The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-08-12
REVOL UTIONJS OF iSENTE
MENT,.

VI our errlnS nature Is tne UTOHg-Nedu-
edneSs of people who aim to be right.
The wickedness of the wicked is ex-
pected, and less provoking than the
persistency of some good men in glar-
ing error. 1t has been we'll observed
of such persons, that it is fortunate that
they are generally right. When they
are wrong they are wrong all over.
"Magni refert htc qutd OelH, qutcqutd
Uolet, vaLde v0let"
This dictum of Julius Caesar concern
ing Brutus, applied by Lord Macaulay
to his brother-in-law Trevelyan. But
perhaps there was never a distinguish
ed parsonage to whom it more appro-
priately belonged than his lordship
himself. Macaulay was born with
opinions, as some children are born
with teeth. They were cut a second
or third time, and thus improved un-
der the influence of time. But there
was never subject mooted, with any
degree Of interest, upon which he was
not prepared at any moment to pro-
nounce definite judgment.
Among the mistakes which he COM
mitted, and to which he adhered with
invincible tenacity, was the conclusion
which he formed, whilst in India, in
reference to Protestant missions. He
did not hesitate to express the opinion
that such labor was, to great extent,
thrown away. He was always honest,
but his views We're the product of i'm
pressions which he happened to receive,
uncOrrected by many facts of which
he knew nothing. 1t is easy enough
noW, to understand how he came to
think so, but, at the time, all his asso-
Citations conspired to mislead him.
When Macaulay was in India, Bishop
Daniel Wilson had just entered upon
his conflict of years with the spirit of
caste in few mission stations rendered
conspicuous by the labors of the sainted
Schwartz. His predecessor, Bishop
Heber, had just before his death, insti-
tuted inquiries into the connection of
caste with pagan superstition, and died
before the result was known. The
almost unanimous verdict of the mis-
sionaries, whose judgment was invoked
was a positive condemnation of caste as
it had been tolerated in the native
churches of that region. The attempt
Of Bishop Wilson to correct the evil,
was resented by large number of the
native Christians as an unwarranted
exercise of power, and followed by the
most unseemly disorders.
The parties had appealed to the
Governor General, Lord William Ben
timex, and the controversy was proba-
bly, at its height when Macaulay first
met him at the Neilgherry Hills.
Under these circumstances, he formed
the hasty opinion that it was not worth
the trouble and expense incurred by
good men to travel over fifteen thou
sand miles to make proselytes, who,
their very instructors being judges,
were more children Of hell than before"
At the same juncture he wrote, By
all that | can learn, the Catholics are
the most respectable of the native
Christians" 1t is probable that Ma
caulay was surrounded by men of the
world, connected with the government,
who, as such men generally do, rejoiced
in the disorders prevailing at one point,
as furnishing evidence, unfavorable to
missions. The facts were exaggerated,
generalised, ascri5ed to all missionary
effort, and employed to sustain the
policy of worldly government, not to
seek the conversion Of the heather.
He was evidently Of the world.
At this day, looking back half a
century, we understand the case thor
oughly, and only wonder at the pre-.
cipitancy with which so enlightened a
mind could be betrayed into so gross
an error. 1t has been long known that