a gulf between the life of the educated
and the ignorant masses, both will suffer. The educated
come to be out of touch with the common life and the
people are left to their dense and dark superstition.
But educated Germany has not been without some
substitute for the religious impulse which during the
last hundred years it has largely lacked. A nation whose
emotional life is so profound and whose intellectual as-
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. 137
pirations are so high does not easily resign itself to the
loss of that elevation which comes from the pursuit of
idealistic ends ; and so there have been substitutes for
religion. One of these substitutes has been the idealism
of science. I mean by this that exaltation which is
brought into the life of the person who devotes himself
to the pursuit of abstract truth for truth's sake, without
reference to its utilitarian applications and without
any thought of pecuniary gain for himself. Of this
priestly consecration to abstract truth modern Germany
has offered many great examples. And if man were
purely an intellectual being, if he could withdraw into his
intellectual shell and ignore the emotional and moral
interests, this idealism of abstract truth might answer the
purpose. But man is not a purely intellectual being,
and the longer you make the experiment of feeding him
on a merely intellectual idealism the more will the other
side of his nature, the practical and the emotional side,
rebel, rise in mutiny and press its claims. And as
science has very little to offer man on the emotional
side, as the theories which prevail in modern science
(Darwinism, for instance,) are not such as to present a
reconciling view of human destiny, as after all it is but
a poor outcome of the effort and labor required in pene¬
trating the disguises of things to disover behind the
scene nothing but the meaningless play of atoms ; it has
come to pass that the idealism of science has been di¬
vested of much of that efficacy which at one time was
ascribed to it; and it is perceived by many, by the very
ones who have tried to live on intellectualism, that it
does not satisfy.
Then another substitute has been what in German is
138 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
called Pflichtgefuhl. This word does not merely mean
doing one's duty; it describes a peculiar species of the
sentiment of duty, a kind of military promptness in an¬
swering the calls of obligation, especially when imposed
by superior authority. The feeling, it seems to me,
has a background of paternalism. It rests on reverence
and respect for the constituted rulers of the land.
It has been generated, I take it, especially in the mili¬
tary class and the bureaucracy and from them has
spread among the people. It depends for its mainte¬
nance on confidence in the authorities, and this confi¬
dence in Germany has been considerably shaken. In
place of satisfaction and the quiet spirit of obedience
there is deep-seated, far-reaching political and social dis¬
content. And now what I wish to say is that it is this
political and social discontent, taken in connection with
the failure of physical science or of mere intellectualism
to satisfy, that has prepared the soil for the Ethical
Movement in Germany.
There are some restless, impatient spirits, who seek to
provide a remedy for the political and social evils of
Germany by sudden and comprehensive social changes ;
and it is to tne presence of this class of persons that
the spread of Socialism and its poltical strength is
due. But there are also others who realize that sudden
changes cannot be permanent and who look to a re¬
newal of moral energy in the different classes of society
as the indispensable condition of achieving lasting and
beneficient results, and it was this class of persons who
have been most interested in the Ethical Movement
and most earnest in propagating it. Thus much as to
the preparation for the movement in Germany. And let
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. I39
me merely add that it is a significant fact, in view of
what has just been said concerning the failure of mere
intellectualism ultimately to satisfy, that the leader of
our movement in Germany is a man of science, a man
who occupies a high position in his own department of
science, but who profoundly recognizes the need of
ethical clarification and inspiration. I allude of course
to our honored friend Prof. Foerster. The support of
such a man has been of incalculable benefit to the Ger¬
man Movement.
And now to speak of the results of the Congress,
there are three to which I wish to call attention. First,
the creation of an International Secretaryship which is
intended to be a means of binding together the European
societies among themselves and the European and Amer¬
ican societies respectively. Dr. Wilhelm Foerster has
been created the first International Secretary. He is
the son of Prof. Foerster to whom I have just referred,
and the editor of the German weekly paper, Ethische
Kultur. He was recently arrested and condemned on
the charge of lese-majest'e for an article which appeared
in his paper, and was confined for several months in a
fortress. He was liberated on the eve of the assembling
of the Congress at Zurich, and was enabled to be present
at our opening meeting. He intends, as I understand,
to give his whole life to the propaganda of the Ethical
Movement.
The very considerable proportion of university pro¬
fessors connected with the societies is one of the char¬
acteristic features of the foreign movement. It is un¬
doubtedly a source of strength, but also a source of
weakness ; because the societies must depend upon such
140 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
lime as the professors can spare from their duties, and
because the university teacher, despite his most perfect
intentions, is not able to come into such immediate
contact with the feelings of the people, with the popular
interests and sentiments, as is desirable in the leaders
of Ethical Societies.
To speak, therefore, of the second result of the Con¬
gress, it is this : that it has been determined to endeavor
hereafter to follow the American plan (which the Ger¬
man Society at first resisted, fearing that a new ethical
clergy, as they said, might spring up) and to secure the
services of persons who will give their whole life to the
movement. In other words, the second result has been
the decision to establish on neutral ground, in Switzer¬
land, a college for the training of ethical leaders and
lecturers, the modest beginning of which is to be made
next summer.
Next, as to the work that has been heretofore done
by the foreign societies ; and this will give me an oppor¬
tunity to speak of the third, and, to my mind, the most
valuable and important result of the Congress. The
work done by the foreign societies thus far has consisted,
in the first place, in the holding of meetings for the dis¬
cussion and explanation of the principles of the move¬
ment, especially the essential principle of all, viz., that
morality is self-centered, self-sustained, founded on
human nature, and independent of dogma, creeds, or
philosophic theories. This idea is constantly being con¬
sidered in all its bearings and the movement is being
propagated in this fashion. But, in addition, earnest
attempts have been made to testify to the ethical faith
by practical philanthropy. The German Society has
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. 141
identified itself especially with an effort to influence
public opinion through the press. Whenever there is a
case of injustice; whenever, through the prejudices of
the ruling classes, the weak seem to be oppressed, seem
to be at a disadvantage, especially in the courts, it is one
of the aims of the Ethical Society to call attention to
the fact and, if possible, to secure a remedy.
Particular interest has been taken by the societies in
the establishment of free reading rooms. Perhaps we
in this country do not quite realize how important it
was to take such steps in a country like Germany, where
adequate provision in this direction did not exist. The
Ethical Society has rendered considerable service in the
establishment of such public reading rooms, and their
efforts have been recognized and sustained by the muni¬
cipal authorities of Berlin.
In Austria courses of lectures have been delivered to-
parents on the proper training of children. And a very
important investigation has been conducted into the
conditions of female labor in the city of Vienna Re¬
ports of this investigation have found their way into
the newspapers and have attracted great attention, and
the results of the investigation will be published in
detail this fall.
The Swiss Society is only a few months old and has
not yet determined its plans, although there is promise
of great activity.
The Italian Society is extremely interesting in many
ways. I hold in my hands a pamphlet entitled " A Page
from the History of Sociology; an Account of the
Society for Ethical and Social Culture of Venice." This
is the most important of the Italian Ethical Societies.
142 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
The object of the Society is to unite all who believe
that the present industrial system is capable of modifica¬
tion in the direction of more perfect harmony between
the social classes. It seeks to unite persons of different
beliefs and different opinions, just as we do, and men
whose views are distinctly and widely divergent have
in fact given their sanction to this movement. Here, too,
discussion and public meetings are one of the important
instrumentalities in use. The Venetian Society was no
sooner formed than it addressed itself to the task of
philanthropy, and the first scheme proposed and at¬
tempted was that of founding an asylum or shelter, a
place for the amusement and instruction of the chil¬
dren of the working people during the hours when their
parents are away in the workshops and factories. This
attempt to benefit the children was, however, vehe¬
mently denounced by the clergy of Venice. In conse¬
quence a number of ladies who belonged to the com¬
mittee in charge resigned and the enterprise had to be
abandoned.
The Society then determined to address itself to the
adult working people. A college for the social and
ethical culture of working people was established, the
members of the Ethical Society of Venice themselves
being the teachers. This attempt met with astonishing
success. The school was opened with seven adult
pupils ; after two weeks there were two hundred enrolled,
and after four weeks there were four hundred, and fur¬
ther admittance had to be refused owing to lack of
accommodation. These classes are continued from De¬
cember to May, and in the summer excursions are
arranged, in which hundreds of working people take
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. I43
part, for the purpose of studying the art and historic
monuments in which Venice is so rich, also the economic
conditions, and the public institutions, especially the
public charitable institutions.
Now all this is very laudable and very interesting, but
it did seem to me as if there was one thing lacking in
the foreign Ethical Societies—or at least if not lacking
yet not sufficiently pronounced : that is, the spiritual ele¬
ment. I do not mean anything mystical when I use the
word spiritual. When we think of morality, if we con¬
centrate our attention on the act, on the external part
of it, then we are not spiritual; but if we care chiefly
for the spirit in which the act is done, then we take the
spiritual view. It seemed to me as if the spiritual side,
though not wanting by any means among the leaders—
in fact it was beautifully emphasized by some of the
leaders—was nevertheless too much neglected ; as if the
drift were in an external direction, as if the feeling pre¬
vailed that the ethical society exists for the benefit of
others. I have always felt that this is a wrong attitude
to take. I have always felt that an ethical society should
take the ground that it exists primarily for the moral
benefit of its own members. It is in this way that I
have distinguished in my mind between the real mem¬
bers and the quasi members of an ethical society. The
real member of an ethical society is the person who
feels that he has not yet—morally—finished his educa¬
tion ; that he is in need of moral development, in need
of help, and looks upon the society as a means of help¬
ing him in his moral development. The quasi member
is the person who merely appreciates the society in so
far as it is doing good for others. He is no real mem-
144 the international ethical congress.
ber ; at best only an ally, an associate. Now I felt that
this sort of external feeling prevails to a considerable
degree in the foreign societies as it still largely exists in
our own.
I went to Zurich to stand for this view, and in the
opening address to the Congress, I laid the main stress
upon this idea : that permanence and solidity and depth
will be lacking in the Ethical Movement, and that it
will not deserve to succeed unless it creates in its midst
a new spirit—unless a spirit of humility be cultivated
among its own members. And the view here indicated
met with the readiest response and has been expressed
and embodied in the Program which the delegates
adopted, as its very first paragraph, and has been made
the corner-stone of the Ethical Movement, so far as the
delegates who went to Zurich had the power to make
it. I will read from that Program :
The Delegates of the first International Assembly of the Fede¬
rated Societies recommend to the Federated Societies of the
various countries represented, the following statement, subject to
future expansion and revision :
The prime aim of the Ethical Societies is to be of advantage to
their own members. The better moral life is not a gift which
we are merely to confer upon others ; it is rather a difficult prize
which we are to try with unwearying and unceasing effort to
secure for ourselves. The means which are to serve to this end
are : first, the close contact into which our associations bring us
with others having the same purpose in view ; second, the moral
education and instruction of the young in the ethical principles,
which in their foundations are independent of all dogmatic pre¬
supposition ; third, guidance for adults in the task of moral self-
education.
Furthermore, the Ethical Societies should define their attitude
toward the great social questions of the present day, in the solu-
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. 145
tion of which the part to be played by the moral forces of society
is of the highest significance.
We recognize that the efforts of the masses of the people to
obtain a more humane existence, imply a moral aim of the
greatest importance, and we consider it our duty to second these
efforts with all possible earnestness and to the full extent of our
ability. We believe, however, that the evil to be remedied is
not only the material need of the poor, but that an evil hardly
less serious is to be found in the moral need which exists
among the wealthy, who are often deeply imperiled in their
moral integrity by the discords in which the defects of the pres¬
ent industrial system involve them.
We regard resistance to wrong and oppression as a sacred duty,
and believe that under existing circumstances conflict is still indis¬
pensable as a means of clarifying men's ideas of right and of
obtaining better conditions. We demand, however, that the con¬
flict be carried on within the limits prescribed by morality, in the
interest of society as a whole and with a constant eye to the final
establishment of social peace as the supreme consummation.
We expect of the organs of the Ethical Federation that they
will endeavor to provide, so far as they are able, intellectual
armor to serve in the social struggle—by this we mean the pub¬
lication of careful scientific treatises, which shall have for their
object to ascertain whether the positions of individualism and
socialism are not susceptible of being united in a deeper philos¬
ophy of life ; further, statistical investigations to show with the
impressiveness of facts how profoundly our present conditions
are in need of reform, and furthermore to see to it that the re¬
sults thus obtained shall be spread far and wide so that the pub¬
lic conscience may be developed in the direction of a higher
social justice.
We leave it to the several societies, according to the particular
circumstances of the countries to which they belong, to carry out
the above general purpose in particular ways ; but we especially
call upon all the members of the various societies, in their indi¬
vidual capacity, to promote the progressive social movement of
the times by simplicity in the conduct of life and by the display
of an active public spirit.
146 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
We recognize the institution of pure monogamic marriage as
a priceless possession of mankind, indispensable for the moral
development of the individual and for the permanent existence
of civilization ; but we demand that the monogamic idea shall
express itself in the sentiments and practice of men with a de¬
gree of consistency which to a very great extent is still wanting.
We demand for woman opportunity for the fullest development
of her mental and moral personality, and realizing that her per¬
sonality is of equal worth with that of man, we pledge ourselves,
as far as we are able, to secure the recognition of this equality
in every department of life.
We regard especially the lot of female wage earners in in¬
dustrial establishments and in personal service as one of the
most grievous evils of the present time, and we will use such
influence as we possess to restore to all classes of the population
the conditions upon which a true home life depends.
We regard it as a fundamental task of modern civilization to
give back to the educational system the unify which it has in a
a large measure lost, and to replace the missing kev-stone once
supplied by dogmatic teaching in schools and universities by set¬
ting up a common ethical purpose as the aim of all culture.
We heartily appreciate the efforts now being made to bring
about universal peace among the nations, and we would contrib¬
ute our share towards the success of these efforts by inwardly
overcoming the military spirit, by endeavoring to counteract the
attraction that military glory exerts on the minds of the young,
and by seeking to provide that the ethically valuable elements
which the military system contains may find expression in nobler
and worthier forms.
Furthermore, we would oppose that national egotism and na¬
tional passion, which at the present day are just as dangerous
foes of peace as are the prejudices and interests of the govern¬
ing classes ; and in times of excitement and of political hatred we
will exert ourselves in conjunction with others who think as we
do, to compel attention to the voice of reason and of conscience.
We ask our Ethical Societies not only to direct their attention
toward the outward extension of the movement, but to devote
their utmost energy to the building up of a new ideal of life,
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. I47
which shall correspond to the demands of enlightened thinking,
feeling and living, confident that such an ideal for which man¬
kind is thirsting will in the end be of equal profit to all classes
and to all nations.
We are not a Pythagorean society ; we are not a band
of stoics ; we are not a company of recluses who stand
aloof from the concerns of life. We recognize that we
are to grapple with the social and political questions of
the day, because only by endeavoring to lift these heavy
weights will our own moral fiber become strong and
firm. But, nevertheless, our moral growth is still the
principal aim. We can grow morally only in so far as we
take an interest in the moral concerns of the commu¬
nity. But, on the other hand, it is equally true and
equally to be emphasized that, so far as we are con¬
cerned, we shall endeavor to solve the great social
questions, the great public questions, by changes which
we effect in ourselves. We are to regenerate society
primarily by regenerating the one individual member of
society for whom we are responsible.
This is the difference between an ethical society and
the peace societies, the social reform societies, the edu¬
cational societies and the others—that they chiefly lay
stress upon what the government ought to do or upon
what other people ought to do, or in general upon how
the world is to be set aright, while the ethical society,
mindful also of these demands, yet lays its chief stress
upon the question, What am I to do? How shall I set
the world right by setting myself right? And this note
dominates the entire Statement of Principles which I
have read.
For instance, it is said that the Ethical Society must
148 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
take an interest in the labor question, and immediately
Ave are asked to co-operate in the social movement of
the time by leading simple lives. The material distress
of the poor is a great evil, but the unease of conscience,
in view of the fact that Ave enjoy exceptional, undesen ed
advantages, is also a great evil Avhich Ave must try to
remedy. And Ave must try to remedy it, not by blunt¬
ing our moral susceptibilities, but by making them still
more keen.
Again the platform insists upon the institution of
monogamic marriage as a priceless possession, and it
goes on to tell us that the idea of monogamy is not ex¬
pressed in the sentiment and practice of mankind as it
should be ; Avhereby is meant that men ought to be faith¬
ful to the ideal of women before marriage as well as in
marriage, just as Avomen, conversely, are expected to be
faithful on their side.
Even Avhere mention is made of so public a concern
as international peace we are yet urged to contribute to
it as individuals by trying to counteract the attraction
of military glory, by overcoming that hatred of foreigners
to Avhich AA'e are all liable, and by stopping at this source
those passions Avhich lead to national frenzy and inter¬
national Avar.
I have come back Avith fresh inspiration and fresh
confidence, Avith an exhilarating sense of a Avider broth¬
erhood, Avith the feeling that though oceans roll be¬
tween us, and the barriers of speech and traditions and
sentiment may seem to separate us, yet in the essential
purpose our friends abroad and AA'e are one. I Avish I
could communicate this feeling of a Avider union to you.
It Avould possibly have gratified your pride could you
THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS. I49
have listened to the ample and generous acknowledg¬
ments which the delegates made of what they conceived
to be their indebtedness to the American Ethical So¬
cieties. But I confess that a feeling very unlike that
of flattered pride was uppermost in my mind as I
listened to those words of recognition. It was rather a
grave and heavy sense of responsibility, because our
foreign friends are very glad to hear of such success as
you have met with. They are also willing to learn from
your example, so far as it is a worthy one,; but they are
disposed to scrutinize you with a searching carefulness
such as possibly you have no conception of; because
this is what they say to themselves : " We look to the
ethical idea with hope ; we look to it as something that
is to be a means of salvation in the midst of the polit¬
ical and social whirlwinds that are likely to sweep over
society ; we look to it with hope, but we want to see
whether it is worthy of our confidence. And, how are
we to determine ? Why, we will scrutinize the lives of
the members of these Ethical Societies in America. The
Ethical Movement has existed in America for twenty
years. In twenty years the ethical idea must have taken
root and borne fruit. What are the fruits which it has
borne ? "
What are the ethical fruits—not how large are the
revenues or the audiences ? but what are the fruits that
appear in the life of the Society ? Are the merchants
of the Ethical Society, as a rule, stricter in their views
than their competitors, or are they like others—good,
bad and indifferent ? Are the relations between masters
and men characterized by a keener sense of right and
a more careful considerateness, and, when there are
150 THE INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL CONGRESS.
faults on one side or the other, by a greater charity ?
Are our children educated 011 nobler principles and in
finer ways ?
Oh, my friends, let us at least try to be able to meet
these questions.
THE BULLETIN.
St. Louis Ethical Society.
The lectures at Memorial Hall under the auspices of the St.
Louis Ethical Society were resumed October 18th. The audience
was larger than at any opening Sunday since the Society was
organized. The subjects announced for the first three lectures
are: " How to Get the Most Satisfaction out of Life," "Life
and the Struggle To-day, Compared with the Life and Struggle
One Hundred Years Ago," and " Our Country and Our Devotion
to Our Country."
The Society has at last been able to organize a Sunday School.
Heretofore it has only had, for the most part, independent
classes ; but new facilities at the Museum of Fine Arts have at
last given the opportunity desired. There is now an organized
Schol with seven classes, including an adult Biography Class.
They meet for an hour and a half, from half-past nine to eleven
o'clock. About one-half the time is devoted to singing and a
series of general exercises. The Greek Ethics Club will devote
the entire season to a study of "George Eliot." The Political
Science Club will give the year to the study and investigation of
"Crime and Criminology."
Mr. W. H. Lighty, who is Mr. Sheldon's associate in the edu¬
cational work, is proving himself eminently capable, and his
assistance is becoming more and more valuable.
The Philadelphia Ethical Society.
The work of the new year has opened auspiciously. Mr.
Salter's lecture the first Sunday, on "A Gospel for Hard Times,"
brought out an unusually large attendance, and the lecture itself
was timely and strong. The following Sunday Mr. Salter spoke
candidly and forcibly upon the issues of the political campaign.
A more thorough course of work than usual has been mapped
out for the different Sections. The Economic Section will make
a systematic study of "Money and Value" under the lead of
THE BULLETIN.
Professor H. C. Whitaker, of the Central Manual Training
School.
The first meeting of the Reform Section will be a discussion
(opened by Mr. Salter) of bills to be submitted to the Legislature
for the protectection of workingmen from arbitrary discharge.
The Philosophical Section is to have a series of talks (followed
by discussion) on "Fundamental Scientific Ideas Illustrated in
Living Bodies," by Dr. Frances Emily White, professor of
Physiology in the Woman's Medical College.
The Literature and Art Section has undertaken to raise a fund
for the purpose of having good music at the Sunday meetings.
To this end a course of six lectures and concerts has been
arranged—three musical evenings alternating with three lectures
by Mr. Salter on "The Moral Element in Marriage," "Recent
Attacks on Marriage" and "Women in Public Affairs."
Notes.
Four Ethical Societies in London (the North, South, East and
West) have formed a Union, which held its first annual Congress
on Sunday, July 5th, 1896. The Congress empowered the Ex¬
ecutive Council to carry out a scheme of work comprising the
following points: The establishment of an Ethical Lending
Library ; publication of pamphlets and leaflets ; organization of
an Ethics Class and of lectures on Moral Instruction of the
Young ; management of Sunday Schools and correspondence
with provincial sympathizers.
A lady who wished to perpetuate the memory of a friend has
recently given about seventeen hundred dollars to the London
Union of Ethical Societies to establish an Ethical Library.
The West London Ethical Society will hereafter hold its Sun¬
day lectures at Kensington Town Hall. Dr. Stanton Coit, the
lecturer of the Society, spoke at the opening Sunday (Oct. 4th)
on "War as an Instrument of Righteousness."
IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?
BY WILLIAM JAMES,
Author of *' Principles of Psychology, etc. 16mo. Cloth, 50 cents.
" Those who would not lose a keen pleasure, as well as a source of deepest profit,
should not overlook it."—The Nation.
" We have had no happier nor more convincing exposition than this of the ration¬
ality of faith as a practical principle in the guidance of life, none in such a simple form,
brevity or lightness and finish of diction." " Should be read by all means and by every¬
body."— The Independent.
" When we have described this essay as at once fascinating and suggestive we have
only told what the name of the author would in itself be sufficient to indicate. No one
has ever possessed in happier union the power to entertain the reader and at the same
time to stimulate in him new thoughts about familiar things, new questionings of prob-
ems long ago supposed to have been solved."—The Stylus.
"A scholarly treatment of the causes and cure of pessimism."—The Week, Toronto.
" We wish that the essay might find its way to many thousands of readers, for it is
both impressive and helpful."—The Dial.
Sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, by the publisher,
S. BURNS WESTON, 1305 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
A copy of '' Is Life Worth Living? " and Ethical Addresses for 1897 will be sent
to any address on receipt of $1.25 by S. Burns Weston before January 1.
AN ETHICAL MOVEMENT
A VOLUME OF LECTURES.
BY W. L. SHELDON
12mo. Cloth, $1.75. Macmillan A Co.
"If the papers in this volume are at all a fair specimen of the sermons we are to
get from the new ethical preachers, the members of the very catholic Church of the
future are to be envied. The teaching is clear and vigorously expressed.—Glasgow
Herald.
" The book is one which should have a wide influence. It possesses learning and
thought and genuine eloquence, and if it can be taken as a representative expression
of the new ethics, its import is something more than optimistic—it is inspiring."—Boston
Beacon.
" So comprehensive and original and yet so true and elevating in its teachings we
find it difficult to do justice to it. This Ethical Movement has been slowly, but per¬
sistently and surely, developing for a number of years. It has not made much show
and parade, but has silently and persistently worked until it has attained such propor¬
tions and set in motion such forces as to compel recognition."—St. Louis Life.
" Worthy of the attention of all who concern themselves otherwise than in a casual
or superficial way with the deeper thoughths and tendencies of the time."—Aberdeen
Free Press.
A copy of " An Ethical Movement" and Ethical Addresses for 1897 will be
sent to any address on receipt of $2.00, before January 1, by
S. BURNS WESTON, 1305 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS
A Quarterly (now in its seventh year) devoted to individual
and social ethics. England, Fiance, Austria, Italy, Denmark,
and the United States are represented on the editorial committee.
Each number contains articles, discussions and reviews by promi¬
nent ethical writers in different countries.
Among the articles which have feceutly appeared are the
following :
The Ethics of Religious Conformity. Henry Sidgwick,
The Moral Aspect of Socialism. Sidney Ball.
The Ethical Life and Conceptions of the Japanese, Tokiwo
Yokoi.
Is Pleasure the Suminum Bonuun ? James Seth.
The Ethical Aspects of Social Science. Lester F. Ward.
Rights and Duties. J. S. Mackenzie.
The Jewish Question in its Recent Aspects. Morris Jastrow.Jr.
International Arbitration. John Westlake.
Is the Family Declining? J. H. Muirhead.
The Moral Teachings of the Ancient Zoroastrian Religion.
A. V. Williams Jackson.
Considerable space is devoted in each number to Discussions
and Book Reviews.
Some articles soon to appear :
Prof. Sidgwick on "The Ethics of Religious Conformity,"
A Reply by Rev. Hastings Rashdall.
The Restoration of Economics to Ethics, by Prof. Charles S.
Devas.
Morality and the Belief in the Supernatural, by Prof. Eliza
Ritchie.
The Responsibilities of the Lawyer, by J. B. Warner, Esq.
The Moral Life of the Early Romans, by Prof. Frank Granger.
Social Life and Morality in India, by Mithammed Abdul Ghani.
YEARLY, $2.50. SINGLE NUMBERS, 65 CTS.
Both the International Journal of Ethics and Ethical Addresses
for 1897 will be sent to any address for $3.00.
ADDRESS,
International Journal of Ethics,
1305 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA.
3 5556 001 324 136