198 TheSpiritualLife.
been gradually evolved, those human beings
whohavebegun to reason,w^hohavebegunto
remember, to compare,and therefore to judge
andto understand-whenamongst them there
appearsadisturbmg agency, which lies at the
rootof alltheangrypassionsof man,thenman
havingevolvedtoastageatwhich theinfliction
ofpainonothersisagainsthisevolutiontowards
the DivineLove,wecall thatinflictionof pain
a "Crime." Why for instance do we calla
murderanevilact? Wecallitanevilbecause
the murderer is there reverting to a previous
stage inevolution that he ought to have out-
grown; as a man he should have evolved
towards a higher life of harmony, but he is
giving way to an inclination which will bring
aboutthe retardation of growth,andwhichat
thestagewhichhehasreachedisharmful. At
thepointof evolution he shouldhavereached,
he ought to be one of the forces evolving
towardsthe Divine Harmonyand not one of
the forces which are retarding that evolution,
andrenderingitslowerof accomplishment.
I am going to deal with the use of this
retarding agency. Let us now take a man
whobeginsto understand thatinthe sphereof
thoughtand action he canplace himself either
upon the sideof progress or upon the sideof
