The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-02
".

Some eight or ten pages OF this work
are devoted TO Sir John Seeley, professor
Of modern history in Cambridge University,
whose brilliant book, -Ecce Homo" pro-
duced forty years ago such a sensation in
Britain. Even Fitzjames Stephen, who
afterward became the most thorough
nationalist Of the age, attacked Ecce Homo"
with incisive sarcasm, calling its author
"a sheep in VOLTS clothing" and Lord
Shaftesbury. a rigid Evangelical Of the
old school, denounced the book as having
been "vomited from the jaws Of hell"
Recalling il gave Pussy the same sort Of
pain that he received from Remains Vie
de Jesus" Still more significant was the
belief, widely spread among young ladies
for a good many years after its publica-
ton. that the book was written by Strauss.
the ~latter's name being that OF the one
anti-Christian writer known to them by
reputation. 1t il certain that so complete
is the absence ~ theology in -Ecce Homo"
that even a liberal Unitarian might have
scrupled to recommend il as a manual of
religious edihcation. Apart from some
rather ~perfunctory Acknowledgements easy
to interpret in a hgurative sense, one gets
an impression that the work Of reforming
society might be carried on without refer
eace to the existence OF a God. What
shocked Lord Shaftesbury so terribly was
lust this divorce Of the higher philanthropy
from the pietism with which in his own
life IL had been habitually associated.
To Seeley moral interests were supreme,
and the chief, IL not the sole. value OF Chris
tianity lay in its furtherance OF these. For
that purpose, however. it's value seemed to
him inestimable. and the object OF -Ecce
Homo" was to bring out this view In full
relief. The chain OF thought whereof
the book IL an outcome Is traced by Mr..
Benin a. follows: ITO make man moral
and to keep him so two agencies are in
dispensable. Conscience has first to he
awakened by a winning, commanding
personality, 1t has hen to be kept in
operation by the presence and pressure OF
public opinion, by life in a society organized
with a view TO the promotion Of pure, just
and benefcent conduct. Now, OF all known
| p~ersonalities the most winning and com
handing was Christ's; Of all societies for
the promotion OF goodness the most efioa-
! cious has been His Church" And, again:
| AS an ethical teacher Christ doubled the
area OF morality, by adding the duty Of
positive benefcence to the duty OF absti-
nence from injury. At the same time he
gave a depth before unknown by sub
stituting the obligation Of right feeling for
the obligation OF outward performance
It Il well known that the authorship Of
-Ecce Homo" was not acknowledged by
See!ey during his lifetime. That ultimately
he receded from the position taken in hat
book ia evident from his confession Of faith
in the preface to the second edition Of
Natural Reli Zion," for this places him on
the side OF theolo ~. Fi' second worS,
! therefore, constit ted = landmarS in his
retreat from his orig lal position. In /. he
seems TO have recoZrizcl that tilce We
can get the NOR. |, the enotiDnal End the
Rsthetlc advantages Of religion without
religious beliefs these advantages can no
longer be pressed d us a. Inducements to
embraces a religion il defiance OF reason.
We must emil race N, IL at all, or other
grounds.
We would not bring to a close our refer