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admired and revered； whilst artists have to struggle for toleration。 To
them an undraped human body is the most monstrous； the most blighting；
the most obscene； the most unbearable spectacle in the universe。 To an
artist it is； at its best； the most admirable spectacle in nature； and； at its
average； an object of indifference。 If every rag of clothing miraculously
dropped from the inhabitants of London at noon tomorrow （say as a
preliminary to the Great Judgment）； the artistic people would not turn a
hair； but the artless people would go mad and call on the mountains to
hide them。 I submit that this indicates a thoroughly healthy state on the
part of the artists； and a thoroughly morbid one on the part of the artless。
And the healthy state is attainable in a cold country like ours only by
familiarity with the undraped figure acquired through pictures； statues； and
theatrical representations in which an illusion of natural clotheslessness is
produced and made poetic。
In short； we all grow up stupid and mad to just the extent to which we
have not been artistically educated； and the fact that this taint of stupidity
and madness has to be tolerated because it is general； and is even boasted
of as characteristically English； makes the situation all the worse。 It is
becoming exceedingly grave at present； because the last ray of art is being
cut off from our schools by the discontinuance of religious education。
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
The Impossibility of Secular
Education
Now children must be taught some sort of religion。 Secular
education is an impossibility。 Secular education comes to this： that the
only reason for ceasing to do evil and learning to do well is that if you do
not you will be caned。 This is worse than being taught in a church school
that if you become a dissenter you will go to hell； for hell is presented as
the instrument of something eternal； divine； and inevitable： you cannot
evade it the moment the schoolmaster's back is turned。 What confuses
this issue and leads even highly intelligent religious persons to advocate
secular education as a means of rescuing children from the strife of rival
proselytizers is the failure to distinguish between the child's personal
subjective need for a religion and its right to an impartially communicated
historical objective knowledge of all the creeds and Churches。 Just as a
child； no matter what its race and color may be； should know that there are
black men and brown men and yellow men； and； no matter what its
political convictions may be； that there are Monarchists and Republicans
and Positivists； Socialists and Unsocialists； so it should know that there
are Christians and Mahometans and Buddhists and Shintoists and so forth；
and that they are on the average just as honest and well…behaved as its own
father。 For example； it should not be told that Allah is a false god set up
by the Turks and Arabs； who will all be damned for taking that liberty； but
it should be told that many English people think so； and that many Turks
and Arabs think the converse about English people。 It should be taught
that Allah is simply the name by which God is known to Turks and Arabs；
who are just as eligible for salvation as any Christian。 Further； that the
practical reason why a Turkish child should pray in a mosque and an
English child in a church is that as worship is organized in Turkey in
mosques in the name of Mahomet and in England in churches in the name
of Christ； a Turkish child joining the Church of England or an English
child following Mahomet will find that it has no place for its worship and
no organization of its religion within its reach。 Any other teaching of the
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
history and present facts of religion is false teaching； and is politically
extremely dangerous in an empire in which a huge majority of the fellow
subjects of the governing island do not profess the religion of that island。
But this objectivity； though intellectually honest； tells the child only
what other people believe。 What it should itself believe is quite another
matter。 The sort of Rationalism which says to a child 〃You must suspend
your judgment until you are old enough to choose your religion〃 is
Rationalism gone mad。 The child must have a conscience and a code of
honor （which is the essence of religion） even if it be only a provisional one；
to be revised at its confirmation。 For confirmation is meant to signalize a
spiritual coming of age； and may be a repudiation。 Really active souls
have many confirmations and repudiations as their life deepens and their
knowledge widens。 But what is to guide the child before its first
confirmation？ Not mere orders； because orders must have a sanction of
some sort or why should the child obey them？ If； as a Secularist； you
refuse to teach any sanction； you must say 〃You will be punished if you
disobey。〃 〃Yes；〃 says the child to itself； 〃if I am found out； but wait until
your back is turned and I will do as I like； and lie about it。〃 There can be
no objective punishment for successful fraud； and as no espionage can
cover the whole range of a child's conduct； the upshot is that the child
becomes a liar and schemer with an atrophied conscience。 And a good
many of the orders given to it are not obeyed after all。 Thus the
Secularist who is not a fool is forced to appeal to the child's vital impulse
towards perfection； to the divine spark； and no resolution not to call this
impulse an impulse of loyalty to the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost； or
obedience to the Will of God； or any other standard theological term； can
alter the fact that the Secularist has stepped outside Secularism and is
educating the child religiously； even if he insists on repudiating that pious
adverb and substituting the word metaphysically。
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Natural Selection as a Religion
We must make up our minds to it therefore that whatever measures we
may be forced to take to prevent the recruiting sergeants of the Churches；
free or established； from obtaining an exclusive right of entry to schools；
we shall not be able to exclude religion from them。 The most horrible of
all religions： that which teaches us to regard ourselves as the helpless
prey of a series of senseless accidents called Natural Selection； is allowed
and even welcomed in so…called secular schools because it is； in a sense；
the negation of all religion； but for school purposes a religion is a belief
which affects conduct； and no belief affects conduct more radically and
often so disastrously as the belief that the universe is a product of Natural
Selection。 What is more； the theory of Natural Selection cannot be kept
out of schools； because many of the natural facts that present the most
plausible appearance of design can be accounted for by Natural Selection；
and it would be so absurd to keep a child in delusive ignorance of so
potent a factor in evolution as to keep it in ignorance of radiation or
capillary attraction。 Even if you make a religion of Natural Selection；
and teach the child to regard itself as the irresponsible prey of its
circumstances and appetites （or its heredity as you will perhaps call them）；
you will none the less find that its appetites are stimulated by your
encouragement and daunted by your discouragement； that one of its
appetites is an appetite for perfection； that if you discourage this appetite
and e