The moral universe is an objective reality. Into this world we have direct insight.

1. Ethical percepts. Self, as noumenal perception, immediately knows concrete right. You observe a noble woman treating kindly a starving old man, and notice his deep gratitude. You know intuitively that the act of kindness and the act of gratitude are right. We perceive concrete right.

2. Ethical concepts. We think ethical percepts into ethical concepts. We perceive many acts of kindness and of gratitude, and we know directly that each is right. We discern resemblances and think these acts into groups. This group of kind acts becomes kindness, and this group of grateful acts becomes gratitude.

3. Ethical judgments. We think ethical concepts into ethical judgments. We discern agreement between the notions right and gratitude, and say gratitude is right. We discern incongruity between the notions right and ingratitude, and say ingratitude is wrong.

4. Ethical laws. We discover laws. I investigate light. I find that in this case and this, its intensity varies inversely as the square of the distance. As nature is uniform, I find that I have discovered a law of light. So in ethics I perceive that honesty is right in this case and this. I find that honesty tends to the general good, and that men everywhere believe that they ought to be honest. Moral as well as physical forces are constant. I have discovered a moral law. Ethical knowing is purely intellectual: it is self, as intellect, investigating the moral world.

Conscience is not a Moral Guide.-Self, as intellect, finds out what is right. Self, as conscience, feels a strong impulse to do what he believes to be right. Steam impels the boat, but the pilot guides. Conscience is the moral impulsion in man, but intellect guides. To call conscience a moral judgment, or a moral sense, or a moral guide, tends to hopeless confusion.

Conscience in Literature.-A crude psychology is imbedded in literature. The distinctions between intellect, emotions, and will, are not always clearly dis

cerned. A blind feeling is often represented as intelligent. The conception of a faculty as an ultimate and inexplicable endowment of the soul, as a simple and distinct capability, is modern. Even the etymology con, with, and sciens, knowing, embodies, as I think, a fundamental error. But the thoughtful student need not be misled. Errors wrought into human thought can be removed only by the slow processes of time and the leaven of truth. However, the common sense of the race has ever been right. Conscience to the masses is simply a feeling of rightness. "It was an error of the head (intellect) not of the heart (conscience)," gives the true idea. "My judgment was at fault but my intentions were good," is sound psychology. "Conscience doth make cowards of us all," and "The righteous are bold as a lion," give the correct meaning.

Intentions and Conscience.-Intentions are purposes. What were your intentions? Self, as consciousness, perceives his intentions. We can not be mistaken as to our intentions.

1. Good intentions are purposes to do what we believe to be right. When we act with good intentions we act conscientiously. Paul believed he ought to persecute the Christians. He did it "in all good conscience," for his intentions were good.

2. Bad intentions are purposes to do what we believe to be wrong. When we act with bad intentions we act unconscientiously. Judas knew that it was wrong to betray Christ. He acted unconscientiously, for his intentions were bad. I know always with absolute certainty whether my intentions are good or bad. It is the certainty as to good intentions that makes the right

eous bold as a lion. One man with good intentions shall chase a thousand.

"He whose cause is just is trebly armed."

It is the certainty as to bad intentions that causes the wicked to flee from shadows. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth."

Conscience is Infallible. Every one is liable to reach false conclusions, and to consider the right wrong, or the wrong right. But conscience, as invariably as the needle points to the pole, moves us to choose and do what we deem the right. The good man is a conscientious man. A conscientious man habitually does what he believes to be right. A bad man is one who habitually chooses and does what he believes to be wrong. Conscience is not a guide; intellect guides. Conscience is the infallible impulse to do what we consider right.

Must we, then, always obey our consciences? Certainly. Conscience moves us to search for right with all our powers. Conscience never fails to move us to do what we consider right. We must obey.

Intuitive Ethical Ideas.-The moral universe is as real as the physical. Moral agents, moral phenomena, moral laws, moral obligations, and moral responsibilities, are objective realities. We are endowed with the power of direct insight into the ethical world. Moral phenomena are what is right or wrong in conduct.

Self stands face to face with ethical phenomena, and immediately perceives necessary ethical ideas. Take the actions of the Good Samaritan and the Levite as an object lesson. Here, right and wrong are acted. By direct insight, you gain the concrete ideas, right, ought, merit, and their opposites. Concrete right and

wrong are ethical phenomena. I need not prove to you that the Levite did wrong, or that the Good Samaritan did right; you know it intuitively. This right and this wrong are ethical percepts. Concrete ought and ought not are ethical intuitions. You know at once that the Good Samaritan ought to have acted as he did, and that the Levite ought not to have acted as he did. The ideas this ought and this ought not are ethical percepts. Concrete merit and demerit are ethical intuitions. A big boy strikes his kind mother. Even the little child cries "Shame!" and intuitively blames the unnatural son. You know at once that the Good Samaritan merited praise while the Levite deserved blame. The ideas this merit and this demerit are ethical percepts.

Intuitive Ethical Truths.-Necessary inferences from necessary ideas may be called intuitive truths. The axioms of ethics, like the axioms of mathematics, are intuitive truths. We venture to submit the following

statements:

1. Moral law. The uniform ways in which moral forces act are called moral laws. As physical phenomena occur uniformly, in the same way, we infer that physical law reigns in the physical world. As moral phenomena are uniform in all lands at all times, we infer the reign of moral law in the moral world.

2. Author of law. From the existence of right and laws of right, we infer a law-giver. After half a century of philosophic research, Herbert Spencer gives his final summary: "Amid all mysteries, there remains the one absolute certainty-we are ever in the presence of the infinite and eternal energy, from whom all things proceed." Mr. Spencer voices the conclusion of all thinkers. In the same way we reach moral certainty. Moral law necessitates a moral law-giver.

3. Law and its author are beyond and superior to self. This

inference seems to be unavoidable. We are subjects of law. Law reigns within and around us. Obedience to law works our good.

4. Self is responsible to law and its author. We are capable and free. Law is the rule of right, and works for our good. We are under obligations to obey law. As we are capable and free, we are responsible for our acts. Morality is thus based on the rock.

Laws of Conscience. The mental energy which prompts the choosing and doing of what we deem right is called conscience. The uniform ways in which this energy acts may be called the laws of conscience. We submit a few examples:

1. Conscience works in the light of intelligence. Ethical emotions are agitations and impulses occasioned by ideas of right. In the absence of ethical knowledge, ethical emotions are impossible. As the brute has no ethical ideas, it feels no ethical impulses.

2. Conscience invariably moves to acis believed to be right. Intellectually, it is human to err. Mistakes of judgment are unavoidable. The Hindoo mother believes that she ought to sacrifice her child. Paul believed he ought to persecute Christians. But the action of gravity is not more constant than the impulse to do what we believe to be right.

3. Acting conscientiously strengthens conscience. Education by doing applies to the ethical emotions. As exercise strengthens muscle, and remembering strengthens memory, so acting conscientiously strengthens conscience. Moral theories and moral sermons may help or hinder. Only habitually doing what we believe to be right can make us strong to do right and resist wrong.

4. Suppressing ethical emotions weakens conscience. Doing what we believe to be wrong is disregarding or suppressing our emotions of right. As restraining the limbs weakens them, so disregarding conscience tends to weaken ethical emotions.

Growth of Conscience. Very early, children give indications of ethical emotions. When child-experience involves right and wrong, concrete right is perceived and the impulse toward right felt. But the egoistic emotions and the physical feelings are now strong, and