Mr. Bryce delivered on June 7th in the Sheldonian Theatre,
Oxford, a remarkable lecture on the "advanced and backward races of mankind," who are now, he said, touching each other at all points. He described with much sense as well as elo- quence the results of such contact under widely varying circumstances, but evidently believed that when the advanced and backward races refused, as in America and South Africa, to intermarry, the only policy for the whites was to retain all political power and use it for the kindly management and advancement of the blacks. This is specially the case, he said, when institutions are democratic. The grand difficulty, he felt, was that while rights could be granted by statute, good manners could not be imposed by law, and in this respect he could only trust to time. He is evidently puzzled by the fact that Mahommedanism has succeeded in getting rid of the difficulties created by colour, while Christianity has not; but does he not beg part of the question ? Our creed insists on charity towards all men and on complete religious equality, but does it insist that there shall be equality also in social and political arrangements ? If so, how are we to defend, or even endure, either Monarchy or aristocracy ?
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