in the end, as natural as daily nothing is to be tabu in talk, s will remain tabu in practice? e is, in the end, as relentlessly Even the aborigines that we y mentioned turn scandals over -man, and keep a few delicate ves. Perhaps we are "returning the Rousseauists wanted us to; tic Anglo-Saxon thoroughness, es one better. But it is a pity to olush; for though in the ideal would never be forced to a not be because nothing was conerman might say) blushworthy. vate conscience ought to be a -registering thermometer: he is moral code incorruptibly and himself, and not care what the he mass of human beings, howde that way; and many people from crime or sin by the simple things they would not like to [158] or other, not lon women were en ought undoubted only thus could dealt with. Incre Not many peop that particular there is a mania used to be conve mation from the know the pros come amiss; but to know it to ho other generatio her opinions, a have been draw intelligent as The present ter every one's op ethical matters, My own pessim that the philan tional code has A who were too or other, not long ago, that, whether any oth women were enfranchised or not, prostitut ought undoubtedly to have the vote, becau only thus could the social evil be effective dealt with. Incredible enough; but there it wa Not many people, perhaps, would agree wi that particular reformer; but undoubted there is a mania at present, in the classes th used to be conventional, for getting one's info mation from the other camp. It is valuable know the prostitute's opinion-facts nev come amiss; but why assume that we have on to know it to hold it? Is it not conceivable th other generations than our own have know her opinions, and that lines of demarcatio have been drawn because a lot of people, intelligent as we, did not agree with her The present tendency, however, is to consid every one's opinion important, in social ar ethical matters, except that of respectable fol My own pessimistic notion is, as I have hinte that the philanthropic assault on the conve tional code has come primarily from peop who were too ignorant, or too lazy, or to pathetic in our credulity, and Moses Primrose at the fair. green spectacles if we must; g as we can, refuse to look Ear cry from "temperament" I have known a great many n for social service, and I do The motives of the heteronvention may lie as far apart Pole is very like the other, r as we can make out from dsen) but the object is the the complicated fabric which = lovingly built up. (Even if ation," it is apt to amount to any good architect knows.) aven, sober Roundheads and will probably be differently here on earth, both have ashing stained-glass windows. not believe in capital punishas society takes from a man not give. The iconoclasts do [160] tabu business is t process, controll are not suggestin were wrong. Th the rightest not old tabu than n to be "on the sid makes refusals. want is to have dull of them, for helped them ou over night, into of future scien society would be at the Central A on their terms. the Warramung century anarchi tabu business is too stupid and meaningless fo words. Civilization has been a weeding-o process, controlled and directed by increasin knowledge. We have infinitely more conver tions than the aborigines: we simply have n such silly ones. The foes of modern conventio are not suggesting anything wiser, or better, more subtle: they are only attacking all co vention blindly, as if the very notion of tal were wrong. The very notion of tabu is one the rightest notions in the world. Better an old tabu than none, for a man cannot be sa to be "on the side of the stars" at all, unless makes refusals. What the foes of conventio want is to have all tabu overthrown. It is ver dull of them, for even if a cataclysm came an helped them out-even if we were all turne over night, into potential fossils for the delig of future scientists the next beginnings society would be founded on tabu. We shudd at the Central Australians; we should hate li on their terms. But I would rather live amon the Warramunga than among the twentiet century anarchists, for I cannot conceive conventions were almost too to master. That, I fancy, is they have, they give to their the natural consequence of to science and history and that you simplify where you ur conventions become puri. Even the iconoclasts of the I want us to throw away such as we have achieved. They , to throw away the racial have been so long acquiring. they do not realize what a business it is to get any par> the instincts of a race? Only hey are so fond of talking . Perhaps we ought to take reflection. But it is easier to uild up; and they are quite g a few thousand years of asts want to bring us, if posthe Warramunga. Some of ocked at the allegation, for of wisdom perceiv to guarded spee themselves find often, it is; but if kind has taught that, without sel society at all. W School told Mr. E curled naturally, not to conform t become children thize with Mr. was to be objecte deed, sympathize was a hypocrite. to be, in the righ child of nature. Attila sacked R planet is used to either as a matt way of low stra were Crusaders! ! |