Litchfield enquirer., 1881-07-07

I can bake bread, cook 8 dinner, or make a shirt with anyone"
 Spent Tuesday evening the 25th of March, 1857, with Carlyle at his house.
 K. "Is belief-such as belief was before geological and astronomical discoveries-pos- sible Dowadays?"
 c. "Only possible to those who are igno- rant to such discoveries; but when existing, it is beautiful thing"
 K. "And what is the position of the clergy in this matter"
 c. .'The position of the clergy is one of ignominy and deep degradation. The spec tacle of body of enlightened men solemnly. and in the face of God and man, protesting their steadfast faith and belief in that which they knew they do not steadfastly believe in, i g enough to make any thinking man sick at heart. What enlightened man can conscien- tiously in these days tie up his reason by for mulas and articles drawn up centuries ago, and say, '1 believe" whilst the inner soul of him all the time is exclaiming, 'I do not be. lieve-it is 6 lie ?"
 K. Some men, like Dt. Newman, for in- stance, first persuade themselves that there is au infallible church that cannot err, and then, taking refuge therein, are troubled no further about the matter-accepting all it's dicta as heaven descended truths whatever their reason may whisper about the matter"
 C. And what is that but moral emascula tion ?-one of the most lamentable religious phases of our times. Even with respect to the clergy of the English Church, they doubtless have persuaded themselves in most instances that they did believe before they made their declaration to that effect. For the time being they do not believe, but-believe that they believe. There is little hope for a church ex- isting under such circumstances No, no; things cannot go on long in this way. Swift destruction is impending, not on the church enly-mother of dead dogs"
 c. ''The Buddhistic idea of the universe is that it goes on through certain cycles of ex- istence, each cycle terminating in destruction. and reproduction again resulting from that destruction. This rule seems to hold to certain extent in the moral world"
 c. Geology seems to favor this Buddhistic idea-there have undoubtedly been certain ages of animal and vegetable life separated from each other by vast changes and world wide destruction"
 K. "Humboltd has given pleasant sum- mary, succinct and agreeable, of these changes in his Cosmos."'
 C. 'I read one volume of that book in Ger man, but never could get further. What does he see in the universe? Nothing but an old marine store shop collection of things putre- flying and rotting, under certain forces and laws. A most melancholy picture of things The spiritual world, and all spiritual life, quite ignored The highe. and nober side of mans existence not even hinted at-a la mentable picture truly. Long ago read his account of his travels in South America, and the same impressions struck me but he was regarded by all men as one of the greatest of modern philosophers, and did not then ven lure to say what really thought. 1 was a young map then. Even this old marine store shop Cosmos of his was so highly praised by those whose opinions revere, that thought it my duty to read it; but could never get further than the end of the first volume. There is certainly something higher in Nature than rocks and laws. something nobler than mountains, and fossils, and forces, something more sublime than natural scenery, however grand" EhE
 In 1857, left Chelsea, and sa " Carlyle again only for short time on my return from India in 1868. He was then broken down by sorrow, a mere shadow of his former self. His "Reminiscences' show how querulous and splenetic he had become. Although al- ways censorious, there was method in his ult-fndng before; but when the world had become dark to him in consequence of his wife's death, his fault-fnding apparently knew no bounds. ". Knighton, in tue Con- temporary ReUieao.