Of the decline of social and moral authority, I have spoken briefly, and space forbids further amplification. But of all the great changes we a eitoeesing tevdag: la the instal mantling in our society, the one that gives the thoughtful' people the Breatest concern is the decline of Feligious authority. For religion is Gr should be, the soul of which the State is the body, the idea which informs and perpetuates institutions.
My, Rodney Gilbert thinks "the Chinese are not religious, they are aly superstitions." Such sweeping generalization tells us nothing, even though it were possible to draw the line of psychological distinction between religion and superstition, From its very beginning the history of Ching has recorded the religious ideas, scruples and observances of rulers and people, An English writer testifies thus: "The point tu bear in mind in all this is the significant. fact that a strongly marked religious life hay been one of the outstanding characteristics of the Chinese throughout the. racial history, whether we are considering the scholar or the man in the street."
The Wave of Materlatism During the last few decades, the younger generation has been great ly impressed by the success of western materialism, which to the an travelled imagination is Tietle short of miraculous. The Chinese youth is told that religion in june Thero-China is all superstition and in-
perstition and religion must go. Bon in the hour of enthusiasm turned ancient Buddhist temples and religious many was dispensed with in nages educated men offered no more sacrifices before their familiar gods, There is a wave of material ism and irreligion spreading slowly Dut steadily over the land. China \must be rich and China must be strong. To the prosont generation of Chinese the material civilization of the west must be very attrac~ tive and tempting. But material civilization is only to be welcomed selion it is based upon a spiritual foundation, and without that, sure foundation' it is like building house on quicksand.
"Those huge and smashing weighty 99 silly, a9 powerless Seipevceduh he'd not teem then "yak venient, the morbid of that the Stain, cons faery and Sully teave it tie elt of the towne the kind of modern material ation many are seeking, If our young men and women had explored deeper into the secret of the strength of great nations of the west, they would have found behind ud beneath their material prosper-there was a sustaining moral ud spiritual power, Anglo-Saxon people sometimes do not realize how much they owe their greatness to the progressing and purifying power of their religion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.