Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-12-04


views of NJ. Cousin will be apparent from the folosin
q excerpts
s.Inasmuch as religion and philosophy represent il
history distinct and separate elements Of the
thought it that they might be distinguished iron
each other and succeed each other in fact peaceab
in thought For example, It seems that religion, ik
good mother should cheerfuly consent to the enamel
patton Of philosophy when she becomes OF age and that
its part philosophy, like grateful child in demand
ing its rights and using them, should be. to speak,
search veneraon and Difference towards religion Suci
is not the case. You every where see religion at
tempting proon8 the infancy Of philosophy and
it in tutelage and every where too you see phoso
ply revolving against religion, and rending the bosom
/ which nourished it. 3sc gfss
Thus il viii be seen that to NJ Cousin all truth is
deposited in the sacred symbols of religion But thought
he thinks stop at symbols these being the object
of faith the grandeur and strength Of which consist in
seeing them what does exist or at least what exists
there in indirect and distorted manner cannot be The
last degree in the development of human intelligence
Man after having adored in the presence of the symbol
feels the need Of accounting to himself for 50 doing And
if is inquired chow does account to himself?p
NJ Cousin responds, by analysing that for which he
wishes to account and by Transforming it into concep
tons which the mind afterwards examines and upon the
truth lsehood of which it decidesn Faith he cons
ders the work Of enthusiasm but succeeds
reflection and if enthusiasm and faith have poetry
language and breathe themselves forth in hymns reec
ton has philosophy for its voice and dalecties its in
strumen and thus" he exclaims we find ourselves
in quite different world from that of symbols and Of
worship Now in all this think the learned profess
sor has made false induction, which consequently
ytiates his ambitious differences in favor of philosophy
Instead of regarding her the daughter of religion
prefer to consider her the handmade perfect Hebe if
you please, but still menia among the gods in heaven
and that too though welded to Hercules Philosophy
as the Amelia Meologe prepared to accept but
philosophy the rival and suppanter Of theology
constrained to reject There is enough in the hui
mind, compounded it is of the reason, the under
standing and the emotions, for the full development of
both, without either jostling the other.
We have considered of the popular objections to
intellectual philosophy close, for the present by
quoting observation of Morels, in whom readers
win find these points less deliberately stated and
considered:
THAT philosophy is native aud legitimate product
of the human mind might fairly infer from past ex-
perence every civilized era having given birth to some
system but we may go step further and show that its
rise is rendered inevitable by the very nature Of human
knowledge and the impulse possess for acquiring it,
To prove this, must establish two facsfrst that
pop~ Of accurate generalization The true iadsr By uicA the
erten Of knowIedge measured and, secondly that
every branch Of human knowedge generazedt to It's jul
extent brings into the region Of researe
We have not space to follow Mr.. MoreI through the
long by which he establishes these propo
sitions We must up its main heads as briefly as
possible. Human knowledge then, we observe, could
never be extended made servceabe if consisted
merely in the collection and enumeration Of separate and
dsointed facts is only when by their obligation and
classification have reached higher generalization
that they be easily retained and their several rea
tons to other branches of knowledge be accurately as
certaned If, therefore; generalization be founded on
the observation Of facts, it is evident that he who has
reached the highest generazation-hat u.s. he who can
explain by the most general law the greatest number Of
facts-has really attained the highest knowledge and
generalization accordingly must be regarded the index
Of progress in knowledge In the second place. it is to
be maintained that every branch of human knowledge If
generazed to its full extent brings into the field Of
metaphysical research. few illustrations will best
evince this truth The chemist for example investigates
matter, tracing it, by Of observation and expert
ment through all its different combinations and changes
But who does not know that the last question at which
he arrives that which weighs the relative claims Of u
atoms and Of their infinite divsbility is one of
purely metaphysical naturef The mechancian studies
the laws of forces exhibited in the universe
but the exploitation of the very conception upon which
the whole science turns that Of powr causaon brings
at into the province of speculative philosophy
And only the but every study when carried
to its ultimate generazaons leads to the point
History leads inevitably to the study Of and the
laws Of the mind developed in society and the stage
of the world Art appeals to of beauty. The
question arises what is beauty. How it excited In
what does it consist is the highest beauty real or is it
ideal2 This lands in the very centre Of the cloud
land and dream-land," speculative philosophy has
been called Our everyday life has its dunes What
duties On what claim do they assert their authority
conscience What is conscience! Philosophy alone
processes to these questions Thus it appears that
all subjects in their last cancellations end in philosophy
as in the apex Of the pyramid which is composed by
human knowledge To it they all converge, and in it they
each find that completion which gives symmetry and har
mony to the entire structure Philosophy therefore is
not only aneed, but evtable necessity Of the human
mind in its highest cultivation. tT
FROM INDIA AND CHINA.
Intelligence from Burmah comes down 10 the 26h SEN