The sun., 1900-12-23

| least be called upon to Ftt ~ te=rHusi'll"
| adviser 10 tho Government should special
| oCcnsion nti-.
| ~ far We have dealt only with the FIRST
volum" ~ this work. which. on many grounds
deserves 10 10 regarded as the most important
| book ~ tho wear our references to tho
| second volume mus, DO compnratvelv hriof
| We nnd on page ?ia an interesting letter ad-
| dressed to Mr. Robert Ta,ior. under tl," dat"
| Of Juno 3. 1859. In which Huxley undertakes
| to answer tho argument that tho suco"-s oi
| Christianity hears witness TO the truth ~ III"
| story Of Jesus From this lct'"r we make
| the following extract; "Ul Tho 'hur'h
| founded 10y Jesus has not made it@ way has
| not permeated the world. hut did become
| extinct IA tho country ~ its birth. n Nayncn-
| ism and FbIonism ~, The Oh lrch that did
| mako its way and coalesccd with tho state In
| the fourth century had no more to do with
| the Church founded by Jesus than lltranon-
tanism has with Quakerism 1t Ia Alexandrinn
| Judaism and Ncoplatonistic mvstacogy and
as much OF the old idolatry md demonolOgy a-
could be got In under new or old nnInos
(s). Paul has said that the Law was school
master to Christ with more truth than he
knew. Throughout the empire tho syna-
gogues had their cloud Of gentle hansers-on.
those who feared God and who wore fully
prepared to accept n Christianity Which was
merely an expurgated Judaism and the belief
In jesus as the Messiah tn. The Christian
'sodalItla' were not morely religious bodies.
but friendly societies. burial societies AND
guilds They hung together for all purposes
the mob hated them as il now hates tho
Jews in Eastern Europe. because they were
moro frugal. moro industrious and lived
kat Mva THAR erhhora yyhile flay
stuck together like scotchmen. If these
things are so-and appeal to your knowledge
of history that they are so-what mas the sue
cess OF Christianity to do with the truth or
falsehood Of the story OF Jesus
In the seventh chapter OF the second volume
We find an account Of Huxley's controversy
with Mr.. Gladstone. which went on In tho
pages Of the Ninetsenth Century. Huxley
was III In 1885, and needed a mental tonic
which should brace up his body and clear
away the depr ession and languor which had
long beset him. He got the needed FLIP
In tho shape Of an article which appeared in
the Ninefeentk Century In November OF the
year named. an article In which Mr.. Glad
stone attempted to show that the order o.
creation given Ia Genesis l. Is supported
by tie evidence OF science. This perform
ance. Huxley used TO cay. go stirred his Bile
a. to set his liver right at once; and. though
he denied the soit Impeachment that tho
ensuing fight was what had set him up. the
marvellous curative effects OF n Gladstoniln
dose. a remedy unknown TO the pharmaco-
ppla, became a household word among his
family and friends. His reply. Tho Inter-
prefers Of Genesis and the Interpreters OF
Nature appeared In the December number
Of the came perl lodioal. In January. tsse. Mr.
Gladstone responded with his "Proem TO
Genesis which was met In February by
MIR. Gladstone and Genesis Not only
did Huxley show that science Offers no sup
port 70 the "fourfold- or the "nvefo.d,-
or any other order obtained from Genesis
by Mr.. Gladstone. but In q notc appended
to his second article Huxley gives what he
takes TO be tho proper sense OF tho Mosaic"
narrative Of the creation. not allowing the
succession Of phenomena to represent an
evolutionary notion. as suggested. OF pro-
gross from lower TO higher In the scale of
being. a notion aAsuredly not In the mind
OF the Hebrew writer. but deducing this
order from such Ideas rs. putting aside our
present knowledge Of nature. We may reason-
ably believe the Hebrew writer 20 have had.
A vast subsidiary controversy sprahe
up In the London Times on biblical exegct-
les. Where these touched Huxley at all
as. for instance. when the query was put
tO MIN WnetuOr INC CiU ereUC6 DttWcou tue
-Rehmes" Of Genesis and -sheh-retz- Of
Leviticus. both translated creeping things"
did not invalidate his argument as TO the
Identity OF such creeping things II turned
out that he had examined the point already,
and he surprised his interrogator. who seemed
TO have raised q very pretty dilemma, by
referring him promptly to q well-known
Hebrew commentator.
Several OF HuIley's letters refer to the
passage Of arms between himself and Mr..
Gladstone. On Dco. (. 1855. no writes to
Mr.. Herbert Spencer: DO read my polish
ing-off OF the @. o. N. am proud of It as
a work Of art. and a. evidence that the vol
cano Ia not yet exhausted" To Lord Farrer
he writes on Dec. Of tho eome year From
a scientific point OF view Gladstone's article
was undoubtedly not worth powder and shot
But. on personal grounds the perusl Of II
sent me disappearing about the house with
the first healthy expression Of wrath known
FOR n couple OF years-to my wfe's great
alarm--and I should have busted up II
had not given vent to my indi gnation; and
secondly. all orthodoxy was glcating over
the clap in the face which the G. o. NJ. had
administered 70 science In the person Of
Revllle. The ignorance OF the so-callei
educated classes in this country Is stupen-
dous and in the hands Of people like Gladstone
II is political force.
We would close this notice Of q biography
which. In tone and substance, 10. perhaps,
the most admirable ever penned OF a father
by son. by marking the honesty Of HuIley's
motives. md his innate tendency 70 veracity.
The standard whloh he endsavored to reach
in his own nfe was sat forth In tho sritaph
which he wrote on Henslow: He had IN
tellect to comprehend his highest duty ds-
timothy and foroe Of character TO do Il: which
Of US dare AJAX for Q higher summary Of his
life than thnt'- Herein was expressed that
passion for veradty which was. perhaps,
Huxley's strongest characteristic. an un-
compromising passion for truth In thought
which would admit no particle OF self-deoep-
t!on. no assertion beyond what could Re
verified; for truth In act. perfect straight |
forwsrdness and sincerity. with complete /
disregard Of personal consequences for |
uttering unpalntable fact. Truthfulnes. IN I
his eyes was the cardinal virtue without which |
no stable society can exist. Conviction, |
sincerity, he always respected. whether on
his own side or against II. Clever men he
would sav, are as common as blackherries:
the rare thing II to find n good one The lie
from Interested motives was only more hate
ful to him than the lie from sef-deusion
or fogcy thinking with this he classed