The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29

generator ana ADVISER OF persecution ceT-
tainly II has been acted on, not only under
the First French Republic but in our own
day under the Third Republic. Such, then,
al our lecturer would sum It up, Is the 80
| oial Contract Undertaken 10 render men
happy and free" it has turned out TO be
one Of the most complete instruments OF
oppression ever forged by a maniac.
vi.
When he thinks Of the calamitous effects
Of the Social Contract our lecturer IL
tempted to say Of Jean Jacques Rousseau
| that he was a criminal. II that had been
his final verdict We should not have felt
disposed to indicate the purport OF his
lectures. NJ. Lemsitre does not stop there,
however. No candid reader Of this book
can fail TO recognize that the lecturer has
sincerely striven to be just. He has begun
by setting forth all that TO him was painful
and odious in Rousseau's ideas; only to
clear the way, however, for the study OF
the Profession Of Faith Of the Savoyard
| Vicar after reading which one can feel
but pity for Jean Jacques, and sometimes
admiration, for our lecturer seems justified
in saying that Rousseau's soul grew purer
a. his misfortunes and his insanity in
| creased.
II may be recalled that when the tutor
! Of Emile deems II advisable 10 teach his
pupil natural religion he relates that he
himself when in danger Of losing his soul
met formerly a good priest, a country
curate, a -~vicaire S%avoyard.' whose in
structions brought him back to the right
path. Rousseau. being what he was, found
it indispensable that this good priest should
have known human weaknesses, for Rous-
seau cannot fancy a sympathetic parsonage
unless, like himself, or for that matter
like st. Augustine and Tolstoi, he once had
been %besmudged. It will be remembered
that Victor Hugo also in his 'Miserables'
attributes a past 10 his good Bishop.
The Savoyard vicar Is overlooking with
virtue and charity. One morning this
priest takes his young friend into the coun-
try and in the presence OF natural beauties,
the view Of which strengthens his discourse
and lends il a magnificent testimony, he
e1pounds 10 his disciple the purest and mort
touching spiritual doctrines,
Our lecturer sums up the wears simple
arguments. 1t is ~self-evident, the good
priest says, that a power governs the uni
verse. But II matter set in motion proves
to us the existence Of a superior will, this
matter, moving as II does according to Ger
tain laws, proves to us the existence Of a
supreme intelligence. 80 much for the
universe: now for man. Man is free in his
acts, and as such is animated by an imma-
terial substance. Now il the soul ia
immaterial it can survive the body; and II
II survives il Providence 10 justified as to
the existence OF evil In the world without
taking into account the fact that moral ills
are the work Of man and that physical
suffering Is induced to almost nothing for
natural man. A proof Of the immortality
Of the soul. Of a future life and Of a future
sanction, is the earthly triumph Of the
wicked.
The story Of creation; must one believe
in in The Savoyard vicar believes at least
in the forming and ordaining Of the world
by God. And God-what does the vicar
know Of Him2 We can at least perceive
His attributes-intelligence, power, justice,
goodness. The rule, which we must accept
however Z o-do5 to accomplish Oul destiny
on earth according to the wish Of Him who
placed US here, remains to be found. In
this quest, according to the vicar, our light
is conscience, At this point is placed the
memorable invocation: Conscience! Con-
%soiencel Divine i~nstinot. immortal and
celestial voice. sure guide Of an ignorant
and finite yet intelligent and free, being;
infallible Judge Of good and evil. that rem
ders man like unto Godl Il Is thou that
givest him the excellence Of his nature and
the morality Of his actions; without thee. |
feel nothing within me which puts me above
the beasts, unless II be the sorry privilege
Of wandering from error to error with the
aid Of an unruly intelligence and Of an
unprincipled reasoning Then comes a
dissertation on prayer; the vicar would not
have it proli1. The only thing | ask Of
God is that He should redress my error II
l 60 astray.'
Lastly, the good priest comes to revela-
ton and miracles. This last part contains
the passages for which Emile was con-
demned by the Parliament Of Paris. NJ.
Lemaitre points out that here Rousseau
shows great prudence. In q few words
he disposes OF all that is supernatural
miracles, revelation without any posi-
tive negation, and especially because the
demonstration Of IN affirmative or Of a mega
tive is impossible. F~oreshadowing the
attitude Of the agnostio he simply saws
with regard TO revelation: Il neither ac-
cept nor reject til only reject the obi
CATION to understand it, OF miracles he
says that, without taking into account the
impossibility Of verifying them, they are
useless, owing to the fact that in turn
the truth OF a doctrine is proved by miracles
and the truth Of miracles by doctrine. OF
the Gospel he says: The holiness Of the
Gospel is an argument which appeals 10
my heart" Not long afterward occurs
the famous passage which ends with these
words; "Yes, II the life and death Of Soc
rates we're those Of a sage. the life and
death OF Jesus we're those Of a God He
lie at the same time careful to say on every
delicate subject: i only make up my mind,
trembling. and / submit 20 you my doubts,
rather than my convictions"
The author Of these lectures does not
hesitate TO pronounce this profession Of
faith by the ~Savoyard vicar the most beauti-
full, spiritual erede which was ever written.
He holds that the spiritual arguments adj
vanoed in It are fully worth those OF meta
physics, which are looked upon as Of a
higher nature. Our lecturer quotes with
approval Pasoal's assertion that the meta
physical proofs Of God are 10 far removed