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

what he calls the truths OF religion" had
become associated with the maintenance
Of a tyrSnnical government in Church and
State. The fundamental truths were re-
duced by Buckle 70 -the existence OF the
Deity and the immortality OF tho soul.'
When referring TO atheism, his language
became positively violent. He denounced
IL a. "a cold and gloomy dogma, n singular
/ error an eccentric faint, which those affected
by it. were generally willing TO conceal"
Mr.. Benin finds such intolerant denunciation
Of plain speaking in theology un~distinguish-
able In principle from the rougher method
Of putting down atheism by fine, imprison-
ment or disqualification for Office. The
fact is recalled thai only two years later
1852 Buckle Joined heartily with Mill In
calling for the removal Of every obstacle
TO the public discussion Of what he looked
on as the fundamental truths Of religion.
His second volume, published two years
later, evinced a still more marked change OF
tone. II contained not a word OF censure
on those who went further in negation than
the author did, and its concluding ~
emphasized his own hostility to the popular
Christian creed with a fearlessness and vigor
not exhibited in the first volume. Our au-
thor deems It impossible to avoid the con-
clusion that Buckle when he frstappeared
before the public deliberately followed the
ancient advice TO be bold, but not too bold.
Il Is suggested that Buckles altered atti-
u affords a proof OF the great revolution
wrought In public opinion by the steady
stream OF rationalistic criticism, which.
beginning with the advent Of Strauss and
Comte, had reached a first crisis in the Ok
ford revolutionary movement OF 1S4s, and
which then, under the form Of Unitarian
and Broad Church theology, continued
through the sos, until IL reached a second
crisis in the publication Of Essays and
Reviews
In the eos Rationalists must have found
ex~hiiarating fare in the columns OF FrdScr's
MGocE inc, at that lime edited by James
Anthony Froude, whose lifelong and pas
sionate hatred OF cIericalism had been
reused to fresh activity by the Ritualist
and Ultramontane movements. About a
quarter of a century earlier he had been the
victim Of social persecution on account
Of his religious opinions. He seems to have
held hat religions are all myths and that
there In nothing true in any Of them but
Gods providence. Right conduct, he
declared in his novel The Nemesis Of
Fate in this belief at least he remained
steadfast through life-depends on re-
ligion. To constitute religion, however,
no more is required than faith in a living
God, which may or may not be associated
with myths accepted as true but which
cannot safely be associated with myths
proved to be such by advancing knowledge,
for then the vital core Of religion runs the
risk OF being flung away together with
it's accidental integuments, and the poison
Of immoral doctrines will he assimilated
in it's stead. Twice at least has Europe
already passed through a crisis of this
kind, once under the Roman Empire and
then again just before the Reformation.
In our authors Judgment Froude's great
history must itself be regarded primarily as
a contribution to the controversy raging
when he wrote It between reason and
eccIesiastical reaction. As matters then
stood IL seemed to him necessary before
all things to save the Reformation. I'm
doubleday Professionalism had preserved
many untenable beliefs. and the Church OF
England In particular represented a hollow
compounds with Catholicism, fatally
avenged by the Tractarian and ~Romanizing
movement Of the nineteenth century.
Nevertheless the Tudor reformers had
succeeded in destroying much, that was
n~oxious. and therefore. for the credit Of
TRUE religion, their character must be- vim
dicated. Mr.. Benin, Of course, would not
deny that Froude set himself to the task
with more zeal and eloquence than knowl-
edge or discretion.