MODERN PROPHETS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1771, 9 June 1913, Page 5

MODERN PROPHETS.

LECTUKE BY ME. M'CABE. During the past week Mr. Joseph il'Cabo has lecturing to Wellington audiences upon evolution, astronomy, and kindred subjects. At tho Opera iiouso last evening ho selected a very different topic, and spoko interestingly for an hour and a half, about "Prophets of Modern Europe." Tho body of tho theatre and the dros9 circle were crowded, and upwards of a hundred people occupied .tho upper gallery. Sir J.G. I'indlay presided. In his lecture Mr. M'Cabo covered a great deal of ground, and. easily captured and held tho interest of his auditors. He described the modern theological movement, tho movement for social betterment, tho agitation for tho amendment of tho English divorco law, tho feminist movement, and many other phases of modern thought. Incidentally, the lecturer touched upon the works and beliefs of such men as Maeterlinck, Bernard Shaw, 11. G, Wells, Chcslorton, Belloc, and others, who take a prominent placo in tho intellectual life of Europo at tho prcsont day. Mr. Ji'Cabo contended that the situation of mankind had never beon more hopeful than in t/io twentieth century. Tho problems which perplexed man to-day, he said, had existed, and had been disciisscd in past civilisations, two, and even four thousand years ago. Timo ami again, a race had seemed on tho point of solving the problem of uplifting the mnss of tho people, but time and again such races had been swept away, to givo plade to younger and more vigorous races. To-day there was a difference. Even if all tho civilised races of tho world should bo swept away, the germs of civilisation would remain, and would develop in the other half of mankind. Man would go on until ho had done whatever man could do to euro (he ills that affeeted his race. In general, Mr. Ji'Cabo declared that ho hailed with satisfaction the revolt against traditions which timo and investigation had shown to bo false. lie declared bis confidence, too, that tho rise of tho working people all over (he world would work out ill a mnnner beneficial to tho race. lie had no fear that incompctcnco would achieve the tipper hand, or that art, science, nnd tho higher tilings of life would suffer at ihe hands of democracy. lie contended that tho ideal which overshadowed all others was that of promoting tho general happiness of mankind. In an interesting section of his address Mr. M'Cobe strongly defended modern hiimanitarianism, and rejected the idea that a struggle for existence and the survival of tho fittest must continue to dominate human progress.