The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-04
LITERATURE In ENGLAND.
Principal Tulloch's Views on ''The Move
ments of Religious Thought"
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK, Oct. "a highly interesting
book by Principal Tulloch of st. Andrews Col.
lege. was published yesterday. 1t discusses
"The Movements of Religious Thought" from
1920 to 1860. In a liberal spirit it reviews Cole
ridge and his school, the early Oriel school of
religious enthusiasts, the Anglo Catholic move
meEt, religious thought in Scotland, and the
BROAD Church" tendency. Doctor Tulloch
always writes in lucid and attractive way
about the serious topics which engage his at
tention. In this book he occupies himself not
with religion, but with the progress of religious
ideas in England during this century. Of Cole
ridge he says it is mistake to regard him as a
mere theosophic dreamer. He brought
human nature in all the breadth of ita
activities once more near to Christianity,
and found in the latter not merely a
means of salvation in any evangelical sense,
but the highest truth and health-a perfect phi
losophy. Colsridges most distinctive work was
to restore the broken harmony between reason
and religion by enlarging the conception of both,
but of the latter especially-by showing how
man is essentially a religious being, having a
definite spiritual constitution, apart from which
With regard to the inspiration of Scripture the
author says: 1.-THE notion of verbal inspiration,
or the infalble dictation of Holy Scripture
could not possibly continue after the moderu
spirit of historical inquiry had begun. AS soon
as men recognized the organic growth of all
great facts, literary we'll as others, it was In
evitable that they should see the Scriptures in
new light, a product of many phases OF
thought in course of more or less perfect devel
opment" What DR.. Tulloch says about Thomas
Carlyle will be interesting. 1T is only too easy
to see now" he remarks, 'in the extended picture
of his life and manners, that Carlyle remained
in much peasant to the last Beautiful in some
aspects of his character, he lacks everywhere gen.
tleness. His sturdiness becomes too often rude
ness and his independence pure, wanton self
assertion. 1t is evident that Carlyie's
repulsion to Christianity arose out of the gen.
eral tendency of his mind to throw aside ali dead
forms of thought, as he conceived them to be.
There is no evidence that be ever saw
what a marvellous and exceptional movement
Christianity had been-what life still stirred in
it-what an historical as we'll as spiritual grandeur
there was in the church, and the witness it still
was of living God in the worlds Taken as a
whole, Principal Tulloch's book will be sur
prise to many people, both to the skeptics and
to the believers. The skeptics will marvel that
there is so much Of religion in common life as ia
here indicatedand the believers will find it strange
that the leading English religious writers of this
century have been willing to resign so much Of
mere doctrinal theology in order to bring about
true religion. Principal Tulloch's expressed
view is that dogma is matter of the intellect
which disputes itself and never can be satisfied.
but that pure religion springs up in the most
various quarters, and is a thing to be carefully
cultivated and preserved, from whatever human
source it may come. The dedication to Mrs.
Oliphant is both noble and affecting. ''If were
to express says the author. 'all the admiration
I feel for your genius. and still more all the es- :
TEEN have learned to cherish for your charac-
ter should use language which ! know you
would refuse to read; but may at least be al
lowed to say this publicly that know of no writer
towhose large powers, spiritual insight and pur-
ty of thought our generation owes so much as it
does to you" The apostles of womens rights,
it strikes me, could not ask for heartier recogni-
ton of woman's power than this.