The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-23

me perfectly certain ihH' '"'"'"
act upon the truth, MAXIM pIi"'ip'c'
aut quocunquc niio nomine Noca'"'' "'"e
I IS declared Ia them who have never
heard or thought Of the verbal prop~i-
/ inns themselves. We are made WIN
/ that confidence IN our perceptions 'ha'
/ IL is impossible for us TO see clearly any
/ thing and al the same time TO believe th"t
/ th,ro is nothing seen. When CUR senses
/ inform us of the existence OF anything
We cannot at the same time believe IL
/ does not exist. In other words. we 40 ne
cossarily by the very constitution OF our
nature believe that whatever is. Is, and
/ tlat IL is Impossible Tor the Same thing
TO Dee and not TO be. And whether We
/ have vet learned these general verbal
/ PROPOSITIONS. or not. We az nevertheless
act upon them constantly IN every pariicu-
lar instance that occurs. And. therefore,
! / cannot doubt that everybody must as
sent TO the verbal propositions them
selves whenever they are propOundcd ana
+ the terms OF them understood. such are
/ the primary laws OF human belief. See
the quotation. from ArssHlc. stew
Elem. Vol. IT,. en-. l.. section ?.
cyincod much interest in my ola
/ friends remarks they deeply impressed
me with the evident fact that he had
/ been thoughtfully reading and clearly
scribcndi rccte. sapere est Ct principium
et fons. over some of the ideas as pre-
scented boy Mr. Locke i'm his noble essays
on Human Understanding.
HIS CONTEMPORARIES.
and just here in this rInnection. while
! / have seen proper. In presenting my num-
/ bile views OF Mr.. Lockc's ideas as Of
/ fcred in his mastery essay, TO quote
from pugald Stewart rs the most emf
nent authority on moral philosophy,
may also De- prC per enough 10 refer BREEZY
| 20 MI Stewart and repeat some oil the
| opinions of his great contemporaries con
/ corning him and his claims 10 the exalted
position which he fills in he ", rlds eye.
/ His philosophical works are numerous
! and able. Among them stands pre-eml-
ncut his Elements of the Philosophy OF
/ the Human Mind which. beingh written
| iu am elegant and attractive style en-
/ loved n great popularity. Referring ~
| stewart as "a lecturer. Sir Walter scott
/ saws that his striking and impressive elo-
! 0ucuce riYctod the attention even oil the
! most volatile student And Macintosh
/ saws of him. Perhaps few men ever lNea
/ who poured into the breasts VT youth
more fer,id and yet reasonable f@e oI
/ liberty. of truth, and of virtue. lie pI"
/ niotcd the triumph of liberal opinions I'D
/ politics by his influence over such men
as Lord Brougham. Lord Jenrey' ana
/ Lord John Russell. who were his pupils.
/ Without doroRauou from MS Writings II
/ may be said that his disciples were among
/ his hest works.
ono of the master minds OF his day.
/ I'm spoakiug Of him. observes that hc re-
rninds as not unfrequenuy III the char
! acter given by Cicero 40 one of the cone
/ fcmuoraries who expressed refined and
! abstruse thoughts Doe soft and transparent
| diction' Al would be difficult 10 name
/ works i'm which so much refined phil
/ os1phv ls Joined with SO fine fancy,
so much elegant literature with such
| delicate perception OF the distinguishing
/ cNcellcnces of great writer's. Ana thus
we might continue 10 enumerate ms
talents and genius as expressed by his
! great friends.
I'm Stewards philosophy of the Acti-e
and Moral Powers of Man, Vol. l., chap
ter T. Mr.. Locke is also taken 10 task
! on his inmate ideas. and Lord Shattes-
/ bury writings are there quoted ir IN in
support of Mr. Dugald Stewart S onJec-
| tons to Mr. Lockos position. In letter
10 Lord Shanesbury he observes that
! "af those called free writer's nCw -a-days
| have espOused those principles which Mr..
! Hobbies set a-foOt in this last age. Mr..
| Locke. as much as / honor him, on ac-
| count of other writings con government
! policy, trade. coin. education, liberation,
| etc). and. as well as ! knew him, and
can answer for his sincerity as most
/ jealous Christian and believer. did. how
/ ever 20 in the sclfSame track. and IS
! followed by the Tindals and all the other
ingenious free authors Of eur time. IL was
! Mr. Locke that struck the home blow.
/ for Mr.. Hobhess character, and base,
/ slavish principles of government took off
! the poison of his philosophy IL was Mr..
! Locke that struck at all fundamentals,
| threw an order and virtue ont OF the
world and made the very ideas Of these
unnatural. and without foundation in our
minds. Innate is a word he poorly plays
upon. the right word. though less used.
Is connatural. This strikes as as being
| unduly severe. and very u1klnd. when We
| consider their past relations of master
| and pupil, even If the argument be rca-
! sonably just.
SEVERE ANIMADNERSIONS.
And Mr.. Stewart appears TO have been
somewhat similarly impressed for he
thus proceeds TO notice, and then COM
ment. elm this last remark Lord Shaftcs-
| bury appears 10 me 20 place the question
concerning innate ideas upon The right
and only philosophical footing and 10
afford key to- an the confusion which
runs through Lockcs argument on this
| subject The ohserva' Jns which follow
are not less just and valuable. These
| passages OF Shaftesbury. IN some OF which
! the warmth of his temper has De - yed
him into expressions disrcspectiul to
Locke have drawn ON him number OF
very severe animadyorsi)ns. p cu'arly
! from Warburton, i'm the preface OF his
/ "Diyinc Legation of Moses But all
though Shaftesbury's personal illusions
! cannot be justified. some allowance ought
to Doe made for the Indignation OF gene
ryis mind at doctrine which (hewever
well meant boy the proposeD strikes at
the very root of morality. IN this instance.
too. il is not improbable that the discus
sion of the general argument may have
| added 10 the asperity of his style. by re-
| giving the memory of the private contro-
| Ncrsios which IL is presumahc had Tor
| meriy been carried on between Locke ana
| him ON this important subj ert. IT IS well
/ known that Shaftesbury was Locke $
| pupil and also that their tempers and
! literary tastes were not suitable TO each
/ other. In this il is commonly supposed
/ that the former was TO blame, but. pre-
/ sumo. not wholly. Or. Warton tells us
| that Mr.. Locke affected 10 despise
| poetry. and that ne deprecated the an
| clients. which circumstance, he adds.
Ca. ! am informed from, undOubtcd au-
| thCrity. MAS the subject OF perpetual dis
| content and dispute between him and his
| pupil Lord Shanesbury.' That Shaftes-
| bury was not inscnsible CO LOckcs real
merits appears sufficiently from passage