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Lesson IX: More About Dharma.405
shining upon our souls. But, nevertheless, let us look toward that light, and
follow it. Let us say in the words of the old familiar hymn of our childhood:
“Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
Lead thou me on.”
The third pillar of Dharma is the theory of Utility, of which we have told
you in our last lesson. Dharma acknowledges the value of Utility as a pillar,
while seeing its weakness as a sole support for ethics. Human law, as set forth
in statutes, laws, etc., rests almost entirely upon the basis of Utility, although
some of the writers try to make it appear that it rests upon Divine command.
The law is the result of man’s endeavors to frame a code of conduct to fit
the requirements of the race. Human law is a matter of evolution—it has
grown, changed and unfolded from the beginning, and always will do so,
for it is fallible and not absolute. Just as Conscience is always a little ahead
of man’s growth, so is human law always a little behind. Conscience points
out a step higher, while laws are framed to fit some need that has arisen, and
are never enacted until the need of them is clearly seen. And laws generally
are allowed to remain in force for some time (often a long time) after their
need has disappeared. Human laws are the result of the average intelligence
of a people, influenced by the average “conscience” of that people. The
intelligence sees that certain wants have arisen and it attempts to frame
laws to cure the “wrong,” or possible “wrong.” The conscience of the race
may cause it to see that certain laws that have been in force are unjust,
unreasonable, and burdensome, and when this is clearly seen an attempt is
made to have such laws repealed, altered, improved upon, or superseded