The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-07-22

TOotB VI historians, assures US that u Generals
capacity Of thinking for himself 10 really mat
ter Of no consequence.
-A
The Philosophy sf Sympathy.
II tho evolutionary hypothesis should
come to be generally regarded ~ afYordlng the
only satisfactory explanation Of the origin and
history Of man. there are certain English
philosophers. now seldom read. whose ideas
would Nv invested with peculiar pertinence
and value: To those. for instance. who should
be disposed to regard the struggle for exist
ence as still too rude even In highly civilized
societies to permit Of the frequent Indulgence
OF benevolence-who should look upon SELFISH
moss ~ still. under more or less effective dis.
guists. the mninspring Of human action-the
system Of Hobbies would seem TO have bcsn
specially adjusted to DarwIns theory Of the
origin ofspeces. For It was the distinctive tenet
OF the political and moral philosophy OF Hobbies
that state OF nature IL state OF war OF every
man against every man, and that there is In
mankind no such thing US dislntorested ai-
lection not originating In seli-love 1t 10 prob
able. Indeed. that nobody who believes that
man is the outcome Of multifar ous and long.
continued processes OF improvement applied to
an snthropoid ape would deny that the funda.
mental assumptions Of Hobbies are justified. II
confined to the state OF things which existed In
the earlier stages Of mans upward progress.
rs. for instance. among the cave dwellsrs.
The radical defect Of Hobbss's philosophy
was it, failure TO satisfactorily account for
the multitude Of complex impulses and feel
ings observed In highly civilized nun which
are not self-regarding In their outcome what
ever may DO true OF their orgin). and which
Mr.. Spencer has compendiously described
under the name Of altruism. Now. II happens
that the germ OF the ethical system set forth
with much particularly In the Data OF
Ethics" Is to he found in writings which rep.
resent the first recoil from the harsh theories
Of Hobbies. and this germ IL transmitted
through Shaftesbury and Hutcheson to Adam
Smith, whose Theory OF Moral Sentiments"
rcsts upon the bold averment that sympathy 10
not merely the corrival ind corrective Of self
tahness. but has actually become tho master
impulse OF tho human mind. In other words
Adam Smith somewhat rashly claims for the
present condition Of civilized mankind all that
Mr. Spencer has vsntured to predict for tho
brighter future Of humanity.
All Of the writer's named have been or will
b. included in the series OF :" English Philoso-
pliers" now reprinting In this country BY the
Putnams: indeed. the latest addition to this
collection IL volume prepared by Prof.
THOMAS FOWLER Of Oxford University, snd de-
voted TO ShaJ.ssLarv and Hutol.eso,. DR.. Fowler
, preiHces his discussion Of ShAitssburys ethical
writings with short account Of his subjects
lifs. Upon this head We scarcely need to re-
mind the reader that the third Earl OF Shnftes-
bury was the grandson Of Drvden's "Achto.
phel." the friend and patron o! John Locke.
and that Lady Dorothy Manners. who was wife
to the second and mother Of the third Earl,
had been selected by Locke. who had gone forth
Into fur country 1.-THE north OF Englandl pre-
cisely as did Abrahams head servant. in
search OF . wife for Isaac 1t was
Locke. too. who. In his capacity Of
medical attendant to the Ashley household as
sisted in bringing the third Earl into the world
and was subsequently Entrusted with the su-
perIntendence Of his education. Even II Lord
6haftesbury had never undertaken to discuss
philosophical questions. he would have been
credit 10 his master. for. although he never re-
sided at an English university. but after leav-
Ing Winchester school went Immediately
abroad. he acquired so thorough and fruitful a
knowledge Of classical literature that 1t was
said Of him. Perhaps no modern ever turned
the anclsnts more into sap ind blood than he
Their doctrines he understood ~ we'll Is Thorn.
selves. and their virtues he practissd better"
1t IL not to bs inferred. however. that Shaites-
bury. or rather Lord Ashley. a. the third Earl
wis called ut this period OF his 1ife. was
prix or miiksop because he had consorted
very little with Englishmen OF HIS own
age. 1t was remarked that his learning
though very extensive. WIS Of an ingenious.
gentlsmanlike sort. without any mixture Of
pendRntry or concOit" He spoke French fu-
emily. and acquired In Italy an acquaintance
with painting. sculpture. and music to which
few Englishmsn OF his day or OF q much later era
could pretend. II 10 also worth remembering
that Shaftesbury was great friend Of Bayle.
the author Of the famous dictionary. shattos.
bury died in the early part Of 1918. before he
had completed his forty SECOND yoar. all his
most important writings having besn pro-
duced during tho preceding four years. When
WI consider the rank OF life In which he WAS
born. his character and pursuits nre certainly
remarkable. DR.. Fowler compares him with
the imperial philosopher. Marcus Aurelius
whose works Shaftesbury IL known to have
studied with avidity.
Born and reared under very different cir.
cumstances was Francis Hutchsson. who may
be said to have expanded and improved
Shnftesbury's ethical system by recognizing
the motive power OF goodness In those gener-
ous impulses which. under the namo Of al
truistic predictions. Mr.. Spencer traces from
their genesis and infroQuent Indulgence under
savage conditions Of society up to the point
where they are transformed into strong. II not
predominant. instincts. The son.of Presby-
tsrian minister In the north OF Ireland whose
inther had come over from Scotland. Francis
Hutcheson was sent. at the age OF sixteen. to
the University Of Glasgow. and. after Gradua-
ton. he taught for . dozen yenrs = private
school In Dublin. 1t IL q curious circumstance
that the essays by which no IL best known were
written and published while he was engaged In
the hard work OF . pedAgogue. and that after
Nc became Professor OF Moral Philosophy at
uiAsgow-a post which he accepted for the ex-
press purpose OF securing increased leisure for
literary work-he published nothing Of special
ihteres, or Importance.
In opposition to Locke. who had denied the
innate origin OF moral ideas. and who affirmed
.aat We are led to perform unsslnsh actions by
ne uss OF reason alone. Shsitesbury main
FAMED that the character OF an action was to
w ascertained not so much by reasoning A. BY