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

vital and essential 10 Christianity" than
about the nature and mode OF inspiration
For some time DIR. Thirlwall seems not to
have suffered az regards preferment or
popularity by his temporary connection
with German rationalism, though. writing
to a German friend oward the close OF
1881. he characterized the state Of religious
feeling in England by tho bitter remark
that amy man who doubts the certlinty
Of the Messiah's appearance on earth being
row near at hand IL denounced by, | am
afraid I may say, a majority Of the persons
who claim the epithet religious by way OF
eminenOe as a downright infdel.' Three
years later Thirlwall was driven from
Trinity College, Cambridge. by the master,
Or. Wordsworth, for supporting the nd-
mission Of Dissenters to degrees and OPP
posing the compulsory attendance O6 I'M
graduates at chapel. Strange as 1t may
seem, the distinguished historian Of Greece
joined a quarter OF a century later the
whole episcopal bench in a collective de-
nunciation OF Essays and Reviews"
That another English hist brian Of Greece.
George Grote, would be deeply tinctured
with the rationalism Of his time might have
been expected from a pupil of James Mill.
In point OF fact, Grote. like Bentham, was
an atheist; the two wrote in collaboration
a little book in which an attempt was made
to show that natural religion is totally USE
less, and even miscellaneous, to society.
James Mill did not goquite so far. He was
not, like his friend, a dogmatic atheist,
much less a passionate infidel Of the school
OF Thomas Paine, but what is now called
an sgnostic, holding hat nothing can be
known about the cause Of the woTld-ex-
cept, indeed, that IL cannot be the work
Of a good and intelligent Being. II was
to save the chair Of philosophy in University
College, London, from theological influence
OF any kind that George Grote, who had so
far forgotten his youthful Liberalism az
to side with the South in the American war,
threw his whole weight against the election
Of James Martineau in 1866.
The effect OF contemporary rationalism
on Macaulay is traceable in many Of his
essays. as well as in his History of Eng
Lind" 1t may be remembered that Macau-
lay rests the permanent credibility Of
transubstantiaiion on the faith Of such a
believer as Sir Thomas More. though, as
ar. Benin points out. the author of the
utopia" was, in fact, an agnostic. Among
the inhabi;sI is Of hat ideal community
there be- More tells us. that give wor-
ship to a man that was once of excellent
virtue, or Of famous glory, not only "a
God, but also as the deepest and highest
God. But the most and the wisest part
rejecting all these. believe that there is a
certain godly power unknown, far above
the capacity and reRch OF mans wit. dis
perssd throughout all the world. not in
bigness. hut in virtue and power. Him
they call the Father of all. To Him alone
they attribute the beginnings, the increas-
ings, the proceedings. the changes and the
ends Of all things. Neither give they
divine honors to any other than Hin.
so far" observes Jowett, after quoting
this passage. was More from sharing the
popular religious beliefs Of his time The
author of the book before us considers the
point one on which Jowett was not likely
to be deceived, for. apart from his general
ability as an interpreter OF other mems
thoughts, his own official position had
accustomed him to combine the same pro-
fession OF orthodoxy Will The same scarcely
yelled unbelief. 1t il further significant
that Macaulay ca lis Hobbies that most
vigorous and acute of human intellects. +"
II we may trust Thomas Mozley's reminis-
cences, Macaulay old the Wilherforces
in 1925 that not 200 men in London be-
lieved in the Bible. Evidently Macaulay,
IL he was a believer at all. was so because
he accepted as conclusive the argument
from design. for he said that -the discOv-
cries Of modern astronomers and anatO-
mists have really added nothing to that argu-
ment which a rejecting mind finds in every
beast. bird, insect, fish, leaf, flower and
she'll The truth, Of course, was that the
discoveries, not The argument, were the
interesting things. On his return from
India Macaulay humorously remarked that
the Radical party seemed to he reduced to
Grote and his wife. Under pressure of the
reaction against philosophical radicalism
the Radical party, always inclined TO in
testine quarrels, had in fact gone to pieces.
besides failing to enlist some who had
seemed marked out as their natural allies,
such as Macaulay himself, and still more.
CARLYLE. There is no doubt, however,
about the position occupied by Macaulay
with regard to the still vexed question ~
secular versus religious education. Writ
ing as a Wing Philosopher in the Edinburgh
Rericw and speaking in Parliament as a
member Of y Wing administrator Inc pro-
vided a fair working solution Of the diff
Guilty by pleading that education was n
good thing in itself which Government
could further without injury to its primary
end the protection Of person and prop
erty and. what waS more. with advantage
TO that end. education being conducive to
orderly habits.
There Is no doubt that Carlyle originally
symrathized with rationalisIn. There is
ample ground for Mr.. Eenn's assertion that
when Carlyle began 10 preach II was az a
! fellow laborer with James Mill and as a
precursor Of Comte. He started with re-
jectinG all that part Of religion against
which enlightenment had made war. that
is, it's supernatural elements. 1T IL as
certain as Mathematics" he told Froude,
that no such thing las n miraclel ever has
boon or can be-" For Roman Catholicism
ne had the hatred Of a Puritan and a Free
Thinker combined. He had the heartiest
contempt for the Anglican revival and its
promoters. among whom he u~njustly reck-
oned Coleridgc, nor did the more liberal
religious tendencies Of such divines az
julius Hare, Maurice and certain Oxford
professors find favor in his eyes. To he
called a pantheist did not scandalize him,
except perhaps by rous!ng his dislike for
--,al.. orI - HE IoNa- .,o,-, - -