THE FUNCTION OF RELIGION

which océans mortality; betief in the transcendence of That whose immanence is the secret of every created thing ; the imfailing and frank witness to the permanent, whose manifold forms change, but itseli abides; commerce and commmiion — in prayer, praise, méditation, silence, and ail self-Iosing — ^with the Unseen; and ail this, issuing in révérence, hmnility, patience, optimism, venturesomeness, seli-reliance, love ; — Religion in this sensé is the first vital necessity for the health, stability, and progress of Society.

Carpenter does not traffic in the jargon of the churches, but names matter little ; the fact, the expérience, is the thing ; and Democracy, as he interprets it, is essentially a religions fact ; right well does he speak of its development through the âges, in a mémorable phrase, as

the organic growth cl God bixnsèll m Time ^ ;

and one of his own names for it is " the Master " — Where the Master is there is

Indeed, allowing for différences of philosophical System and gênerai outlook, there is much profound similarity, reaching almost to identity, between Carpenter's D&mocracy and the " Christ " of the New Testament.

From what has been said, the importance also of the place and value of the individual to De-

1 T. D., p. 353. « Ihid.. p. 233.

THE VALUE OF THE INDI¥IDUAL 9t

mocracy will be dear. Wak WhHmtti. the " poet of Democracy/' cried,

Usdflnwatii aU» indMdaals.

Produce great men, he said, aad the rest follows. Carpenter's theoiy reveab the impfidt logic of this challenging assertioo. There is no real incompatibility between Individnafism and Socialism. In their extrême fonns they ooly represent the opposite temumal positions of the same pendulum. The inner sdf of the individnal is a Society, a Idngdom. Democracy appean first in the individnal heart.

In the deep cave of the heart, ht dowii, Running ander the oatwaid thow of the «orid aad of people,

Running ander geograpliiee, omitiiieBt», «nder the fields and the roots of the gnsMi aad tffeei, «ader the litUe thonghts aad dieams of meo, aad aie bistocy of

Deep, leur down,

I see feel aad hesr wcfùànnB aad <fivine Ihin^.

Voioes aad faces are there ; arma of lovcn, kaown and unkno^wn, reach forward aad Sold we :

Words float, and fragranœ of Tîme aaœnds. aad lile ever drding.^

Just as it is true that most men arc bettcr than their creed, and this is the ground of expectation for the formulation of higher and truer expres-