“What do you understand by reasonable, sir?”
“I call reasonable whatever accords with the sense of right, with sound thinking, with moral ideas.”
“Sense of right—moral ideas? I beg you to observe that these notions differ vastly from the sole authority of numbers. You have trespassed upon God's kingdom in giving your explanation, for ideas are supersensible; they are the thought of God himself. And the sense of right was not implanted in the human breast by the word of a majority; it was placed there by the Creator of man.”
The official was driven to the wall. The chieftains thoughtfully stared at their beer-pots.
“It is clear that the will of the majority alone cannot be accepted as the basis of a state,” said Schwefel.
“The life of society cannot be put at the mercy of the rude and fickle masses. There must be a moral order, willed and regulated by a supreme ruler, and binding upon every man. This is plain.”
“I agree with you, sir,” said the millionaire. “Let us continue building on Christian principles. As everybody knows, our civilization has sprung from Christianity. If we tear down the altars and destroy the seats from which lessons of Christian morality are taught, confusion must inevitably follow. And I, gentlemen, have too exalted an opinion of the German nation, of its earnest and religious spirit, to believe that it can be ever induced to fall away completely from God and [pg 678] his holy law. Infidelity is an unhealthy tendency of our times; it is a pernicious superstition which sound sense and noble feeling will ultimately triumph over. We will do well to continue advancing in science, art, refinement, and industry, in true liberty and the right understanding of truth; we will thus be making real progress, such progress as I am proud to call myself a partisan of.”
The chieftains maintained silence. Some nodded assent. Hans Shund gave an angry bite to his pipe-stem, and puffed a heavy cloud of smoke across the table.
“I have confidence in the enlightenment and good sense of our people,” said he. “You have called modern progress ‘a pernicious superstition and an unhealthy tendency of the times,’ Mr. Gerlach,” turning towards the millionaire with a bow. “I regret this view of yours.”
“Which I have substantiated and proved,” interrupted Gerlach.