New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-09
Mr.. BalfOur'S Charm

Doubt It is an entirely successful defence
Of phlosophic doubt. 1t is not so con-
elusive foundation for the doctrines of
the established church, or for any other
affirmation nor is its successor, The Foun-
dations of Belief The ability exhibited in
these volumes is forensic. The misty no.
tions of evidence harbored by the unskiled
have small chance against the writer; and
his favorite target is the cruder skepti-
cism:
Suppose for moment a community of
which each member should deliberately set
himself the task of throwing off as far as
possible all prejudces due to education;
where each should consider it his duty crit
ically to examine the grounds upon which
rest every positive enactment and every
moral precept which he has been accus-
toned to obey; to dissect all the great
Royalties which make social life possible,
and all the minor conventions which help
to make it easy; and to weigh out with
scrupuous precision the exact degree Of
assent which in each particular case the
results of this process might seem to justify
To say that such a community, if it acted
upon the opinions thus arrived at, would
stand but poor chance in the struggle for
existence is to say far too little. 1t could
never even begin to be; and if by miracle
it was created, it would without doubt i'm
mediately resolve itself into it's constituent
elements.'
Hence we take our stand for Authority:
"It is true, no doubt, that we can, with
out any great expenditure of research, &C
emulate instances in which authority has
perpetuated error and retarded progress,
for unluckily none of the influences, Reason
least of all, by which the history of the race
has been moulded, has been productive of
\unmXed good
"'Least of ALL Mr.. Balfour? And again:
If we would find the quality in which we
most notably excel the brute creation, we
should look for it, not so much in our fac
ulty of convincing and being convinced by
the exercise of reasoning, as in our capaci-
ty for influencing and being influenced
through the action of Authority
Mote the capital A. But this preference
really fails at glance Our young chickens
reproduce the habits and conclusions of
their ancestors. On the other hand, reason
ing, and reasoning against the current,
Also, II man has passed into world un
known to apes it is because he was able to
reach conclusion that if he put wood on
fire he could maintain himself in warmth.
by the heterodox has he gone forward. No
doubt the first ape to walk on his hind legs
was deemed an opponent of Authority and
a Danger to the Community.
I'm insisting Mr. Bafour's essential
Ioryism we must emphasize also the superb
GRITTY of his individual intelligence. Whv
did he cease to be the leader of his party?
Why were the letters b. NJ G-'Balfour
Must Go'-postcd over London? Who sue
ccedcd him? He lost his leadership. in tho
tight of n decade ago, over the House of
Lords because he not sufficiently rigid
ind narrow minded to meet the spirit of the
unbending Tories. 1t was the Bitter-En
crs, IN the House Of Lords contest, who
threw Mr. Balfour out. Since those DAVIS
the leader of the Unonists has been an
industrious and mediocre business man.
with no troublesome individuality, and an
parently Mr.. Andrew Bonar Law managed
his task, before the world war and since
TO the satisfaction Of those Immediately
soneerned. NJ. Balfour'S reputation sec,aes