E. de Laveleye, The Socialism of To-day ; F. Maurice, Life of
F. D. Maurice (1884) ; F. S. Nitti, Catholic Socialism (1895) ; J. Rae, Contemporary Socialism (1901) ; G. ^on Schulze-Gjiver- nitz, Xum Socialen Frieden—tr. 'Social Peace' (1S93). See also the files of The Christian Socialist, Journal of Association, Politics for the People, The Church Beformer, The Economic Review, The Commonwealth, the last two being still in exist- ence. See also the writings of T. Hughes, Charles Kingsley, F. D. Maurice, E. V. Neale among the early Christian Socialists, and the following among the later, J. G. Adderley, Prof. R. T. Ely, Bishop C. Gore, T. Hancock, Stewart D. Headlam, H. Scott HoDand, Bishop C. W. Stubbs, and Bishop B. F. West- cott. Among these may be speciallj' mentioned Kingslej', Sermons, Alton Locke, and Veast ; Maurice, The Kingdom of God ; Elj', Social Aspects of Christianity ; Gore, The Social Doctrine of the Sermon on the Mount ; Hancock, Christ and the People ; Headlam, The Laws of Eternal Life ; Holland, Sermons ; Stubbs, Christ and Economics, and A Creed for Chris- lian Socialists ; Westcott, The Incarnation, a Berelation of Human Duties, and especially Social Aspects of Christianity. The name of Tolstoi should also be mentioned, since, though his writings cannot be classed with the above, they have a far- reaching influence over European and American thought.
Percy Dearmer. SOCIAL LIFE.— 1. State of society in the time of Christ. — (1) A sympathetic reconsideration of the materials at our disposal has gone far to prove that the society of the Roman world at the Legin- ning of the Cliristian era was not in the absolutely rotten state apparently pictured by contemporary satirists and moralists. Their animadversions and strictures cannot be regarded as applying to more than a proportion of the population. The vigour and earnestness of their denunciations are proofs in themselves of a spirit to which the prevalent immoralities Avere odious. That age is not wholly bad which has grace in some of its members to be ashamed. Juvenal denounces the inhumanity with which slaves -were so often treated, and gives vivid and pungent utterance to an indignant tenderness and pity which would no longer submit to be stifled. From other sources of information it ap- pears that there were middle-class circles, particu- larly in the provinces, which maintained a laudable
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]evel of life, keeping themselves free at least from the polluting ana demoralizing vices of the capital and its urban imitators. Of them the worst that could be said was that they pursued empty lives devoted to frivolous aims and bubble ambitions, whose vanity was accentuated by their unconscious- ness of it. The age was not without its high ideals and earnest idealists. But aspiration was crippled tlirough lack of clearness as to the ideals it would realize. There are abundant manifest indications that a deep, strong, spiritual movement which niatle for better things had begun. Springing from a profound realization of the evils current, it yet had no clear understanding of their origin and causes, and blindly groped after ways of cure.
(2) It would seem as if the coming of Jesus opened the ciiannels for the inflow of fresh Divine influences which voicelessly and mysteriously began to i)eriueate human hearts and quicken a new and healthy life. The vague ideal which hung in solu- tion in so many minds began to take shape and form. The Divine Spirit gave content and direc- tion to the semi-conscious aspirations and half- blind desires moving restlessly in the deeps of the human heart, reinforced the spirit of reaction wiiicli iiad set in, imparting to its champions a new passion for the righteous, the pure, and the true.
2. Influence and methods of Jesus.— (1) Into the society in which this new life was stirring came Jesus, and very soon the influence of His teaching and spirit began to make itself felt. It would be an error, however, to attribute to that alone the social reformation which gradually evidenced itself as in progress. Other factors were already oper- ating. The rebellion of misery against cruel economic conditions, a mutinous sense of the unjust and unjustifiable inequalities of life, the strong infusion of democratic sympathies into the govern- ing circles, through the increasing number of those whose native ability had secured them wealth and position, the mixinjj; of different races whose blood was strongly impregnated with inherited qualities often anti-toxic and mutually corrective,— these were factors which contributed to bring about ra<lical changes in outlook and conduct. The social teaching of Jesus was not entirely new. Much of it had already been the staple propaganda of eloquent and earnest advocates. But Jesus made the body of principles He inculcated vitaliz- ing forces in the shaping of human society, deter- mining and dominating factors in its evolution, after an unprecedented fashion. He made them the accepted and controlling commonplaces of re- form and reconstruction. He enunciated laws for the regulation of communal life which tended to eliminate the disorderly element of mere personal caprice and whim. In a word, He created a social conscience.
(2) In any consideration of Christ's influence upon social life, it must be clearly recognized that it operated not only, and perhaps not so mucli, through the propagation of His teaching as through tiie infusion of His spirit into society. The work i)f His Holy Spirit in awakening men to the evils amidst which they lived, and impelling them to energetic suppressive and alterative measures, must be assigned its due place and value. The changes wrought upon society in the course of generations are the product of men educated upon the principles of Jesus, but freely using their jicrsonal judgment under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.