The Irish standard., 1890-10-11
Bishop Berkeley.


last week gives the following interest
ing sketch of Bishop Berkeley, whom it
calls the most learned and perhaps the
best bishop whom the Protestant church
in Ireland could at any time claim. He
was horn at Desert Castle, near Thomas
town, in the county Kilkenny, on
March 18th, 1854. When only twenty
three years of age he was elected Eel
low of Trinity College, Dublin, and two
wears later his 'sTheorv Of Vision" won
for him an acknowledged place amongst
the foremost thinkers of his time. Be-
fore another twelve months had quite
passed his book on "The Principles OF
Human Knowledge came as revela-
ton to his contemporaries. In this
work he states the famous theory of
matter. ''that sensible, material objects,
as they are called. are not external to
the mind, but exist in it," Everybody
knows the soothing commentary of the
graceless poet" When Bishop Berkeley
said There was no matter, it was NO
matter what he said" The book and
the subsequent catalogues Of Hvlas
and Philonous" made Berkeley known
to the leaders Of literature-to Swift
and Steele and Pope. After travelling
in Europe as tutor Of the Bishop of
Clogher's son. and on his return about
the time that the collapse of the South
Sea Bubble involved England in public
and private misery, he became Chaplain
to the Duke of Grafton, the Lord Lieu
tenant. Then stroke of unexpected
good luck befe]l him. Miss Vanhom-
RICH. "Vanessa," quarrelled with the
famous Dean of St. Patrick's, and be-
fore dying Of a broken heart revoked a
will which she had made leaving Swift
all her property, and made Berkeley her
legatee instead. Prosperity like mis-
fortune. comes in ample measure when
it comes at all, and immediately after
wards he was appointed to the valuable
Deanery of Derry. Next we find him
employed upon a scheme for the CONVEX.
ION Of the North American sayages
and the education Of the youth of that
continent. He resigned his living.
went to America, failed to, make any
progress with his undertaking, and re-
turned home, heart sick with disap-
pointment. But, like the keen observer
that he was, he detected the signs Of
Americas nascent greatness, and fore
saw 'sthe rise of empire and Of arts''
under the influence of men rejecting
"the pedantry Of courts and schools y
Not such as Europe breeds in her decay,
Such az she bred when fresh and young,
Westward the course Of empire takes its way,
The first four acts already past,
A lfth shall close the drama with the day
Times noblest offspring Is the last.
Berkeley found consolation in his stud
les. and in 1872 appeared The Minute
Philosopher probably his most mas
te1ly work. NextYear he was appointed
Bishop Of Cloyne, and there he philos-
ophlsed concerning many thlngs-in-
Guiding tar-water until the July of
1852, when he moved to Oxford. It was
characteristic Of his simple, lovable,
humane nature that before leaving his
diocese he provided that one fifth Of his
] inc dne should be annually distrib uted
annon ,igst the poor resid dents OF Cloyne,
Youghal and ,Aghad oe. His sym
path,ies were cont nouslY with the
I poor, ,and the (1uerlst, !. written &C
sllBsIffet contains many evidences that
hl felt the misery entailed upon
4 ~ ~ aboDi unable misg oyerna
q u ksssorns ofr the
3 lintl and aug
+ Y G laSl opinion