99,the ,idea of a ,university defined and ,illustrated99 99,in ,nine ,discourses ,delivered to the ,catholics of ,dublin99 99by ,john ,henry ,newman99 ,,contents ,preface4 ,university ,teaching4 ,introductory4 ,theology ,a ,branch ,of ,knowledge4 ,bearing ,of ,theology ,on ,other ,branches ,of ,knowledge4 ,bearing ,of ,other ,branches ,of ,knowledge ,on ,theology4 ,knowledge ,its ,own ,end4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,learning4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,professional ,skill4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,religion4 ,duties ,of ,the ,church ,towards ,knowledge4 ,university ,subjects1 ,discussed in ,occasional ,lectures and ,essays4 ,introductory ,letter4 ,advertisement4 ,christianity ,and ,letters4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters4 ,literature4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters4 ,english ,catholic ,literature4 ,elementary ,studies4 ,a ,form ,of ,infidelity ,of ,the ,day4 ,university ,preaching4 ,christianity and ,physical ,science4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,medicine4 ,christianity ,and ,scientific ,investigation4 ,a ,lecture ,written for the ,school of ,science4 ,discipline ,of ,mind4 ,an ,address ,to ,the ,evening ,classes4 ,christianity ,and ,medical ,science4 ,an ,address to the ,students ,of ,medicine4 ,note on ,page #dgh4 ,index4 ,footnotes ,hospes eram1 et collegistis ,me4 ,,in ,,grateful ,,never-,,dying ,,remembrance ,,of ,,his ,,many ,,friends ,,and ,,benefactors1 ,,living ,,and ,,dead1 ,,at ,,home ,,and ,,abroad ,,in ,,great ,,britain1 ,,ireland1 ,,france1 ,,in ,,belgium1 ,,germany1 ,,poland1 ,,italy1 ,,and ,,malta1 ,,in ,,north ,,america1 ,,and ,,other ,,countries1 ,,who1 ,,by ,,their ,,resolute ,,prayers ,,and ,,penance1 ,,and ,,by ,,their ,,generous ,,stubborn ,,efforts ,,and ,,by ,,their ,,munificent ,,alms1 ,,have ,,broken ,,for ,,him ,,the ,,stress ,,of ,a ,,great ,,anxiety1 ,,these ,,discourses1 ,,offered ,,to ,,our ,,lady ,,and ,,st4 ,,philip ,,on ,,its ,,rise1 ,,composed ,,under ,,its ,,pressure1 ,,finished ,,on ,,the ,,eve ,,of ,,its ,,termination1 ,,are ,,respectfully ,,and ,,affectionately ,,inscribed ,,by ,,the ,,author4 ,,in ,,fest4 ,,pr,,sent4 ,b4 ,m4 ,v4 ,,nov4 #ba1 #aheb ,,preface4 ,the view taken of a ,university in these ,discourses is the following3--,that it is a place of teaching universal knowledge4 ,this implies that its object is1 on the one hand1 intellectual1 not moral2 and1 on the other1 that it is the diffusion and extension of knowledge rather than the advancement4 ,if its object were scientific and philosophical discovery1 ,i do not see why a ,university should have students2 if religious training1 ,i do not see how it can be the seat of literature and science4 ,such is a ,university in its essence1 and independently of its relation to the ,church4 ,but1 practically speaking1 it cannot fulfil its object duly1 such as ,i have described it1 without the ,church's assistance2 or1 to use the theological term1 the ,church is necessary for its integrity4 ,not that its main characters are changed by this incorporation3 it still has the office of intellectual education2 but the ,church steadies it in the performance of that office4 ,such are the main principles of the ,discourses which follow2 though it would be unreasonable for me to expect that ,i have treated so large and important a field of thought with the fulness and precision necessary to secure me from incidental misconceptions of my meaning on the part of the reader4 ,it is true1 there is nothing novel or singular in the argument which ,i have been pursuing1 but this does not protect me from such misconceptions2 for the very circumstance that the views ,i have been delineating are not original with me may lead to false notions as to my relations in opinion towards those from whom ,i happened in the first instance to learn them1 and may cause me to be interpreted by the objects or sentiments of schools to which ,i should be simply opposed4 ,for instance1 some persons may be tempted to complain1 that ,i have servilely followed the ,english idea of a ,university1 to the disparagement of that ,knowledge which ,i profess to be so strenuously upholding2 and they may anticipate that an academical system1 formed upon my model1 will result in nothing better or higher than in the production of that antiquated variety of human nature and remnant of feudalism1 as they consider it1 called 8a gentleman407#a7 ,now1 ,i have anticipated this charge in various parts of my discussion2 if1 however1 any ,catholic is found to prefer it 7and to ,catholics of course this ,volume is primarily addressed71 ,i would have him first of all ask himself the previous question1 what he conceives to be the reason contemplated by the ,holy ,see in recommending just now to the ,irish ,hierarchy the establishment of a ,catholic ,university8 ,has the ,supreme ,pontiff recommended it for the sake of the ,sciences1 which are to be the matter1 and not rather of the ,students1 who are to be the subjects1 of its teaching8 ,has he any obligation or duty at all towards secular knowledge as such8 ,would it become his ,apostolical ,ministry1 and his descent from the ,fisherman1 to have a zeal for the ,baconian or other philosophy of man for its own sake8 ,is the ,vicar of ,christ bound by office or by vow to be the preacher of the theory of gravitation1 or a martyr for electro-magnetism8 ,would he be acquitting himself of the dispensation committed to him if he were smitten with an abstract love of these matters1 however true1 or beautiful1 or ingenious1 or useful8 ,or rather1 does he not contemplate such achievements of the intellect1 as far as he contemplates them1 solely and simply in their relation to the interests of ,revealed ,truth8 ,surely1 what he does he does for the sake of ,religion2 if he looks with satisfaction on strong temporal governments1 which promise perpetuity1 it is for the sake of ,religion2 and if he encourages and patronizes art and science1 it is for the sake of ,religion4 ,he rejoices in the widest and most philosophical systems of intellectual education1 from an intimate conviction that ,truth is his real ally1 as it is his profession2 and that ,knowledge and ,reason are sure ministers to ,faith4 ,this being undeniable1 it is plain that1 when he suggests to the ,irish ,hierarchy the establishment of a ,university1 his first and chief and direct object is1 not science1 art1 professional skill1 literature1 the discovery of knowledge1 but some benefit or other1 to accrue1 by means of literature and science1 to his own children2 not indeed their formation on any narrow or fantastic type1 as1 for instance1 that of an 8,english ,gentleman0 may be called1 but their exercise and growth in certain habits1 moral or intellectual4 ,nothing short of this can be his aim1 if1 as becomes the ,successor of the ,apostles1 he is to be able to say with ,st4 ,paul1 8,non judicavi me scire aliquid inter vos1 nisi ,jesum ,christum1 et hunc crucifixum40 ,just as a commander wishes to have tall and well-formed and vigorous soldiers1 not from any abstract devotion to the military standard of height or age1 but for the purposes of war1 and no one thinks it any thing but natural and praiseworthy in him to be contemplating1 not abstract qualities1 but his own living and breathing men2 so1 in like manner1 when the ,church founds a ,university1 she is not cherishing talent1 genius1 or knowledge1 for their own sake1 but for the sake of her children1 with a view to their spiritual welfare and their religious influence and usefulness1 with the object of training them to fill their respective posts in life better1 and of making them more intelligent1 capable1 active members of society4 ,nor can it justly be said that in thus acting she sacrifices ,science1 and1 under a pretence of fulfilling the duties of her mission1 perverts a ,university to ends not its own1 as soon as it is taken into account that there are other institutions far more suited to act as instruments of stimulating philosophical inquiry1 and extending the boundaries of our knowledge1 than a ,university4 ,such1 for instance1 are the literary and scientific 8,academies10 which are so celebrated in ,italy and ,france1 and which have frequently been connected with ,universities1 as committees1 or1 as it were1 congregations or delegacies subordinate to them4 ,thus the present ,royal ,society originated in ,charles the ,second's time1 in ,oxford2 such just now are the ,ashmolean and ,architectural ,societies in the same seat of learning1 which have risen in our own time4 ,such1 too1 is the ,british ,association1 a migratory body1 which at least at times is found in the halls of the ,protestant ,universities of the ,united ,kingdom1 and the faults of which lie1 not in its exclusive devotion to science1 but in graver matters which it is irrelevant here to enter upon4 ,such again is the ,antiquarian ,society1 the ,royal ,academy for the ,fine ,arts1 and others which might be mentioned4 ,this1 then1 is the sort of institution1 which primarily contemplates ,science itself1 and not students2 and1 in thus speaking1 ,i am saying nothing of my own1 being supported by no less an authority than ,cardinal ,gerdil4 8,ce n'est pas10 he says1 8qu'il y ait aucune vritable opposition entre l'esprit des ,acadmies et celui des ,universits2 ce sont seulement des vues differentes4 ,les ,universits sont tablies pour enseigner les sciences aux lves qui veulent s'y former2 les ,acadmies se proposent de nouvelles recherches faire dans la carrire des sciences4 ,les ,universits d',italie ont fourni des sujets qui ont fait honneur aux ,acadmies2 et celles-ci ont donn aux ,universits des ,professeurs1 qui ont rempli les chaires avec la plus grande distinction407#b7 ,the nature of the case and the history of philosophy combine to recommend to us this division of intellectual labour between ,academies and ,universities4 ,to discover and to teach are distinct functions2 they are also distinct gifts1 and are not commonly found united in the same person4 ,he1 too1 who spends his day in dispensing his existing knowledge to all comers is unlikely to have either leisure or energy to acquire new4 ,the common sense of mankind has associated the search after truth with seclusion and quiet4 ,the greatest thinkers have been too intent on their subject to admit of interruption2 they have been men of absent minds and idosyncratic habits1 and have1 more or less1 shunned the lecture room and the public school4 ,pythagoras1 the light of ,magna ,grcia1 lived for a time in a cave4 ,thales1 the light of ,ionia1 lived unmarried and in private1 and refused the invitations of princes4 ,plato withdrew from ,athens to the groves of ,academus4 ,aristotle gave twenty years to a studious discipleship under him4 ,friar ,bacon lived in his tower upon the ,isis4 ,newton indulged in an intense severity of meditation which almost shook his reason4 ,the great discoveries in chemistry and electricity were not made in ,universities4 ,observatories are more frequently out of ,universities than in them1 and even when within their bounds need have no moral connexion with them4 ,porson had no classes2 ,elmsley lived a good part of his life in the country4 ,i do not say that there are not great examples the other way1 perhaps ,socrates1 certainly ,lord ,bacon2 still ,i think it must be allowed on the whole that1 while teaching involves external engagements1 the natural home for experiment and speculation is retirement4 ,returning1 then1 to the consideration of the question1 from which ,i may seem to have digressed1 thus much ,i think ,i have made good1--that1 whether or no a ,catholic ,university should put before it1 as its great object1 to make its students 8gentlemen10 still to make them something or other is its great object1 and not simply to protect the interests and advance the dominion of ,science4 ,if1 then1 this may be taken for granted1 as ,i think it may1 the only point which remains to be settled is1 whether ,i have formed a probable conception of the sort of benefit which the ,holy ,see has intended to confer on ,catholics who speak the ,english tongue by recommending to the ,irish ,hierarchy the establishment of a ,university2 and this ,i now proceed to consider4 ,here1 then1 it is natural to ask those who are interested in the question1 whether any better interpretation of the recommendation of the ,holy ,see can be given than that which ,i have suggested in this ,volume4 ,certainly it does not seem to me rash to pronounce that1 whereas ,protestants have great advantages of education in the ,schools1 ,colleges1 and ,universities of the ,united ,kingdom1 our ecclesiastical rulers have it in purpose that ,catholics should enjoy the like advantages1 whatever they are1 to the full4 ,i conceive they view it as prejudicial to the interests of ,religion that there should be any cultivation of mind bestowed upon ,protestants which is not given to their own youth also4 ,as they wish their schools for the poorer and middle classes to be at least on a par with those of ,protestants1 they contemplate the same object also as regards that higher education which is given to comparatively the few4 ,protestant youths1 who can spare the time1 continue their studies till the age of twenty-one or twenty-two2 thus they employ a time of life all-important and especially favourable to mental culture4 ,i conceive that our ,prelates are impressed with the fact and its consequences1 that a youth who ends his education at seventeen is no match 7cteris paribus7 for one who ends it at twenty-two4 ,all classes indeed of the community are impressed with a fact so obvious as this4 ,the consequence is1 that ,catholics who aspire to be on a level with ,protestants in discipline and refinement of intellect have recourse to ,protestant ,universities to obtain what they cannot find at home4 ,assuming 7as the ,rescripts from ,propaganda allow me to do7 that ,protestant education is inexpedient for our youth1--we see here an additional reason why those advantages1 whatever they are1 which ,protestant communities dispense through the medium of ,protestantism should be accessible to ,catholics in a ,catholic form4 ,what are these advantages8 ,i repeat1 they are in one word the culture of the intellect4 ,robbed1 oppressed1 and thrust aside1 ,catholics in these islands have not been in a condition for centuries to attempt the sort of education which is necessary for the man of the world1 the statesman1 the landholder1 or the opulent gentleman4 ,their legitimate stations1 duties1 employments1 have been taken from them1 and the qualifications withal1 social and intellectual1 which are necessary both for reversing the forfeiture and for availing themselves of the reversal4 ,the time is come when this moral disability must be removed4 ,our desideratum is1 not the manners and habits of gentlemen2--these can be1 and are1 acquired in various other ways1 by good society1 by foreign travel1 by the innate grace and dignity of the ,catholic mind2--but the force1 the steadiness1 the comprehensiveness and the versatility of intellect1 the command over our own powers1 the instinctive just estimate of things as they pass before us1 which sometimes indeed is a natural gift1 but commonly is not gained without much effort and the exercise of years4 ,this is real cultivation of mind2 and ,i do not deny that the characteristic excellences of a gentleman are included in it4 ,nor need we be ashamed that they should be1 since the poet long ago wrote1 that 8,ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes ,emollit mores40 ,certainly a liberal education does manifest itself in a courtesy1 propriety1 and polish of word and action1 which is beautiful in itself1 and acceptable to others2 but it does much more4 ,it brings the mind into form1--for the mind is like the body4 ,boys outgrow their shape and their strength2 their limbs have to be knit together1 and their constitution needs tone4 ,mistaking animal spirits for vigour1 and over-confident in their health1 ignorant what they can bear and how to manage themselves1 they are immoderate and extravagant2 and fall into sharp sicknesses4 ,this is an emblem of their minds2 at first they have no principles laid down within them as a foundation for the intellect to build upon3 they have no discriminating convictions1 and no grasp of consequences4 ,and therefore they talk at random1 if they talk much1 and cannot help being flippant1 or what is emphatically called 8young40 ,they are merely dazzled by phenomena1 instead of perceiving things as they are4 ,it were well if none remained boys all their lives2 but what is more common than the sight of grown men1 talking on political or moral or religious subjects1 in that offhand1 idle way1 which we signify by the word unreal8 8,that they simply do not know what they are talking about0 is the spontaneous silent remark of any man of sense who hears them4 ,hence such persons have no difficulty in contradicting themselves in successive sentences1 without being conscious of it4 ,hence others1 whose defect in intellectual training is more latent1 have their most unfortunate crotchets1 as they are called1 or hobbies1 which deprive them of the influence which their estimable qualities would otherwise secure4 ,hence others can never look straight before them1 never see the point1 and have no difficulties in the most difficult subjects4 ,others are hopelessly obstinate and prejudiced1 and1 after they have been driven from their opinions1 return to them the next moment without even an attempt to explain why4 ,others are so intemperate and intractable that there is no greater calamity for a good cause than that they should get hold of it4 ,it is very plain from the very particulars ,i have mentioned that1 in this delineation of intellectual infirmities1 ,i am drawing1 not from ,catholics1 but from the world at large2 ,i am referring to an evil which is forced upon us in every railway carriage1 in every coffee-room or table-d'hte1 in every mixed company1 an evil1 however1 to which ,catholics are not less exposed than the rest of mankind4 ,when the intellect has once been properly trained and formed to have a connected view or grasp of things1 it will display its powers with more or less effect according to its particular quality and capacity in the individual4 ,in the case of most men it makes itself felt in the good sense1 sobriety of thought1 reasonableness1 candour1 self-command1 and steadiness of view1 which characterize it4 ,in some it will have developed habits of business1 power of influencing others1 and sagacity4 ,in others it will elicit the talent of philosophical speculation1 and lead the mind forward to eminence in this or that intellectual department4 ,in all it will be a faculty of entering with comparative ease into any subject of thought1 and of taking up with aptitude any science or profession4 ,all this it will be and will do in a measure1 even when the mental formation be made after a model but partially true2 for1 as far as effectiveness goes1 even false views of things have more influence and inspire more respect than no views at all4 ,men who fancy they see what is not are more energetic1 and make their way better1 than those who see nothing2 and so the undoubting infidel1 the fanatic1 the heresiarch1 are able to do much1 while the mere hereditary ,christian1 who has never realized the truths which he holds1 is unable to do any thing4 ,but1 if consistency of view can add so much strength even to error1 what may it not be expected to furnish to the dignity1 the energy1 and the influence of ,truth6 ,some one1 however1 will perhaps object that ,i am but advocating that spurious philosophism1 which shows itself in what1 for want of a word1 ,i may call 8viewiness10 when ,i speak so much of the formation1 and consequent grasp1 of the intellect4 ,it may be said that the theory of ,university ,education1 which ,i have been delineating1 if acted upon1 would teach youths nothing soundly or thoroughly1 and would dismiss them with nothing better than brilliant general views about all things whatever4 ,this indeed1 if well founded1 would be a most serious objection to what ,i have advanced in this ,volume1 and would demand my immediate attention1 had ,i any reason to think that ,i could not remove it at once1 by a simple explanation of what ,i consider the true mode of educating1 were this the place to do so4 ,but these ,discourses are directed simply to the consideration of the aims and principles of ,education4 ,suffice it1 then1 to say here1 that ,i hold very strongly that the first step in intellectual training is to impress upon a boy's mind the idea of science1 method1 order1 principle1 and system2 of rule and exception1 of richness and harmony4 ,this is commonly and excellently done by making him begin with ,grammar2 nor can too great accuracy1 or minuteness and subtlety of teaching be used towards him1 as his faculties expand1 with this simple purpose4 ,hence it is that critical scholarship is so important a discipline for him when he is leaving school for the ,university4 ,a second science is the ,mathematics3 this should follow ,grammar1 still with the same object1 viz41 to give him a conception of development and arrangement from and around a common centre4 ,hence it is that ,chronology and ,geography are so necessary for him1 when he reads ,history1 which is otherwise little better than a story-book4 ,hence1 too1 ,metrical ,composition1 when he reads ,poetry2 in order to stimulate his powers into action in every practicable way1 and to prevent a merely passive reception of images and ideas which in that case are likely to pass out of the mind as soon as they have entered it4 ,let him once gain this habit of method1 of starting from fixed points1 of making his ground good as he goes1 of distinguishing what he knows from what he does not know1 and ,i conceive he will be gradually initiated into the largest and truest philosophical views1 and will feel nothing but impatience and disgust at the random theories and imposing sophistries and dashing paradoxes1 which carry away half-formed and superficial intellects4 ,such parti-coloured ingenuities are indeed one of the chief evils of the day1 and men of real talent are not slow to minister to them4 ,an intellectual man1 as the world now conceives of him1 is one who is full of 8views0 on all subjects of philosophy1 on all matters of the day4 ,it is almost thought a disgrace not to have a view at a moment's notice on any question from the ,personal ,advent to the ,cholera or ,mesmerism4 ,this is owing in great measure to the necessities of periodical literature1 now so much in request4 ,every quarter of a year1 every month1 every day1 there must be a supply1 for the gratification of the public1 of new and luminous theories on the subjects of religion1 foreign politics1 home politics1 civil economy1 finance1 trade1 agriculture1 emigration1 and the colonies4 ,slavery1 the gold fields1 ,german philosophy1 the ,french ,empire1 ,wellington1 ,peel1 ,ireland1 must all be practised on1 day after day1 by what are called original thinkers4 ,as the great man's guest must produce his good stories or songs at the evening banquet1 as the platform orator exhibits his telling facts at mid-day1 so the journalist lies under the stern obligation of extemporizing his lucid views1 leading ideas1 and nutshell truths for the breakfast table4 ,the very nature of periodical literature1 broken into small wholes1 and demanded punctually to an hour1 involves the habit of this extempore philosophy4 8,almost all the ,ramblers10 says ,boswell of ,johnson1 8were written just as they were wanted for the press2 he sent a certain portion of the copy of an essay1 and wrote the remainder while the former part of it was printing40 ,few men have the gifts of ,johnson1 who to great vigour and resource of intellect1 when it was fairly roused1 united a rare common-sense and a conscientious regard for veracity1 which preserved him from flippancy or extravagance in writing4 ,few men are ,johnsons2 yet how many men at this day are assailed by incessant demands on their mental powers1 which only a productiveness like his could suitably supply6 ,there is a demand for a reckless originality of thought1 and a sparkling plausibility of argument1 which he would have despised1 even if he could have displayed2 a demand for crude theory and unsound philosophy1 rather than none at all4 ,it is a sort of repetition of the 8,quid novi80 of the ,areopagus1 and it must have an answer4 ,men must be found who can treat1 where it is necessary1 like the ,athenian sophist1 de omni scibili1 8,grammaticus1 ,rhetor1 ,geometres1 ,pictor1 ,aliptes1 ,augur1 ,schnobates1 ,medicus1 ,magus1 omnia novit40 ,i am speaking of such writers with a feeling of real sympathy for men who are under the rod of a cruel slavery4 ,i have never indeed been in such circumstances myself1 nor in the temptations which they involve2 but most men who have had to do with composition must know the distress which at times it occasions them to have to write--a distress sometimes so keen and so specific that it resembles nothing else than bodily pain4 ,that pain is the token of the wear and tear of mind2 and1 if works done comparatively at leisure involve such mental fatigue and exhaustion1 what must be the toil of those whose intellects are to be flaunted daily before the public in full dress1 and that dress ever new and varied1 and spun1 like the silkworm's1 out of themselves6 ,still whatever true sympathy we may feel for the ministers of this dearly purchased luxury1 and whatever sense we may have of the great intellectual power which the literature in question displays1 we cannot honestly close our eyes to its direct evil4 ,one other remark suggests itself1 which is the last ,i shall think it necessary to make4 ,the authority1 which in former times was lodged in ,universities1 now resides in very great measure in that literary world1 as it is called1 to which ,i have been referring4 ,this is not satisfactory1 if1 as no one can deny1 its teaching be so offhand1 so ambitious1 so changeable4 ,it increases the seriousness of the mischief1 that so very large a portion of its writers are anonymous1 for irresponsible power never can be any thing but a great evil2 and1 moreover1 that1 even when they are known1 they can give no better guarantee for the philosophical truth of their principles than their popularity at the moment1 and their happy conformity in ethical character to the age which admires them4 ,protestants1 however1 may do as they will3 it is a matter for their own consideration2 but at least it concerns us that our own literary tribunals and oracles of moral duty should bear a graver character4 ,at least it is a matter of deep solicitude to ,catholic ,prelates that their people should be taught a wisdom1 safe from the excesses and vagaries of individuals1 embodied in institutions which have stood the trial and received the sanction of ages1 and administered by men who have no need to be anonymous1 as being supported by their consistency with their predecessors and with each other4 ,november #ba4 #aheb4 ,,university ,,teaching4 ,discourse ,i4 ,introductory4 #a4 ,in addressing myself1 ,gentlemen1 to the consideration of a question which has excited so much interest1 and elicited so much discussion at the present day1 as that of ,university ,education1 ,i feel some explanation is due from me for supposing1 after such high ability and wide experience have been brought to bear upon it1 that any field remains for the additional labours either of a disputant or of an inquirer4 ,if1 nevertheless1 ,i still venture to ask permission to continue the discussion1 already so protracted1 it is because the subject of ,liberal ,education1 and of the principles on which it must be conducted1 has ever had a hold upon my own mind2 and because ,i have lived the greater part of my life in a place which has all that time been occupied in a series of controversies both domestic and with strangers1 and of measures1 experimental or definitive1 bearing upon it4 ,about fifty years since1 the ,english ,university1 of which ,i was so long a member1 after a century of inactivity1 at length was roused1 at a time when 7as ,i may say7 it was giving no education at all to the youth committed to its keeping1 to a sense of the responsibilities which its profession and its station involved1 and it presents to us the singular example of an heterogeneous and an independent body of men1 setting about a work of self-reformation1 not from any pressure of public opinion1 but because it was fitting and right to undertake it4 ,its initial efforts1 begun and carried on amid many obstacles1 were met from without1 as often happens in such cases1 by ungenerous and jealous criticisms1 which1 at the very moment that they were urged1 were beginning to be unjust4 ,controversy did but bring out more clearly to its own apprehension the views on which its reformation was proceeding1 and throw them into a philosophical form4 ,the course of beneficial change made progress1 and what was at first but the result of individual energy and an act of the academical corporation1 gradually became popular1 and was taken up and carried out by the separate collegiate bodies1 of which the ,university is composed4 ,this was the first stage of the controversy4 ,years passed away1 and then political adversaries arose against it1 and the system of education which it had established was a second time assailed2 but still1 since that contest was conducted for the most part through the medium1 not of political acts1 but of treatises and pamphlets1 it happened as before that the threatened dangers1 in the course of their repulse1 did but afford fuller development and more exact delineation to the principles of which the ,university was the representative4 ,in the former of these two controversies the charge brought against its studies was their remoteness from the occupations and duties of life1 to which they are the formal introduction1 or1 in other words1 their inutility2 in the latter1 it was their connexion with a particular form of belief1 or1 in other words1 their religious exclusiveness4 ,living then so long as a witness1 though hardly as an actor1 in these scenes of intellectual conflict1 ,i am able to bear witness to views of ,university ,education1 without authority indeed in themselves1 but not without value to a ,catholic1 and less familiar to him1 as ,i conceive1 than they deserve to be4 ,and1 while an argument originating in the controversies to which ,i have referred1 may be serviceable at this season to that great cause in which we are here so especially interested1 to me personally it will afford satisfaction of a peculiar kind2 for1 though it has been my lot for many years to take a prominent1 sometimes a presumptuous1 part in theological discussions1 yet the natural turn of my mind carries me off to trains of thought like those which ,i am now about to open1 which1 important though they be for ,catholic objects1 and admitting of a ,catholic treatment1 are sheltered from the extreme delicacy and peril which attach to disputations directly bearing on the subject-matter of ,divine ,revelation4 #b4 ,there are several reasons why ,i should open the discussion with a reference to the lessons with which past years have supplied me4 ,one reason is this3 ,it would concern me1 ,gentlemen1 were ,i supposed to have got up my opinions for the occasion4 ,this1 indeed1 would have been no reflection on me personally1 supposing ,i were persuaded of their truth1 when at length addressing myself to the inquiry2 but it would have destroyed1 of course1 the force of my testimony1 and deprived such arguments1 as ,i might adduce1 of that moral persuasiveness which attends on tried and sustained conviction4 ,it would have made me seem the advocate1 rather than the cordial and deliberate maintainer and witness1 of the doctrines which ,i was to support2 and1 though it might be said to evidence the faith ,i reposed in the practical judgment of the ,church1 and the intimate concurrence of my own reason with the course she had authoritatively sanctioned1 and the devotion with which ,i could promptly put myself at her disposal1 it would have cast suspicion on the validity of reasonings and conclusions which rested on no independent inquiry1 and appealed to no past experience4 ,in that case it might have been plausibly objected by opponents that ,i was the serviceable expedient of an emergency1 and never1 after all1 could be more than ingenious and adroit in the management of an argument which was not my own1 and which ,i was sure to forget again as readily as ,i had mastered it4 ,but this is not so4 ,the views to which ,i have referred have grown into my whole system of thought1 and are1 as it were1 part of myself4 ,many changes has my mind gone through3 here it has known no variation or vacillation of opinion1 and though this by itself is no proof of the truth of my principles1 it puts a seal upon conviction1 and is a justification of earnestness and zeal4 ,those principles1 which ,i am now to set forth under the sanction of the ,catholic ,church1 were my profession at that early period of my life1 when religion was to me more a matter of feeling and experience than of faith4 ,they did but take greater hold upon me1 as ,i was introduced to the records of ,christian ,antiquity1 and approached in sentiment and desire to ,catholicism2 and my sense of their correctness has been increased with the events of every year since ,i have been brought within its pale4 ,and here ,i am brought to a second and more important reason for referring1 on this occasion1 to the conclusions at which ,protestants have arrived on the subject of ,liberal ,education2 and it is as follows3 ,let it be observed1 then1 that the principles on which ,i would conduct the inquiry are attainable1 as ,i have already implied1 by the mere experience of life4 ,they do not come simply of theology2 they imply no supernatural discernment2 they have no special connexion with ,revelation2 they almost arise out of the nature of the case2 they are dictated even by human prudence and wisdom1 though a divine illumination be absent1 and they are recognized by common sense1 even where self-interest is not present to quicken it2 and1 therefore1 though true1 and just1 and good in themselves1 they imply nothing whatever as to the religious profession of those who maintain them4 ,they may be held by ,protestants as well as by ,catholics2 nay1 there is reason to anticipate that in certain times and places they will be more thoroughly investigated1 and better understood1 and held more firmly by ,protestants than by ourselves4 ,it is natural to expect this from the very circumstance that the philosophy of ,education is founded on truths in the natural order4 ,where the sun shines bright1 in the warm climate of the south1 the natives of the place know little of safeguards against cold and wet4 ,they have1 indeed1 bleak and piercing blasts2 they have chill and pouring rain1 but only now and then1 for a day or a week2 they bear the inconvenience as they best may1 but they have not made it an art to repel it2 it is not worth their while2 the science of calefaction and ventilation is reserved for the north4 ,it is in this way that ,catholics stand relatively to ,protestants in the science of ,education2 ,protestants depending on human means mainly1 are led to make the most of them3 their sole resource is to use what they have2 8,knowledge is0 their 8power0 and nothing else2 they are the anxious cultivators of a rugged soil4 ,it is otherwise with us2 8funes ceciderunt mihi in prclaris40 ,we have a goodly inheritance4 ,this is apt to cause us 7,i do not mean to rely too much on prayer1 and the ,divine ,blessing1 for that is impossible2 but7 we sometimes forget that we shall please ,him best1 and get most from ,him1 when1 according to the ,fable1 we 8put our shoulder to the wheel10 when we use what we have by nature to the utmost1 at the same time that we look out for what is beyond nature in the confidence of faith and hope4 ,however1 we are sometimes tempted to let things take their course1 as if they would in one way or another turn up right at last for certain2 and so we go on1 living from hand to mouth1 getting into difficulties and getting out of them1 succeeding certainly on the whole1 but with failure in detail which might be avoided1 and with much of imperfection or inferiority in our appointments and plans1 and much disappointment1 discouragement1 and collision of opinion in consequence4 ,if this be in any measure the state of the case1 there is certainly so far a reason for availing ourselves of the investigations and experience of those who are not ,catholics1 when we have to address ourselves to the subject of ,liberal ,education4 ,nor is there surely any thing derogatory to the position of a ,catholic in such a proceeding4 ,the ,church has ever appealed and deferred to witnesses and authorities external to herself1 in those matters in which she thought they had means of forming a judgment3 and that on the principle1 ,cuique in arte sua credendum4 ,she has even used unbelievers and pagans in evidence of her truth1 as far as their testimony went4 ,she avails herself of scholars1 critics1 and antiquarians1 who are not of her communion4 ,she has worded her theological teaching in the phraseology of ,aristotle2 ,aquila1 ,symmachus1 ,theodotion1 ,origen1 ,eusebius1 and ,apollinaris1 all more or less heterodox1 have supplied materials for primitive exegetics4 ,st4 ,cyprian called ,tertullian his master2 ,st4 ,augustin refers to ,ticonius2 ,bossuet1 in modern times1 complimented the labours of the ,anglican ,bull2 the ,benedictine editors of the ,fathers are familiar with the labours of ,fell1 ,ussher1 ,pearson1 and ,beveridge4 ,pope ,benedict ,,xiv4 cites according to the occasion the works of ,protestants without reserve1 and the late ,french collection of ,christian ,apologists contains the writings of ,locke1 ,burnet1 ,tillotson1 and ,paley4 ,if1 then1 ,i come forward in any degree as borrowing the views of certain ,protestant schools on the point which is to be discussed1 ,i do so1 ,gentlemen1 as believing1 first1 that the ,catholic ,church has ever1 in the plenitude of her divine illumination1 made use of whatever truth or wisdom she has found in their teaching or their measures2 and next1 that in particular places or times her children are likely to profit from external suggestions or lessons1 which have not been provided for them by herself4 #c4 ,and here ,i may mention a third reason for appealing at the outset to the proceedings of ,protestant bodies in regard to ,liberal ,education4 ,it will serve to intimate the mode in which ,i propose to handle my subject altogether4 ,observe then1 ,gentlemen1 ,i have no intention1 in any thing ,i shall say1 of bringing into the argument the authority of the ,church1 or any authority at all2 but ,i shall consider the question simply on the grounds of human reason and human wisdom4 ,i am investigating in the abstract1 and am determining what is in itself right and true4 ,for the moment ,i know nothing1 so to say1 of history4 ,i take things as ,i find them2 ,i have no concern with the past2 ,i find myself here2 ,i set myself to the duties ,i find here2 ,i set myself to further1 by every means in my power1 doctrines and views1 true in themselves1 recognized by ,catholics as such1 familiar to my own mind2 and to do this quite apart from the consideration of questions which have been determined without me and before me4 ,i am here the advocate and the minister of a certain great principle2 yet not merely advocate and minister1 else had ,i not been here at all4 ,it has been my previous keen sense and hearty reception of that principle1 that has been at once the reason1 as ,i must suppose1 of my being selected for this office1 and is the cause of my accepting it4 ,i am told on authority that a principle is expedient1 which ,i have ever felt to be true4 ,and ,i argue in its behalf on its own merits1 the authority1 which brings me here1 being my opportunity for arguing1 but not the ground of my argument itself4 ,and a fourth reason is here suggested for consulting the history of ,protestant institutions1 when ,i am going to speak of the object and nature of ,university ,education4 ,it will serve to remind you1 ,gentlemen1 that ,i am concerned with questions1 not simply of immutable truth1 but of practice and expedience4 ,it would ill have become me to undertake a subject1 on which points of dispute have arisen among persons so far above me in authority and name1 in relation to a state of society1 about which ,i have so much to learn1 if it involved an appeal to sacred truths1 or the determination of some imperative rule of conduct4 ,it would have been presumptuous in me so to have acted1 nor am ,i so acting4 ,even the question of the union of ,theology with the secular ,sciences1 which is its religious side1 simple as it is of solution in the abstract1 has1 according to difference of circumstances1 been at different times differently decided4 ,necessity has no law1 and expedience is often one form of necessity4 ,it is no principle with sensible men1 of whatever cast of opinion1 to do always what is abstractedly best4 ,where no direct duty forbids1 we may be obliged to do1 as being best under circumstances1 what we murmur and rise against1 while we do it4 ,we see that to attempt more is to effect less2 that we must accept so much1 or gain nothing2 and so perforce we reconcile ourselves to what we would have far otherwise1 if we could4 ,thus a system of what is called secular ,education1 in which ,theology and the ,sciences are taught separately1 may1 in a particular place or time1 be the least of evils2 it may be of long standing2 it may be dangerous to meddle with2 it may be professedly a temporary arrangement2 it may be under a process of improvement2 its disadvantages may be neutralized by the persons by whom1 or the provisions under which1 it is administered4 ,hence it was1 that in the early ages the ,church allowed her children to attend the heathen schools for the acquisition of secular accomplishments1 where1 as no one can doubt1 evils existed1 at least as great as can attend on ,mixed ,education now4 ,the gravest ,fathers recommended for ,christian youth the use of ,pagan masters2 the most saintly ,bishops and most authoritative ,doctors had been sent in their adolescence by ,christian parents to ,pagan lecture halls47#c7 ,and1 not to take other instances1 at this very time1 and in this very country1 as regards at least the poorer classes of the community1 whose secular acquirements ever must be limited1 it has seemed best to the ,irish ,bishops1 under the circumstances1 to suffer the introduction into the country of a system of ,mixed ,education in the schools called ,national4 ,such a state of things1 however1 is passing away2 as regards ,university education at least1 the highest authority has now decided that the plan1 which is abstractedly best1 is in this time and country also most expedient4 #d4 ,and here ,i have an opportunity of recognizing once for all that higher view of approaching the subject of these ,discourses1 which1 after this formal recognition1 ,i mean to dispense with4 ,ecclesiastical authority1 not argument1 is the supreme rule and the appropriate guide for ,catholics in matters of religion4 ,it has always the right to interpose1 and sometimes1 in the conflict of parties and opinions1 it is called on to exercise that right4 ,it has lately exercised it in our own instance3 it has interposed in favour of a pure ,university system for ,catholic youth1 forbidding compromise or accommodation of any kind4 ,of course its decision must be heartily accepted and obeyed1 and that the more1 because the decision proceeds1 not simply from the ,bishops of ,ireland1 great as their authority is1 but the highest authority on earth1 from the ,chair of ,st4 ,peter4 ,moreover1 such a decision not only demands our submission1 but has a claim upon our trust4 ,it not only acts as a prohibition of any measures1 but as an ipso facto confutation of any reasonings1 inconsistent with it4 ,it carries with it an earnest and an augury of its own expediency4 ,for instance1 ,i can fancy1 ,gentlemen1 there may be some1 among those who hear me1 disposed to say that they are ready to acquit the principles of ,education1 which ,i am to advocate1 of all fault whatever1 except that of being impracticable4 ,i can fancy them granting to me1 that those principles are most correct and most obvious1 simply irresistible on paper1 but maintaining1 nevertheless1 that after all1 they are nothing more than the dreams of men who live out of the world1 and who do not see the difficulty of keeping ,catholicism anyhow afloat on the bosom of this wonderful nineteenth century4 ,proved1 indeed1 those principles are1 to demonstration1 but they will not work4 ,nay1 it was my own admission just now1 that1 in a particular instance1 it might easily happen1 that what is only second best is best practically1 because what is actually best is out of the question4 ,this1 ,i hear you say to yourselves1 is the state of things at present4 ,you recount in detail the numberless impediments1 great and small1 formidable or only vexatious1 which at every step embarrass the attempt to carry out ever so poorly a principle in itself so true and ecclesiastical4 ,you appeal in your defence to wise and sagacious intellects1 who are far from enemies to ,catholicism1 or to the ,irish ,hierarchy1 and you have no hope1 or rather you absolutely disbelieve1 that ,education can possibly be conducted1 here and now1 on a theological principle1 or that youths of different religions can1 under the circumstances of the country1 be educated apart from each other4 ,the more you think over the state of politics1 the position of parties1 the feelings of classes1 and the experience of the past1 the more chimerical does it seem to you to aim at a ,university1 of which ,catholicity is the fundamental principle4 ,nay1 even if the attempt could accidentally succeed1 would not the mischief exceed the benefit of it8 ,how great the sacrifices1 in how many ways1 by which it would be preceded and followed6 how many wounds1 open and secret1 would it inflict upon the body politic6 ,and1 if it fails1 which is to be expected1 then a double mischief will ensue from its recognition of evils which it has been unable to remedy4 ,these are your deep misgivings2 and1 in proportion to the force with which they come to you1 is the concern and anxiety which you feel1 that there should be those whom you love1 whom you revere1 who from one cause or other refuse to enter into them4 #e4 ,this1 ,i repeat1 is what some good ,catholics will say to me1 and more than this4 ,they will express themselves better than ,i can speak for them in their behalf1--with more earnestness and point1 with more force of argument and fulness of detail2 and ,i will frankly and at once acknowledge1 that ,i shall insist on the high theological view of a ,university without attempting to give a direct answer to their arguments against its present practicability4 ,i do not say an answer cannot be given2 on the contrary1 ,i have a confident expectation that1 in proportion as those objections are looked in the face1 they will fade away4 ,but1 however this may be1 it would not become me to argue the matter with those who understand the circumstances of the problem so much better than myself4 ,what do ,i know of the state of things in ,ireland1 that ,i should presume to put ideas of mine1 which could not be right except by accident1 by the side of theirs1 who speak in the country of their birth and their home8 ,no1 ,gentlemen1 you are natural judges of the difficulties which beset us1 and they are doubtless greater than ,i can even fancy or forbode4 ,let me1 for the sake of argument1 admit all you say against our enterprise1 and a great deal more4 ,your proof of its intrinsic impossibility shall be to me as cogent as my own of its theological advisableness4 ,why1 then1 should ,i be so rash and perverse as to involve myself in trouble not properly mine8 ,why go out of my own place8 ,why so headstrong and reckless as to lay up for myself miscarriage and disappointment1 as though ,i were not sure to have enough of personal trial anyhow without going about to seek for it8 ,reflections such as these would be decisive even with the boldest and most capable minds1 but for one consideration4 ,in the midst of our difficulties ,i have one ground of hope1 just one stay1 but1 as ,i think1 a sufficient one1 which serves me in the stead of all other argument whatever1 which hardens me against criticism1 which supports me if ,i begin to despond1 and to which ,i ever come round1 when the question of the possible and the expedient is brought into discussion4 ,it is the decision of the ,holy ,see2 ,st4 ,peter has spoken1 it is he who has enjoined that which seems to us so unpromising4 ,he has spoken1 and has a claim on us to trust him4 ,he is no recluse1 no solitary student1 no dreamer about the past1 no doter upon the dead and gone1 no projector of the visionary4 ,he for eighteen hundred years has lived in the world2 he has seen all fortunes1 he has encountered all adversaries1 he has shaped himself for all emergencies4 ,if ever there was a power on earth who had an eye for the times1 who has confined himself to the practicable1 and has been happy in his anticipations1 whose words have been facts1 and whose commands prophecies1 such is he in the history of ages1 who sits from generation to generation in the ,chair of the ,apostles1 as the ,vicar of ,christ1 and the ,doctor of ,his ,church4 #f4 ,these are not the words of rhetoric1 ,gentlemen1 but of history4 ,all who take part with the ,apostle1 are on the winning side4 ,he has long since given warrants for the confidence which he claims4 ,from the first he has looked through the wide world1 of which he has the burden2 and1 according to the need of the day1 and the inspirations of his ,lord1 he has set himself now to one thing1 now to another2 but to all in season1 and to nothing in vain4 ,he came first upon an age of refinement and luxury like our own1 and1 in spite of the persecutor1 fertile in the resources of his cruelty1 he soon gathered1 out of all classes of society1 the slave1 the soldier1 the high-born lady1 and the sophist1 materials enough to form a people to his ,master's honour4 ,the savage hordes come down in torrents from the north1 and ,peter went out to meet them1 and by his very eye he sobered them1 and backed them in their full career4 ,they turned aside and flooded the whole earth1 but only to be more surely civilized by him1 and to be made ten times more his children even than the older populations which they had overwhelmed4 ,lawless kings arose1 sagacious as the ,roman1 passionate as the ,hun1 yet in him they found their match1 and were shattered1 and he lived on4 ,the gates of the earth were opened to the east and west1 and men poured out to take possession2 but he went with them by his missionaries1 to ,china1 to ,mexico1 carried along by zeal and charity1 as far as those children of men were led by enterprise1 covetousness1 or ambition4 ,has he failed in his successes up to this hour8 ,did he1 in our fathers' day1 fail in his struggle with ,joseph of ,germany and his confederates1 with ,napoleon1 a greater name1 and his dependent kings1 that1 though in another kind of fight1 he should fail in ours8 ,what grey hairs are on the head of ,judah1 whose youth is renewed like the eagle's1 whose feet are like the feet of harts1 and underneath the ,everlasting arms8 ,in the first centuries of the ,church all this practical sagacity of ,holy ,church was mere matter of faith1 but every age1 as it has come1 has confirmed faith by actual sight2 and shame on us1 if1 with the accumulated testimony of eighteen centuries1 our eyes are too gross to see those victories which the ,saints have ever seen by anticipation4 ,least of all can we1 the ,catholics of islands which have in the cultivation and diffusion of ,knowledge heretofore been so singularly united under the auspices of the ,apostolic ,see1 least of all can we be the men to distrust its wisdom and to predict its failure1 when it sends us on a similar mission now4 ,i cannot forget that1 at a time when ,celt and ,saxon were alike savage1 it was the ,see of ,peter that gave both of them1 first faith1 then civilization2 and then again bound them together in one by the seal of a joint commission to convert and illuminate in their turn the pagan continent4 ,i cannot forget how it was from ,rome that the glorious ,st4 ,patrick was sent to ,ireland1 and did a work so great that he could not have a successor in it1 the sanctity and learning and zeal and charity which followed on his death being but the result of the one impulse which he gave4 ,i cannot forget how1 in no long time1 under the fostering breath of the ,vicar of ,christ1 a country of heathen superstitions became the very wonder and asylum of all people1--the wonder by reason of its knowledge1 sacred and profane1 and the asylum of religion1 literature and science1 when chased away from the continent by the barbarian invaders4 ,i recollect its hospitality1 freely accorded to the pilgrim2 its volumes munificently presented to the foreign student2 and the prayers1 the blessings1 the holy rites1 the solemn chants1 which sanctified the while both giver and receiver4 ,nor can ,i forget either1 how my own ,england had meanwhile become the solicitude of the same unwearied eye3 how ,augustine was sent to us by ,gregory2 how he fainted in the way at the tidings of our fierceness1 and1 but for the ,pope1 would have shrunk as from an impossible expedition2 how he was forced on 8in weakness and in fear and in much trembling10 until he had achieved the conquest of the island to ,christ4 ,nor1 again1 how it came to pass that1 when ,augustine died and his work slackened1 another ,pope1 unwearied still1 sent three saints from ,rome1 to ennoble and refine the people ,augustine had converted4 ,three holy men set out for ,england together1 of different nations3 ,theodore1 an ,asiatic ,greek1 from ,tarsus2 ,adrian1 an ,african2 ,bennett alone a ,saxon1 for ,peter knows no distinction of races in his ecumenical work4 ,they came with theology and science in their train2 with relics1 with pictures1 with manuscripts of the ,holy ,fathers and the ,greek classics2 and ,theodore and ,adrian founded schools1 secular and monastic1 all over ,england1 while ,bennett brought to the north the large library he had collected in foreign parts1 and1 with plans and ornamental work from ,france1 erected a church of stone1 under the invocation of ,st4 ,peter1 after the ,roman fashion1 8which10 says the historian17#d7 8he most affected40 ,i call to mind how ,st4 ,wilfrid1 ,st4 ,john of ,beverley1 ,st4 ,bede1 and other saintly men1 carried on the good work in the following generations1 and how from that time forth the two islands1 ,england and ,ireland1 in a dark and dreary age1 were the two lights of ,christendom1 and had no claims on each other1 and no thought of self1 save in the interchange of kind offices and the rivalry of love4 #g4 ,o memorable time1 when ,st4 ,aidan and the ,irish monks went up to ,lindisfarne and ,melrose1 and taught the ,saxon youth1 and when a ,st4 ,cuthbert and a ,st4 ,eata repaid their charitable toil6 ,o blessed days of peace and confidence1 when the ,celtic ,mailduf penetrated to ,malmesbury in the south1 which has inherited his name1 and founded there the famous school which gave birth to the great ,st4 ,aldhelm6 ,o precious seal and testimony of ,gospel unity1 when1 as ,aldhelm in turn tells us1 the ,english went to ,ireland 8numerous as bees20 when the ,saxon ,st4 ,egbert and ,st4 ,willibrod1 preachers to the heathen ,frisons1 made the voyage to ,ireland to prepare themselves for their work2 and when from ,ireland went forth to ,germany the two noble ,ewalds1 ,saxons also1 to earn the crown of martyrdom6 ,such a period1 indeed1 so rich in grace1 in peace1 in love1 and in good works1 could only last for a season2 but1 even when the light was to pass away from them1 the sister islands were destined1 not to forfeit1 but to transmit it together4 ,the time came when the neighbouring continental country was in turn to hold the mission which they had exercised so long and well2 and when to it they made over their honourable office1 faithful to the alliance of two hundred years1 they made it a joint act4 ,alcuin was the pupil both of the ,english and of the ,irish schools2 and when ,charlemagne would revive science and letters in his own ,france1 it was ,alcuin1 the representative both of the ,saxon and the ,celt1 who was the chief of those who went forth to supply the need of the great ,emperor4 ,such was the foundation of the ,school of ,paris1 from which1 in the course of centuries1 sprang the famous ,university1 the glory of the middle ages4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the past never returns2 the course of events1 old in its texture1 is ever new in its colouring and fashion4 ,england and ,ireland are not what they once were1 but ,rome is where it was1 and ,st4 ,peter is the same3 his zeal1 his charity1 his mission1 his gifts are all the same4 ,he of old made the two islands one by giving them joint work of teaching2 and now surely he is giving us a like mission1 and we shall become one again1 while we zealously and lovingly fulfil it4 ,discourse ,,ii4 ,theology ,a ,branch ,of ,knowledge4 ,there were two questions1 to which ,i drew your attention1 ,gentlemen1 in the beginning of my first ,discourse1 as being of especial importance and interest at this time3 first1 whether it is consistent with the idea of ,university teaching to exclude ,theology from a place among the sciences which it embraces2 next1 whether it is consistent with that idea to make the useful arts and sciences its direct and principal concern1 to the neglect of those liberal studies and exercises of mind1 in which it has heretofore been considered mainly to consist4 ,these are the questions which will form the subject of what ,i have to lay before you1 and ,i shall now enter upon the former of the two4 #a4 ,it is the fashion just now1 as you very well know1 to erect so-called ,universities1 without making any provision in them at all for ,theological chairs4 ,institutions of this kind exist both here and in ,england4 ,such a procedure1 though defended by writers of the generation just passed with much plausible argument and not a little wit1 seems to me an intellectual absurdity2 and my reason for saying so runs1 with whatever abruptness1 into the form of a syllogism3--,a ,university1 ,i should lay down1 by its very name professes to teach universal knowledge3 ,theology is surely a branch of knowledge3 how then is it possible for it to profess all branches of knowledge1 and yet to exclude from the subjects of its teaching one which1 to say the least1 is as important and as large as any of them8 ,i do not see that either premiss of this argument is open to exception4 ,as to the range of ,university teaching1 certainly the very name of ,university is inconsistent with restrictions of any kind4 ,whatever was the original reason of the adoption of that term1 which is unknown17#e7 ,i am only putting on it its popular1 its recognized sense1 when ,i say that a ,university should teach universal knowledge4 ,that there is a real necessity for this universal teaching in the highest schools of intellect1 ,i will show by-and-by2 here it is sufficient to say that such universality is considered by writers on the subject to be the very characteristic of a ,university1 as contrasted with other seats of learning4 ,thus ,johnson1 in his ,dictionary1 defines it to be 8a school where all arts and faculties are taught20 and ,mosheim1 writing as an historian1 says that1 before the rise of the ,university of ,paris1--for instance1 at ,padua1 or ,salamanca1 or ,cologne1--8the whole circle of sciences then known was not taught20 but that the school of ,paris1 8which exceeded all others in various respects1 as well as in the number of teachers and students1 was the first to embrace all the arts and sciences1 and therefore first became a ,university407#f7 ,if1 with other authors1 we consider the word to be derived from the invitation which is held out by a ,university to students of every kind1 the result is the same2 for1 if certain branches of knowledge were excluded1 those students of course would be excluded also1 who desired to pursue them4 ,is it1 then1 logically consistent in a seat of learning to call itself a ,university1 and to exclude ,theology from the number of its studies8 ,and again1 is it wonderful that ,catholics1 even in the view of reason1 putting aside faith or religious duty1 should be dissatisfied with existing institutions1 which profess to be ,universities1 and refuse to teach ,theology2 and that they should in consequence desire to possess seats of learning1 which are1 not only more ,christian1 but more philosophical in their construction1 and larger and deeper in their provisions8 ,but this1 of course1 is to assume that ,theology is a science1 and an important one3 so ,i will throw my argument into a more exact form4 ,i say1 then1 that if a ,university be1 from the nature of the case1 a place of instruction1 where universal knowledge is professed1 and if in a certain ,university1 so called1 the subject of ,religion is excluded1 one of two conclusions is inevitable1--either1 on the one hand1 that the province of ,religion is very barren of real knowledge1 or1 on the other hand1 that in such ,university one special and important branch of knowledge is omitted4 ,i say1 the advocate of such an institution must say this1 or he must say that2 he must own1 either that little or nothing is known about the ,supreme ,being1 or that his seat of learning calls itself what it is not4 ,this is the thesis which ,i lay down1 and on which ,i shall insist as the subject of this ,discourse4 ,i repeat1 such a compromise between religious parties1 as is involved in the establishment of a ,university which makes no religious profession1 implies that those parties severally consider1--not indeed that their own respective opinions are trifles in a moral and practical point of view--of course not2 but certainly as much as this1 that they are not knowledge4 ,did they in their hearts believe that their private views of religion1 whatever they are1 were absolutely and objectively true1 it is inconceivable that they would so insult them as to consent to their omission in an ,institution which is bound1 from the nature of the case--from its very idea and its name--to make a profession of all sorts of knowledge whatever4 #b4 ,i think this will be found to be no matter of words4 ,i allow then fully1 that1 when men combine together for any common object1 they are obliged1 as a matter of course1 in order to secure the advantages accruing from united action1 to sacrifice many of their private opinions and wishes1 and to drop the minor differences1 as they are commonly called1 which exist between man and man4 ,no two persons perhaps are to be found1 however intimate1 however congenial in tastes and judgments1 however eager to have one heart and one soul1 but must deny themselves1 for the sake of each other1 much which they like or desire1 if they are to live together happily4 ,compromise1 in a large sense of the word1 is the first principle of combination2 and any one who insists on enjoying his rights to the full1 and his opinions without toleration for his neighbour's1 and his own way in all things1 will soon have all things altogether to himself1 and no one to share them with him4 ,but most true as this confessedly is1 still there is an obvious limit1 on the other hand1 to these compromises1 however necessary they be2 and this is found in the proviso1 that the differences surrendered should be but 8minor10 or that there should be no sacrifice of the main object of the combination1 in the concessions which are mutually made4 ,any sacrifice which compromises that object is destructive of the principle of the combination1 and no one who would be consistent can be a party to it4 ,thus1 for instance1 if men of various religious denominations join together for the dissemination of what are called 8evangelical0 tracts1 it is under the belief1 that1 the object of their uniting1 as recognized on all hands1 being the spiritual benefit of their neighbours1 no religious exhortations1 whatever be their character1 can essentially interfere with that benefit1 which faithfully insist upon the ,lutheran doctrine of ,justification4 ,if1 again1 they agree together in printing and circulating the ,protestant ,bible1 it is because they1 one and all1 hold to the principle1 that1 however serious be their differences of religious sentiment1 such differences fade away before the one great principle1 which that circulation symbolizes--that the ,bible1 the whole ,bible1 and nothing but the ,bible1 is the religion of ,protestants4 ,on the contrary1 if the committee of some such association inserted tracts into the copies of the said ,bible which they sold1 and tracts in recommendation of the ,athanasian ,creed or the merit of good works1 ,i conceive any subscribing member would have a just right to complain of a proceeding1 which compromised the principle of ,private ,judgment as the one true interpreter of ,scripture4 ,these instances are sufficient to illustrate my general position1 that coalitions and comprehensions for an object1 have their life in the prosecution of that object1 and cease to have any meaning as soon as that object is compromised or disparaged4 ,when1 then1 a number of persons come forward1 not as politicians1 not as diplomatists1 lawyers1 traders1 or speculators1 but with the one object of advancing ,universal ,knowledge1 much we may allow them to sacrifice4--ambition1 reputation1 leisure1 comfort1 party-interests1 gold2 one thing they may not sacrifice1--,knowledge itself4 ,knowledge being their object1 they need not of course insist on their own private views about ancient or modern history1 or national prosperity1 or the balance of power2 they need not of course shrink from the co-operation of those who hold the opposite views2 but stipulate they must that ,knowledge itself is not compromised2--and as to those views1 of whatever kind1 which they do allow to be dropped1 it is plain they consider such to be opinions1 and nothing more1 however dear1 however important to themselves personally2 opinions ingenious1 admirable1 pleasurable1 beneficial1 expedient1 but not worthy the name of ,knowledge or ,science4 ,thus no one would insist on the ,malthusian teaching being a sine qu non in a seat of learning1 who did not think it simply ignorance not to be a ,malthusian2 and no one would consent to drop the ,newtonian theory1 who thought it to have been proved true1 in the same sense as the existence of the sun and moon is true4 ,if1 then1 in an ,institution which professes all knowledge1 nothing is professed1 nothing is taught about the ,supreme ,being1 it is fair to infer that every individual in the number of those who advocate that ,institution1 supposing him consistent1 distinctly holds that nothing is known for certain about the ,supreme ,being2 nothing such1 as to have any claim to be regarded as a material addition to the stock of general knowledge existing in the world4 ,if on the other hand it turns out that something considerable is known about the ,supreme ,being1 whether from ,reason or ,revelation1 then the ,institution in question professes every science1 and yet leaves out the foremost of them4 ,in a word1 strong as may appear the assertion1 ,i do not see how ,i can avoid making it1 and bear with me1 ,gentlemen1 while ,i do so1 viz41 such an ,institution cannot be what it professes1 if there be a ,god4 ,i do not wish to declaim2 but1 by the very force of the terms1 it is very plain1 that a ,divine ,being and a ,university so circumstanced cannot co-exist4 #c4 ,still1 however1 this may seem to many an abrupt conclusion1 and will not be acquiesced in3 what answer1 ,gentlemen1 will be made to it8 ,perhaps this3--,it will be said1 that there are different kinds or spheres of ,knowledge1 human1 divine1 sensible1 intellectual1 and the like2 and that a ,university certainly takes in all varieties of ,knowledge in its own line1 but still that it has a line of its own4 ,it contemplates1 it occupies a certain order1 a certain platform1 of ,knowledge4 ,i understand the remark2 but ,i own to you1 ,i do not understand how it can be made to apply to the matter in hand4 ,i cannot so construct my definition of the subject-matter of ,university ,knowledge1 and so draw my boundary lines around it1 as to include therein the other sciences commonly studied at ,universities1 and to exclude the science of ,religion4 ,for instance1 are we to limit our idea of ,university ,knowledge by the evidence of our senses8 then we exclude ethics2 by intuition8 we exclude history2 by testimony8 we exclude metaphysics2 by abstract reasoning8 we exclude physics4 ,is not the being of a ,god reported to us by testimony1 handed down by history1 inferred by an inductive process1 brought home to us by metaphysical necessity1 urged on us by the suggestions of our conscience8 ,it is a truth in the natural order1 as well as in the supernatural4 ,so much for its origin2 and1 when obtained1 what is it worth8 ,is it a great truth or a small one8 ,is it a comprehensive truth8 ,say that no other religious idea whatever were given but it1 and you have enough to fill the mind2 you have at once a whole dogmatic system4 ,the word 8,god0 is a ,theology in itself1 indivisibly one1 inexhaustibly various1 from the vastness and the simplicity of its meaning4 ,admit a ,god1 and you introduce among the subjects of your knowledge1 a fact encompassing1 closing in upon1 absorbing1 every other fact conceivable4 ,how can we investigate any part of any order of ,knowledge1 and stop short of that which enters into every order8 ,all true principles run over with it1 all phenomena converge to it2 it is truly the ,first and the ,last4 ,in word indeed1 and in idea1 it is easy enough to divide ,knowledge into human and divine1 secular and religious1 and to lay down that we will address ourselves to the one without interfering with the other2 but it is impossible in fact4 ,granting that divine truth differs in kind from human1 so do human truths differ in kind one from another4 ,if the knowledge of the ,creator is in a different order from knowledge of the creature1 so1 in like manner1 metaphysical science is in a different order from physical1 physics from history1 history from ethics4 ,you will soon break up into fragments the whole circle of secular knowledge1 if you begin the mutilation with divine4 ,i have been speaking simply of ,natural ,theology2 my argument of course is stronger when ,i go on to ,revelation4 ,let the doctrine of the ,incarnation be true3 is it not at once of the nature of an historical fact1 and of a metaphysical8 ,let it be true that there are ,angels3 how is not this a point of knowledge in the same sense as the naturalist's asseveration1 that myriads of living things might co-exist on the point of a needle8 ,that the ,earth is to be burned by fire1 is1 if true1 as large a fact as that huge monsters once played amid its depths2 that ,antichrist is to come1 is as categorical a heading to a chapter of history1 as that ,nero or ,julian was ,emperor of ,rome2 that a divine influence moves the will1 is a subject of thought not more mysterious than the result of volition on our muscles1 which we admit as a fact in metaphysics4 ,i do not see how it is possible for a philosophical mind1 first1 to believe these religious facts to be true2 next1 to consent to ignore them2 and thirdly1 in spite of this1 to go on to profess to be teaching all the while de omni scibili4 ,no2 if a man thinks in his heart that these religious facts are short of truth1 that they are not true in the sense in which the general fact and the law of the fall of a stone to the earth is true1 ,i understand his excluding ,religion from his ,university1 though he professes other reasons for its exclusion4 ,in that case the varieties of religious opinion under which he shelters his conduct1 are not only his apology for publicly disowning ,religion1 but a cause of his privately disbelieving it4 ,he does not think that any thing is known or can be known for certain1 about the origin of the world or the end of man4 #d4 ,this1 ,i fear1 is the conclusion to which intellects1 clear1 logical1 and consistent1 have come1 or are coming1 from the nature of the case2 and1 alas6 in addition to this prim-facie suspicion1 there are actual tendencies in the same direction in ,protestantism1 viewed whether in its original idea1 or again in the so-called ,evangelical movement in these islands during the last century4 ,the religious world1 as it is styled1 holds1 generally speaking1 that ,religion consists1 not in knowledge1 but in feeling or sentiment4 ,the old ,catholic notion1 which still lingers in the ,established ,church1 was1 that ,faith was an intellectual act1 its object truth1 and its result knowledge4 ,thus if you look into the ,anglican ,prayer ,book1 you will find definite credenda1 as well as definite agenda2 but in proportion as the ,lutheran leaven spread1 it became fashionable to say that ,faith was1 not an acceptance of revealed doctrine1 not an act of the intellect1 but a feeling1 an emotion1 an affection1 an appetency2 and1 as this view of ,faith obtained1 so was the connexion of ,faith with ,truth and ,knowledge more and more either forgotten or denied4 ,at length the identity of this 7so-called7 spirituality of heart and the virtue of ,faith was acknowledged on all hands4 ,some men indeed disapproved the pietism in question1 others admired it2 but whether they admired or disapproved1 both the one party and the other found themselves in agreement on the main point1 viz4--in considering that this really was in substance ,religion1 and nothing else2 that ,religion was based1 not on argument1 but on taste and sentiment1 that nothing was objective1 every thing subjective1 in doctrine4 ,i say1 even those who saw through the affectation in which the religious school of which ,i am speaking clad itself1 still came to think that ,religion1 as such1 consisted in something short of intellectual exercises1 viz41 in the affections1 in the imagination1 in inward persuasions and consolations1 in pleasurable sensations1 sudden changes1 and sublime fancies4 ,they learned to believe and to take it for granted1 that ,religion was nothing beyond a supply of the wants of human nature1 not an external fact and a work of ,god4 ,there was1 it appeared1 a demand for ,religion1 and therefore there was a supply2 human nature could not do without ,religion1 any more than it could do without bread2 a supply was absolutely necessary1 good or bad1 and1 as in the case of the articles of daily sustenance1 an article which was really inferior was better than none at all4 ,thus ,religion was useful1 venerable1 beautiful1 the sanction of order1 the stay of government1 the curb of self-will and self-indulgence1 which the laws cannot reach3 but1 after all1 on what was it based8 ,why1 that was a question delicate to ask1 and imprudent to answer2 but1 if the truth must be spoken1 however reluctantly1 the long and the short of the matter was this1 that ,religion was based on custom1 on prejudice1 on law1 on education1 on habit1 on loyalty1 on feudalism1 on enlightened expedience1 on many1 many things1 but not at all on reason2 reason was neither its warrant1 nor its instrument1 and science had as little connexion with it as with the fashions of the season1 or the state of the weather4 ,you see1 ,gentlemen1 how a theory or philosophy1 which began with the religious changes of the sixteenth century1 has led to conclusions1 which the authors of those changes would be the first to denounce1 and has been taken up by that large and influential body which goes by the name of ,liberal or ,latitudinarian2 and how1 where it prevails1 it is as unreasonable of course to demand for ,religion a chair in a ,university1 as to demand one for fine feeling1 sense of honour1 patriotism1 gratitude1 maternal affection1 or good companionship1 proposals which would be simply unmeaning4 #e4 ,now1 in illustration of what ,i have been saying1 ,i will appeal1 in the first place1 to a statesman1 but not merely so1 to no mere politician1 no trader in places1 or in votes1 or in the stock market1 but to a philosopher1 to an orator1 to one whose profession1 whose aim1 has ever been to cultivate the fair1 the noble1 and the generous4 ,i cannot forget the celebrated discourse of the celebrated man to whom ,i am referring2 a man who is first in his peculiar walk2 and who1 moreover 7which is much to my purpose71 has had a share1 as much as any one alive1 in effecting the public recognition in these ,islands of the principle of separating secular and religious knowledge4 ,this brilliant thinker1 during the years in which he was exerting himself in behalf of this principle1 made a speech or discourse1 on occasion of a public solemnity2 and in reference to the bearing of general knowledge upon religious belief1 he spoke as follows3 8,as men10 he said1 8will no longer suffer themselves to be led blindfold in ignorance1 so will they no more yield to the vile principle of judging and treating their fellow-creatures1 not according to the intrinsic merit of their actions1 but according to the accidental and involuntary coincidence of their opinions4 ,the great truth has finally gone forth to all the ends of the earth10 and he prints it in capital letters1 8that man shall no more render account to man for his belief1 over which he has himself no control4 ,henceforward1 nothing shall prevail upon us to praise or to blame any one for that which he can no more change1 than he can the hue of his skin or the height of his stature407#g7 ,you see1 ,gentlemen1 if this philosopher is to decide the matter1 religious ideas are just as far from being real1 or representing anything beyond themselves1 are as truly peculiarities1 idiosyncracies1 accidents of the individual1 as his having the stature of a ,patagonian1 or the features of a ,negro4 ,but perhaps this was the rhetoric of an excited moment4 ,far from it1 ,gentlemen1 or ,i should not have fastened on the words of a fertile mind1 uttered so long ago4 ,what ,mr4 ,brougham laid down as a principle in #ahbe1 resounds on all sides of us1 with ever-growing confidence and success1 in #aheb4 ,i open the ,minutes of the ,committee of ,council on ,education for the years #ahdh-ej1 presented to both ,houses of ,parliament by command of ,her ,majesty1 and ,i find one of ,her ,majesty's ,inspectors of ,schools1 at p4 #dfg of the second volume1 dividing 8the topics usually embraced in the better class of primary schools0 into four3--the knowledge of signs1 as reading and writing2 of facts1 as geography and astronomy2 of relations and laws1 as mathematics2 and lastly sentiment1 such as poetry and music4 ,now1 on first catching sight of this division1 it occurred to me to ask myself1 before ascertaining the writer's own resolution of the matter1 under which of these four heads would fall ,religion1 or whether it fell under any of them4 ,did he put it aside as a thing too delicate and sacred to be enumerated with earthly studies8 or did he distinctly contemplate it when he made his division8 ,anyhow1 ,i could really find a place for it under the first head1 or the second1 or the third2 for it has to do with facts1 since it tells of the ,self-subsisting2 it has to do with relations1 for it tells of the ,creator2 it has to do with signs1 for it tells of the due manner of speaking of ,him4 ,there was just one head of the division to which ,i could not refer it1 viz41 to sentiment2 for1 ,i suppose1 music and poetry1 which are the writer's own examples of sentiment1 have not much to do with ,truth1 which is the main object of ,religion4 ,judge then my surprise1 ,gentlemen1 when ,i found the fourth was the very head selected by the writer of the ,report in question1 as the special receptacle of religious topics4 8,the inculcation of sentiment10 he says1 8embraces reading in its higher sense1 poetry1 music1 together with moral and religious ,education40 ,i am far from introducing this writer for his own sake1 because ,i have no wish to hurt the feelings of a gentleman1 who is but exerting himself zealously in the discharge of anxious duties2 but1 taking him as an illustration of the wide-spreading school of thought to which he belongs1 ,i ask what can more clearly prove than a candid avowal like this1 that1 in the view of his school1 ,religion is not knowledge1 has nothing whatever to do with knowledge1 and is excluded from a ,university course of instruction1 not simply because the exclusion cannot be helped1 from political or social obstacles1 but because it has no business there at all1 because it is to be considered a taste1 sentiment1 opinion1 and nothing more8 ,the writer avows this conclusion himself1 in the explanation into which he presently enters1 in which he says3 8,according to the classification proposed1 the essential idea of all religious ,education will consist in the direct cultivation of the feelings40 ,what we contemplate1 then1 what we aim at1 when we give a religious ,education1 is1 it seems1 not to impart any knowledge whatever1 but to satisfy anyhow desires after the ,unseen which will arise in our minds in spite of ourselves1 to provide the mind with a means of self-command1 to impress on it the beautiful ideas which saints and sages have struck out1 to embellish it with the bright hues of a celestial piety1 to teach it the poetry of devotion1 the music of well-ordered affections1 and the luxury of doing good4 ,as for the intellect1 its exercise happens to be unavoidable1 whenever moral impressions are made1 from the constitution of the human mind1 but it varies in the results of that exercise1 in the conclusions which it draws from our impressions1 according to the peculiarities of the individual4 ,something like this seems to be the writer's meaning1 but we need not pry into its finer issues in order to gain a distinct view of its general bearing2 and taking it1 as ,i think we fairly may take it1 as a specimen of the philosophy of the day1 as adopted by those who are not conscious unbelievers1 or open scoffers1 ,i consider it amply explains how it comes to pass that this day's philosophy sets up a system of universal knowledge1 and teaches of plants1 and earths1 and creeping things1 and beasts1 and gases1 about the crust of the earth and the changes of the atmosphere1 about sun1 moon1 and stars1 about man and his doings1 about the history of the world1 about sensation1 memory1 and the passions1 about duty1 about cause and effect1 about all things imaginable1 except one--and that is1 about ,him that made all these things1 about ,god4 ,i say the reason is plain because they consider knowledge1 as regards the creature1 is illimitable1 but impossible or hopeless as regards the being and attributes and works of the ,creator4 #f4 ,here1 however1 it may be objected to me that this representation is certainly extreme1 for the school in question does1 in fact1 lay great stress on the evidence afforded by the creation1 to the ,being and ,attributes of the ,creator4 ,i may be referred1 for instance1 to the words of one of the speakers on a memorable occasion4 ,at the very time of laying the first stone of the ,university of ,london1 ,i confess it1 a learned person1 since elevated to the ,protestant ,see of ,durham1 which he still fills1 opened the proceedings with prayer4 ,he addressed the ,deity1 as the authoritative ,report informs us1 8the whole surrounding assembly standing uncovered in solemn silence40 8,thou10 he said1 in the name of all present1 8thou hast constructed the vast fabric of the universe in so wonderful a manner1 so arranged its motions1 and so formed its productions1 that the contemplation and study of thy works exercise at once the mind in the pursuit of human science1 and lead it onwards to ,divine ,truth40 ,here is apparently a distinct recognition that there is such a thing as ,truth in the province of ,religion2 and1 did the passage stand by itself1 and were it the only means we possessed of ascertaining the sentiments of the powerful body whom this distinguished person there represented1 it would1 as far as it goes1 be satisfactory4 ,i admit it2 and ,i admit also the recognition of the ,being and certain ,attributes of the ,deity1 contained in the writings of the gifted person whom ,i have already quoted1 whose genius1 versatile and multiform as it is1 in nothing has been so constant1 as in its devotion to the advancement of knowledge1 scientific and literary4 ,he then certainly1 in his 8,discourse of the objects1 advantages1 and pleasures of science10 after variously illustrating what he terms its 8gratifying treats10 crowns the catalogue with mention of 8the highest of all our gratifications in the contemplation of science10 which he proceeds to explain thus3 8,we are raised by them10 says he1 8to an understanding of the infinite wisdom and goodness which the ,creator has displayed in all ,his works4 ,not a step can be taken in any direction10 he continues1 8without perceiving the most extraordinary traces of design2 and the skill1 every where conspicuous1 is calculated in so vast a proportion of instances to promote the happiness of living creatures1 and especially of ourselves1 that we can feel no hesitation in concluding1 that1 if we knew the whole scheme of ,providence1 every part would be in harmony with a plan of absolute benevolence4 ,independent1 however1 of this most consoling inference1 the delight is inexpressible1 of being able to follow1 as it were1 with our eyes1 the marvellous works of the ,great ,architect of ,nature1 to trace the unbounded power and exquisite skill which are exhibited in the most minute1 as well as the mightiest parts of ,his system4 ,the pleasure derived from this study is unceasing1 and so various1 that it never tires the appetite4 ,but it is unlike the low gratifications of sense in another respect3 it elevates and refines our nature1 while those hurt the health1 debase the understanding1 and corrupt the feelings2 it teaches us to look upon all earthly objects as insignificant and below our notice1 except the pursuit of knowledge and the cultivation of virtue1 that is to say1 the strict performance of our duty in every relation of society2 and it gives a dignity and importance to the enjoyment of life1 which the frivolous and the grovelling cannot even comprehend40 ,such are the words of this prominent champion of ,mixed ,education4 ,if logical inference be1 as it undoubtedly is1 an instrument of truth1 surely1 it may be answered to me1 in admitting the possibility of inferring the ,divine ,being and ,attributes from the phenomena of nature1 he distinctly admits a basis of truth for the doctrines of ,religion4 #g4 ,i wish1 ,gentlemen1 to give these representations their full weight1 both from the gravity of the question1 and the consideration due to the persons whom ,i am arraigning2 but1 before ,i can feel sure ,i understand them1 ,i must ask an abrupt question4 ,when ,i am told1 then1 by the partisans of ,universities without ,theological teaching1 that human science leads to belief in a ,supreme ,being1 without denying the fact1 nay1 as a ,catholic1 with full conviction of it1 nevertheless ,i am obliged to ask what the statement means in their mouths1 what they1 the speakers1 understand by the word 8,god40 ,let me not be thought offensive1 if ,i question1 whether it means the same thing on the two sides of the controversy4 ,with us ,catholics1 as with the first race of ,protestants1 as with ,mahometans1 and all ,theists1 the word contains1 as ,i have already said1 a theology in itself4 ,at the risk of anticipating what ,i shall have occasion to insist upon in my next ,discourse1 let me say that1 according to the teaching of ,monotheism1 ,god is an ,individual1 ,self-dependent1 ,all-perfect1 ,unchangeable ,being2 intelligent1 living1 personal1 and present2 almighty1 all-seeing1 all-remembering2 between whom and ,his creatures there is an infinite gulf2 who has no origin1 who is all-sufficient for ,himself2 who created and upholds the universe2 who will judge every one of us1 sooner or later1 according to that ,law of right and wrong which ,he has written on our hearts4 ,he is ,one who is sovereign over1 operative amidst1 independent of1 the appointments which ,he has made2 ,one in whose hands are all things1 who has a purpose in every event1 and a standard for every deed1 and thus has relations of ,his own towards the subject-matter of each particular science which the book of knowledge unfolds2 who has with an adorable1 never-ceasing energy implicated ,himself in all the history of creation1 the constitution of nature1 the course of the world1 the origin of society1 the fortunes of nations1 the action of the human mind2 and who thereby necessarily becomes the subject-matter of a science1 far wider and more noble than any of those which are included in the circle of secular ,education4 ,this is the doctrine which belief in a ,god implies in the mind of a ,catholic3 if it means any thing1 it means all this1 and cannot keep from meaning all this1 and a great deal more2 and1 even though there were nothing in the religious tenets of the last three centuries to disparage dogmatic truth1 still1 even then1 ,i should have difficulty in believing that a doctrine so mysterious1 so peremptory1 approved itself as a matter of course to educated men of this day1 who gave their minds attentively to consider it4 ,rather1 in a state of society such as ours1 in which authority1 prescription1 tradition1 habit1 moral instinct1 and the divine influences go for nothing1 in which patience of thought1 and depth and consistency of view1 are scorned as subtle and scholastic1 in which free discussion and fallible judgment are prized as the birthright of each individual1 ,i must be excused if ,i exercise towards this age1 as regards its belief in this doctrine1 some portion of that scepticism which it exercises itself towards every received but unscrutinized assertion whatever4 ,i cannot take it for granted1 ,i must have it brought home to me by tangible evidence1 that the spirit of the age means by the ,supreme ,being what ,catholics mean4 ,nay1 it would be a relief to my mind to gain some ground of assurance1 that the parties influenced by that spirit had1 ,i will not say1 a true apprehension of ,god1 but even so much as the idea of what a true apprehension is4 ,nothing is easier than to use the word1 and mean nothing by it4 ,the heathens used to say1 8,god wills10 when they meant 8,fate20 8,god provides10 when they meant 8,chance20 8,god acts10 when they meant 8,instinct0 or 8,sense20 and 8,god is every where10 when they meant 8the ,soul of ,nature40 ,the ,almighty is something infinitely different from a principle1 or a centre of action1 or a quality1 or a generalization of phenomena4 ,if1 then1 by the word1 you do but mean a ,being who keeps the world in order1 who acts in it1 but only in the way of general ,providence1 who acts towards us but only through what are called laws of ,nature1 who is more certain not to act at all than to act independent of those laws1 who is known and approached indeed1 but only through the medium of those laws2 such a ,god it is not difficult for any one to conceive1 not difficult for any one to endure4 ,if1 ,i say1 as you would revolutionize society1 so you would revolutionize heaven1 if you have changed the divine sovereignty into a sort of constitutional monarchy1 in which the ,throne has honour and ceremonial enough1 but cannot issue the most ordinary command except through legal forms and precedents1 and with the counter-signature of a minister1 then belief in a ,god is no more than an acknowledgment of existing1 sensible powers and phenomena1 which none but an idiot can deny4 ,if the ,supreme ,being is powerful or skilful1 just so far forth as the telescope shows power1 and the microscope shows skill1 if ,his moral law is to be ascertained simply by the physical processes of the animal frame1 or ,his will gathered from the immediate issues of human affairs1 if ,his ,essence is just as high and deep and broad and long as the universe1 and no more2 if this be the fact1 then will ,i confess that there is no specific science about ,god1 that theology is but a name1 and a protest in its behalf an hypocrisy4 ,then is ,he but coincident with the laws of the universe2 then is ,he but a function1 or correlative1 or subjective reflection and mental impression1 of each phenomenon of the material or moral world1 as it flits before us4 ,then1 pious as it is to think of ,him1 while the pageant of experiment or abstract reasoning passes by1 still1 such piety is nothing more than a poetry of thought or an ornament of language1 and has not even an infinitesimal influence upon philosophy or science1 of which it is rather the parasitical production4 ,i understand1 in that case1 why ,theology should require no specific teaching1 for there is nothing to mistake about2 why it is powerless against scientific anticipations1 for it merely is one of them2 why it is simply absurd in its denunciations of heresy1 for heresy does not lie in the region of fact and experiment4 ,i understand1 in that case1 how it is that the religious sense is but a 8sentiment10 and its exercise a 8gratifying treat10 for it is like the sense of the beautiful or the sublime4 ,i understand how the contemplation of the universe 8leads onwards to divine truth10 for divine truth is not something separate from ,nature1 but it is ,nature with a divine glow upon it4 ,i understand the zeal expressed for ,physical ,theology1 for this study is but a mode of looking at ,physical ,nature1 a certain view taken of ,nature1 private and personal1 which one man has1 and another has not1 which gifted minds strike out1 which others see to be admirable and ingenious1 and which all would be the better for adopting4 ,it is but the theology of ,nature1 just as we talk of the philosophy or the romance of history1 or the poetry of childhood1 or the picturesque1 or the sentimental1 or the humorous1 or any other abstract quality1 which the genius or the caprice of the individual1 or the fashion of the day1 or the consent of the world1 recognizes in any set of objects which are subjected to its contemplation4 #h4 ,such ideas of religion seem to me short of ,monotheism2 ,i do not impute them to this or that individual who belongs to the school which gives them currency2 but what ,i read about the 8gratification0 of keeping pace in our scientific researches with 8the ,architect of ,nature20 about the said gratification 8giving a dignity and importance to the enjoyment of life10 and teaching us that knowledge and our duties to society are the only earthly objects worth our notice1 all this1 ,i own it1 ,gentlemen1 frightens me2 nor is ,dr4 ,maltby's address to the ,deity sufficient to reassure me4 ,i do not see much difference between avowing that there is no ,god1 and implying that nothing definite can for certain be known about ,him2 and when ,i find ,religious ,education treated as the cultivation of sentiment1 and ,religious ,belief as the accidental hue or posture of the mind1 ,i am reluctantly but forcibly reminded of a very unpleasant page of ,metaphysics1 viz41 of the relations between ,god and ,nature insinuated by such philosophers as ,hume4 ,this acute1 though most low-minded of speculators1 in his inquiry concerning the ,human ,understanding1 introduces1 as is well known1 ,epicurus1 that is1 a teacher of atheism1 delivering an harangue to the ,athenian people1 not indeed in defence1 but in extenuation of that opinion4 ,his object is to show that1 whereas the atheistic view is nothing else than the repudiation of theory1 and an accurate representation of phenomenon and fact1 it cannot be dangerous1 unless phenomenon and fact be dangerous4 ,epicurus is made to say1 that the paralogism of philosophy has ever been that of arguing from ,nature in behalf of something beyond ,nature1 greater than ,nature2 whereas1 ,god1 as he maintains1 being known only through the visible world1 our knowledge of ,him is absolutely commensurate with our knowledge of it1--is nothing distinct from it1--is but a mode of viewing it4 ,hence it follows that1 provided we admit1 as we cannot help admitting1 the phenomena of ,nature and the world1 it is only a question of words whether or not we go on to the hypothesis of a second ,being1 not visible but immaterial1 parallel and coincident with ,nature1 to whom we give the name of ,god4 8,allowing10 he says1 8the gods to be the authors of the existence or order of the universe1 it follows that they possess that precise degree of power1 intelligence1 and benevolence1 which appears in their workmanship2 but nothing farther can be proved1 except we call in the assistance of exaggeration and flattery to supply the defects of argument and reasoning4 ,so far as the traces of any attributes1 at present1 appear1 so far may we conclude these attributes to exist4 ,the supposition of farther attributes is mere hypothesis2 much more the supposition that1 in distant periods of place and time1 there has been1 or will be1 a more magnificent display of these attributes1 and a scheme of administration more suitable to such imaginary virtues40 ,here is a reasoner1 who would not hesitate to deny that there is any distinct science or philosophy possible concerning the ,supreme ,being2 since every single thing we know of ,him is this or that or the other phenomenon1 material or moral1 which already falls under this or that natural science4 ,in him then it would be only consistent to drop ,theology in a course of ,university ,education3 but how is it consistent in any one who shrinks from his companionship8 ,i am glad to see that the author1 several times mentioned1 is in opposition to ,hume1 in one sentence of the quotation ,i have made from his ,discourse upon ,science1 deciding1 as he does1 that the phenomena of the material world are insufficient for the full exhibition of the ,divine ,attributes1 and implying that they require a supplemental process to complete and harmonize their evidence4 ,but is not this supplemental process a science8 and if so1 why not acknowledge its existence8 ,if ,god is more than ,nature1 ,theology claims a place among the sciences3 but1 on the other hand1 if you are not sure of as much as this1 how do you differ from ,hume or ,epicurus8 #i4 ,i end then as ,i began3 religious doctrine is knowledge4 ,this is the important truth1 little entered into at this day1 which ,i wish that all who have honoured me with their presence here would allow me to beg them to take away with them4 ,i am not catching at sharp arguments1 but laying down grave principles4 ,religious doctrine is knowledge1 in as full a sense as ,newton's doctrine is knowledge4 ,university ,teaching without ,theology is simply unphilosophical4 ,theology has at least as good a right to claim a place there as ,astronomy4 ,in my next ,discourse it will be my object to show that its omission from the list of recognised sciences is not only indefensible in itself1 but prejudicial to all the rest4 ,discourse ,,iii4 ,bearing ,of ,theology ,on ,other ,branches ,of ,knowledge4 #a4 ,when men of great intellect1 who have long and intently and exclusively given themselves to the study or investigation of some one particular branch of secular knowledge1 whose mental life is concentrated and hidden in their chosen pursuit1 and who have neither eyes nor ears for any thing which does not immediately bear upon it1 when such men are at length made to realize that there is a clamour all around them1 which must be heard1 for what they have been so little accustomed to place in the category of knowledge as ,religion1 and that they themselves are accused of disaffection to it1 they are impatient at the interruption2 they call the demand tyrannical1 and the requisitionists bigots or fanatics4 ,they are tempted to say1 that their only wish is to be let alone2 for themselves1 they are not dreaming of offending any one1 or interfering with any one2 they are pursuing their own particular line1 they have never spoken a word against any one's religion1 whoever he may be1 and never mean to do so4 ,it does not follow that they deny the existence of a ,god1 because they are not found talking of it1 when the topic would be utterly irrelevant4 ,all they say is1 that there are other beings in the world besides the ,supreme ,being2 their business is with them4 ,after all1 the creation is not the ,creator1 nor things secular religious4 ,theology and human science are two things1 not one1 and have their respective provinces1 contiguous it may be and cognate to each other1 but not identical4 ,when we are contemplating earth1 we are not contemplating heaven2 and when we are contemplating heaven1 we are not contemplating earth4 ,separate subjects should be treated separately4 ,as division of labour1 so division of thought is the only means of successful application4 8,let us go our own way10 they say1 8and you go yours4 ,we do not pretend to lecture on ,theology1 and you have no claim to pronounce upon ,science40 ,with this feeling they attempt a sort of compromise1 between their opponents who claim for ,theology a free introduction into the ,schools of ,science1 and themselves who would exclude it altogether1 and it is this3 viz41 that it should remain indeed excluded from the public schools1 but that it should be permitted in private1 wherever a sufficient number of persons is found to desire it4 ,such persons1 they seem to say1 may have it all their own way1 when they are by themselves1 so that they do not attempt to disturb a comprehensive system of instruction1 acceptable and useful to all1 by the intrusion of opinions peculiar to their own minds4 ,i am now going to attempt a philosophical answer to this representation1 that is1 to the project of teaching secular knowledge in the ,university ,lecture ,room1 and remanding religious knowledge to the parish priest1 the catechism1 and the parlour2 and in doing so1 you must pardon me1 ,gentlemen1 if my subject should oblige me to pursue a lengthy and careful course of thought1 which may be wearisome to the hearer3--,i begin then thus3-- #b4 ,truth is the object of ,knowledge of whatever kind2 and when we inquire what is meant by ,truth1 ,i suppose it is right to answer that ,truth means facts and their relations1 which stand towards each other pretty much as subjects and predicates in logic4 ,all that exists1 as contemplated by the human mind1 forms one large system or complex fact1 and this of course resolves itself into an indefinite number of particular facts1 which1 as being portions of a whole1 have countless relations of every kind1 one towards another4 ,knowledge is the apprehension of these facts1 whether in themselves1 or in their mutual positions and bearings4 ,and1 as all taken together form one integral subject for contemplation1 so there are no natural or real limits between part and part2 one is ever running into another2 all1 as viewed by the mind1 are combined together1 and possess a correlative character one with another1 from the internal mysteries of the ,divine ,essence down to our own sensations and consciousness1 from the most solemn appointments of the ,lord of all down to what may be called the accident of the hour1 from the most glorious seraph down to the vilest and most noxious of reptiles4 ,now1 it is not wonderful that1 with all its capabilities1 the human mind cannot take in this whole vast fact at a single glance1 or gain possession of it at once4 ,like a short-sighted reader1 its eye pores closely1 and travels slowly1 over the awful volume which lies open for its inspection4 ,or again1 as we deal with some huge structure of many parts and sides1 the mind goes round about it1 noting down1 first one thing1 then another1 as it best may1 and viewing it under different aspects1 by way of making progress towards mastering the whole4 ,so by degrees and by circuitous advances does it rise aloft and subject to itself a knowledge of that universe into which it has been born4 ,these various partial views or abstractions1 by means of which the mind looks out upon its object1 are called sciences1 and embrace respectively larger or smaller portions of the field of knowledge2 sometimes extending far and wide1 but superficially1 sometimes with exactness over particular departments1 sometimes occupied together on one and the same portion1 sometimes holding one part in common1 and then ranging on this side or that in absolute divergence one from the other4 ,thus ,optics has for its subject the whole visible creation1 so far forth as it is simply visible2 ,mental ,philosophy has a narrower province1 but a richer one4 ,astronomy1 plane and physical1 each has the same subject-matter1 but views it or treats it differently2 lastly1 ,geology and ,comparative ,anatomy have subject-matters partly the same1 partly distinct4 ,now these views or sciences1 as being abstractions1 have far more to do with the relations of things than with things themselves4 ,they tell us what things are1 only or principally by telling us their relations1 or assigning predicates to subjects2 and therefore they never tell us all that can be said about a thing1 even when they tell something1 nor do they bring it before us1 as the senses do4 ,they arrange and classify facts2 they reduce separate phenomena under a common law2 they trace effects to a cause4 ,thus they serve to transfer our knowledge from the custody of memory to the surer and more abiding protection of philosophy1 thereby providing both for its spread and its advance3--for1 inasmuch as sciences are forms of knowledge1 they enable the intellect to master and increase it2 and1 inasmuch as they are instruments1 to communicate it readily to others4 ,still1 after all1 they proceed on the principle of a division of labour1 even though that division is an abstraction1 not a literal separation into parts2 and1 as the maker of a bridle or an epaulet has not1 on that account1 any idea of the science of tactics or strategy1 so in a parallel way1 it is not every science which equally1 nor any one which fully1 enlightens the mind in the knowledge of things1 as they are1 or brings home to it the external object on which it wishes to gaze4 ,thus they differ in importance2 and according to their importance will be their influence1 not only on the mass of knowledge to which they all converge and contribute1 but on each other4 ,since then sciences are the results of mental processes about one and the same subject-matter1 viewed under its various aspects1 and are true results1 as far as they go1 yet at the same time separate and partial1 it follows that on the one hand they need external assistance1 one by one1 by reason of their incompleteness1 and on the other that they are able to afford it to each other1 by reason1 first1 of their independence in themselves1 and then of their connexion in their subject-matter4 ,viewed altogether1 they approximate to a representation or subjective reflection of the objective truth1 as nearly as is possible to the human mind1 which advances towards the accurate apprehension of that object1 in proportion to the number of sciences which it has mastered2 and which1 when certain sciences are away1 in such a case has but a defective apprehension1 in proportion to the value of the sciences which are thus wanting1 and the importance of the field on which they are employed4 #c4 ,let us take1 for instance1 man himself as our object of contemplation2 then at once we shall find we can view him in a variety of relations2 and according to those relations are the sciences of which he is the subject-matter1 and according to our acquaintance with them is our possession of a true knowledge of him4 ,we may view him in relation to the material elements of his body1 or to his mental constitution1 or to his household and family1 or to the community in which he lives1 or to the ,being who made him2 and in consequence we treat of him respectively as physiologists1 or as moral philosophers1 or as writers of economics1 or of politics1 or as theologians4 ,when we think of him in all these relations together1 or as the subject at once of all the sciences ,i have named1 then we may be said to reach unto and rest in the idea of man as an object or external fact1 similar to that which the eye takes of his outward form4 ,on the other hand1 according as we are only physiologists1 or only politicians1 or only moralists1 so is our idea of man more or less unreal2 we do not take in the whole of him1 and the defect is greater or less1 in proportion as the relation is1 or is not1 important1 which is omitted1 whether his relation to ,god1 or to his king1 or to his children1 or to his own component parts4 ,and if there be one relation1 about which we know nothing at all except that it exists1 then is our knowledge of him1 confessedly and to our own consciousness1 deficient and partial1 and that1 ,i repeat1 in proportion to the importance of the relation4 ,that therefore is true of sciences in general which we are apt to think applies only to pure mathematics1 though to pure mathematics it applies especially1 viz41 that they cannot be considered as simple representations or informants of things as they are4 ,we are accustomed to say1 and say truly1 that the conclusions of pure mathematics are applied1 corrected1 and adapted1 by mixed2 but so too the conclusions of ,anatomy1 ,chemistry1 ,dynamics1 and other sciences1 are revised and completed by each other4 ,those several conclusions do not represent whole and substantive things1 but views1 true1 so far as they go2 and in order to ascertain how far they do go1 that is1 how far they correspond to the object to which they belong1 we must compare them with the views taken out of that object by other sciences4 ,did we proceed upon the abstract theory of forces1 we should assign a much more ample range to a projectile than in fact the resistance of the air allows it to accomplish4 ,let1 however1 that resistance be made the subject of scientific analysis1 and then we shall have a new science1 assisting1 and to a certain point completing1 for the benefit of questions of fact1 the science of projection4 ,on the other hand1 the science of projection itself1 considered as belonging to the forces it contemplates1 is not more perfect1 as such1 by this supplementary investigation4 ,and in like manner1 as regards the whole circle of sciences1 one corrects another for purposes of fact1 and one without the other cannot dogmatize1 except hypothetically and upon its own abstract principles4 ,for instance1 the ,newtonian philosophy requires the admission of certain metaphysical postulates1 if it is to be more than a theory or an hypothesis2 as1 for instance1 that what happened yesterday will happen to-morrow2 that there is such a thing as matter1 that our senses are trustworthy1 that there is a logic of induction1 and so on4 ,now to ,newton metaphysicians grant all that he asks2 but1 if so be1 they may not prove equally accommodating to another who asks something else1 and then all his most logical conclusions in the science of physics would remain hopelessly on the stocks1 though finished1 and never could be launched into the sphere of fact4 ,again1 did ,i know nothing about the movement of bodies1 except what the theory of gravitation supplies1 were ,i simply absorbed in that theory so as to make it measure all motion on earth and in the sky1 ,i should indeed come to many right conclusions1 ,i should hit off many important facts1 ascertain many existing relations1 and correct many popular errors3 ,i should scout and ridicule with great success the old notion1 that light bodies flew up and heavy bodies fell down2 but ,i should go on with equal confidence to deny the phenomenon of capillary attraction4 ,here ,i should be wrong1 but only because ,i carried out my science irrespectively of other sciences4 ,in like manner1 did ,i simply give myself to the investigation of the external action of body upon body1 ,i might scoff at the very idea of chemical affinities and combinations1 and reject it as simply unintelligible4 ,were ,i a mere chemist1 ,i should deny the influence of mind upon bodily health2 and so on1 as regards the devotees of any science1 or family of sciences1 to the exclusion of others2 they necessarily become bigots and quacks1 scorning all principles and reported facts which do not belong to their own pursuit1 and thinking to effect everything without aid from any other quarter4 ,thus1 before now1 chemistry has been substituted for medicine2 and again1 political economy1 or intellectual enlightenment1 or the reading of the ,scriptures1 has been cried up as a panacea against vice1 malevolence1 and misery4 #d4 ,summing up1 ,gentlemen1 what ,i have said1 ,i lay it down that all knowledge forms one whole1 because its subject-matter is one2 for the universe in its length and breadth is so intimately knit together1 that we cannot separate off portion from portion1 and operation from operation1 except by a mental abstraction2 and then again1 as to its ,creator1 though ,he of course in ,his own ,being is infinitely separate from it1 and ,theology has its departments towards which human knowledge has no relations1 yet ,he has so implicated ,himself with it1 and taken it into ,his very bosom1 by ,his presence in it1 ,his providence over it1 ,his impressions upon it1 and ,his influences through it1 that we cannot truly or fully contemplate it without in some main aspects contemplating ,him4 ,next1 sciences are the results of that mental abstraction1 which ,i have spoken of1 being the logical record of this or that aspect of the whole subject-matter of knowledge4 ,as they all belong to one and the same circle of objects1 they are one and all connected together2 as they are but aspects of things1 they are severally incomplete in their relation to the things themselves1 though complete in their own idea and for their own respective purposes2 on both accounts they at once need and subserve each other4 ,and further1 the comprehension of the bearings of one science on another1 and the use of each to each1 and the location and limitation and adjustment and due appreciation of them all1 one with another1 this belongs1 ,i conceive1 to a sort of science distinct from all of them1 and in some sense a science of sciences1 which is my own conception of what is meant by ,philosophy1 in the true sense of the word1 and of a philosophical habit of mind1 and which in these ,discourses ,i shall call by that name4 ,this is what ,i have to say about knowledge and philosophical knowledge generally2 and now ,i proceed to apply it to the particular science1 which has led me to draw it out4 ,i say1 then1 that the systematic omission of any one science from the catalogue prejudices the accuracy and completeness of our knowledge altogether1 and that1 in proportion to its importance4 ,not even ,theology itself1 though it comes from heaven1 though its truths were given once for all at the first1 though they are more certain on account of the ,giver than those of mathematics1 not even ,theology1 so far as it is relative to us1 or is the ,science of ,religion1 do ,i exclude from the law to which every mental exercise is subject1 viz41 from that imperfection1 which ever must attend the abstract1 when it would determine the concrete4 ,nor do ,i speak only of ,natural ,religion2 for even the teaching of the ,catholic ,church1 in certain of its aspects1 that is1 its religious teaching1 is variously influenced by the other sciences4 ,not to insist on the introduction of the ,aristotelic philosophy into its phraseology1 its explanation of dogmas is influenced by ecclesiastical acts or events2 its interpretations of prophecy are directly affected by the issues of history2 its comments upon ,scripture by the conclusions of the astronomer and the geologist2 and its casuistical decisions by the various experience1 political1 social1 and psychological1 with which times and places are ever supplying it4 ,what ,theology gives1 it has a right to take2 or rather1 the interests of ,truth oblige it to take4 ,if we would not be beguiled by dreams1 if we would ascertain facts as they are1 then1 granting ,theology is a real science1 we cannot exclude it1 and still call ourselves philosophers4 ,i have asserted nothing as yet as to the pre-eminent dignity of ,religious ,truth2 ,i only say1 if there be ,religious ,truth at all1 we cannot shut our eyes to it without prejudice to truth of every kind1 physical1 metaphysical1 historical1 and moral2 for it bears upon all truth4 ,and thus ,i answer the objection with which ,i opened this ,discourse4 ,i supposed the question put to me by a philosopher of the day1 8,why cannot you go your way1 and let us go ours80 ,i answer1 in the name of the ,science of ,religion1 8,when ,newton can dispense with the metaphysician1 then may you dispense with us40 ,so much at first sight2 now ,i am going on to claim a little more for ,theology1 by classing it with branches of knowledge which may with greater decency be compared to it4 #e4 ,let us see1 then1 how this supercilious treatment of so momentous a science1 for momentous it must be1 if there be a ,god1 runs in a somewhat parallel case4 ,the great philosopher of antiquity1 when he would enumerate the causes of the things that take place in the world1 after making mention of those which he considered to be physical and material1 adds1 8and the mind and everything which is by means of man407#h7 ,certainly2 it would have been a preposterous course1 when he would trace the effects he saw around him to their respective sources1 had he directed his exclusive attention upon some one class or order of originating principles1 and ascribed to these everything which happened anywhere4 ,it would indeed have been unworthy a genius so curious1 so penetrating1 so fertile1 so analytical as ,aristotle's1 to have laid it down that everything on the face of the earth could be accounted for by the material sciences1 without the hypothesis of moral agents4 ,it is incredible that in the investigation of physical results he could ignore so influential a being as man1 or forget that1 not only brute force and elemental movement1 but knowledge also is power4 ,and this so much the more1 inasmuch as moral and spiritual agents belong to another1 not to say a higher1 order than physical2 so that the omission supposed would not have been merely an oversight in matters of detail1 but a philosophical error1 and a fault in division4 ,however1 we live in an age of the world when the career of science and literature is little affected by what was done1 or would have been done1 by this venerable authority2 so1 we will suppose1 in ,england or ,ireland1 in the middle of the nineteenth century1 a set of persons of name and celebrity to meet together1 in spite of ,aristotle1 in order to adopt a line of proceeding which they conceive the circumstances of the time render imperative4 ,we will suppose that a difficulty just now besets the enunciation and discussion of all matters of science1 in consequence of the extreme sensitiveness of large classes of the community1 clergy and laymen1 on the subjects of necessity1 responsibility1 the standard of morals1 and the nature of virtue4 ,parties run so high1 that the only way of avoiding constant quarrelling in defence of this or that side of the question is1 in the judgment of the persons ,i am supposing1 to shut up the subject of anthropology altogether4 ,this is accordingly done4 ,henceforth man is to be as if he were not1 in the general course of ,education2 the moral and mental sciences are to have no professorial chairs1 and the treatment of them is to be simply left as a matter of private judgment1 which each individual may carry out as he will4 ,i can just fancy such a prohibition abstractedly possible2 but one thing ,i cannot fancy possible1 viz41 that the parties in question1 after this sweeping act of exclusion1 should forthwith send out proposals on the basis of such exclusion for publishing an ,encyclopdia1 or erecting a ,national ,university4 ,it is necessary1 however1 ,gentlemen1 for the sake of the illustration which ,i am setting before you1 to imagine what cannot be4 ,i say1 let us imagine a project for organizing a system of scientific teaching1 in which the agency of man in the material world cannot allowably be recognized1 and may allowably be denied4 ,physical and mechanical causes are exclusively to be treated of2 volition is a forbidden subject4 ,a prospectus is put out1 with a list of sciences1 we will say1 ,astronomy1 ,optics1 ,hydrostatics1 ,galvanism1 ,pneumatics1 ,statics1 ,dynamics1 ,pure ,mathematics1 ,geology1 ,botany1 ,physiology1 ,anatomy1 and so forth2 but not a word about the mind and its powers1 except what is said in explanation of the omission4 ,that explanation is to the effect that the parties concerned in the undertaking have given long and anxious thought to the subject1 and have been reluctantly driven to the conclusion that it is simply impracticable to include in the list of ,university ,lectures the ,philosophy of ,mind4 ,what relieves1 however1 their regret is the reflection1 that domestic feelings and polished manners are best cultivated in the family circle and in good society1 in the observance of the sacred ties which unite father1 mother1 and child1 in the correlative claims and duties of citizenship1 in the exercise of disinterested loyalty and enlightened patriotism4 ,with this apology1 such as it is1 they pass over the consideration of the human mind and its powers and works1 8in solemn silence10 in their scheme of ,university ,education4 ,let a charter be obtained for it2 let professors be appointed1 lectures given1 examinations passed1 degrees awarded3--what sort of exactness or trustworthiness1 what philosophical largeness1 will attach to views formed in an intellectual atmosphere thus deprived of some of the constituent elements of daylight8 ,what judgment will foreign countries and future times pass on the labours of the most acute and accomplished of the philosophers who have been parties to so portentous an unreality8 ,here are professors gravely lecturing on medicine1 or history1 or political economy1 who1 so far from being bound to acknowledge1 are free to scoff at the action of mind upon matter1 or of mind upon mind1 or the claims of mutual justice and charity4 ,common sense indeed and public opinion set bounds at first to so intolerable a licence2 yet1 as time goes on1 an omission which was originally but a matter of expedience1 commends itself to the reason2 and at length a professor is found1 more hardy than his brethren1 still however1 as he himself maintains1 with sincere respect for domestic feelings and good manners1 who takes on him to deny psychology in toto1 to pronounce the influence of mind in the visible world a superstition1 and to account for every effect which is found in the world by the operation of physical causes4 ,hitherto intelligence and volition were accounted real powers2 the muscles act1 and their action cannot be represented by any scientific expression2 a stone flies out of the hand and the propulsive force of the muscle resides in the will2 but there has been a revolution1 or at least a new theory in philosophy1 and our ,professor1 ,i say1 after speaking with the highest admiration of the human intellect1 limits its independent action to the region of speculation1 and denies that it can be a motive principle1 or can exercise a special interference1 in the material world4 ,he ascribes every work1 every external act of man1 to the innate force or soul of the physical universe4 ,he observes that spiritual agents are so mysterious and unintelligible1 so uncertain in their laws1 so vague in their operation1 so sheltered from experience1 that a wise man will have nothing to say to them4 ,they belong to a different order of causes1 which he leaves to those whose profession it is to investigate them1 and he confines himself to the tangible and sure4 ,human exploits1 human devices1 human deeds1 human productions1 all that comes under the scholastic terms of 8genius0 and 8art10 and the metaphysical ideas of 8duty10 8right10 and 8heroism10 it is his office to contemplate all these merely in their place in the eternal system of physical cause and effect4 ,at length he undertakes to show how the whole fabric of material civilization has arisen from the constructive powers of physical elements and physical laws4 ,he descants upon palaces1 castles1 temples1 exchanges1 bridges1 causeways1 and shows that they never could have grown into the imposing dimensions which they present to us1 but for the laws of gravitation and the cohesion of part with part4 ,the pillar would come down1 the loftier the more speedily1 did not the centre of gravity fall within its base2 and the most admired dome of ,palladio or of ,sir ,christopher would give way1 were it not for the happy principle of the arch4 ,he surveys the complicated machinery of a single day's arrangements in a private family2 our dress1 our furniture1 our hospitable board2 what would become of them1 he asks1 but for the laws of physical nature8 ,those laws are the causes of our carpets1 our furniture1 our travelling1 and our social intercourse4 ,firm stitches have a natural power1 in proportion to the toughness of the material adopted1 to keep together separate portions of cloth2 sofas and chairs could not turn upside down1 even if they would2 and it is a property of caloric to relax the fibres of animal matter1 acting through water in one way1 through oil in another1 and this is the whole mystery of the most elaborate cuisine3--but ,i should be tedious if ,i continued the illustration4 #f4 ,now1 ,gentlemen1 pray understand how it is to be here applied4 ,i am not supposing that the principles of ,theology and ,psychology are the same1 or arguing from the works of man to the works of ,god1 which ,paley has done1 which ,hume has protested against4 ,i am not busying myself to prove the existence and attributes of ,god1 by means of the ,argument from design4 ,i am not proving anything at all about the ,supreme ,being4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am assuming ,his existence1 and ,i do but say this3--that1 man existing1 no ,university ,professor1 who had suppressed in physical lectures the idea of volition1 who did not take volition for granted1 could escape a one-sided1 a radically false view of the things which he discussed2 not indeed that his own definitions1 principles1 and laws would be wrong1 or his abstract statements1 but his considering his own study to be the key of everything that takes place on the face of the earth1 and his passing over anthropology1 this would be his error4 ,i say1 it would not be his science which was untrue1 but his so-called knowledge which was unreal4 ,he would be deciding on facts by means of theories4 ,the various busy world1 spread out before our eyes1 is physical1 but it is more than physical2 and1 in making its actual system identical with his scientific analysis1 formed on a particular aspect1 such a ,professor as ,i have imagined was betraying a want of philosophical depth1 and an ignorance of what an ,university ,teaching ought to be4 ,he was no longer a teacher of liberal knowledge1 but a narrow-minded bigot4 ,while his doctrines professed to be conclusions formed upon an hypothesis or partial truth1 they were undeniable2 not so if they professed to give results in facts which he could grasp and take possession of4 ,granting1 indeed1 that a man's arm is moved by a simple physical cause1 then of course we may dispute about the various external influences which1 when it changes its position1 sway it to and fro1 like a scarecrow in a garden2 but to assert that the motive cause is physical1 this is an assumption in a case1 when our question is about a matter of fact1 not about the logical consequences of an assumed premiss4 ,and1 in like manner1 if a people prays1 and the wind changes1 the rain ceases1 the sun shines1 and the harvest is safely housed1 when no one expected it1 our ,professor may1 if he will1 consult the barometer1 discourse about the atmosphere1 and throw what has happened into an equation1 ingenious1 even though it be not true2 but1 should he proceed to rest the phenomenon1 in matter of fact1 simply upon a physical cause1 to the exclusion of a divine1 and to say that the given case actually belongs to his science because other like cases do1 ,i must tell him1 ,ne sutor ultra crepidam3 he is making his particular craft usurp and occupy the universe4 ,this then is the drift of my illustration4 ,if the creature is ever setting in motion an endless series of physical causes and effects1 much more is the ,creator2 and as our excluding volition from our range of ideas is a denial of the soul1 so our ignoring ,divine ,agency is a virtual denial of ,god4 ,moreover1 supposing man can will and act of himself in spite of physics1 to shut up this great truth1 though one1 is to put our whole encyclopdia of knowledge out of joint2 and supposing ,god can will and act of ,himself in this world which ,he has made1 and we deny or slur it over1 then we are throwing the circle of universal science into a like1 or a far worse confusion4 ,worse incomparably1 for the idea of ,god1 if there be a ,god1 is infinitely higher than the idea of man1 if there be man4 ,if to plot out man's agency is to deface the book of knowledge1 on the supposition of that agency existing1 what must it be1 supposing it exists1 to blot out the agency of ,god8 ,i have hitherto been engaged in showing that all the sciences come to us as one1 that they all relate to one and the same integral subject-matter1 that each separately is more or less an abstraction1 wholly true as an hypothesis1 but not wholly trustworthy in the concrete1 conversant with relations more than with facts1 with principles more than with agents1 needing the support and guarantee of its sister sciences1 and giving in turn while it takes3--from which it follows1 that none can safely be omitted1 if we would obtain the exactest knowledge possible of things as they are1 and that the omission is more or less important1 in proportion to the field which each covers1 and the depth to which it penetrates1 and the order to which it belongs2 for its loss is a positive privation of an influence which exerts itself in the correction and completion of the rest4 ,this is a general statement2 but now as to ,theology in particular1 what1 in matter of fact1 are its pretensions1 what its importance1 what its influence upon other branches of knowledge1 supposing there be a ,god1 which it would not become me to set about proving8 ,has it vast dimensions1 or does it lie in a nutshell8 ,will its omission be imperceptible1 or will it destroy the equilibrium of the whole system of ,knowledge8 ,this is the inquiry to which ,i proceed4 #g4 ,now what is ,theology8 ,first1 ,i will tell you what it is not4 ,and here1 in the first place 7though of course ,i speak on the subject as a ,catholic71 observe that1 strictly speaking1 ,i am not assuming that ,catholicism is true1 while ,i make myself the champion of ,theology4 ,catholicism has not formally entered into my argument hitherto1 nor shall ,i just now assume any principle peculiar to it1 for reasons which will appear in the sequel1 though of course ,i shall use ,catholic language4 ,neither1 secondly1 will ,i fall into the fashion of the day1 of identifying ,natural ,theology with ,physical ,theology2 which said ,physical ,theology is a most jejune study1 considered as a science1 and really is no science at all1 for it is ordinarily nothing more than a series of pious or polemical remarks upon the physical world viewed religiously1 whereas the word 8,natural0 properly comprehends man and society1 and all that is involved therein1 as the great ,protestant writer1 ,dr4 ,butler1 shows us4 ,nor1 in the third place1 do ,i mean by ,theology polemics of any kind2 for instance1 what are called 8the ,evidences of ,religion10 or 8the ,christian ,evidences20 for1 though these constitute a science supplemental to ,theology and are necessary in their place1 they are not ,theology itself1 unless an army is synonymous with the body politic4 ,nor1 fourthly1 do ,i mean by ,theology that vague thing called 8,christianity10 or 8our common ,christianity10 or 8,christianity the law of the land10 if there is any man alive who can tell what it is4 ,i discard it1 for the very reason that it cannot throw itself into a proposition4 ,lastly1 ,i do not understand by ,theology1 acquaintance with the ,scriptures2 for1 though no person of religious feelings can read ,scripture but he will find those feelings roused1 and gain much knowledge of history into the bargain1 yet historical reading and religious feeling are not science4 ,i mean none of these things by ,theology1 ,i simply mean the ,science of ,god1 or the truths we know about ,god put into system2 just as we have a science of the stars1 and call it astronomy1 or of the crust of the earth1 and call it geology4 ,for instance1 ,i mean1 for this is the main point1 that1 as in the human frame there is a living principle1 acting upon it and through it by means of volition1 so1 behind the veil of the visible universe1 there is an invisible1 intelligent ,being1 acting on and through it1 as and when ,he will4 ,further1 ,i mean that this invisible ,agent is in no sense a soul of the world1 after the analogy of human nature1 but1 on the contrary1 is absolutely distinct from the world1 as being its ,creator1 ,upholder1 ,governor1 and ,sovereign ,lord4 ,here we are at once brought into the circle of doctrines which the idea of ,god embodies4 ,i mean then by the ,supreme ,being1 one who is simply self-dependent1 and the only ,being who is such2 moreover1 that ,he is without beginning or ,eternal1 and the only ,eternal2 that in consequence ,he has lived a whole eternity by ,himself2 and hence that ,he is all-sufficient1 sufficient for ,his own blessedness1 and all-blessed1 and ever-blessed4 ,further1 ,i mean a ,being1 who1 having these prerogatives1 has the ,supreme ,good1 or rather is the ,supreme ,good1 or has all the attributes of ,good in infinite intenseness2 all wisdom1 all truth1 all justice1 all love1 all holiness1 all beautifulness2 who is omnipotent1 omniscient1 omnipresent2 ineffably one1 absolutely perfect2 and such1 that what we do not know and cannot even imagine of ,him1 is far more wonderful than what we do and can4 ,i mean ,one who is sovereign over ,his own will and actions1 though always according to the eternal ,rule of right and wrong1 which is ,himself4 ,i mean1 moreover1 that ,he created all things out of nothing1 and preserves them every moment1 and could destroy them as easily as ,he made them2 and that1 in consequence1 ,he is separated from them by an abyss1 and is incommunicable in all ,his attributes4 ,and further1 ,he has stamped upon all things1 in the hour of their creation1 their respective natures1 and has given them their work and mission and their length of days1 greater or less1 in their appointed place4 ,i mean1 too1 that ,he is ever present with ,his works1 one by one1 and confronts every thing ,he has made by ,his particular and most loving ,providence1 and manifests ,himself to each according to its needs3 and has on rational beings imprinted the moral law1 and given them power to obey it1 imposing on them the duty of worship and service1 searching and scanning them through and through with ,his omniscient eye1 and putting before them a present trial and a judgment to come4 ,such is what ,theology teaches about ,god1 a doctrine1 as the very idea of its subject-matter presupposes1 so mysterious as in its fulness to lie beyond any system1 and in particular aspects to be simply external to nature1 and to seem in parts even to be irreconcileable with itself1 the imagination being unable to embrace what the reason determines4 ,it teaches of a ,being infinite1 yet personal2 all-blessed1 yet ever operative2 absolutely separate from the creature1 yet in every part of the creation at every moment2 above all things1 yet under every thing4 ,it teaches of a ,being who1 though the highest1 yet in the work of creation1 conservation1 government1 retribution1 makes ,himself1 as it were1 the minister and servant of all2 who1 though inhabiting eternity1 allows ,himself to take an interest1 and to have a sympathy1 in the matters of space and time4 ,his are all beings1 visible and invisible1 the noblest and the vilest of them4 ,his are the substance1 and the operation1 and the results of that system of physical nature into which we are born4 ,his too are the powers and achievements of the intellectual essences1 on which ,he has bestowed an independent action and the gift of origination4 ,the laws of the universe1 the principles of truth1 the relation of one thing to another1 their qualities and virtues1 the order and harmony of the whole1 all that exists1 is from ,him2 and1 if evil is not from ,him1 as assuredly it is not1 this is because evil has no substance of its own1 but is only the defect1 excess1 perversion1 or corruption of that which has substance4 ,all we see1 hear1 and touch1 the remote sidereal firmament1 as well as our own sea and land1 and the elements which compose them1 and the ordinances they obey1 are ,his4 ,the primary atoms of matter1 their properties1 their mutual action1 their disposition and collocation1 electricity1 magnetism1 gravitation1 light1 and whatever other subtle principles or operations the wit of man is detecting or shall detect1 are the work of ,his hands4 ,from ,him has been every movement which has convulsed and re-fashioned the surface of the earth4 ,the most insignificant or unsightly insect is from ,him1 and good in its kind2 the ever-teeming1 inexhaustible swarms of animalcul1 the myriads of living motes invisible to the naked eye1 the restless ever-spreading vegetation which creeps like a garment over the whole earth1 the lofty cedar1 the umbrageous banana1 are ,his4 ,his are the tribes and families of birds and beasts1 their graceful forms1 their wild gestures1 and their passionate cries4 ,and so in the intellectual1 moral1 social1 and political world4 ,man1 with his motives and works1 his languages1 his propagation1 his diffusion1 is from ,him4 ,agriculture1 medicine1 and the arts of life1 are ,his gifts4 ,society1 laws1 government1 ,he is their sanction4 ,the pageant of earthly royalty has the semblance and the benediction of the ,eternal ,king4 ,peace and civilization1 commerce and adventure1 wars when just1 conquest when humane and necessary1 have ,his co-operation1 and ,his blessing upon them4 ,the course of events1 the revolution of empires1 the rise and fall of states1 the periods and eras1 the progresses and the retrogressions of the world's history1 not indeed the incidental sin1 over-abundant as it is1 but the great outlines and the results of human affairs1 are from ,his disposition4 ,the elements and types and seminal principles and constructive powers of the moral world1 in ruins though it be1 are to be referred to ,him4 ,he 8enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world40 ,his are the dictates of the moral sense1 and the retributive reproaches of conscience4 ,to ,him must be ascribed the rich endowments of the intellect1 the irradiation of genius1 the imagination of the poet1 the sagacity of the politician1 the wisdom 7as ,scripture calls it71 which now rears and decorates the ,temple1 now manifests itself in proverb or in parable4 ,the old saws of nations1 the majestic precepts of philosophy1 the luminous maxims of law1 the oracles of individual wisdom1 the traditionary rules of truth1 justice1 and religion1 even though imbedded in the corruption1 or alloyed with the pride1 of the world1 betoken ,his original agency1 and ,his long-suffering presence4 ,even where there is habitual rebellion against ,him1 or profound far-spreading social depravity1 still the undercurrent1 or the heroic outburst1 of natural virtue1 as well as the yearnings of the heart after what it has not1 and its presentiment of its true remedies1 are to be ascribed to the ,author of all good4 ,anticipations or reminiscences of ,his glory haunt the mind of the self-sufficient sage1 and of the pagan devotee2 ,his writing is upon the wall1 whether of the ,indian fane1 or of the porticoes of ,greece4 ,he introduces ,himself1 ,he all but concurs1 according to ,his good pleasure1 and in ,his selected season1 in the issues of unbelief1 superstition1 and false worship1 and ,he changes the character of acts by ,his overruling operation4 ,he condescends1 though ,he gives no sanction1 to the altars and shrines of imposture1 and ,he makes ,his own fiat the substitute for its sorceries4 ,he speaks amid the incantations of ,balaam1 raises ,samuel's spirit in the witch's cavern1 prophesies of the ,messias by the tongue of the ,sibyl1 forces ,python to recognize ,his ministers1 and baptizes by the hand of the misbeliever4 ,he is with the heathen dramatist in his denunciations of injustice and tyranny1 and his auguries of divine vengeance upon crime4 ,even on the unseemly legends of a popular mythology ,he casts ,his shadow1 and is dimly discerned in the ode or the epic1 as in troubled water or in fantastic dreams4 ,all that is good1 all that is true1 all that is beautiful1 all that is beneficent1 be it great or small1 be it perfect or fragmentary1 natural as well as supernatural1 moral as well as material1 comes from ,him4 #h4 ,if this be a sketch1 accurate in substance and as far as it goes1 of the doctrines proper to ,theology1 and especially of the doctrine of a particular ,providence1 which is the portion of it most on a level with human sciences1 ,i cannot understand at all how1 supposing it to be true1 it can fail1 considered as knowledge1 to exert a powerful influence on philosophy1 literature1 and every intellectual creation or discovery whatever4 ,i cannot understand how it is possible1 as the phrase goes1 to blink the question of its truth or falsehood4 ,it meets us with a profession and a proffer of the highest truths of which the human mind is capable2 it embraces a range of subjects the most diversified and distant from each other4 ,what science will not find one part or other of its province traversed by its path8 ,what results of philosophic speculation are unquestionable1 if they have been gained without inquiry as to what ,theology had to say to them8 ,does it cast no light upon history8 has it no influence upon the principles of ethics8 is it without any sort of bearing on physics1 metaphysics1 and political science8 ,can we drop it out of the circle of knowledge1 without allowing1 either that that circle is thereby mutilated1 or on the other hand1 that ,theology is really no science8 ,and this dilemma is the more inevitable1 because ,theology is so precise and consistent in its intellectual structure4 ,when ,i speak of ,theism or ,monotheism1 ,i am not throwing together discordant doctrines2 ,i am not merging belief1 opinion1 persuasion1 of whatever kind1 into a shapeless aggregate1 by the help of ambiguous words1 and dignifying this medley by the name of ,theology4 ,i speak of one idea unfolded in its just proportions1 carried out upon an intelligible method1 and issuing in necessary and immutable results2 understood indeed at one time and place better than at another1 held here and there with more or less of inconsistency1 but still1 after all1 in all times and places1 where it is found1 the evolution1 not of half-a-dozen ideas1 but of one4 #i4 ,and here ,i am led to another and most important point in the argument in its behalf1--,i mean its wide reception4 ,theology1 as ,i have described it1 is no accident of particular minds1 as are certain systems1 for instance1 of prophetical interpretation4 ,it is not the sudden birth of a crisis1 as the ,lutheran or ,wesleyan doctrine4 ,it is not the splendid development of some uprising philosophy1 as the ,cartesian or ,platonic4 ,it is not the fashion of a season1 as certain medical treatments may be considered4 ,it has had a place1 if not possession1 in the intellectual world from time immemorial2 it has been received by minds the most various1 and in systems of religion the most hostile to each other4 ,it has prim facie claims upon us1 so imposing1 that it can only be rejected on the ground of those claims being nothing more than imposing1 that is1 being false4 ,as to our own countries1 it occupies our language1 it meets us at every turn in our literature1 it is the secret assumption1 too axiomatic to be distinctly professed1 of all our writers2 nor can we help assuming it ourselves1 except by the most unnatural vigilance4 ,whoever philosophizes1 starts with it1 and introduces it1 when he will1 without any apology4 ,bacon1 ,hooker1 ,taylor1 ,cudworth1 ,locke1 ,newton1 ,clarke1 ,berkeley1 and ,butler1 and it would be as easy to find more1 as difficult to find greater names among ,english authors1 inculcate or comment upon it4 ,men the most opposed1 in creed or cast of mind1 ,addison and ,johnson1 ,shakespeare and ,milton1 ,lord ,herbert and ,baxter1 herald it forth4 ,nor is it an ,english or a ,protestant notion only2 you track it across the ,continent1 you pursue it into former ages4 ,when was the world without it8 ,have the systems of ,atheism or ,pantheism1 as sciences1 prevailed in the literature of nations1 or received a formation or attained a completeness such as ,monotheism8 ,we find it in old ,greece1 and even in ,rome1 as well as in ,judea and the ,east4 ,we find it in popular literature1 in philosophy1 in poetry1 as a positive and settled teaching1 differing not at all in the appearance it presents1 whether in ,protestant ,england1 or in schismatical ,russia1 or in the ,mahometan populations1 or in the ,catholic ,church4 ,if ever there was a subject of thought1 which had earned by prescription to be received among the studies of a ,university1 and which could not be rejected except on the score of convicted imposture1 as astrology or alchemy2 if there be a science anywhere1 which at least could claim not to be ignored1 but to be entertained1 and either distinctly accepted or distinctly reprobated1 or rather1 which cannot be passed over in a scheme of universal instruction1 without involving a positive denial of its truth1 it is this ancient1 this far-spreading philosophy4 #aj4 ,and now1 ,gentlemen1 ,i may bring a somewhat tedious discussion to a close4 ,it will not take many words to sum up what ,i have been urging4 ,i say then1 if the various branches of knowledge1 which are the matter of teaching in a ,university1 so hang together1 that none can be neglected without prejudice to the perfection of the rest1 and if ,theology be a branch of knowledge1 of wide reception1 of philosophical structure1 of unutterable importance1 and of supreme influence1 to what conclusion are we brought from these two premisses but this8 that to withdraw ,theology from the public schools is to impair the completeness and to invalidate the trustworthiness of all that is actually taught in them4 ,but ,i have been insisting simply on ,natural ,theology1 and that1 because ,i wished to carry along with me those who were not ,catholics1 and1 again1 as being confident1 that no one can really set himself to master and to teach the doctrine of an intelligent ,creator in its fulness1 without going on a great deal farther than he at present dreams4 ,i say1 then1 secondly3--if this ,science1 even as human reason may attain to it1 has such claims on the regard1 and enters so variously into the objects1 of the ,professor of ,universal ,knowledge1 how can any ,catholic imagine that it is possible for him to cultivate ,philosophy and ,science with due attention to their ultimate end1 which is ,truth1 supposing that system of revealed facts and principles1 which constitutes the ,catholic ,faith1 which goes so far beyond nature1 and which he knows to be most true1 be omitted from among the subjects of his teaching8 ,in a word1 ,religious ,truth is not only a portion1 but a condition of general knowledge4 ,to blot it out is nothing short1 if ,i may so speak1 of unravelling the web of ,university ,teaching4 ,it is1 according to the ,greek proverb1 to take the ,spring from out of the year2 it is to imitate the preposterous proceeding of those tragedians who represented a drama with the omission of its principal part4 ,discourse ,,iv4 ,bearing ,of ,other ,branches ,of ,knowledge ,on ,theology4 #a4 ,nothing is more common in the world at large than to consider the resistance1 made on the part of religious men1 especially ,catholics1 to the separation of ,secular ,education from ,religion1 as a plain token that there is some real contrariety between human science and ,revelation4 ,to the multitude who draw this inference1 it matters not whether the protesting parties avow their belief in this contrariety or not2 it is borne in upon the many1 as if it were self-evident1 that religious men would not thus be jealous and alarmed about ,science1 did they not feel instinctively1 though they may not recognize it1 that knowledge is their born enemy1 and that its progress1 if it is not arrested1 will be certain to destroy all that they hold venerable and dear4 ,it looks to the world like a misgiving on our part similar to that which is imputed to our refusal to educate by means of the ,bible only2 why should you dread the sacred text1 men say1 if it be not against you8 ,and in like manner1 why should you dread secular education1 except that it is against you8 ,why impede the circulation of books which take religious views opposite to your own8 ,why forbid your children and scholars the free perusal of poems or tales or essays or other light literature which you fear would unsettle their minds8 ,why oblige them to know these persons and to shun those1 if you think that your friends have reason on their side as fully as your opponents8 ,truth is bold and unsuspicious2 want of self-reliance is the mark of falsehood4 ,now1 as far as this objection relates to any supposed opposition between secular science and divine1 which is the subject on which ,i am at present engaged1 ,i made a sufficient answer to it in my foregoing ,discourse4 ,in it ,i said1 that1 in order to have possession of truth at all1 we must have the whole truth2 and no one science1 no two sciences1 no one family of sciences1 nay1 not even all secular science1 is the whole truth2 that revealed truth enters to a very great extent into the province of science1 philosophy1 and literature1 and that to put it on one side1 in compliment to secular science1 is simply1 under colour of a compliment1 to do science a great damage4 ,i do not say that every science will be equally affected by the omission2 pure mathematics will not suffer at all2 chemistry will suffer less than politics1 politics than history1 ethics1 or metaphysics2 still1 that the various branches of science are intimately connected with each other1 and form one whole1 which whole is impaired1 and to an extent which it is difficult to limit1 by any considerable omission of knowledge1 of whatever kind1 and that revealed knowledge is very far indeed from an inconsiderable department of knowledge1 this ,i consider undeniable4 ,as the written and unwritten word of ,god make up ,revelation as a whole1 and the written1 taken by itself1 is but a part of that whole1 so in turn ,revelation itself may be viewed as one of the constituent parts of human knowledge1 considered as a whole1 and its omission is the omission of one of those constituent parts4 ,revealed ,religion furnishes facts to the other sciences1 which those sciences1 left to themselves1 would never reach2 and it invalidates apparent facts1 which1 left to themselves1 they would imagine4 ,thus1 in the science of history1 the preservation of our race in ,noah's ark is an historical fact1 which history never would arrive at without ,revelation2 and1 in the province of physiology and moral philosophy1 our race's progress and perfectibility is a dream1 because ,revelation contradicts it1 whatever may be plausibly argued in its behalf by scientific inquirers4 ,it is not then that ,catholics are afraid of human knowledge1 but that they are proud of divine knowledge1 and that they think the omission of any kind of knowledge whatever1 human or divine1 to be1 as far as it goes1 not knowledge1 but ignorance4 #b4 ,thus ,i anticipated the objection in question last week3 now ,i am going to make it the introduction to a further view of the relation of secular knowledge to divine4 ,i observe1 then1 that1 if you drop any science out of the circle of knowledge1 you cannot keep its place vacant for it2 that science is forgotten2 the other sciences close up1 or1 in other words1 they exceed their proper bounds1 and intrude where they have no right4 ,for instance1 ,i suppose1 if ethics were sent into banishment1 its territory would soon disappear1 under a treaty of partition1 as it may be called1 between law1 political economy1 and physiology2 what1 again1 would become of the province of experimental science1 if made over to the ,antiquarian ,society2 or of history1 if surrendered out and out to ,metaphysicians8 ,the case is the same with the subject-matter of ,theology2 it would be the prey of a dozen various sciences1 if ,theology were put out of possession2 and not only so1 but those sciences would be plainly exceeding their rights and their capacities in seizing upon it4 ,they would be sure to teach wrongly1 where they had no mission to teach at all4 ,the enemies of ,catholicism ought to be the last to deny this3--for they have never been blind to a like usurpation1 as they have called it1 on the part of theologians2 those who accuse us of wishing1 in accordance with ,scripture language1 to make the sun go round the earth1 are not the men to deny that a science which exceeds its limits falls into error4 ,i neither then am able nor care to deny1 rather ,i assert the fact1 and to-day ,i am going on to account for it1 that any secular science1 cultivated exclusively1 may become dangerous to ,religion2 and ,i account for it on this broad principle1 that no science whatever1 however comprehensive it may be1 but will fall largely into error1 if it be constituted the sole exponent of all things in heaven and earth1 and that1 for the simple reason that it is encroaching on territory not its own1 and undertaking problems which it has no instruments to solve4 ,and ,i set off thus3 #c4 ,one of the first acts of the human mind is to take hold of and appropriate what meets the senses1 and herein lies a chief distinction between man's and a brute's use of them4 ,brutes gaze on sights1 they are arrested by sounds2 and what they see and what they hear are mainly sights and sounds only4 ,the intellect of man1 on the contrary1 energizes as well as his eye or ear1 and perceives in sights and sounds something beyond them4 ,it seizes and unites what the senses present to it2 it grasps and forms what need not have been seen or heard except in its constituent parts4 ,it discerns in lines and colours1 or in tones1 what is beautiful and what is not4 ,it gives them a meaning1 and invests them with an idea4 ,it gathers up a succession of notes into the expression of a whole1 and calls it a melody2 it has a keen sensibility towards angles and curves1 lights and shadows1 tints and contours4 ,it distinguishes between rule and exception1 between accident and design4 ,it assigns phenomena to a general law1 qualities to a subject1 acts to a principle1 and effects to a cause4 ,in a word1 it philosophizes2 for ,i suppose ,science and ,philosophy1 in their elementary idea1 are nothing else but this habit of viewing1 as it may be called1 the objects which sense conveys to the mind1 of throwing them into system1 and uniting and stamping them with one form4 ,this method is so natural to us1 as ,i have said1 as to be almost spontaneous2 and we are impatient when we cannot exercise it1 and in consequence we do not always wait to have the means of exercising it aright1 but we often put up with insufficient or absurd views or interpretations of what we meet with1 rather than have none at all4 ,we refer the various matters which are brought home to us1 material or moral1 to causes which we happen to know of1 or to such as are simply imaginary1 sooner than refer them to nothing2 and according to the activity of our intellect do we feel a pain and begin to fret1 if we are not able to do so4 ,here we have an explanation of the multitude of off-hand sayings1 flippant judgments1 and shallow generalizations1 with which the world abounds4 ,not from self-will only1 nor from malevolence1 but from the irritation which suspense occasions1 is the mind forced on to pronounce1 without sufficient data for pronouncing4 ,who does not form some view or other1 for instance1 of any public man1 or any public event1 nay1 even so far in some cases as to reach the mental delineation of his appearance or of its scene8 yet how few have a right to form any view4 ,hence the misconceptions of character1 hence the false impressions and reports of words or deeds1 which are the rule1 rather than the exception1 in the world at large2 hence the extravagances of undisciplined talent1 and the narrowness of conceited ignorance2 because1 though it is no easy matter to view things correctly1 nevertheless the busy mind will ever be viewing4 ,we cannot do without a view1 and we put up with an illusion1 when we cannot get a truth4 #d4 ,now1 observe how this impatience acts in matters of research and speculation4 ,what happens to the ignorant and hotheaded1 will take place in the case of every person whose education or pursuits are contracted1 whether they be merely professional1 merely scientific1 or of whatever other peculiar complexion4 ,men1 whose life lies in the cultivation of one science1 or the exercise of one method of thought1 have no more right1 though they have often more ambition1 to generalize upon the basis of their own pursuit but beyond its range1 than the schoolboy or the ploughman to judge of a ,prime ,minister4 ,but they must have something to say on every subject2 habit1 fashion1 the public require it of them3 and1 if so1 they can only give sentence according to their knowledge4 ,you might think this ought to make such a person modest in his enunciations2 not so3 too often it happens that1 in proportion to the narrowness of his knowledge1 is1 not his distrust of it1 but the deep hold it has upon him1 his absolute conviction of his own conclusions1 and his positiveness in maintaining them4 ,he has the obstinacy of the bigot1 whom he scorns1 without the bigot's apology1 that he has been taught1 as he thinks1 his doctrine from heaven4 ,thus he becomes1 what is commonly called1 a man of one idea2 which properly means a man of one science1 and of the view1 partly true1 but subordinate1 partly false1 which is all that can proceed out of any thing so partial4 ,hence it is that we have the principles of utility1 of combination1 of progress1 of philanthropy1 or1 in material sciences1 comparative anatomy1 phrenology1 electricity1 exalted into leading ideas1 and keys1 if not of all knowledge1 at least of many things more than belong to them1--principles1 all of them true to a certain point1 yet all degenerating into error and quackery1 because they are carried to excess1 viz4 at the point where they require interpretation and restraint from other quarters1 and because they are employed to do what is simply too much for them1 inasmuch as a little science is not deep philosophy4 ,lord ,bacon has set down the abuse1 of which ,i am speaking1 among the impediments to the ,advancement of the ,sciences1 when he observes that 8men have used to infect their meditations1 opinions1 and doctrines1 with some conceits which they have most admired1 or some ,sciences which they have most applied2 and give all things else a tincture according to them utterly untrue and improper4'''0 ,so have the alchemists made a philosophy out of a few experiments of the furnace2 and ,gilbertus1 our countryman1 hath made a philosophy out of the observations of a lodestone4 ,so ,cicero1 when1 reciting the several opinions of the nature of the soul1 he found a musician that held the soul was but a harmony1 saith pleasantly1 8hic ab arte su non recessit10 8he was true to his art40 ,but of these conceits ,aristotle speaketh seriously and wisely when he saith1 8,qui respiciunt ad pauca1 de facili pronunciant10 8they who contemplate a few things have no difficulty in deciding40 #e4 ,and now ,i have said enough to explain the inconvenience which ,i conceive necessarily to result from a refusal to recognize theological truth in a course of ,universal ,knowledge2--it is not only the loss of ,theology1 it is the perversion of other sciences4 ,what it unjustly forfeits1 others unjustly seize4 ,they have their own department1 and1 in going out of it1 attempt to do what they really cannot do2 and that the more mischievously1 because they do teach what in its place is true1 though when out of its place1 perverted or carried to excess1 it is not true4 ,and1 as every man has not the capacity of separating truth from falsehood1 they persuade the world of what is false by urging upon it what is true4 ,nor is it open enemies alone who encounter us here1 sometimes it is friends1 sometimes persons who1 if not friends1 at least have no wish to oppose ,religion1 and are not conscious they are doing so2 and it will carry out my meaning more fully if ,i give some illustrations of it4 ,as to friends1 ,i may take as an instance the cultivation of the ,fine ,arts1 ,painting1 ,sculpture1 ,architecture1 to which ,i may add ,music4 ,these high ministers of the ,beautiful and the ,noble are1 it is plain1 special attendants and handmaids of ,religion2 but it is equally plain that they are apt to forget their place1 and1 unless restrained with a firm hand1 instead of being servants1 will aim at becoming principals4 ,here lies the advantage1 in an ecclesiastical point of view1 of their more rudimental state1 ,i mean of the ancient style of architecture1 of ,gothic sculpture and painting1 and of what is called ,gregorian music1 that these inchoate sciences have so little innate vigour and life in them1 that they are in no danger of going out of their place1 and giving the law to ,religion4 ,but the case is very different when genius has breathed upon their natural elements1 and has developed them into what ,i may call intellectual powers4 ,when ,painting1 for example1 grows into the fulness of its function as a simply imitative art1 it at once ceases to be a dependant on the ,church4 ,it has an end of its own1 and that of earth3 ,nature is its pattern1 and the object it pursues is the beauty of ,nature1 even till it becomes an ideal beauty1 but a natural beauty still4 ,it cannot imitate that beauty of ,angels and ,saints which it has never seen4 ,at first1 indeed1 by outlines and emblems it shadowed out the ,invisible1 and its want of skill became the instrument of reverence and modesty2 but as time went on and it attained its full dimensions as an art1 it rather subjected ,religion to its own ends than ministered to the ends of ,religion1 and in its long galleries and stately chambers1 did but mingle adorable figures and sacred histories with a multitude of earthly1 not to say unseemly forms1 which the ,art had created1 borrowing withal a colouring and a character from that bad company4 ,not content with neutral ground for its development1 it was attracted by the sublimity of divine subjects to ambitious and hazardous essays4 ,without my saying a word more1 you will clearly understand1 ,gentlemen1 that under these circumstances ,religion was bound to exert itself1 that the world might not gain an advantage over it4 ,put out of sight the severe teaching of ,catholicism in the schools of ,painting1 as men now would put it aside in their philosophical studies1 and in no long time you would have the hierarchy of the ,church1 the ,anchorite and ,virgin-martyr1 the ,confessor and the ,doctor1 the ,angelic ,hosts1 the ,mother of ,god1 the ,crucifix1 the ,eternal ,trinity1 supplanted by a sort of pagan mythology in the guise of sacred names1 by a creation indeed of high genius1 of intense1 and dazzling1 and soul-absorbing beauty1 in which1 however1 there was nothing which subserved the cause of ,religion1 nothing on the other hand which did not directly or indirectly minister to corrupt nature and the powers of darkness4 #f4 ,the art of ,painting1 however1 is peculiar3 ,music and ,architecture are more ideal1 and their respective archetypes1 even if not supernatural1 at least are abstract and unearthly2 and yet what ,i have been observing about ,painting1 holds1 ,i think1 analogously1 in the marvellous development which ,musical ,science has undergone in the last century4 ,doubtless here too the highest genius may be made subservient to ,religion2 here too1 still more simply than in the case of ,painting1 the ,science has a field of its own1 perfectly innocent1 into which ,religion does not and need not enter2 on the other hand here also1 in the case of ,music as of ,painting1 it is certain that ,religion must be alive and on the defensive1 for1 if its servants sleep1 a potent enchantment will steal over it4 ,music1 ,i suppose1 though this is not the place to enlarge upon it1 has an object of its own2 as mathematical science also1 it is the expression of ideas greater and more profound than any in the visible world1 ideas1 which centre indeed in ,him whom ,catholicism manifests1 who is the seat of all beauty1 order1 and perfection whatever1 still ideas after all which are not those on which ,revelation directly and principally fixes our gaze4 ,if then a great master in this mysterious science 7if ,i may speak of matters which seem to lie out of my own province7 throws himself on his own gift1 trusts its inspirations1 and absorbs himself in those thoughts which1 though they come to him in the way of nature1 belong to things above nature1 it is obvious he will neglect everything else4 ,rising in his strength1 he will break through the trammels of words1 he will scatter human voices1 even the sweetest1 to the winds2 he will be borne upon nothing less than the fullest flood of sounds which art has enabled him to draw from mechanical contrivances2 he will go forth as a giant1 as far as ever his instruments can reach1 starting from their secret depths fresh and fresh elements of beauty and grandeur as he goes1 and pouring them together into still more marvellous and rapturous combinations2--and well indeed and lawfully1 while he keeps to that line which is his own2 but1 should he happen to be attracted1 as he well may1 by the sublimity1 so congenial to him1 of the ,catholic doctrine and ritual1 should he engage in sacred themes1 should he resolve by means of his art to do honour to the ,mass1 or the ,divine ,office1--7he cannot have a more pious1 a better purpose1 and ,religion will gracefully accept what he gracefully offers2 but7--is it not certain1 from the circumstances of the case1 that he will be carried on rather to use ,religion than to minister to it1 unless ,religion is strong on its own ground1 and reminds him that1 if he would do honour to the highest of subjects1 he must make himself its scholar1 must humbly follow the thoughts given him1 and must aim at the glory1 not of his own gift1 but of the ,great ,giver8 #g4 ,as to ,architecture1 it is a remark1 if ,i recollect aright both of ,fnlon and ,berkeley1 men so different1 that it carries more with it even than the names of those celebrated men1 that the ,gothic style is not as simple as befits ecclesiastical structures4 ,i understand this to be a similar judgment to that which ,i have been passing on the cultivation of ,painting and ,music4 ,for myself1 certainly ,i think that that style which1 whatever be its origin1 is called ,gothic1 is endowed with a profound and a commanding beauty1 such as no other style possesses with which we are acquainted1 and which probably the ,church will not see surpassed till it attain to the ,celestial ,city4 ,no other architecture1 now used for sacred purposes1 seems to be the growth of an idea1 whereas the ,gothic style is as harmonious and as intellectual as it is graceful4 ,but this feeling should not blind us1 rather it should awaken us1 to the danger lest what is really a divine gift be incautiously used as an end rather than as a means4 ,it is surely quite within the bounds of possibility1 that1 as the renaissance three centuries ago carried away its own day1 in spite of the ,church1 into excesses in literature and art1 so that revival of an almost forgotten architecture1 which is at present taking place in our own countries1 in ,france1 and in ,germany1 may in some way or other run away with us into this or that error1 unless we keep a watch over its course4 ,i am not speaking of ,ireland2 but to ,english ,catholics at least it would be a serious evil1 if it came as the emblem and advocate of a past ceremonial or an extinct nationalism4 ,we are not living in an age of wealth and loyalty1 of pomp and stateliness1 of time-honoured establishments1 of pilgrimage and penance1 of hermitages and convents in the wild1 and of fervent populations supplying the want of education by love1 and apprehending in form and symbol what they cannot read in books4 ,our rules and our rubrics have been altered now to meet the times1 and hence an obsolete discipline may be a present heresy4 #h4 ,i have been pointing out how the ,fine ,arts may prejudice ,religion1 by laying down the law in cases where they should be subservient4 ,the illustration is analogous rather than strictly proper to my subject1 yet ,i think it is to the point4 ,if then the most loyal and dutiful children of the ,church must deny themselves1 and do deny themselves1 when they would sanctify to a heavenly purpose sciences as sublime and as divine as any which are cultivated by fallen man1 it is not wonderful1 when we turn to sciences of a different character1 of which the object is tangible and material1 and the principles belong to the ,reason1 not to the ,imagination1 that we should find their disciples1 if disinclined to the ,catholic ,faith1 acting the part of opponents to it1 and that1 as may often happen1 even against their will and intention4 ,many men there are1 who1 devoted to one particular subject of thought1 and making its principles the measure of all things1 become enemies to ,revealed ,religion before they know it1 and1 only as time proceeds1 are aware of their own state of mind4 ,these1 if they are writers or lecturers1 while in this state of unconscious or semi-conscious unbelief1 scatter infidel principles under the garb and colour of ,christianity2 and this1 simply because they have made their own science1 whatever it is1 ,political ,economy1 or ,geology1 or ,astronomy1 to the neglect of ,theology1 the centre of all truth1 and view every part or the chief parts of knowledge as if developed from it1 and to be tested and determined by its principles4 ,others1 though conscious to themselves of their anti-christian opinions1 have too much good feeling and good taste to obtrude them upon the world4 ,they neither wish to shock people1 nor to earn for themselves a confessorship which brings with it no gain4 ,they know the strength of prejudice1 and the penalty of innovation2 they wish to go through life quietly2 they scorn polemics2 they shrink1 as from a real humiliation1 from being mixed up in religious controversy2 they are ashamed of the very name4 ,however1 they have had occasion at some time to publish on some literary or scientific subject2 they have wished to give no offence2 but after all1 to their great annoyance1 they find when they least expect it1 or when they have taken considerable pains to avoid it1 that they have roused by their publication what they would style the bigoted and bitter hostility of a party4 ,this misfortune is easily conceivable1 and has befallen many a man4 ,before he knows where he is1 a cry is raised on all sides of him2 and so little does he know what we may call the lie of the land1 that his attempts at apology perhaps only make matters worse4 ,in other words1 an exclusive line of study has led him1 whether he will or no1 to run counter to the principles of ,religion2 which principles he has never made his landmarks1 and which1 whatever might be their effect upon himself1 at least would have warned him against practising upon the faith of others1 had they been authoritatively held up before him4 #i4 ,instances of this kind are far from uncommon4 ,men who are old enough1 will remember the trouble which came upon a person1 eminent as a professional man in ,london even at that distant day1 and still more eminent since1 in consequence of his publishing a book in which he so treated the subject of ,comparative ,anatomy as to seem to deny the immateriality of the soul4 ,i speak here neither as excusing nor reprobating sentiments about which ,i have not the means of forming a judgment2 all indeed ,i have heard of him makes me mention him with interest and respect2 anyhow of this ,i am sure1 that if there be a calling which feels its position and its dignity to lie in abstaining from controversy and in cultivating kindly feelings with men of all opinions1 it is the medical profession1 and ,i cannot believe that the person in question would purposely have raised the indignation and incurred the censure of the religious public4 ,what then must have been his fault or mistake1 but that he unsuspiciously threw himself upon his own particular science1 which is of a material character1 and allowed it to carry him forward into a subject-matter1 where it had no right to give the law1 viz41 that of spiritual beings1 which directly belongs to the science of ,theology8 ,another instance occurred at a later date4 ,a living dignitary of the ,established ,church wrote a ,history of the ,jews2 in which1 with what ,i consider at least bad judgment1 he took an external view of it1 and hence was led to assimilate it as nearly as possible to secular history4 ,a great sensation was the consequence among the members of his own communion1 from which he still suffers4 ,arguing from the dislike and contempt of polemical demonstrations which that accomplished writer has ever shown1 ,i must conclude that he was simply betrayed into a false step by the treacherous fascination of what is called the ,philosophy of ,history1 which is good in its place1 but can scarcely be applied in cases where the ,almighty has superseded the natural laws of society and history4 ,from this he would have been saved1 had he been a ,catholic2 but in the ,establishment he knew of no teaching1 to which he was bound to defer1 which might rule that to be false which attracted him by its speciousness4 #aj4 ,i will now take an instance from another science1 and will use more words about it4 ,political ,economy is the science1 ,i suppose1 of wealth1--a science simply lawful and useful1 for it is no sin to make money1 any more than it is a sin to seek honour2 a science at the same time dangerous and leading to occasions of sin1 as is the pursuit of honour too2 and in consequence1 if studied by itself1 and apart from the control of ,revealed ,truth1 sure to conduct a speculator to unchristian conclusions4 ,holy ,scripture tells us distinctly1 that 8covetousness10 or more literally the love of money1 8is the root of all evils20 and that 8they that would become rich fall into temptation20 and that 8hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of ,god20 and after drawing the picture of a wealthy and flourishing people1 it adds1 8,they have called the people happy that hath these things2 but happy is that people whose ,god is the ,lord30--while on the other hand it says with equal distinctness1 8,if any will not work1 neither let him eat20 and1 8,if any man have not care of his own1 and especially of those of his house1 he hath denied the faith1 and is worse than an infidel40 ,these opposite injunctions are summed up in the wise man's prayer1 who says1 8,give me neither beggary nor riches1 give me only the necessaries of life40 ,with this most precise view of a ,christian's duty1 viz41 to labour indeed1 but to labour for a competency for himself and his1 and to be jealous of wealth1 whether personal or national1 the holy ,fathers are1 as might be expected1 in simple accordance4 8,judas10 says ,st4 ,chrysostom1 8was with ,him who knew not where to lay ,his head1 yet could not restrain himself2 and how canst thou hope to escape the contagion without anxious effort80 8,it is ridiculous10 says ,st4 ,jerome1 8to call it idolatry to offer to the creature the grains of incense that are due to ,god1 and not to call it so1 to offer the whole service of one's life to the creature40 8,there is not a trace of justice in that heart10 says ,st4 ,leo1 8in which the love of gain has made itself a dwelling40 ,the same thing is emphatically taught us by the counsels of perfection1 and by every holy monk and nun anywhere1 who has ever embraced them2 but it is needless to collect testimonies1 when ,scripture is so clear4 ,now1 observe1 ,gentlemen1 my drift in setting ,scripture and the ,fathers over against ,political ,economy4 ,of course if there is a science of wealth1 it must give rules for gaining wealth and disposing of wealth1 and can do nothing more2 it cannot itself declare that it is a subordinate science1 that its end is not the ultimate end of all things1 and that its conclusions are only hypothetical1 depending on its premisses1 and liable to be overruled by a higher teaching4 ,i do not then blame the ,political ,economist for anything which follows from the very idea of his science1 from the very moment that it is recognized as a science4 ,he must of course direct his inquiries towards his end2 but then at the same time it must be recollected1 that so far he is not practical1 but only pursues an abstract study1 and is busy himself in establishing logical conclusions from indisputable premisses4 ,given that wealth is to be sought1 this and that is the method of gaining it4 ,this is the extent to which a ,political ,economist has a right to go2 he has no right to determine that wealth is at any rate to be sought1 or that it is the way to be virtuous and the price of happiness2 ,i say1 this is to pass the bounds of his science1 independent of the question whether he be right or wrong in so determining1 for he is only concerned with an hypothesis4 ,to take a parallel case3--a physician may tell you1 that if you are to preserve your health1 you must give up your employment and retire to the country4 ,he distinctly says 8if20 that is all in which he is concerned1 he is no judge whether there are objects dearer to you1 more urgent upon you1 than the preservation of your health2 he does not enter into your circumstances1 your duties1 your liabilities1 the persons dependent on you2 he knows nothing about what is advisable or what is not2 he only says1 8,i speak as a physician2 if you would be well1 give up your profession1 your trade1 your office1 whatever it is40 ,however he may wish it1 it would be impertinent in him to say more1 unless indeed he spoke1 not as a physician but as a friend2 and it would be extravagant1 if he asserted that bodily health was the summum bonum1 and that no one could be virtuous whose animal system was not in good order4 #aa4 ,but now let us turn to the teaching of the actual ,political ,economist1 in his present fashionable shape4 ,i will take a very favourable instance of him3 he shall be represented by a gentleman of high character1 whose religious views are sufficiently guaranteed to us by his being the special choice1 in this department of science1 of a ,university removed more than any other ,protestant body of the day from sordid or unchristian principles on the subject of money-making4 ,i say1 if there be a place where ,political ,economy would be kept in order1 and would not be suffered to leave the high road and ride across the pastures and the gardens dedicated to other studies1 it is the ,university of ,oxford4 ,and if a man could anywhere be found who would have too much good taste to offend the religious feeling of the place1 or to say any thing which he would himself allow to be inconsistent with ,revelation1 ,i conceive it is the person whose temperate and well-considered composition1 as it would be generally accounted1 ,i am going to offer to your notice4 ,nor did it occasion any excitement whatever on the part of the academical or the religious public1 as did the instances which ,i have hitherto been adducing4 ,i am representing then the science of ,political ,economy1 in its independent or unbridled action1 to great advantage1 when ,i select1 as its specimen1 the ,inaugural ,lecture upon it1 delivered in the ,university in question1 by its first ,professor4 ,yet with all these circumstances in its favour1 you will soon see1 ,gentlemen1 into what extravagance1 for so ,i must call it1 a grave lawyer is led in praise of his chosen science1 merely from the circumstance that he has fixed his mind upon it1 till he has forgotten there are subjects of thought higher and more heavenly than it4 ,you will find beyond mistake1 that it is his object to recommend the science of wealth1 by claiming for it an ethical quality1 viz41 by extolling it as the road to virtue and happiness1 whatever ,scripture and holy men may say to the contrary4 ,he begins by predicting of ,political ,economy1 that in the course of a very few years1 8it will rank in public estimation among the first of moral sciences in interest and in utility40 ,then he explains most lucidly its objects and duties1 considered as 8the science which teaches in what wealth consists1 by what agents it is produced1 and according to what laws it is distributed1 and what are the institutions and customs by which production may be facilitated and distribution regulated1 so as to give the largest possible amount of wealth to each individual40 ,and he dwells upon the interest which attaches to the inquiry1 8whether ,england has run her full career of wealth and improvement1 but stands safe where she is1 or whether to remain stationary is impossible40 ,after this he notices a certain objection1 which ,i shall set before you in his own words1 as they will furnish me with the illustration ,i propose4 ,this objection1 he says1 is1 that1 8as the pursuit of wealth is one of the humblest of human occupations1 far inferior to the pursuit of virtue1 or of knowledge1 or even of reputation1 and as the possession of wealth is not necessarily joined1--perhaps it will be said1 is not conducive1--to happiness1 a science1 of which the only subject is wealth1 cannot claim to rank as the first1 or nearly the first1 of moral sciences407#i7 ,certainly1 to an enthusiast in behalf of any science whatever1 the temptation is great to meet an objection urged against its dignity and worth2 however1 from the very form of it1 such an objection cannot receive a satisfactory answer by means of the science itself4 ,it is an objection external to the science1 and reminds us of the truth of ,lord ,bacon's remark1 8,no perfect discovery can be made upon a flat or a level2 neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science1 if you stand upon the level of the science1 and ascend not to a higher science407#aj7 ,the objection that ,political ,economy is inferior to the science of virtue1 or does not conduce to happiness1 is an ethical or theological objection2 the question of its 8rank0 belongs to that ,architectonic ,science or ,philosophy1 whatever it be1 which is itself the arbiter of all truth1 and which disposes of the claims and arranges the places of all the departments of knowledge which man is able to master4 ,i say1 when an opponent of a particular science asserts that it does not conduce to happiness1 and much more when its champion contends in reply that it certainly does conduce to virtue1 as this author proceeds to contend1 the obvious question which occurs to one to ask is1 what does ,religion1 what does ,revelation1 say on the point8 ,political ,economy must not be allowed to give judgment in its own favour1 but must come before a higher tribunal4 ,the objection is an appeal to the ,theologian2 however1 the ,professor does not so view the matter2 he does not consider it a question for ,philosophy2 nor indeed on the other hand a question for ,political ,economy2 not a question for ,science at all2 but for ,private ,judgment1--so he answers it himself1 and as follows3 #ab4 8,my answer10 he says1 8is1 first1 that the pursuit of wealth1 that is1 the endeavour to accumulate the means of future subsistence and enjoyment1 is1 to the mass of mankind1 the great source of moral improvement40 ,now observe1 ,gentlemen1 how exactly this bears out what ,i have been saying4 ,it is just so far true1 as to be able to instil what is false1 far as the author was from any such design4 ,i grant1 then1 that1 ordinarily1 beggary is not the means of moral improvement2 and that the orderly habits which attend upon the hot pursuit of gain1 not only may effect an external decency1 but may at least shelter the soul from the temptations of vice4 ,moreover1 these habits of good order guarantee regularity in a family or household1 and thus are accidentally the means of good2 moreover1 they lead to the education of its younger branches1 and they thus accidentally provide the rising generation with a virtue or a truth which the present has not3 but without going into these considerations1 further than to allow them generally1 and under circumstances1 let us rather contemplate what the author's direct assertion is4 ,he says1 8the endeavour to accumulate10 the words should be weighed1 and for what8 8for enjoyment20--8to accumulate the means of future subsistence and enjoyment1 is1 to the mass of mankind1 the great source10 not merely a source1 but the great source1 and of what8 of social and political progress8--such an answer would have been more within the limits of his art1--no1 but of something individual and personal1 8of moral improvement40 ,the soul1 in the case of 8the mass of mankind10 improves in moral excellence from this more than any thing else1 viz41 from heaping up the means of enjoying this world in time to come6 ,i really should on every account be sorry1 ,gentlemen1 to exaggerate1 but indeed one is taken by surprise1 one is startled1 on meeting with so very categorical a contradiction of our ,lord1 ,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 ,st4 ,leo1 and all ,saints4 8,no institution10 he continues1 8could be more beneficial to the morals of the lower orders1 that is1 to at least nine-tenths of the whole body of any people1 than one which should increase their power and their wish to accumulate2 none more mischievous than one which should diminish their motives and means to save40 ,no institution more beneficial than one which should increase the wish to accumulate6 then ,christianity is not one of such beneficial institutions1 for it expressly says1 8,lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth ''' for where thy treasure is1 there is thy heart also20--no institution more mischievous than one which should diminish the motives to save6 then ,christianity is one of such mischiefs1 for the inspired text proceeds1 8,lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven1 where neither the rust nor the moth doth consume1 and where thieves do not dig through1 nor steal40 ,but it is not enough that morals and happiness are made to depend on gain and accumulation2 the practice of ,religion is ascribed to these causes also1 and in the following way4 ,wealth depends upon the pursuit of wealth2 education depends upon wealth2 knowledge depends on education2 and ,religion depends on knowledge2 therefore ,religion depends on the pursuit of wealth4 ,he says1 after speaking of a poor and savage people1 8,such a population must be grossly ignorant4 ,the desire of knowledge is one of the last results of refinement2 it requires in general to have been implanted in the mind during childhood2 and it is absurd to suppose that persons thus situated would have the power or the will to devote much to the education of their children4 ,a further consequence is the absence of all real religion2 for the religion of the grossly ignorant1 if they have any1 scarcely ever amounts to more than a debasing superstition407#aa7 ,the pursuit of gain then is the basis of virtue1 religion1 happiness2 though it is all the while1 as a ,christian knows1 the 8root of all evils10 and the 8poor on the contrary are blessed1 for theirs is the kingdom of ,god40 ,as to the argument contained in the logical ,sorites which ,i have been drawing out1 ,i anticipated just now what ,i should say to it in reply4 ,i repeat1 doubtless 8beggary10 as the wise man says1 is not desirable2 doubtless1 if men will not work1 they should not eat2 there is doubtless a sense in which it may be said that mere social or political virtue tends to moral and religious excellence2 but the sense needs to be defined and the statement to be kept within bounds4 ,this is the very point on which ,i am all along insisting4 ,i am not denying1 ,i am granting1 ,i am assuming1 that there is reason and truth in the 8leading ideas10 as they are called1 and 8large views0 of scientific men2 ,i only say that1 though they speak truth1 they do not speak the whole truth2 that they speak a narrow truth1 and think it a broad truth2 that their deductions must be compared with other truths1 which are acknowledged to be truths1 in order to verify1 complete1 and correct them4 ,they say what is true1 exceptis excipiendis2 what is true1 but requires guarding2 true1 but must not be ridden too hard1 or made what is called a hobby2 true1 but not the measure of all things2 true1 but if thus inordinately1 extravagantly1 ruinously carried out1 in spite of other sciences1 in spite of ,theology1 sure to become but a great bubble1 and to burst4 #ac4 ,i am getting to the end of this ,discourse1 before ,i have noticed one tenth part of the instances with which ,i might illustrate the subject of it4 ,else ,i should have wished especially to have dwelt upon the not unfrequent perversion which occurs of antiquarian and historical research1 to the prejudice of ,theology4 ,it is undeniable that the records of former ages are of primary importance in determining ,catholic doctrine2 it is undeniable also that there is a silence or a contrariety abstractedly conceivable in those records1 as to an alleged portion of that doctrine1 which would be sufficient to invalidate its claims on our acceptance2 but it is quite as undeniable that the existing documentary testimony to ,catholicism and ,christianity may be so unduly valued as to be made the absolute measure of ,revelation1 as if no part of theological teaching were true which cannot bring its express text1 as it is called1 from ,scripture1 and authorities from the ,fathers or profane writers1--whereas there are numberless facts in past times which we cannot deny1 for they are indisputable1 though history is silent about them4 ,i suppose1 on this score1 we ought to deny that the round towers of this country had any origin1 because history does not disclose it2 or that any individual came from ,adam who cannot produce the table of his ancestry4 ,yet ,gibbon argues against the darkness at the ,passion1 from the accident that it is not mentioned by ,pagan historians3--as well might he argue against the existence of ,christianity itself in the first century1 because ,seneca1 ,pliny1 ,plutarch1 the ,jewish ,mishna1 and other authorities are silent about it4 ,protestants argue in a parallel way against ,transubstantiation1 and ,arians against our ,lord's ,divinity1 viz41 on the ground that extant writings of certain ,fathers do not witness those doctrines to their satisfaction3--as well might they say that ,christianity was not spread by the ,twelve ,apostles1 because we know so little of their labours4 ,the evidence of ,history1 ,i say1 is invaluable in its place2 but1 if it assumes to be the sole means of gaining ,religious ,truth1 it goes beyond its place4 ,we are putting it to a larger office than it can undertake1 if we countenance the usurpation2 and we are turning a true guide and blessing into a source of inexplicable difficulty and interminable doubt4 ,and so of other sciences3 just as ,comparative ,anatomy1 ,political ,economy1 the ,philosophy of ,history1 and the ,science of ,antiquities may be and are turned against ,religion1 by being taken by themselves1 as ,i have been showing1 so a like mistake may befall any other4 ,grammar1 for instance1 at first sight does not appear to admit of a perversion2 yet ,horne ,tooke made it the vehicle of his peculiar scepticism4 ,law would seem to have enough to do with its own clients1 and their affairs2 and yet ,mr4 ,bentham made a treatise on ,judicial ,proofs a covert attack upon the miracles of ,revelation4 ,and in like manner ,physiology may deny moral evil and human responsibility2 ,geology may deny ,moses2 and ,logic may deny the ,holy ,trinity27#ab7 and other sciences1 now rising into notice1 are or will be victims of a similar abuse4 #ad4 ,and now to sum up what ,i have been saying in a few words4 ,my object1 it is plain1 has been--not to show that ,secular ,science in its various departments may take up a position hostile to ,theology2--this is rather the basis of the objection with which ,i opened this ,discourse2--but to point out the cause of an hostility to which all parties will bear witness4 ,i have been insisting then on this1 that the hostility in question1 when it occurs1 is coincident with an evident deflection or exorbitance of ,science from its proper course2 and that this exorbitance is sure to take place1 almost from the necessity of the case1 if ,theology be not present to defend its own boundaries and to hinder the encroachment4 ,the human mind cannot keep from speculating and systematizing2 and if ,theology is not allowed to occupy its own territory1 adjacent sciences1 nay1 sciences which are quite foreign to ,theology1 will take possession of it4 ,and this occupation is proved to be a usurpation by this circumstance1 that these foreign sciences will assume certain principles as true1 and act upon them1 which they neither have authority to lay down themselves1 nor appeal to any other higher science to lay down for them4 ,for example1 it is a mere unwarranted assumption if the ,antiquarian says1 8,nothing has ever taken place but is to be found in historical documents20 or if the ,philosophic ,historian says1 8,there is nothing in ,judaism different from other political institutions20 or if the ,anatomist1 8,there is no soul beyond the brain20 or if the ,political ,economist1 8,easy circumstances make men virtuous40 ,these are enunciations1 not of ,science1 but of ,private ,judgment2 and it is ,private ,judgment that infects every science which it touches with a hostility to ,theology1 a hostility which properly attaches to no science in itself whatever4 ,if then1 ,gentlemen1 ,i now resist such a course of acting as unphilosophical1 what is this but to do as men of ,science do when the interests of their own respective pursuits are at stake8 ,if they certainly would resist the divine who determined the orbit of ,jupiter by the ,pentateuch1 why am ,i to be accused of cowardice or illiberality1 because ,i will not tolerate their attempt in turn to theologize by means of astronomy8 ,and if experimentalists would be sure to cry out1 did ,i attempt to install the ,thomist philosophy in the schools of astronomy and medicine1 why may not ,i1 when ,divine ,science is ostracized1 and ,la ,place1 or ,buffon1 or ,humboldt1 sits down in its chair1 why may not ,i fairly protest against their exclusiveness1 and demand the emancipation of ,theology8 #ae4 ,and now ,i consider ,i have said enough in proof of the first point1 which ,i undertook to maintain1 viz41 the claim of ,theology to be represented among the ,chairs of a ,university4 ,i have shown1 ,i think1 that exclusiveness really attaches1 not to those who support that claim1 but to those who dispute it4 ,i have argued in its behalf1 first1 from the consideration that1 whereas it is the very profession of a ,university to teach all sciences1 on this account it cannot exclude ,theology without being untrue to its profession4 ,next1 ,i have said that1 all sciences being connected together1 and having bearings one on another1 it is impossible to teach them all thoroughly1 unless they all are taken into account1 and ,theology among them4 ,moreover1 ,i have insisted on the important influence1 which ,theology in matter of fact does and must exercise over a great variety of sciences1 completing and correcting them2 so that1 granting it to be a real science occupied upon truth1 it cannot be omitted without great prejudice to the teaching of the rest4 ,and lastly1 ,i have urged that1 supposing ,theology be not taught1 its province will not simply be neglected1 but will be actually usurped by other sciences1 which will teach1 without warrant1 conclusions of their own in a subject-matter which needs its own proper principles for its due formation and disposition4 ,abstract statements are always unsatisfactory2 these1 as ,i have already observed1 could be illustrated at far greater length than the time allotted to me for the purpose has allowed4 ,let me hope that ,i have said enough upon the subject to suggest thoughts1 which those who take an interest in it may pursue for themselves4 ,discourse ,v4 ,knowledge ,its ,own ,end4 ,a ,university may be considered with reference either to its ,students or to its ,studies2 and the principle1 that all ,knowledge is a whole and the separate ,sciences parts of one1 which ,i have hitherto been using in behalf of its studies1 is equally important when we direct our attention to its students4 ,now then ,i turn to the students1 and shall consider the education which1 by virtue of this principle1 a ,university will give them2 and thus ,i shall be introduced1 ,gentlemen1 to the second question1 which ,i proposed to discuss1 viz1 whether and in what sense its teaching1 viewed relatively to the taught1 carries the attribute of ,utility along with it4 #a4 ,i have said that all branches of knowledge are connected together1 because the subject-matter of knowledge is intimately united in itself1 as being the acts and the work of the ,creator4 ,hence it is that the ,sciences1 into which our knowledge may be said to be cast1 have multiplied bearings one on another1 and an internal sympathy1 and admit1 or rather demand1 comparison and adjustment4 ,they complete1 correct1 balance each other4 ,this consideration1 if well-founded1 must be taken into account1 not only as regards the attainment of truth1 which is their common end1 but as regards the influence which they exercise upon those whose education consists in the study of them4 ,i have said already1 that to give undue prominence to one is to be unjust to another2 to neglect or supersede these is to divert those from their proper object4 ,it is to unsettle the boundary lines between science and science1 to disturb their action1 to destroy the harmony which binds them together4 ,such a proceeding will have a corresponding effect when introduced into a place of education4 ,there is no science but tells a different tale1 when viewed as a portion of a whole1 from what it is likely to suggest when taken by itself1 without the safeguard1 as ,i may call it1 of others4 ,let me make use of an illustration4 ,in the combination of colours1 very different effects are produced by a difference in their selection and juxta-position2 red1 green1 and white1 change their shades1 according to the contrast to which they are submitted4 ,and1 in like manner1 the drift and meaning of a branch of knowledge varies with the company in which it is introduced to the student4 ,if his reading is confined simply to one subject1 however such division of labour may favour the advancement of a particular pursuit1 a point into which ,i do not here enter1 certainly it has a tendency to contract his mind4 ,if it is incorporated with others1 it depends on those others as to the kind of influence which it exerts upon him4 ,thus the ,classics1 which in ,england are the means of refining the taste1 have in ,france subserved the spread of revolutionary and deistical doctrines4 ,in ,metaphysics1 again1 ,butler's ,analogy of ,religion1 which has had so much to do with the conversion to the ,catholic faith of members of the ,university of ,oxford1 appeared to ,pitt and others1 who had received a different training1 to operate only in the direction of infidelity4 ,and so again1 ,watson1 ,bishop of ,llandaff1 as ,i think he tells us in the narrative of his life1 felt the science of ,mathematics to indispose the mind to religious belief1 while others see in its investigations the best parallel1 and thereby defence1 of the ,christian ,mysteries4 ,in like manner1 ,i suppose1 ,arcesilas would not have handled logic as ,aristotle1 nor ,aristotle have criticized poets as ,plato2 yet reasoning and poetry are subject to scientific rules4 ,it is a great point then to enlarge the range of studies which a ,university professes1 even for the sake of the students2 and1 though they cannot pursue every subject which is open to them1 they will be the gainers by living among those and under those who represent the whole circle4 ,this ,i conceive to be the advantage of a seat of universal learning1 considered as a place of education4 ,an assemblage of learned men1 zealous for their own sciences1 and rivals of each other1 are brought1 by familiar intercourse and for the sake of intellectual peace1 to adjust together the claims and relations of their respective subjects of investigation4 ,they learn to respect1 to consult1 to aid each other4 ,thus is created a pure and clear atmosphere of thought1 which the student also breathes1 though in his own case he only pursues a few sciences out of the multitude4 ,he profits by an intellectual tradition1 which is independent of particular teachers1 which guides him in his choice of subjects1 and duly interprets for him those which he chooses4 ,he apprehends the great outlines of knowledge1 the principles on which it rests1 the scale of its parts1 its lights and its shades1 its great points and its little1 as he otherwise cannot apprehend them4 ,hence it is that his education is called 8,liberal40 ,a habit of mind is formed which lasts through life1 of which the attributes are1 freedom1 equitableness1 calmness1 moderation1 and wisdom2 or what in a former ,discourse ,i have ventured to call a philosophical habit4 ,this then ,i would assign as the special fruit of the education furnished at a ,university1 as contrasted with other places of teaching or modes of teaching4 ,this is the main purpose of a ,university in its treatment of its students4 ,and now the question is asked me1 ,what is the use of it8 and my answer will constitute the main subject of the ,discourses which are to follow4 #b4 ,cautious and practical thinkers1 ,i say1 will ask of me1 what1 after all1 is the gain of this ,philosophy1 of which ,i make such account1 and from which ,i promise so much4 ,even supposing it to enable us to exercise the degree of trust exactly due to every science respectively1 and to estimate precisely the value of every truth which is anywhere to be found1 how are we better for this master view of things1 which ,i have been extolling8 ,does it not reverse the principle of the division of labour8 will practical objects be obtained better or worse by its cultivation8 to what then does it lead8 where does it end8 what does it do8 how does it profit8 what does it promise8 ,particular sciences are respectively the basis of definite arts1 which carry on to results tangible and beneficial the truths which are the subjects of the knowledge attained2 what is the ,art of this science of sciences8 what is the fruit of such a ,philosophy8 what are we proposing to effect1 what inducements do we hold out to the ,catholic community1 when we set about the enterprise of founding a ,university8 ,i am asked what is the end of ,university ,education1 and of the ,liberal or ,philosophical ,knowledge which ,i conceive it to impart3 ,i answer1 that what ,i have already said has been sufficient to show that it has a very tangible1 real1 and sufficient end1 though the end cannot be divided from that knowledge itself4 ,knowledge is capable of being its own end4 ,such is the constitution of the human mind1 that any kind of knowledge1 if it be really such1 is its own reward4 ,and if this is true of all knowledge1 it is true also of that special ,philosophy1 which ,i have made to consist in a comprehensive view of truth in all its branches1 of the relations of science to science1 of their mutual bearings1 and their respective values4 ,what the worth of such an acquirement is1 compared with other objects which we seek1--wealth or power or honour or the conveniences and comforts of life1 ,i do not profess here to discuss2 but ,i would maintain1 and mean to show1 that it is an object1 in its own nature so really and undeniably good1 as to be the compensation of a great deal of thought in the compassing1 and a great deal of trouble in the attaining4 ,now1 when ,i say that ,knowledge is1 not merely a means to something beyond it1 or the preliminary of certain arts into which it naturally resolves1 but an end sufficient to rest in and to pursue for its own sake1 surely ,i am uttering no paradox1 for ,i am stating what is both intelligible in itself1 and has ever been the common judgment of philosophers and the ordinary feeling of mankind4 ,i am saying what at least the public opinion of this day ought to be slow to deny1 considering how much we have heard of late years1 in opposition to ,religion1 of entertaining1 curious1 and various knowledge4 ,i am but saying what whole volumes have been written to illustrate1 viz41 by a 8selection from the records of ,philosophy1 ,literature1 and ,art1 in all ages and countries1 of a body of examples1 to show how the most unpropitious circumstances have been unable to conquer an ardent desire for the acquisition of knowledge407#ac7 ,that further advantages accrue to us and redound to others by its possession1 over and above what it is in itself1 ,i am very far indeed from denying2 but1 independent of these1 we are satisfying a direct need of our nature in its very acquisition2 and1 whereas our nature1 unlike that of the inferior creation1 does not at once reach its perfection1 but depends1 in order to it1 on a number of external aids and appliances1 ,knowledge1 as one of the principal of these1 is valuable for what its very presence in us does for us after the manner of a habit1 even though it be turned to no further account1 nor subserve any direct end4 #c4 ,hence it is that ,cicero1 in enumerating the various heads of mental excellence1 lays down the pursuit of ,knowledge for its own sake1 as the first of them4 8,this pertains most of all to human nature10 he says1 8for we are all of us drawn to the pursuit of ,knowledge2 in which to excel we consider excellent1 whereas to mistake1 to err1 to be ignorant1 to be deceived1 is both an evil and a disgrace407#ad7 ,and he considers ,knowledge the very first object to which we are attracted1 after the supply of our physical wants4 ,after the calls and duties of our animal existence1 as they may be termed1 as regards ourselves1 our family1 and our neighbours1 follows1 he tells us1 8the search after truth4 ,accordingly1 as soon as we escape from the pressure of necessary cares1 forthwith we desire to see1 to hear1 and to learn2 and consider the knowledge of what is hidden or is wonderful a condition of our happiness40 ,this passage1 though it is but one of many similar passages in a multitude of authors1 ,i take for the very reason that it is so familiarly known to us2 and ,i wish you to observe1 ,gentlemen1 how distinctly it separates the pursuit of ,knowledge from those ulterior objects to which certainly it can be made to conduce1 and which are1 ,i suppose1 solely contemplated by the persons who would ask of me the use of a ,university or ,liberal ,education4 ,so far from dreaming of the cultivation of ,knowledge directly and mainly in order to our physical comfort and enjoyment1 for the sake of life and person1 of health1 of the conjugal and family union1 of the social tie and civil security1 the great ,orator implies1 that it is only after our physical and political needs are supplied1 and when we are 8free from necessary duties and cares10 that we are in a condition for 8desiring to see1 to hear1 and to learn40 ,nor does he contemplate in the least degree the reflex or subsequent action of ,knowledge1 when acquired1 upon those material goods which we set out by securing before we seek it2 on the contrary1 he expressly denies its bearing upon social life altogether1 strange as such a procedure is to those who live after the rise of the ,baconian philosophy1 and he cautions us against such a cultivation of it as will interfere with our duties to our fellow-creatures4 8,all these methods10 he says1 8are engaged in the investigation of truth2 by the pursuit of which to be carried off from public occupations is a transgression of duty4 ,for the praise of virtue lies altogether in action2 yet intermissions often occur1 and then we recur to such pursuits2 not to say that the incessant activity of the mind is vigorous enough to carry us on in the pursuit of knowledge1 even without any exertion of our own40 ,the idea of benefiting society by means of 8the pursuit of science and knowledge0 did not enter at all into the motives which he would assign for their cultivation4 ,this was the ground of the opposition which the elder ,cato made to the introduction of ,greek ,philosophy among his countrymen1 when ,carneades and his companions1 on occasion of their embassy1 were charming the ,roman youth with their eloquent expositions of it4 ,the fit representative of a practical people1 ,cato estimated every thing by what it produced2 whereas the ,pursuit of ,knowledge promised nothing beyond ,knowledge itself4 ,he despised that refinement or enlargement of mind of which he had no experience4 #d4 ,things1 which can bear to be cut off from every thing else and yet persist in living1 must have life in themselves2 pursuits1 which issue in nothing1 and still maintain their ground for ages1 which are regarded as admirable1 though they have not as yet proved themselves to be useful1 must have their sufficient end in themselves1 whatever it turn out to be4 ,and we are brought to the same conclusion by considering the force of the epithet1 by which the knowledge under consideration is popularly designated4 ,it is common to speak of 8liberal knowledge10 of the 8liberal arts and studies10 and of a 8liberal education10 as the especial characteristic or property of a ,university and of a gentleman2 what is really meant by the word8 ,now1 first1 in its grammatical sense it is opposed to servile2 and by 8servile work0 is understood1 as our catechisms inform us1 bodily labour1 mechanical employment1 and the like1 in which the mind has little or no part4 ,parallel to such servile works are those arts1 if they deserve the name1 of which the poet speaks17#ae7 which owe their origin and their method to hazard1 not to skill2 as1 for instance1 the practice and operations of an empiric4 ,as far as this contrast may be considered as a guide into the meaning of the word1 liberal education and liberal pursuits are exercises of mind1 of reason1 of reflection4 ,but we want something more for its explanation1 for there are bodily exercises which are liberal1 and mental exercises which are not so4 ,for instance1 in ancient times the practitioners in medicine were commonly slaves2 yet it was an art as intellectual in its nature1 in spite of the pretence1 fraud1 and quackery with which it might then1 as now1 be debased1 as it was heavenly in its aim4 ,and so in like manner1 we contrast a liberal education with a commercial education or a professional2 yet no one can deny that commerce and the professions afford scope for the highest and most diversified powers of mind4 ,there is then a great variety of intellectual exercises1 which are not technically called 8liberal20 on the other hand1 ,i say1 there are exercises of the body which do receive that appellation4 ,such1 for instance1 was the palstra1 in ancient times2 such the ,olympic games1 in which strength and dexterity of body as well as of mind gained the prize4 ,in ,xenophon we read of the young ,persian nobility being taught to ride on horseback and to speak the truth2 both being among the accomplishments of a gentleman4 ,war1 too1 however rough a profession1 has ever been accounted liberal1 unless in cases when it becomes heroic1 which would introduce us to another subject4 ,now comparing these instances together1 we shall have no difficulty in determining the principle of this apparent variation in the application of the term which ,i am examining4 ,manly games1 or games of skill1 or military prowess1 though bodily1 are1 it seems1 accounted liberal2 on the other hand1 what is merely professional1 though highly intellectual1 nay1 though liberal in comparison of trade and manual labour1 is not simply called liberal1 and mercantile occupations are not liberal at all4 ,why this distinction8 because that alone is liberal knowledge1 which stands on its own pretensions1 which is independent of sequel1 expects no complement1 refuses to be informed 7as it is called7 by any end1 or absorbed into any art1 in order duly to present itself to our contemplation4 ,the most ordinary pursuits have this specific character1 if they are self-sufficient and complete2 the highest lose it1 when they minister to something beyond them4 ,it is absurd to balance1 in point of worth and importance1 a treatise on reducing fractures with a game of cricket or a fox-chase2 yet of the two the bodily exercise has that quality which we call 8liberal10 and the intellectual has it not4 ,and so of the learned professions altogether1 considered merely as professions2 although one of them be the most popularly beneficial1 and another the most politically important1 and the third the most intimately divine of all human pursuits1 yet the very greatness of their end1 the health of the body1 or of the commonwealth1 or of the soul1 diminishes1 not increases1 their claim to the appellation 8liberal10 and that still more1 if they are cut down to the strict exigencies of that end4 ,if1 for instance1 ,theology1 instead of being cultivated as a contemplation1 be limited to the purposes of the pulpit or be represented by the catechism1 it loses1--not its usefulness1 not its divine character1 not its meritoriousness 7rather it gains a claim upon these titles by such charitable condescension71--but it does lose the particular attribute which ,i am illustrating2 just as a face worn by tears and fasting loses its beauty1 or a labourer's hand loses its delicateness2--for ,theology thus exercised is not simple knowledge1 but rather is an art or a business making use of ,theology4 ,and thus it appears that even what is supernatural need not be liberal1 nor need a hero be a gentleman1 for the plain reason that one idea is not another idea4 ,and in like manner the ,baconian ,philosophy1 by using its physical sciences in the service of man1 does thereby transfer them from the order of ,liberal ,pursuits to1 ,i do not say the inferior1 but the distinct class of the ,useful4 ,and1 to take a different instance1 hence again1 as is evident1 whenever personal gain is the motive1 still more distinctive an effect has it upon the character of a given pursuit2 thus racing1 which was a liberal exercise in ,greece1 forfeits its rank in times like these1 so far as it is made the occasion of gambling4 ,all that ,i have been now saying is summed up in a few characteristic words of the great ,philosopher4 8,of possessions10 he says1 8those rather are useful1 which bear fruit2 those liberal1 which tend to enjoyment4 ,by fruitful1 ,i mean1 which yield revenue2 by enjoyable1 where nothing accrues of consequence beyond the using407#af7 #e4 ,do not suppose1 that in thus appealing to the ancients1 ,i am throwing back the world two thousand years1 and fettering ,philosophy with the reasonings of paganism4 ,while the world lasts1 will ,aristotle's doctrine on these matters last1 for he is the oracle of nature and of truth4 ,while we are men1 we cannot help1 to a great extent1 being ,aristotelians1 for the great ,master does but analyze the thoughts1 feelings1 views1 and opinions of human kind4 ,he has told us the meaning of our own words and ideas1 before we were born4 ,in many subject-matters1 to think correctly1 is to think like ,aristotle1 and we are his disciples whether we will or no1 though we may not know it4 ,now1 as to the particular instance before us1 the word 8liberal0 as applied to ,knowledge and ,education1 expresses a specific idea1 which ever has been1 and ever will be1 while the nature of man is the same1 just as the idea of the ,beautiful is specific1 or of the ,sublime1 or of the ,ridiculous1 or of the ,sordid4 ,it is in the world now1 it was in the world then2 and1 as in the case of the dogmas of faith1 it is illustrated by a continuous historical tradition1 and never was out of the world1 from the time it came into it4 ,there have indeed been differences of opinion from time to time1 as to what pursuits and what arts came under that idea1 but such differences are but an additional evidence of its reality4 ,that idea must have a substance in it1 which has maintained its ground amid these conflicts and changes1 which has ever served as a standard to measure things withal1 which has passed from mind to mind unchanged1 when there was so much to colour1 so much to influence any notion or thought whatever1 which was not founded in our very nature4 ,were it a mere generalization1 it would have varied with the subjects from which it was generalized2 but though its subjects vary with the age1 it varies not itself4 ,the palstra may seem a liberal exercise to ,lycurgus1 and illiberal to ,seneca2 coach-driving and prize-fighting may be recognized in ,elis1 and be condemned in ,england2 music may be despicable in the eyes of certain moderns1 and be in the highest place with ,aristotle and ,plato1--7and the case is the same in the particular application of the idea of ,beauty1 or of ,goodness1 or of ,moral ,virtue1 there is a difference of tastes1 a difference of judgments7--still these variations imply1 instead of discrediting1 the archetypal idea1 which is but a previous hypothesis or condition1 by means of which issue is joined between contending opinions1 and without which there would be nothing to dispute about4 ,i consider1 then1 that ,i am chargeable with no paradox1 when ,i speak of a ,knowledge which is its own end1 when ,i call it liberal knowledge1 or a gentleman's knowledge1 when ,i educate for it1 and make it the scope of a ,university4 ,and still less am ,i incurring such a charge1 when ,i make this acquisition consist1 not in ,knowledge in a vague and ordinary sense1 but in that ,knowledge which ,i have especially called ,philosophy or1 in an extended sense of the word1 ,science2 for whatever claims ,knowledge has to be considered as a good1 these it has in a higher degree when it is viewed not vaguely1 not popularly1 but precisely and transcendently as ,philosophy4 ,knowledge1 ,i say1 is then especially liberal1 or sufficient for itself1 apart from every external and ulterior object1 when and so far as it is philosophical1 and this ,i proceed to show4 #f4 ,now bear with me1 ,gentlemen1 if what ,i am about to say1 has at first sight a fanciful appearance4 ,philosophy1 then1 or ,science1 is related to ,knowledge in this way3--,knowledge is called by the name of ,science or ,philosophy1 when it is acted upon1 informed1 or if ,i may use a strong figure1 impregnated by ,reason4 ,reason is the principle of that intrinsic fecundity of ,knowledge1 which1 to those who possess it1 is its especial value1 and which dispenses with the necessity of their looking abroad for any end to rest upon external to itself4 ,knowledge1 indeed1 when thus exalted into a scientific form1 is also power2 not only is it excellent in itself1 but whatever such excellence may be1 it is something more1 it has a result beyond itself4 ,doubtless2 but that is a further consideration1 with which ,i am not concerned4 ,i only say that1 prior to its being a power1 it is a good2 that it is1 not only an instrument1 but an end4 ,i know well it may resolve itself into an art1 and terminate in a mechanical process1 and in tangible fruit2 but it also may fall back upon that ,reason which informs it1 and resolve itself into ,philosophy4 ,in one case it is called ,useful ,knowledge1 in the other ,liberal4 ,the same person may cultivate it in both ways at once2 but this again is a matter foreign to my subject2 here ,i do but say that there are two ways of using ,knowledge1 and in matter of fact those who use it in one way are not likely to use it in the other1 or at least in a very limited measure4 ,you see1 then1 here are two methods of ,education2 the end of the one is to be philosophical1 of the other to be mechanical2 the one rises towards general ideas1 the other is exhausted upon what is particular and external4 ,let me not be thought to deny the necessity1 or to decry the benefit1 of such attention to what is particular and practical1 as belongs to the useful or mechanical arts2 life could not go on without them2 we owe our daily welfare to them2 their exercise is the duty of the many1 and we owe to the many a debt of gratitude for fulfilling that duty4 ,i only say that ,knowledge1 in proportion as it tends more and more to be particular1 ceases to be ,knowledge4 ,it is a question whether ,knowledge can in any proper sense be predicated of the brute creation2 without pretending to metaphysical exactness of phraseology1 which would be unsuitable to an occasion like this1 ,i say1 it seems to me improper to call that passive sensation1 or perception of things1 which brutes seem to possess1 by the name of ,knowledge4 ,when ,i speak of ,knowledge1 ,i mean something intellectual1 something which grasps what it perceives through the senses2 something which takes a view of things2 which sees more than the senses convey2 which reasons upon what it sees1 and while it sees2 which invests it with an idea4 ,it expresses itself1 not in a mere enunciation1 but by an enthymeme3 it is of the nature of science from the first1 and in this consists its dignity4 ,the principle of real dignity in ,knowledge1 its worth1 its desirableness1 considered irrespectively of its results1 is this germ within it of a scientific or a philosophical process4 ,this is how it comes to be an end in itself2 this is why it admits of being called ,liberal4 ,not to know the relative disposition of things is the state of slaves or children2 to have mapped out the ,universe is the boast1 or at least the ambition1 of ,philosophy4 ,moreover1 such knowledge is not a mere extrinsic or accidental advantage1 which is ours to-day and another's to-morrow1 which may be got up from a book1 and easily forgotten again1 which we can command or communicate at our pleasure1 which we can borrow for the occasion1 carry about in our hand1 and take into the market2 it is an acquired illumination1 it is a habit1 a personal possession1 and an inward endowment4 ,and this is the reason1 why it is more correct1 as well as more usual1 to speak of a ,university as a place of education1 than of instruction1 though1 when knowledge is concerned1 instruction would at first sight have seemed the more appropriate word4 ,we are instructed1 for instance1 in manual exercises1 in the fine and useful arts1 in trades1 and in ways of business2 for these are methods1 which have little or no effect upon the mind itself1 are contained in rules committed to memory1 to tradition1 or to use1 and bear upon an end external to themselves4 ,but education is a higher word2 it implies an action upon our mental nature1 and the formation of a character2 it is something individual and permanent1 and is commonly spoken of in connexion with religion and virtue4 ,when1 then1 we speak of the communication of ,knowledge as being ,education1 we thereby really imply that that ,knowledge is a state or condition of mind2 and since cultivation of mind is surely worth seeking for its own sake1 we are thus brought once more to the conclusion1 which the word 8,liberal0 and the word 8,philosophy0 have already suggested1 that there is a ,knowledge1 which is desirable1 though nothing come of it1 as being of itself a treasure1 and a sufficient remuneration of years of labour4 #g4 ,this1 then1 is the answer which ,i am prepared to give to the question with which ,i opened this ,discourse4 ,before going on to speak of the object of the ,church in taking up ,philosophy1 and the uses to which she puts it1 ,i am prepared to maintain that ,philosophy is its own end1 and1 as ,i conceive1 ,i have now begun the proof of it4 ,i am prepared to maintain that there is a knowledge worth possessing for what it is1 and not merely for what it does2 and what minutes remain to me to-day ,i shall devote to the removal of some portion of the indistinctness and confusion with which the subject may in some minds be surrounded4 ,it may be objected then1 that1 when we profess to seek ,knowledge for some end or other beyond itself1 whatever it be1 we speak intelligibly2 but that1 whatever men may have said1 however obstinately the idea may have kept its ground from age to age1 still it is simply unmeaning to say that we seek ,knowledge for its own sake1 and for nothing else2 for that it ever leads to something beyond itself1 which therefore is its end1 and the cause why it is desirable2--moreover1 that this end is twofold1 either of this world or of the next2 that all knowledge is cultivated either for secular objects or for eternal2 that if it is directed to secular objects1 it is called ,useful ,knowledge1 if to eternal1 ,religious or ,christian ,knowledge2--in consequence1 that if1 as ,i have allowed1 this ,liberal ,knowledge does not benefit the body or estate1 it ought to benefit the soul2 but if the fact be really so1 that it is neither a physical or a secular good on the one hand1 nor a moral good on the other1 it cannot be a good at all1 and is not worth the trouble which is necessary for its acquisition4 ,and then ,i may be reminded that the professors of this ,liberal or ,philosophical ,knowledge have themselves1 in every age1 recognized this exposition of the matter1 and have submitted to the issue in which it terminates2 for they have ever been attempting to make men virtuous2 or1 if not1 at least have assumed that refinement of mind was virtue1 and that they themselves were the virtuous portion of mankind4 ,this they have professed on the one hand2 and on the other1 they have utterly failed in their professions1 so as ever to make themselves a proverb among men1 and a laughing-stock both to the grave and the dissipated portion of mankind1 in consequence of them4 ,thus they have furnished against themselves both the ground and the means of their own exposure1 without any trouble at all to any one else4 ,in a word1 from the time that ,athens was the ,university of the world1 what has ,philosophy taught men1 but to promise without practising1 and to aspire without attaining8 ,what has the deep and lofty thought of its disciples ended in but eloquent words8 ,nay1 what has its teaching ever meditated1 when it was boldest in its remedies for human ill1 beyond charming us to sleep by its lessons1 that we might feel nothing at all8 like some melodious air1 or rather like those strong and transporting perfumes1 which at first spread their sweetness over every thing they touch1 but in a little while do but offend in proportion as they once pleased us4 ,did ,philosophy support ,cicero under the disfavour of the fickle populace1 or nerve ,seneca to oppose an imperial tyrant8 ,it abandoned ,brutus1 as he sorrowfully confessed1 in his greatest need1 and it forced ,cato1 as his panegyrist strangely boasts1 into the false position of defying heaven4 ,how few can be counted among its professors1 who1 like ,polemo1 were thereby converted from a profligate course1 or like ,anaxagoras1 thought the world well lost in exchange for its possession8 ,the philosopher in ,rasselas taught a superhuman doctrine1 and then succumbed without an effort to a trial of human affection4 8,he discoursed10 we are told1 8with great energy on the government of the passions4 ,his look was venerable1 his action graceful1 his pronunciation clear1 and his diction elegant4 ,he showed1 with great strength of sentiment and variety of illustration1 that human nature is degraded and debased1 when the lower faculties predominate over the higher4 ,he communicated the various precepts given1 from time to time1 for the conquest of passion1 and displayed the happiness of those who had obtained the important victory1 after which man is no longer the slave of fear1 nor the fool of hope4''' ,he enumerated many examples of heroes immoveable by pain or pleasure1 who looked with indifference on those modes or accidents to which the vulgar give the names of good and evil40 ,rasselas in a few days found the philosopher in a room half darkened1 with his eyes misty1 and his face pale4 8,sir10 said he1 8you have come at a time when all human friendship is useless2 what ,i suffer cannot be remedied1 what ,i have lost cannot be supplied4 ,my daughter1 my only daughter1 from whose tenderness ,i expected all the comforts of my age1 died last night of a fever40 8,sir10 said the prince1 8mortality is an event by which a wise man can never be surprised2 we know that death is always near1 and it should therefore always be expected40 8,young man10 answered the philosopher1 8you speak like one who has never felt the pangs of separation40 8,have you1 then1 forgot the precept10 said ,rasselas1 8which you so powerfully enforced8''' consider that external things are naturally variable1 but truth and reason are always the same40 8,what comfort10 said the mourner1 8can truth and reason afford me8 ,of what effect are they now1 but to tell me that my daughter will not be restored80 #h4 ,better1 far better1 to make no professions1 you will say1 than to cheat others with what we are not1 and to scandalize them with what we are4 ,the sensualist1 or the man of the world1 at any rate is not the victim of fine words1 but pursues a reality and gains it4 ,the ,philosophy of ,utility1 you will say1 ,gentlemen1 has at least done its work2 and ,i grant it1--it aimed low1 but it has fulfilled its aim4 ,if that man of great intellect who has been its ,prophet in the conduct of life played false to his own professions1 he was not bound by his philosophy to be true to his friend or faithful in his trust4 ,moral virtue was not the line in which he undertook to instruct men2 and though1 as the poet calls him1 he were the 8meanest0 of mankind1 he was so in what may be called his private capacity and without any prejudice to the theory of induction4 ,he had a right to be so1 if he chose1 for any thing that the ,idols of the den or the theatre had to say to the contrary4 ,his mission was the increase of physical enjoyment and social comfort27#ag7 and most wonderfully1 most awfully has he fulfilled his conception and his design4 ,almost day by day have we fresh and fresh shoots1 and buds1 and blossoms1 which are to ripen into fruit1 on that magical tree of ,knowledge which he planted1 and to which none of us perhaps1 except the very poor1 but owes1 if not his present life1 at least his daily food1 his health1 and general well-being4 ,he was the divinely provided minister of temporal benefits to all of us so great1 that1 whatever ,i am forced to think of him as a man1 ,i have not the heart1 from mere gratitude1 to speak of him severely4 ,and1 in spite of the tendencies of his philosophy1 which are1 as we see at this day1 to depreciate1 or to trample on ,theology1 he has himself1 in his writings1 gone out of his way1 as if with a prophetic misgiving of those tendencies1 to insist on it as the instrument of that beneficent ,father17#ah7 who1 when ,he came on earth in visible form1 took on ,him first and most prominently the office of assuaging the bodily wounds of human nature4 ,and truly1 like the old mediciner in the tale1 8he sat diligently at his work1 and hummed1 with cheerful countenance1 a pious song20 and then in turn 8went out singing into the meadows so gaily1 that those who had seen him from afar might well have thought it was a youth gathering flowers for his beloved1 instead of an old physician gathering healing herbs in the morning dew407#ai7 ,alas1 that men1 in the action of life or in their heart of hearts1 are not what they seem to be in their moments of excitement1 or in their trances or intoxications of genius1--so good1 so noble1 so serene6 ,alas1 that ,bacon too in his own way should after all be but the fellow of those heathen philosophers who in their disadvantages had some excuse for their inconsistency1 and who surprise us rather in what they did say than in what they did not do6 ,alas1 that he too1 like ,socrates or ,seneca1 must be stripped of his holy-day coat1 which looks so fair1 and should be but a mockery amid his most majestic gravity of phrase2 and1 for all his vast abilities1 should1 in the littleness of his own moral being1 but typify the intellectual narrowness of his school6 ,however1 granting all this1 heroism after all was not his philosophy3--,i cannot deny he has abundantly achieved what he proposed4 ,his is simply a ,method whereby bodily discomforts and temporal wants are to be most effectually removed from the greatest number2 and already1 before it has shown any signs of exhaustion1 the gifts of nature1 in their most artificial shapes and luxurious profusion and diversity1 from all quarters of the earth1 are1 it is undeniable1 by its means brought even to our doors1 and we rejoice in them4 #i4 ,useful ,knowledge then1 ,i grant1 has done its work2 and ,liberal ,knowledge as certainly has not done its work1--that is1 supposing1 as the objectors assume1 its direct end1 like ,religious ,knowledge1 is to make men better2 but this ,i will not for an instant allow1 and1 unless ,i allow it1 those objectors have said nothing to the purpose4 ,i admit1 rather ,i maintain1 what they have been urging1 for ,i consider ,knowledge to have its end in itself4 ,for all its friends1 or its enemies1 may say1 ,i insist upon it1 that it is as real a mistake to burden it with virtue or religion as with the mechanical arts4 ,its direct business is not to steel the soul against temptation or to console it in affliction1 any more than to set the loom in motion1 or to direct the steam carriage2 be it ever so much the means or the condition of both material and moral advancement1 still1 taken by and in itself1 it as little mends our hearts as it improves our temporal circumstances4 ,and if its eulogists claim for it such a power1 they commit the very same kind of encroachment on a province not their own as the political economist who should maintain that his science educated him for casuistry or diplomacy4 ,knowledge is one thing1 virtue is another2 good sense is not conscience1 refinement is not humility1 nor is largeness and justness of view faith4 ,philosophy1 however enlightened1 however profound1 gives no command over the passions1 no influential motives1 no vivifying principles4 ,liberal ,education makes not the ,christian1 not the ,catholic1 but the gentleman4 ,it is well to be a gentlemen1 it is well to have a cultivated intellect1 a delicate taste1 a candid1 equitable1 dispassionate mind1 a noble and courteous bearing in the conduct of life2--these are the connatural qualities of a large knowledge2 they are the objects of a ,university2 ,i am advocating1 ,i shall illustrate and insist upon them2 but still1 ,i repeat1 they are no guarantee for sanctity or even for conscientiousness1 they may attach to the man of the world1 to the profligate1 to the heartless1--pleasant1 alas1 and attractive as he shows when decked out in them4 ,taken by themselves1 they do but seem to be what they are not2 they look like virtue at a distance1 but they are detected by close observers1 and on the long run2 and hence it is that they are popularly accused of pretence and hypocrisy1 not1 ,i repeat1 from their own fault1 but because their professors and their admirers persist in taking them for what they are not1 and are officious in arrogating for them a praise to which they have no claim4 ,quarry the granite rock with razors1 or moor the vessel with a thread of silk2 then may you hope with such keen and delicate instruments as human knowledge and human reason to contend against those giants1 the passion and the pride of man4 ,surely we are not driven to theories of this kind1 in order to vindicate the value and dignity of ,liberal ,knowledge4 ,surely the real grounds on which its pretensions rest are not so very subtle or abstruse1 so very strange or improbable4 ,surely it is very intelligible to say1 and that is what ,i say here1 that ,liberal ,education1 viewed in itself1 is simply the cultivation of the intellect1 as such1 and its object is nothing more or less than intellectual excellence4 ,every thing has its own perfection1 be it higher or lower in the scale of things2 and the perfection of one is not the perfection of another4 ,things animate1 inanimate1 visible1 invisible1 all are good in their kind1 and have a best of themselves1 which is an object of pursuit4 ,why do you take such pains with your garden or your park8 ,you see to your walks and turf and shrubberies2 to your trees and drives2 not as if you meant to make an orchard of the one1 or corn or pasture land of the other1 but because there is a special beauty in all that is goodly in wood1 water1 plain1 and slope1 brought all together by art into one shape1 and grouped into one whole4 ,your cities are beautiful1 your palaces1 your public buildings1 your territorial mansions1 your churches2 and their beauty leads to nothing beyond itself4 ,there is a physical beauty and a moral3 there is a beauty of person1 there is a beauty of our moral being1 which is natural virtue2 and in like manner there is a beauty1 there is a perfection1 of the intellect4 ,there is an ideal perfection in these various subject-matters1 towards which individual instances are seen to rise1 and which are the standards for all instances whatever4 ,the ,greek divinities and demigods1 as the statuary has moulded them1 with their symmetry of figure1 and their high forehead and their regular features1 are the perfection of physical beauty4 ,the heroes1 of whom history tells1 ,alexander1 or ,csar1 or ,scipio1 or ,saladin1 are the representatives of that magnanimity or self-mastery which is the greatness of human nature4 ,christianity too has its heroes1 and in the supernatural order1 and we call them ,saints4 ,the artist puts before him beauty of feature and form2 the poet1 beauty of mind2 the preacher1 the beauty of grace3 then intellect too1 ,i repeat1 has its beauty1 and it has those who aim at it4 ,to open the mind1 to correct it1 to refine it1 to enable it to know1 and to digest1 master1 rule1 and use its knowledge1 to give it power over its own faculties1 application1 flexibility1 method1 critical exactness1 sagacity1 resource1 address1 eloquent expression1 is an object as intelligible 7for here we are inquiring1 not what the object of a ,liberal ,education is worth1 nor what use the ,church makes of it1 but what it is in itself71 ,i say1 an object as intelligible as the cultivation of virtue1 while1 at the same time1 it is absolutely distinct from it4 #aj4 ,this indeed is but a temporal object1 and a transitory possession2 but so are other things in themselves which we make much of and pursue4 ,the moralist will tell us that man1 in all his functions1 is but a flower which blossoms and fades1 except so far as a higher principle breathes upon him1 and makes him and what he is immortal4 ,body and mind are carried on into an eternal state of being by the gifts of ,divine ,munificence2 but at first they do but fail in a failing world2 and if the powers of intellect decay1 the powers of the body have decayed before them1 and1 as an ,hospital or an ,almshouse1 though its end be ephemeral1 may be sanctified to the service of religion1 so surely may a ,university1 even were it nothing more than ,i have as yet described it4 ,we attain to heaven by using this world well1 though it is to pass away2 we perfect our nature1 not by undoing it1 but by adding to it what is more than nature1 and directing it towards aims higher than its own4 ,discourse ,,vi4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,learning4 #a4 ,it were well if the ,english1 like the ,greek language1 possessed some definite word to express1 simply and generally1 intellectual proficiency or perfection1 such as 8health10 as used with reference to the animal frame1 and 8virtue10 with reference to our moral nature4 ,i am not able to find such a term2--talent1 ability1 genius1 belong distinctly to the raw material1 which is the subject-matter1 not to that excellence which is the result of exercise and training4 ,when we turn1 indeed1 to the particular kinds of intellectual perfection1 words are forthcoming for our purpose1 as1 for instance1 judgment1 taste1 and skill2 yet even these belong1 for the most part1 to powers or habits bearing upon practice or upon art1 and not to any perfect condition of the intellect1 considered in itself4 ,wisdom1 again1 is certainly a more comprehensive word than any other1 but it has a direct relation to conduct1 and to human life4 ,knowledge1 indeed1 and ,science express purely intellectual ideas1 but still not a state or quality of the intellect2 for knowledge1 in its ordinary sense1 is but one of its circumstances1 denoting a possession or a habit2 and science has been appropriated to the subject-matter of the intellect1 instead of belonging in ,english1 as it ought to do1 to the intellect itself4 ,the consequence is that1 on an occasion like this1 many words are necessary1 in order1 first1 to bring out and convey what surely is no difficult idea in itself1--that of the cultivation of the intellect as an end2 next1 in order to recommend what surely is no unreasonable object2 and lastly1 to describe and make the mind realize the particular perfection in which that object consists4 ,every one knows practically what are the constituents of health or of virtue2 and every one recognizes health and virtue as ends to be pursued2 it is otherwise with intellectual excellence1 and this must be my excuse1 if ,i seem to any one to be bestowing a good deal of labour on a preliminary matter4 ,in default of a recognized term1 ,i have called the perfection or virtue of the intellect by the name of philosophy1 philosophical knowledge1 enlargement of mind1 or illumination2 terms which are not uncommonly given to it by writers of this day3 but1 whatever name we bestow on it1 it is1 ,i believe1 as a matter of history1 the business of a ,university to make this intellectual culture its direct scope1 or to employ itself in the education of the intellect1--just as the work of a ,hospital lies in healing the sick or wounded1 of a ,riding or ,fencing ,school1 or of a ,gymnasium1 in exercising the limbs1 of an ,almshouse1 in aiding and solacing the old1 of an ,orphanage1 in protecting innocence1 of a ,penitentiary1 in restoring the guilty4 ,i say1 a ,university1 taken in its bare idea1 and before we view it as an instrument of the ,church1 has this object and this mission2 it contemplates neither moral impression nor mechanical production2 it professes to exercise the mind neither in art nor in duty2 its function is intellectual culture2 here it may leave its scholars1 and it has done its work when it has done as much as this4 ,it educates the intellect to reason well in all matters1 to reach out towards truth1 and to grasp it4 #b4 ,this1 ,i said in my foregoing ,discourse1 was the object of a ,university1 viewed in itself1 and apart from the ,catholic ,church1 or from the ,state1 or from any other power which may use it2 and ,i illustrated this in various ways4 ,i said that the intellect must have an excellence of its own1 for there was nothing which had not its specific good2 that the word 8educate0 would not be used of intellectual culture1 as it is used1 had not the intellect had an end of its own2 that1 had it not such an end1 there would be no meaning in calling certain intellectual exercises 8liberal10 in contrast with 8useful10 as is commonly done2 that the very notion of a philosophical temper implied it1 for it threw us back upon research and system as ends in themselves1 distinct from effects and works of any kind2 that a philosophical scheme of knowledge1 or system of sciences1 could not1 from the nature of the case1 issue in any one definite art or pursuit1 as its end2 and that1 on the other hand1 the discovery and contemplation of truth1 to which research and systematizing led1 were surely sufficient ends1 though nothing beyond them were added1 and that they had ever been accounted sufficient by mankind4 ,here then ,i take up the subject2 and1 having determined that the cultivation of the intellect is an end distinct and sufficient in itself1 and that1 so far as words go it is an enlargement or illumination1 ,i proceed to inquire what this mental breadth1 or power1 or light1 or philosophy consists in4 ,a ,hospital heals a broken limb or cures a fever3 what does an ,institution effect1 which professes the health1 not of the body1 not of the soul1 but of the intellect8 ,what is this good1 which in former times1 as well as our own1 has been found worth the notice1 the appropriation1 of the ,catholic ,church8 ,i have then to investigate1 in the ,discourses which follow1 those qualities and characteristics of the intellect in which its cultivation issues or rather consists2 and1 with a view of assisting myself in this undertaking1 ,i shall recur to certain questions which have already been touched upon4 ,these questions are three3 viz4 the relation of intellectual culture1 first1 to mere knowledge2 secondly1 to professional knowledge2 and thirdly1 to religious knowledge4 ,in other words1 are acquirements and attainments the scope of a ,university ,education8 or expertness in particular arts and pursuits8 or moral and religious proficiency8 or something besides these three8 ,these questions ,i shall examine in succession1 with the purpose ,i have mentioned2 and ,i hope to be excused1 if1 in this anxious undertaking1 ,i am led to repeat what1 either in these ,discourses or elsewhere1 ,i have already put upon paper4 ,and first1 of ,mere ,knowledge1 or ,learning1 and its connexion with intellectual illumination or ,philosophy4 #c4 ,i suppose the prim-facie view which the public at large would take of a ,university1 considering it as a place of ,education1 is nothing more or less than a place for acquiring a great deal of knowledge on a great many subjects4 ,memory is one of the first developed of the mental faculties2 a boy's business when he goes to school is to learn1 that is1 to store up things in his memory4 ,for some years his intellect is little more than an instrument for taking in facts1 or a receptacle for storing them3 he welcomes them as fast as they come to him2 he lives on what is without2 he has his eyes ever about him2 he has a lively susceptibility of impressions2 he imbibes information of every kind2 and little does he make his own in a true sense of the word1 living rather upon his neighbours all around him4 ,he has opinions1 religious1 political1 and literary1 and1 for a boy1 is very positive in them and sure about them2 but he gets them from his schoolfellows1 or his masters1 or his parents1 as the case may be4 ,such as he is in his other relations1 such also is he in his school exercises2 his mind is observant1 sharp1 ready1 retentive2 he is almost passive in the acquisition of knowledge4 ,i say this in no disparagement of the idea of a clever boy4 ,geography1 chronology1 history1 language1 natural history1 he heaps up the matter of these studies as treasures for a future day4 ,it is the seven years of plenty with him3 he gathers in by handfuls1 like the ,egyptians1 without counting2 and though1 as time goes on1 there is exercise for his argumentative powers in the ,elements of ,mathematics1 and for his taste in the ,poets and ,orators1 still1 while at school1 or at least1 till quite the last years of his time1 he acquires1 and little more2 and when he is leaving for the ,university1 he is mainly the creature of foreign influences and circumstances1 and made up of accidents1 homogeneous or not1 as the case may be4 ,moreover1 the moral habits1 which are a boy's praise1 encourage and assist this result2 that is1 diligence1 assiduity1 regularity1 despatch1 persevering application2 for these are the direct conditions of acquisition1 and naturally lead to it4 ,acquirements1 again1 are emphatically producible1 and at a moment2 they are a something to show1 both for master and scholar2 an audience1 even though ignorant themselves of the subjects of an examination1 can comprehend when questions are answered and when they are not4 ,here again is a reason why mental culture is in the minds of men identified with the acquisition of knowledge4 ,the same notion possesses the public mind1 when it passes on from the thought of a school to that of a ,university3 and with the best of reasons so far as this1 that there is no true culture without acquirements1 and that philosophy presupposes knowledge4 ,it requires a great deal of reading1 or a wide range of information1 to warrant us in putting forth our opinions on any serious subject2 and without such learning the most original mind may be able indeed to dazzle1 to amuse1 to refute1 to perplex1 but not to come to any useful result or any trustworthy conclusion4 ,there are indeed persons who profess a different view of the matter1 and even act upon it4 ,every now and then you will find a person of vigorous or fertile mind1 who relies upon his own resources1 despises all former authors1 and gives the world1 with the utmost fearlessness1 his views upon religion1 or history1 or any other popular subject4 ,and his works may sell for a while2 he may get a name in his day2 but this will be all4 ,his readers are sure to find on the long run that his doctrines are mere theories1 and not the expression of facts1 that they are chaff instead of bread1 and then his popularity drops as suddenly as it rose4 ,knowledge then is the indispensable condition of expansion of mind1 and the instrument of attaining to it2 this cannot be denied1 it is ever to be insisted on2 ,i begin with it as a first principle2 however1 the very truth of it carries men too far1 and confirms to them the notion that it is the whole of the matter4 ,a narrow mind is thought to be that which contains little knowledge2 and an enlarged mind1 that which holds a great deal2 and what seems to put the matter beyond dispute is1 the fact of the great number of studies which are pursued in a ,university1 by its very profession4 ,lectures are given on every kind of subject2 examinations are held2 prizes awarded4 ,there are moral1 metaphysical1 physical ,professors2 ,professors of languages1 of history1 of mathematics1 of experimental science4 ,lists of questions are published1 wonderful for their range and depth1 variety and difficulty2 treatises are written1 which carry upon their very face the evidence of extensive reading or multifarious information2 what then is wanting for mental culture to a person of large reading and scientific attainments8 what is grasp of mind but acquirement8 where shall philosophical repose be found1 but in the consciousness and enjoyment of large intellectual possessions8 ,and yet this notion is1 ,i conceive1 a mistake1 and my present business is to show that it is one1 and that the end of a ,liberal ,education is not mere knowledge1 or knowledge considered in its matter2 and ,i shall best attain my object1 by actually setting down some cases1 which will be generally granted to be instances of the process of enlightenment or enlargement of mind1 and others which are not1 and thus1 by the comparison1 you will be able to judge for yourselves1 ,gentlemen1 whether ,knowledge1 that is1 acquirement1 is after all the real principle of the enlargement1 or whether that principle is not rather something beyond it4 #d4 ,for instance17#bj7 let a person1 whose experience has hitherto been confined to the more calm and unpretending scenery of these islands1 whether here or in ,england1 go for the first time into parts where physical nature puts on her wilder and more awful forms1 whether at home or abroad1 as into mountainous districts2 or let one1 who has ever lived in a quiet village1 go for the first time to a great metropolis1--then ,i suppose he will have a sensation which perhaps he never had before4 ,he has a feeling not in addition or increase of former feelings1 but of something different in its nature4 ,he will perhaps be borne forward1 and find for a time that he has lost his bearings4 ,he has made a certain progress1 and he has a consciousness of mental enlargement2 he does not stand where he did1 he has a new centre1 and a range of thoughts to which he was before a stranger4 ,again1 the view of the heavens which the telescope opens upon us1 if allowed to fill and possess the mind1 may almost whirl it round and make it dizzy4 ,it brings in a flood of ideas1 and is rightly called an intellectual enlargement1 whatever is meant by the term4 ,and so again1 the sight of beasts of prey and other foreign animals1 their strangeness1 the originality 7if ,i may use the term7 of their forms and gestures and habits and their variety and independence of each other1 throw us out of ourselves into another creation1 and as if under another ,creator1 if ,i may so express the temptation which may come on the mind4 ,we seem to have new faculties1 or a new exercise for our faculties1 by this addition to our knowledge2 like a prisoner1 who1 having been accustomed to wear manacles or fetters1 suddenly finds his arms and legs free4 ,hence ,physical ,science generally1 in all its departments1 as bringing before us the exuberant riches and resources1 yet the orderly course1 of the ,universe1 elevates and excites the student1 and at first1 ,i may say1 almost takes away his breath1 while in time it exercises a tranquilizing influence upon him4 ,again1 the study of history is said to enlarge and enlighten the mind1 and why8 because1 as ,i conceive1 it gives it a power of judging of passing events1 and of all events1 and a conscious superiority over them1 which before it did not possess4 ,and in like manner1 what is called seeing the world1 entering into active life1 going into society1 travelling1 gaining acquaintance with the various classes of the community1 coming into contact with the principles and modes of thought of various parties1 interests1 and races1 their views1 aims1 habits and manners1 their religious creeds and forms of worship1--gaining experience how various yet how alike men are1 how low-minded1 how bad1 how opposed1 yet how confident in their opinions2 all this exerts a perceptible influence upon the mind1 which it is impossible to mistake1 be it good or be it bad1 and is popularly called its enlargement4 ,and then again1 the first time the mind comes across the arguments and speculations of unbelievers1 and feels what a novel light they cast upon what he has hitherto accounted sacred2 and still more1 if it gives in to them and embraces them1 and throws off as so much prejudice what it has hitherto held1 and1 as if waking from a dream1 begins to realize to its imagination that there is now no such thing as law and the transgression of law1 that sin is a phantom1 and punishment a bugbear1 that it is free to sin1 free to enjoy the world and the flesh2 and still further1 when it does enjoy them1 and reflects that it may think and hold just what it will1 that 8the world is all before it where to choose10 and what system to build up as its own private persuasion2 when this torrent of wilful thoughts rushes over and inundates it1 who will deny that the fruit of the tree of knowledge1 or what the mind takes for knowledge1 has made it one of the gods1 with a sense of expansion and elevation1--an intoxication in reality1 still1 so far as the subjective state of the mind goes1 an illumination8 ,hence the fanaticism of individuals or nations1 who suddenly cast off their ,maker4 ,their eyes are opened2 and1 like the judgment-stricken king in the ,tragedy1 they see two suns1 and a magic universe1 out of which they look back upon their former state of faith and innocence with a sort of contempt and indignation1 as if they were then but fools1 and the dupes of imposture4 ,on the other hand1 ,religion has its own enlargement1 and an enlargement1 not of tumult1 but of peace4 ,it is often remarked of uneducated persons1 who have hitherto thought little of the unseen world1 that1 on their turning to ,god1 looking into themselves1 regulating their hearts1 reforming their conduct1 and meditating on death and judgment1 heaven and hell1 they seem to become1 in point of intellect1 different beings from what they were4 ,before1 they took things as they came1 and thought no more of one thing than another4 ,but now every event has a meaning2 they have their own estimate of whatever happens to them2 they are mindful of times and seasons1 and compare the present with the past2 and the world1 no longer dull1 monotonous1 unprofitable1 and hopeless1 is a various and complicated drama1 with parts and an object1 and an awful moral4 #e4 ,now from these instances1 to which many more might be added1 it is plain1 first1 that the communication of knowledge certainly is either a condition or the means of that sense of enlargement or enlightenment1 of which at this day we hear so much in certain quarters3 this cannot be denied2 but next1 it is equally plain1 that such communication is not the whole of the process4 ,the enlargement consists1 not merely in the passive reception into the mind of a number of ideas hitherto unknown to it1 but in the mind's energetic and simultaneous action upon and towards and among those new ideas1 which are rushing in upon it4 ,it is the action of a formative power1 reducing to order and meaning the matter of our acquirements2 it is a making the objects of our knowledge subjectively our own1 or1 to use a familiar word1 it is a digestion of what we receive1 into the substance of our previous state of thought2 and without this no enlargement is said to follow4 ,there is no enlargement1 unless there be a comparison of ideas one with another1 as they come before the mind1 and a systematizing of them4 ,we feel our minds to be growing and expanding then1 when we not only learn1 but refer what we learn to what we know already4 ,it is not the mere addition to our knowledge that is the illumination2 but the locomotion1 the movement onwards1 of that mental centre1 to which both what we know1 and what we are learning1 the accumulating mass of our acquirements1 gravitates4 ,and therefore a truly great intellect1 and recognized to be such by the common opinion of mankind1 such as the intellect of ,aristotle1 or of ,st4 ,thomas1 or of ,newton1 or of ,goethe1 7,i purposely take instances within and without the ,catholic pale1 when ,i would speak of the intellect as such17 is one which takes a connected view of old and new1 past and present1 far and near1 and which has an insight into the influence of all these one on another2 without which there is no whole1 and no centre4 ,it possesses the knowledge1 not only of things1 but also of their mutual and true relations2 knowledge1 not merely considered as acquirement1 but as philosophy4 ,accordingly1 when this analytical1 distributive1 harmonizing process is away1 the mind experiences no enlargement1 and is not reckoned as enlightened or comprehensive1 whatever it may add to its knowledge4 ,for instance1 a great memory1 as ,i have already said1 does not make a philosopher1 any more than a dictionary can be called a grammar4 ,there are men who embrace in their minds a vast multitude of ideas1 but with little sensibility about their real relations towards each other4 ,these may be antiquarians1 annalists1 naturalists2 they may be learned in the law2 they may be versed in statistics2 they are most useful in their own place2 ,i should shrink from speaking disrespectfully of them2 still1 there is nothing in such attainments to guarantee the absence of narrowness of mind4 ,if they are nothing more than well-read men1 or men of information1 they have not what specially deserves the name of culture of mind1 or fulfils the type of ,liberal ,education4 ,in like manner1 we sometimes fall in with persons who have seen much of the world1 and of the men who1 in their day1 have played a conspicuous part in it1 but who generalize nothing1 and have no observation1 in the true sense of the word4 ,they abound in information in detail1 curious and entertaining1 about men and things2 and1 having lived under the influence of no very clear or settled principles1 religious or political1 they speak of every one and every thing1 only as so many phenomena1 which are complete in themselves1 and lead to nothing1 not discussing them1 or teaching any truth1 or instructing the hearer1 but simply talking4 ,no one would say that these persons1 well informed as they are1 had attained to any great culture of intellect or to philosophy4 ,the case is the same still more strikingly where the persons in question are beyond dispute men of inferior powers and deficient education4 ,perhaps they have been much in foreign countries1 and they receive1 in a passive1 otiose1 unfruitful way1 the various facts which are forced upon them there4 ,seafaring men1 for example1 range from one end of the earth to the other2 but the multiplicity of external objects1 which they have encountered1 forms no symmetrical and consistent picture upon their imagination2 they see the tapestry of human life1 as it were on the wrong side1 and it tells no story4 ,they sleep1 and they rise up1 and they find themselves1 now in ,europe1 now in ,asia2 they see visions of great cities and wild regions2 they are in the marts of commerce1 or amid the islands of the ,south2 they gaze on ,pompey's ,pillar1 or on the ,andes2 and nothing which meets them carries them forward or backward1 to any idea beyond itself4 ,nothing has a drift or relation2 nothing has a history or a promise4 ,every thing stands by itself1 and comes and goes in its turn1 like the shifting scenes of a show1 which leave the spectator where he was4 ,perhaps you are near such a man on a particular occasion1 and expect him to be shocked or perplexed at something which occurs2 but one thing is much the same to him as another1 or1 if he is perplexed1 it is as not knowing what to say1 whether it is right to admire1 or to ridicule1 or to disapprove1 while conscious that some expression of opinion is expected from him2 for in fact he has no standard of judgment at all1 and no landmarks to guide him to a conclusion4 ,such is mere acquisition1 and1 ,i repeat1 no one would dream of calling it philosophy4 #f4 ,instances1 such as these1 confirm1 by the contrast1 the conclusion ,i have already drawn from those which preceded them4 ,that only is true enlargement of mind which is the power of viewing many things at once as one whole1 of referring them severally to their true place in the universal system1 of understanding their respective values1 and determining their mutual dependence4 ,thus is that form of ,universal ,knowledge1 of which ,i have on a former occasion spoken1 set up in the individual intellect1 and constitutes its perfection4 ,possessed of this real illumination1 the mind never views any part of the extended subject-matter of ,knowledge without recollecting that it is but a part1 or without the associations which spring from this recollection4 ,it makes every thing in some sort lead to every thing else2 it would communicate the image of the whole to every separate portion1 till that whole becomes in imagination like a spirit1 every where pervading and penetrating its component parts1 and giving them one definite meaning4 ,just as our bodily organs1 when mentioned1 recall their function in the body1 as the word 8creation0 suggests the ,creator1 and 8subjects0 a sovereign1 so1 in the mind of the ,philosopher1 as we are abstractedly conceiving of him1 the elements of the physical and moral world1 sciences1 arts1 pursuits1 ranks1 offices1 events1 opinions1 individualities1 are all viewed as one1 with correlative functions1 and as gradually by successive combinations converging1 one and all1 to the true centre4 ,to have even a portion of this illuminative reason and true philosophy is the highest state to which nature can aspire1 in the way of intellect2 it puts the mind above the influences of chance and necessity1 above anxiety1 suspense1 unsettlement1 and superstition1 which is the lot of the many4 ,men1 whose minds are possessed with some one object1 take exaggerated views of its importance1 are feverish in the pursuit of it1 make it the measure of things which are utterly foreign to it1 and are startled and despond if it happens to fail them4 ,they are ever in alarm or in transport4 ,those on the other hand who have no object or principle whatever to hold by1 lose their way1 every step they take4 ,they are thrown out1 and do not know what to think or say1 at every fresh juncture2 they have no view of persons1 or occurrences1 or facts1 which come suddenly upon them1 and they hang upon the opinion of others1 for want of internal resources4 ,but the intellect1 which has been disciplined to the perfection of its powers1 which knows1 and thinks while it knows1 which has learned to leaven the dense mass of facts and events with the elastic force of reason1 such an intellect cannot be partial1 cannot be exclusive1 cannot be impetuous1 cannot be at a loss1 cannot but be patient1 collected1 and majestically calm1 because it discerns the end in every beginning1 the origin in every end1 the law in every interruption1 the limit in each delay2 because it ever knows where it stands1 and how its path lies from one point to another4 ,it is the of the ,peripatetic1 and has the 8nil admirari0 of the ,stoic1-- ,felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas1 ,atque metus omnes1 et inexorabile fatum ,subjecit pedibus1 strepitumque ,acherontis avari4 ,there are men who1 when in difficulties1 originate at the moment vast ideas or dazzling projects2 who1 under the influence of excitement1 are able to cast a light1 almost as if from inspiration1 on a subject or course of action which comes before them2 who have a sudden presence of mind equal to any emergency1 rising with the occasion1 and an undaunted magnanimous bearing1 and an energy and keenness which is but made intense by opposition4 ,this is genius1 this is heroism2 it is the exhibition of a natural gift1 which no culture can teach1 at which no ,institution can aim2 here1 on the contrary1 we are concerned1 not with mere nature1 but with training and teaching4 ,that perfection of the ,intellect1 which is the result of ,education1 and its beau ideal1 to be imparted to individuals in their respective measures1 is the clear1 calm1 accurate vision and comprehension of all things1 as far as the finite mind can embrace them1 each in its place1 and with its own characteristics upon it4 ,it is almost prophetic from its knowledge of history2 it is almost heart-searching from its knowledge of human nature2 it has almost supernatural charity from its freedom from littleness and prejudice2 it has almost the repose of faith1 because nothing can startle it2 it has almost the beauty and harmony of heavenly contemplation1 so intimate is it with the eternal order of things and the music of the spheres4 #g4 ,and now1 if ,i may take for granted that the true and adequate end of intellectual training and of a ,university is not ,learning or ,acquirement1 but rather1 is ,thought or ,reason exercised upon ,knowledge1 or what may be called ,philosophy1 ,i shall be in a position to explain the various mistakes which at the present day beset the subject of ,university ,education4 ,i say then1 if we would improve the intellect1 first of all1 we must ascend2 we cannot gain real knowledge on a level2 we must generalize1 we must reduce to method1 we must have a grasp of principles1 and group and shape our acquisitions by means of them4 ,it matters not whether our field of operation be wide or limited2 in every case1 to command it1 is to mount above it4 ,who has not felt the irritation of mind and impatience created by a deep1 rich country1 visited for the first time1 with winding lanes1 and high hedges1 and green steeps1 and tangled woods1 and every thing smiling indeed1 but in a maze8 ,the same feeling comes upon us in a strange city1 when we have no map of its streets4 ,hence you hear of practised travellers1 when they first come into a place1 mounting some high hill or church tower1 by way of reconnoitring its neighbourhood4 ,in like manner1 you must be above your knowledge1 not under it1 or it will oppress you2 and the more you have of it1 the greater will be the load4 ,the learning of a ,salmasius or a ,burman1 unless you are its master1 will be your tyrant4 8,imperat aut servit20 if you can wield it with a strong arm1 it is a great weapon2 otherwise1 ,vis consili expers ,mole ruit su4 ,you will be overwhelmed1 like ,tarpeia1 by the heavy wealth which you have exacted from tributary generations4 ,instances abound2 there are authors who are as pointless as they are inexhaustible in their literary resources4 ,they measure knowledge by bulk1 as it lies in the rude block1 without symmetry1 without design4 ,how many commentators are there on the ,classics1 how many on ,holy ,scripture1 from whom we rise up1 wondering at the learning which has passed before us1 and wondering why it passed6 ,how many writers are there of ,ecclesiastical ,history1 such as ,mosheim or ,du ,pin1 who1 breaking up their subject into details1 destroy its life1 and defraud us of the whole by their anxiety about the parts6 ,the ,sermons1 again1 of the ,english ,divines in the seventeenth century1 how often are they mere repertories of miscellaneous and officious learning6 ,of course ,catholics also may read without thinking2 and in their case1 equally as with ,protestants1 it holds good1 that such knowledge is unworthy of the name1 knowledge which they have not thought through1 and thought out4 ,such readers are only possessed by their knowledge1 not possessed of it2 nay1 in matter of fact they are often even carried away by it1 without any volition of their own4 ,recollect1 the ,memory can tyrannize1 as well as the ,imagination4 ,derangement1 ,i believe1 has been considered as a loss of control over the sequence of ideas4 ,the mind1 once set in motion1 is henceforth deprived of the power of initiation1 and becomes the victim of a train of associations1 one thought suggesting another1 in the way of cause and effect1 as if by a mechanical process1 or some physical necessity4 ,no one1 who has had experience of men of studious habits1 but must recognize the existence of a parallel phenomenon in the case of those who have over-stimulated the ,memory4 ,in such persons ,reason acts almost as feebly and as impotently as in the madman2 once fairly started on any subject whatever1 they have no power of self-control2 they passively endure the succession of impulses which are evolved out of the original exciting cause2 they are passed on from one idea to another and go steadily forward1 plodding along one line of thought in spite of the amplest concessions of the hearer1 or wandering from it in endless digression in spite of his remonstrances4 ,now1 if1 as is very certain1 no one would envy the madman the glow and originality of his conceptions1 why must we extol the cultivation of that intellect1 which is the prey1 not indeed of barren fancies but of barren facts1 of random intrusions from without1 though not of morbid imaginations from within8 ,and in thus speaking1 ,i am not denying that a strong and ready memory is in itself a real treasure2 ,i am not disparaging a well-stored mind1 though it be nothing besides1 provided it be sober1 any more than ,i would despise a bookseller's shop3--it is of great value to others1 even when not so to the owner4 ,nor am ,i banishing1 far from it1 the possessors of deep and multifarious learning from my ideal ,university2 they adorn it in the eyes of men2 ,i do but say that they constitute no type of the results at which it aims2 that it is no great gain to the intellect to have enlarged the memory at the expense of faculties which are indisputably higher4 #h4 ,nor indeed am ,i supposing that there is any great danger1 at least in this day1 of over-education2 the danger is on the other side4 ,i will tell you1 ,gentlemen1 what has been the practical error of the last twenty years1--not to load the memory of the student with a mass of undigested knowledge1 but to force upon him so much that he has rejected all4 ,it has been the error of distracting and enfeebling the mind by an unmeaning profusion of subjects2 of implying that a smattering in a dozen branches of study is not shallowness1 which it really is1 but enlargement1 which it is not2 of considering an acquaintance with the learned names of things and persons1 and the possession of clever duodecimos1 and attendance on eloquent lecturers1 and membership with scientific institutions1 and the sight of the experiments of a platform and the specimens of a museum1 that all this was not dissipation of mind1 but progress4 ,all things now are to be learned at once1 not first one thing1 then another1 not one well1 but many badly4 ,learning is to be without exertion1 without attention1 without toil2 without grounding1 without advance1 without finishing4 ,there is to be nothing individual in it2 and this1 forsooth1 is the wonder of the age4 ,what the steam engine does with matter1 the printing press is to do with mind2 it is to act mechanically1 and the population is to be passively1 almost unconsciously enlightened1 by the mere multiplication and dissemination of volumes4 ,whether it be the school boy1 or the school girl1 or the youth at college1 or the mechanic in the town1 or the politician in the senate1 all have been the victims in one way or other of this most preposterous and pernicious of delusions4 ,wise men have lifted up their voices in vain2 and at length1 lest their own institutions should be outshone and should disappear in the folly of the hour1 they have been obliged1 as far as they could with a good conscience1 to humour a spirit which they could not withstand1 and make temporizing concessions at which they could not but inwardly smile4 ,it must not be supposed that1 because ,i so speak1 therefore ,i have some sort of fear of the education of the people3 on the contrary1 the more education they have1 the better1 so that it is really education4 ,nor am ,i an enemy to the cheap publication of scientific and literary works1 which is now in vogue3 on the contrary1 ,i consider it a great advantage1 convenience1 and gain2 that is1 to those to whom education has given a capacity for using them4 ,further1 ,i consider such innocent recreations as science and literature are able to furnish will be a very fit occupation of the thoughts and the leisure of young persons1 and may be made the means of keeping them from bad employments and bad companions4 ,moreover1 as to that superficial acquaintance with chemistry1 and geology1 and astronomy1 and political economy1 and modern history1 and biography1 and other branches of knowledge1 which periodical literature and occasional lectures and scientific institutions diffuse through the community1 ,i think it a graceful accomplishment1 and a suitable1 nay1 in this day a necessary accomplishment1 in the case of educated men4 ,nor1 lastly1 am ,i disparaging or discouraging the thorough acquisition of any one of these studies1 or denying that1 as far as it goes1 such thorough acquisition is a real education of the mind4 ,all ,i say is1 call things by their right names1 and do not confuse together ideas which are essentially different4 ,a thorough knowledge of one science and a superficial acquaintance with many1 are not the same thing2 a smattering of a hundred things or a memory for detail1 is not a philosophical or comprehensive view4 ,recreations are not education2 accomplishments are not education4 ,do not say1 the people must be educated1 when1 after all1 you only mean1 amused1 refreshed1 soothed1 put into good spirits and good humour1 or kept from vicious excesses4 ,i do not say that such amusements1 such occupations of mind1 are not a great gain2 but they are not education4 ,you may as well call drawing and fencing education1 as a general knowledge of botany or conchology4 ,stuffing birds or playing stringed instruments is an elegant pastime1 and a resource to the idle1 but it is not education2 it does not form or cultivate the intellect4 ,education is a high word2 it is the preparation for knowledge1 and it is the imparting of knowledge in proportion to that preparation4 ,we require intellectual eyes to know withal1 as bodily eyes for sight4 ,we need both objects and organs intellectual2 we cannot gain them without setting about it2 we cannot gain them in our sleep1 or by hap-hazard4 ,the best telescope does not dispense with eyes2 the printing press or the lecture room will assist us greatly1 but we must be true to ourselves1 we must be parties in the work4 ,a ,university is1 according to the usual designation1 an ,alma ,mater1 knowing her children one by one1 not a foundry1 or a mint1 or a treadmill4 #i4 ,i protest to you1 ,gentlemen1 that if ,i had to choose between a so-called ,university1 which dispensed with residence and tutorial superintendence1 and gave its degrees to any person who passed an examination in a wide range of subjects1 and a ,university which had no professors or examinations at all1 but merely brought a number of young men together for three or four years1 and then sent them away as the ,university of ,oxford is said to have done some sixty years since1 if ,i were asked which of these two methods was the better discipline of the intellect1--mind1 ,i do not say which is morally the better1 for it is plain that compulsory study must be a good and idleness an intolerable mischief1--but if ,i must determine which of the two courses was the more successful in training1 moulding1 enlarging the mind1 which sent out men the more fitted for their secular duties1 which produced better public men1 men of the world1 men whose names would descend to posterity1 ,i have no hesitation in giving the preference to that ,university which did nothing1 over that which exacted of its members an acquaintance with every science under the sun4 ,and1 paradox as this may seem1 still if results be the test of systems1 the influence of the public schools and colleges of ,england1 in the course of the last century1 at least will bear out one side of the contrast as ,i have drawn it4 ,what would come1 on the other hand1 of the ideal systems of education which have fascinated the imagination of this age1 could they ever take effect1 and whether they would not produce a generation frivolous1 narrow-minded1 and resourceless1 intellectually considered1 is a fair subject for debate2 but so far is certain1 that the ,universities and scholastic establishments1 to which ,i refer1 and which did little more than bring together first boys and then youths in large numbers1 these institutions1 with miserable deformities on the side of morals1 with a hollow profession of ,christianity1 and a heathen code of ethics1--,i say1 at least they can boast of a succession of heroes and statesmen1 of literary men and philosophers1 of men conspicuous for great natural virtues1 for habits of business1 for knowledge of life1 for practical judgment1 for cultivated tastes1 for accomplishments1 who have made ,england what it is1--able to subdue the earth1 able to domineer over ,catholics4 ,how is this to be explained8 ,i suppose as follows3 ,when a multitude of young men1 keen1 open-hearted1 sympathetic1 and observant1 as young men are1 come together and freely mix with each other1 they are sure to learn one from another1 even if there be no one to teach them2 the conversation of all is a series of lectures to each1 and they gain for themselves new ideas and views1 fresh matter of thought1 and distinct principles for judging and acting1 day by day4 ,an infant has to learn the meaning of the information which its senses convey to it1 and this seems to be its employment4 ,it fancies all that the eye presents to it to be close to it1 till it actually learns the contrary1 and thus by practice does it ascertain the relations and uses of those first elements of knowledge which are necessary for its animal existence4 ,a parallel teaching is necessary for our social being1 and it is secured by a large school or a college2 and this effect may be fairly called in its own department an enlargement of mind4 ,it is seeing the world on a small field with little trouble2 for the pupils or students come from very different places1 and with widely different notions1 and there is much to generalize1 much to adjust1 much to eliminate1 there are inter-relations to be defined1 and conventional rules to be established1 in the process1 by which the whole assemblage is moulded together1 and gains one tone and one character4 ,let it be clearly understood1 ,i repeat it1 that ,i am not taking into account moral or religious considerations2 ,i am but saying that that youthful community will constitute a whole1 it will embody a specific idea1 it will represent a doctrine1 it will administer a code of conduct1 and it will furnish principles of thought and action4 ,it will give birth to a living teaching1 which in course of time will take the shape of a self-perpetuating tradition1 or a genius loci1 as it is sometimes called2 which haunts the home where it has been born1 and which imbues and forms1 more or less1 and one by one1 every individual who is successively brought under its shadow4 ,thus it is that1 independent of direct instruction on the part of ,superiors1 there is a sort of self-education in the academic institutions of ,protestant ,england2 a characteristic tone of thought1 a recognized standard of judgment is found in them1 which1 as developed in the individual who is submitted to it1 becomes a twofold source of strength to him1 both from the distinct stamp it impresses on his mind1 and from the bond of union which it creates between him and others1--effects which are shared by the authorities of the place1 for they themselves have been educated in it1 and at all times are exposed to the influence of its ethical atmosphere4 ,here then is a real teaching1 whatever be its standards and principles1 true or false2 and it at least tends towards cultivation of the intellect2 it at least recognizes that knowledge is something more than a sort of passive reception of scraps and details2 it is a something1 and it does a something1 which never will issue from the most strenuous efforts of a set of teachers1 with no mutual sympathies and no intercommunion1 of a set of examiners with no opinions which they dare profess1 and with no common principles1 who are teaching or questioning a set of youths who do not know them1 and do not know each other1 on a large number of subjects1 different in kind1 and connected by no wide philosophy1 three times a week1 or three times a year1 or once in three years1 in chill lecture-rooms or on a pompous anniversary4 #aj4 ,nay1 self-education in any shape1 in the most restricted sense1 is preferable to a system of teaching which1 professing so much1 really does so little for the mind4 ,shut your ,college gates against the votary of knowledge1 throw him back upon the searchings and the efforts of his own mind2 he will gain by being spared an entrance into your ,babel4 ,few indeed there are who can dispense with the stimulus and support of instructors1 or will do any thing at all1 if left to themselves4 ,and fewer still 7though such great minds are to be found71 who will not1 from such unassisted attempts1 contract a self-reliance and a self-esteem1 which are not only moral evils1 but serious hindrances to the attainment of truth4 ,and next to none1 perhaps1 or none1 who will not be reminded from time to time of the disadvantage under which they lie1 by their imperfect grounding1 by the breaks1 deficiencies1 and irregularities of their knowledge1 by the eccentricity of opinion and the confusion of principle which they exhibit4 ,they will be too often ignorant of what every one knows and takes for granted1 of that multitude of small truths which fall upon the mind like dust1 impalpable and ever accumulating2 they may be unable to converse1 they may argue perversely1 they may pride themselves on their worst paradoxes or their grossest truisms1 they may be full of their own mode of viewing things1 unwilling to be put out of their way1 slow to enter into the minds of others2--but1 with these and whatever other liabilities upon their heads1 they are likely to have more thought1 more mind1 more philosophy1 more true enlargement1 than those earnest but ill-used persons1 who are forced to load their minds with a score of subjects against an examination1 who have too much on their hands to indulge themselves in thinking or investigation1 who devour premiss and conclusion together with indiscriminate greediness1 who hold whole sciences on faith1 and commit demonstrations to memory1 and who too often1 as might be expected1 when their period of education is passed1 throw up all they have learned in disgust1 having gained nothing really by their anxious labours1 except perhaps the habit of application4 ,yet such is the better specimen of the fruit of that ambitious system which has of late years been making way among us3 for its result on ordinary minds1 and on the common run of students1 is less satisfactory still2 they leave their place of education simply dissipated and relaxed by the multiplicity of subjects1 which they have never really mastered1 and so shallow as not even to know their shallowness4 ,how much better1 ,i say1 is it for the active and thoughtful intellect1 where such is to be found1 to eschew the ,college and the ,university altogether1 than to submit to a drudgery so ignoble1 a mockery so contumelious6 ,how much more profitable for the independent mind1 after the mere rudiments of education1 to range through a library at random1 taking down books as they meet him1 and pursuing the trains of thought which his mother wit suggests6 ,how much healthier to wander into the fields1 and there with the exiled ,prince to find 8tongues in the trees1 books in the running brooks60 ,how much more genuine an education is that of the poor boy in the ,poem7#ba7--;a ,poem1 whether in conception or in execution1 one of the most touching in our language--who1 not in the wide world1 but ranging day by day around his widowed mother's home1 8a dexterous gleaner0 in a narrow field1 and with only such slender outfit 8as the village school and books a few ,supplied10 contrived from the beach1 and the quay1 and the fisher's boat1 and the inn's fireside1 and the tradesman's shop1 and the shepherd's walk1 and the smuggler's hut1 and the mossy moor1 and the screaming gulls1 and the restless waves1 to fashion for himself a philosophy and a poetry of his own6 99 99 99 99 99 ,but in a large subject1 ,i am exceeding my necessary limits4 ,gentlemen1 ,i must conclude abruptly2 and postpone any summing up of my argument1 should that be necessary1 to another day4 ,discourse ,,vii4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,professional ,skill4 #a4 ,i have been insisting1 in my two preceding ,discourses1 first1 on the cultivation of the intellect1 as an end which may reasonably be pursued for its own sake2 and next1 on the nature of that cultivation1 or what that cultivation consists in4 ,truth of whatever kind is the proper object of the intellect2 its cultivation then lies in fitting it to apprehend and contemplate truth4 ,now the intellect in its present state1 with exceptions which need not here be specified1 does not discern truth intuitively1 or as a whole4 ,we know1 not by a direct and simple vision1 not at a glance1 but1 as it were1 by piecemeal and accumulation1 by a mental process1 by going round an object1 by the comparison1 the combination1 the mutual correction1 the continual adaptation1 of many partial notions1 by the employment1 concentration1 and joint action of many faculties and exercises of mind4 ,such a union and concert of the intellectual powers1 such an enlargement and development1 such a comprehensiveness1 is necessarily a matter of training4 ,and again1 such a training is a matter of rule2 it is not mere application1 however exemplary1 which introduces the mind to truth1 nor the reading many books1 nor the getting up many subjects1 nor the witnessing many experiments1 nor the attending many lectures4 ,all this is short of enough2 a man may have done it all1 yet be lingering in the vestibule of knowledge3--he may not realize what his mouth utters2 he may not see with his mental eye what confronts him2 he may have no grasp of things as they are2 or at least he may have no power at all of advancing one step forward of himself1 in consequence of what he has already acquired1 no power of discriminating between truth and falsehood1 of sifting out the grains of truth from the mass1 of arranging things according to their real value1 and1 if ,i may use the phrase1 of building up ideas4 ,such a power is the result of a scientific formation of mind2 it is an acquired faculty of judgment1 of clear-sightedness1 of sagacity1 of wisdom1 of philosophical reach of mind1 and of intellectual self-possession and repose1--qualities which do not come of mere acquirement4 ,the bodily eye1 the organ for apprehending material objects1 is provided by nature2 the eye of the mind1 of which the object is truth1 is the work of discipline and habit4 ,this process of training1 by which the intellect1 instead of being formed or sacrificed to some particular or accidental purpose1 some specific trade or profession1 or study or science1 is disciplined for its own sake1 for the perception of its own proper object1 and for its own highest culture1 is called ,liberal ,education2 and though there is no one in whom it is carried as far as is conceivable1 or whose intellect would be a pattern of what intellects should be made1 yet there is scarcely any one but may gain an idea of what real training is1 and at least look towards it1 and make its true scope and result1 not something else1 his standard of excellence2 and numbers there are who may submit themselves to it1 and secure it to themselves in good measure4 ,and to set forth the right standard1 and to train according to it1 and to help forward all students towards it according to their various capacities1 this ,i conceive to be the business of a ,university4 #b4 ,now this is what some great men are very slow to allow2 they insist that ,education should be confined to some particular and narrow end1 and should issue in some definite work1 which can be weighed and measured4 ,they argue as if every thing1 as well as every person1 had its price2 and that where there has been a great outlay1 they have a right to expect a return in kind4 ,this they call making ,education and ,instruction 8useful10 and 8,utility0 becomes their watchword4 ,with a fundamental principle of this nature1 they very naturally go on to ask1 what there is to show for the expense of a ,university2 what is the real worth in the market of the article called 8a ,liberal ,education10 on the supposition that it does not teach us definitely how to advance our manufactures1 or to improve our lands1 or to better our civil economy2 or again1 if it does not at once make this man a lawyer1 that an engineer1 and that a surgeon2 or at least if it does not lead to discoveries in chemistry1 astronomy1 geology1 magnetism1 and science of every kind4 ,this question1 as might have been expected1 has been keenly debated in the present age1 and formed one main subject of the controversy1 to which ,i referred in the ,introduction to the present ,discourses1 as having been sustained in the first decade of this century by a celebrated ,northern ,review on the one hand1 and defenders of the ,university of ,oxford on the other4 ,hardly had the authorities of that ancient seat of learning1 waking from their long neglect1 set on foot a plan for the education of the youth committed to them1 than the representatives of science and literature in the city1 which has sometimes been called the ,northern ,athens1 remonstrated1 with their gravest arguments and their most brilliant satire1 against the direction and shape which the reform was taking4 ,nothing would content them1 but that the ,university should be set to rights on the basis of the philosophy of ,utility2 a philosophy1 as they seem to have thought1 which needed but to be proclaimed in order to be embraced4 ,in truth1 they were little aware of the depth and force of the principles on which the academical authorities were proceeding1 and1 this being so1 it was not to be expected that they would be allowed to walk at leisure over the field of controversy which they had selected4 ,accordingly they were encountered in behalf of the ,university by two men of great name and influence in their day1 of very different minds1 but united1 as by ,collegiate ties1 so in the clear-sighted and large view which they took of the whole subject of ,liberal ,education2 and the defence thus provided for the ,oxford studies has kept its ground to this day4 #c4 ,let me be allowed to devote a few words to the memory of distinguished persons1 under the shadow of whose name ,i once lived1 and by whose doctrine ,i am now profiting4 ,in the heart of ,oxford there is a small plot of ground1 hemmed in by public thoroughfares1 which has been the possession and the home of one ,society for above five hundred years4 ,in the old time of ,boniface the ,eighth and ,john the ,twenty-second1 in the age of ,scotus and ,occam and ,dante1 before ,wiclif or ,huss had kindled those miserable fires which are still raging to the ruin of the highest interests of man1 an unfortunate king of ,england1 ,edward the ,second1 flying from the field of ,bannockburn1 is said to have made a vow to the ,blessed ,virgin to found a religious house in her honour1 if he got back in safety4 ,prompted and aided by his ,almoner1 he decided on placing this house in the city of ,alfred2 and the ,image of our ,lady1 which is opposite its entrance-gate1 is to this day the token of the vow and its fulfilment4 ,king and ,almoner have long been in the dust1 and strangers have entered into their inheritance1 and their creed has been forgotten1 and their holy rites disowned2 but day by day a memento is still made in the holy ,sacrifice by at least one ,catholic ,priest1 once a member of that ,college1 for the souls of those ,catholic benefactors who fed him there for so many years4 ,the visitor1 whose curiosity has been excited by its present fame1 gazes perhaps with something of disappointment on a collection of buildings which have with them so few of the circumstances of dignity or wealth4 ,broad quadrangles1 high halls and chambers1 ornamented cloisters1 stately walks1 or umbrageous gardens1 a throng of students1 ample revenues1 or a glorious history1 none of these things were the portion of that old ,catholic foundation2 nothing in short which to the common eye sixty years ago would have given tokens of what it was to be4 ,but it had at that time a spirit working within it1 which enabled its inmates to do1 amid its seeming insignificance1 what no other body in the place could equal2 not a very abstruse gift or extraordinary boast1 but a rare one1 the honest purpose to administer the trust committed to them in such a way as their conscience pointed out as best4 ,so1 whereas the ,colleges of ,oxford are self-electing bodies1 the fellows in each perpetually filling up for themselves the vacancies which occur in their number1 the members of this foundation determined1 at a time when1 either from evil custom or from ancient statute1 such a thing was not known elsewhere1 to throw open their fellowships to the competition of all comers1 and1 in the choice of associates henceforth1 to cast to the winds every personal motive and feeling1 family connexion1 and friendship1 and patronage1 and political interest1 and local claim1 and prejudice1 and party jealousy1 and to elect solely on public and patriotic grounds4 ,nay1 with a remarkable independence of mind1 they resolved that even the table of honours1 awarded to literary merit by the ,university in its new system of examination for degrees1 should not fetter their judgment as electors2 but that at all risks1 and whatever criticism it might cause1 and whatever odium they might incur1 they would select the men1 whoever they were1 to be children of their ,founder1 whom they thought in their consciences to be most likely from their intellectual and moral qualities to please him1 if 7as they expressed it7 he were still upon earth1 most likely to do honour to his ,college1 most likely to promote the objects which they believed he had at heart4 ,such persons did not promise to be the disciples of a low ,utilitarianism2 and consequently1 as their collegiate reform synchronized with that reform of the ,academical body1 in which they bore a principal part1 it was not unnatural that1 when the storm broke upon the ,university from the ,north1 their ,alma ,mater1 whom they loved1 should have found her first defenders within the walls of that small ,college1 which had first put itself into a condition to be her champion4 ,these defenders1 ,i have said1 were two1 of whom the more distinguished was the late ,dr4 ,copleston1 then a ,fellow of the ,college1 successively its ,provost1 and ,protestant ,bishop of ,llandaff4 ,in that ,society1 which owes so much to him1 his name lives1 and ever will live1 for the distinction which his talents bestowed on it1 for the academical importance to which he raised it1 for the generosity of spirit1 the liberality of sentiment1 and the kindness of heart1 with which he adorned it1 and which even those who had least sympathy with some aspects of his mind and character could not but admire and love4 ,men come to their meridian at various periods of their lives2 the last years of the eminent person ,i am speaking of were given to duties which1 ,i am told1 have been the means of endearing him to numbers1 but which afforded no scope for that peculiar vigour and keenness of mind which enabled him1 when a young man1 single-handed1 with easy gallantry1 to encounter and overthrow the charge of three giants of the ,north combined against him4 ,i believe ,i am right in saying that1 in the progress of the controversy1 the most scientific1 the most critical1 and the most witty1 of that literary company1 all of them now1 as he himself1 removed from this visible scene1 ,professor ,playfair1 ,lord ,jeffrey1 and the ,rev4 ,sydney ,smith1 threw together their several efforts into one article of their ,review1 in order to crush and pound to dust the audacious controvertist who had come out against them in defence of his own ,institutions4 ,to have even contended with such men was a sufficient voucher for his ability1 even before we open his pamphlets1 and have actual evidence of the good sense1 the spirit1 the scholar-like taste1 and the purity of style1 by which they are distinguished4 ,he was supported in the controversy1 on the same general principles1 but with more of method and distinctness1 and1 ,i will add1 with greater force and beauty and perfection1 both of thought and of language1 by the other distinguished writer1 to whom ,i have already referred1 ,mr4 ,davison2 who1 though not so well known to the world in his day1 has left more behind him than the ,provost of ,oriel1 to make his name remembered by posterity4 ,this thoughtful man1 who was the admired and intimate friend of a very remarkable person1 whom1 whether he wish it or not1 numbers revere and love as the first author of the subsequent movement in the ,protestant ,church towards ,catholicism17#bb7 this grave and philosophical writer1 whose works ,i can never look into without sighing that such a man was lost to the ,catholic ,church1 as ,dr4 ,butler before him1 by some early bias or some fault of self-education--he1 in a review of a work by ,mr4 ,edgeworth on ,professional ,education1 which attracted a good deal of attention in its day1 goes leisurely over the same ground1 which had already been rapidly traversed by ,dr4 ,copleston1 and1 though professedly employed upon ,mr4 ,edgeworth1 is really replying to the northern critic who had brought that writer's work into notice1 and to a far greater author than either of them1 who in a past age had argued on the same side4 #d4 ,the author to whom ,i allude is no other than ,locke4 ,that celebrated philosopher has preceded the ,edinburgh ,reviewers in condemning the ordinary subjects in which boys are instructed at school1 on the ground that they are not needed by them in after life2 and before quoting what his disciples have said in the present century1 ,i will refer to a few passages of the master4 8',tis matter of astonishment10 he says in his work on ,education1 8that men of quality and parts should suffer themselves to be so far misled by custom and implicit faith4 ,reason1 if consulted with1 would advise1 that their children's time should be spent in acquiring what might be useful to them1 when they come to be men1 rather than that their heads should be stuffed with a deal of trash1 a great part whereof they usually never do 7'tis certain they never need to7 think on again as long as they live2 and so much of it as does stick by them they are only the worse for40 ,and so again1 speaking of verse-making1 he says1 8,i know not what reason a father can have to wish his son a poet1 who does not desire him to bid defiance to all other callings and business2 which is not yet the worst of the case2 for1 if he proves a successful rhymer1 and gets once the reputation of a wit1 ,i desire it to be considered1 what company and places he is likely to spend his time in1 nay1 and estate too2 for it is very seldom seen that any one discovers mines of gold or silver in ,parnassus4 ',tis a pleasant air1 but a barren soil40 ,in another passage he distinctly limits utility in education to its bearing on the future profession or trade of the pupil1 that is1 he scorns the idea of any education of the intellect1 simply as such4 8,can there be any thing more ridiculous10 he asks1 8than that a father should waste his own money1 and his son's time1 in setting him to learn the ,roman language1 when at the same time he designs him for a trade1 wherein he1 having no use of ,latin1 fails not to forget that little which he brought from school1 and which 'tis ten to one he abhors for the ill-usage it procured him8 ,could it be believed1 unless we have every where amongst us examples of it1 that a child should be forced to learn the rudiments of a language1 which he is never to use in the course of life that he is designed to1 and neglect all the while the writing a good hand1 and casting accounts1 which are of great advantage in all conditions of life1 and to most trades indispensably necessary80 ,nothing of course can be more absurd than to neglect in education those matters which are necessary for a boy's future calling2 but the tone of ,locke's remarks evidently implies more than this1 and is condemnatory of any teaching which tends to the general cultivation of the mind4 ,now to turn to his modern disciples4 ,the study of the ,classics had been made the basis of the ,oxford education1 in the reforms which ,i have spoken of1 and the ,edinburgh ,reviewers protested1 after the manner of ,locke1 that no good could come of a system which was not based upon the principle of ,utility4 8,classical ,literature10 they said1 8is the great object at ,oxford4 ,many minds1 so employed1 have produced many works and much fame in that department2 but if all liberal arts and sciences1 useful to human life1 had been taught there1 if some had dedicated themselves to chemistry1 some to mathematics1 some to experimental philosophy1 and if every attainment had been honoured in the mixt ratio of its difficulty and utility1 the system of such a ,university would have been much more valuable1 but the splendour of its name something less40 ,utility may be made the end of education1 in two respects3 either as regards the individual educated1 or the community at large4 ,in which light do these writers regard it8 in the latter4 ,so far they differ from ,locke1 for they consider the advancement of science as the supreme and real end of a ,university4 ,this is brought into view in the sentences which follow4 8,when a ,university has been doing useless things for a long time1 it appears at first degrading to them to be useful4 ,a set of ,lectures on ,political ,economy would be discouraged in ,oxford1 probably despised1 probably not permitted4 ,to discuss the inclosure of commons1 and to dwell upon imports and exports1 to come so near to common life1 would seem to be undignified and contemptible4 ,in the same manner1 the ,parr or the ,bentley of the day would be scandalized1 in a ,university1 to be put on a level with the discoverer of a neutral salt2 and yet1 what other measure is there of dignity in intellectual labour but usefulness8 ,and what ought the term ,university to mean1 but a place where every science is taught which is liberal1 and at the same time useful to mankind8 ,nothing would so much tend to bring classical literature within proper bounds as a steady and invariable appeal to utility in our appreciation of all human knowledge4''' ,looking always to real utility as our guide1 we should see1 with equal pleasure1 a studious and inquisitive mind arranging the productions of nature1 investigating the qualities of bodies1 or mastering the difficulties of the learned languages4 ,we should not care whether he was chemist1 naturalist1 or scholar1 because we know it to be as necessary that matter should be studied and subdued to the use of man1 as that taste should be gratified1 and imagination inflamed40 ,such then is the enunciation1 as far as words go1 of the theory of ,utility in ,education2 and both on its own account1 and for the sake of the able men who have advocated it1 it has a claim on the attention of those whose principles ,i am here representing4 ,certainly it is specious to contend that nothing is worth pursuing but what is useful2 and that life is not long enough to expend upon interesting1 or curious1 or brilliant trifles4 ,nay1 in one sense1 ,i will grant it is more than specious1 it is true2 but1 if so1 how do ,i propose directly to meet the objection8 ,why1 ,gentlemen1 ,i have really met it already1 viz41 in laying down1 that intellectual culture is its own end2 for what has its end in itself1 has its use in itself also4 ,i say1 if a ,liberal ,education consists in the culture of the intellect1 and if that culture be in itself a good1 here1 without going further1 is an answer to ,locke's question2 for if a healthy body is a good in itself1 why is not a healthy intellect8 and if a ,college of ,physicians is a useful institution1 because it contemplates bodily health1 why is not an ,academical ,body1 though it were simply and solely engaged in imparting vigour and beauty and grasp to the intellectual portion of our nature8 ,and the ,reviewers ,i am quoting seem to allow this in their better moments1 in a passage which1 putting aside the question of its justice in fact1 is sound and true in the principles to which it appeals3-- 8,the present state of classical education10 they say1 8cultivates the imagination a great deal too much1 and other habits of mind a great deal too little1 and trains up many young men in a style of elegant imbecility1 utterly unworthy of the talents with which nature has endowed them4''' ,the matter of fact is1 that a classical scholar of twenty-three or twenty-four is a man principally conversant with works of imagination4 ,his feelings are quick1 his fancy lively1 and his taste good4 ,talents for speculation and original inquiry he has none1 nor has he formed the invaluable habit of pushing things up to their first principles1 or of collecting dry and unamusing facts as the materials for reasoning4 ,all the solid and masculine parts of his understanding are left wholly without cultivation2 he hates the pain of thinking1 and suspects every man whose boldness and originality call upon him to defend his opinions and prove his assertions40 #e4 ,now1 ,i am not at present concerned with the specific question of classical education2 else1 ,i might reasonably question the justice of calling an intellectual discipline1 which embraces the study of ,aristotle1 ,thucydides1 and ,tacitus1 which involves ,scholarship and ,antiquities1 imaginative2 still so far ,i readily grant1 that the cultivation of the 8understanding10 of a 8talent for speculation and original inquiry10 and of 8the habit of pushing things up to their first principles10 is a principal portion of a good or liberal education4 ,if then the ,reviewers consider such cultivation the characteristic of a useful education1 as they seem to do in the foregoing passage1 it follows1 that what they mean by 8useful0 is just what ,i mean by 8good0 or 8liberal30 and ,locke's question becomes a verbal one4 ,whether youths are to be taught ,latin or verse-making will depend on the fact1 whether these studies tend to mental culture2 but1 however this is determined1 so far is clear1 that in that mental culture consists what ,i have called a liberal or non-professional1 and what the ,reviewers call a useful education4 ,this is the obvious answer which may be made to those who urge upon us the claims of ,utility in our plans of ,education2 but ,i am not going to leave the subject here3 ,i mean to take a wider view of it4 ,let us take 8useful10 as ,locke takes it1 in its proper and popular sense1 and then we enter upon a large field of thought1 to which ,i cannot do justice in one ,discourse1 though to-day's is all the space that ,i can give to it4 ,i say1 let us take 8useful0 to mean1 not what is simply good1 but what tends to good1 or is the instrument of good2 and in this sense also1 ,gentlemen1 ,i will show you how a liberal education is truly and fully a useful1 though it be not a professional1 education4 8,good0 indeed means one thing1 and 8useful0 means another2 but ,i lay it down as a principle1 which will save us a great deal of anxiety1 that1 though the useful is not always good1 the good is always useful4 ,good is not only good1 but reproductive of good2 this is one of its attributes2 nothing is excellent1 beautiful1 perfect1 desirable for its own sake1 but it overflows1 and spreads the likeness of itself all around it4 ,good is prolific2 it is not only good to the eye1 but to the taste2 it not only attracts us1 but it communicates itself2 it excites first our admiration and love1 then our desire and our gratitude1 and that1 in proportion to its intenseness and fulness in particular instances4 ,a great good will impart great good4 ,if then the intellect is so excellent a portion of us1 and its cultivation so excellent1 it is not only beautiful1 perfect1 admirable1 and noble in itself1 but in a true and high sense it must be useful to the possessor and to all around him2 not useful in any low1 mechanical1 mercantile sense1 but as diffusing good1 or as a blessing1 or a gift1 or power1 or a treasure1 first to the owner1 then through him to the world4 ,i say then1 if a liberal education be good1 it must necessarily be useful too4 #f4 ,you will see what ,i mean by the parallel of bodily health4 ,health is a good in itself1 though nothing came of it1 and is especially worth seeking and cherishing2 yet1 after all1 the blessings which attend its presence are so great1 while they are so close to it and so redound back upon it and encircle it1 that we never think of it except as useful as well as good1 and praise and prize it for what it does1 as well as for what it is1 though at the same time we cannot point out any definite and distinct work or production which it can be said to effect4 ,and so as regards intellectual culture1 ,i am far from denying utility in this large sense as the end of ,education1 when ,i lay it down1 that the culture of the intellect is a good in itself and its own end2 ,i do not exclude from the idea of intellectual culture what it cannot but be1 from the very nature of things2 ,i only deny that we must be able to point out1 before we have any right to call it useful1 some art1 or business1 or profession1 or trade1 or work1 as resulting from it1 and as its real and complete end4 ,the parallel is exact3--,as the body may be sacrificed to some manual or other toil1 whether moderate or oppressive1 so may the intellect be devoted to some specific profession2 and ,i do not call this the culture of the intellect4 ,again1 as some member or organ of the body may be inordinately used and developed1 so may memory1 or imagination1 or the reasoning faculty2 and this again is not intellectual culture4 ,on the other hand1 as the body may be tended1 cherished1 and exercised with a simple view to its general health1 so may the intellect also be generally exercised in order to its perfect state2 and this is its cultivation4 ,again1 as health ought to precede labour of the body1 and as a man in health can do what an unhealthy man cannot do1 and as of this health the properties are strength1 energy1 agility1 graceful carriage and action1 manual dexterity1 and endurance of fatigue1 so in like manner general culture of mind is the best aid to professional and scientific study1 and educated men can do what illiterate cannot2 and the man who has learned to think and to reason and to compare and to discriminate and to analyze1 who has refined his taste1 and formed his judgment1 and sharpened his mental vision1 will not indeed at once be a lawyer1 or a pleader1 or an orator1 or a statesman1 or a physician1 or a good landlord1 or a man of business1 or a soldier1 or an engineer1 or a chemist1 or a geologist1 or an antiquarian1 but he will be placed in that state of intellect in which he can take up any one of the sciences or callings ,i have referred to1 or any other for which he has a taste or special talent1 with an ease1 a grace1 a versatility1 and a success1 to which another is a stranger4 ,in this sense then1 and as yet ,i have said but a very few words on a large subject1 mental culture is emphatically useful4 ,if then ,i am arguing1 and shall argue1 against ,professional or ,scientific knowledge as the sufficient end of a ,university ,education1 let me not be supposed1 ,gentlemen1 to be disrespectful towards particular studies1 or arts1 or vocations1 and those who are engaged in them4 ,in saying that ,law or ,medicine is not the end of a ,university course1 ,i do not mean to imply that the ,university does not teach ,law or ,medicine4 ,what indeed can it teach at all1 if it does not teach something particular8 ,it teaches all knowledge by teaching all branches of knowledge1 and in no other way4 ,i do but say that there will be this distinction as regards a ,professor of ,law1 or of ,medicine1 or of ,geology1 or of ,political ,economy1 in a ,university and out of it1 that out of a ,university he is in danger of being absorbed and narrowed by his pursuit1 and of giving ,lectures which are the ,lectures of nothing more than a lawyer1 physician1 geologist1 or political economist2 whereas in a ,university he will just know where he and his science stand1 he has come to it1 as it were1 from a height1 he has taken a survey of all knowledge1 he is kept from extravagance by the very rivalry of other studies1 he has gained from them a special illumination and largeness of mind and freedom and self-possession1 and he treats his own in consequence with a philosophy and a resource1 which belongs not to the study itself1 but to his liberal education4 ,this then is how ,i should solve the fallacy1 for so ,i must call it1 by which ,locke and his disciples would frighten us from cultivating the intellect1 under the notion that no education is useful which does not teach us some temporal calling1 or some mechanical art1 or some physical secret4 ,i say that a cultivated intellect1 because it is a good in itself1 brings with it a power and a grace to every work and occupation which it undertakes1 and enables us to be more useful1 and to a greater number4 ,there is a duty we owe to human society as such1 to the state to which we belong1 to the sphere in which we move1 to the individuals towards whom we are variously related1 and whom we successively encounter in life2 and that philosophical or liberal education1 as ,i have called it1 which is the proper function of a ,university1 if it refuses the foremost place to professional interests1 does but postpone them to the formation of the citizen1 and1 while it subserves the larger interests of philanthropy1 prepares also for the successful prosecution of those merely personal objects1 which at first sight it seems to disparage4 #g4 ,and now1 ,gentlemen1 ,i wish to be allowed to enforce in detail what ,i have been saying1 by some extracts from the writings to which ,i have already alluded1 and to which ,i am so greatly indebted4 8,it is an undisputed maxim in ,political ,economy10 says ,dr4 ,copleston1 8that the separation of professions and the division of labour tend to the perfection of every art1 to the wealth of nations1 to the general comfort and well-being of the community4 ,this principle of division is in some instances pursued so far as to excite the wonder of people to whose notice it is for the first time pointed out4 ,there is no saying to what extent it may not be carried2 and the more the powers of each individual are concentrated in one employment1 the greater skill and quickness will he naturally display in performing it4 ,but1 while he thus contributes more effectually to the accumulation of national wealth1 he becomes himself more and more degraded as a rational being4 ,in proportion as his sphere of action is narrowed his mental powers and habits become contracted2 and he resembles a subordinate part of some powerful machinery1 useful in its place1 but insignificant and worthless out of it4 ,if it be necessary1 as it is beyond all question necessary1 that society should be split into divisions and subdivisions1 in order that its several duties may be well performed1 yet we must be careful not to yield up ourselves wholly and exclusively to the guidance of this system2 we must observe what its evils are1 and we should modify and restrain it1 by bringing into action other principles1 which may serve as a check and counterpoise to the main force4 8,there can be no doubt that every art is improved by confining the professor of it to that single study4 ,but1 although the art itself is advanced by this concentration of mind in its service1 the individual who is confined to it goes back4 ,the advantage of the community is nearly in an inverse ratio with his own4 8,society itself requires some other contribution from each individual1 besides the particular duties of his profession4 ,and1 if no such liberal intercourse be established1 it is the common failing of human nature1 to be engrossed with petty views and interests1 to underrate the importance of all in which we are not concerned1 and to carry our partial notions into cases where they are inapplicable1 to act1 in short1 as so many unconnected units1 displacing and repelling one another4 8,in the cultivation of literature is found that common link1 which1 among the higher and middling departments of life1 unites the jarring sects and subdivisions into one interest1 which supplies common topics1 and kindles common feelings1 unmixed with those narrow prejudices with which all professions are more or less infected4 ,the knowledge1 too1 which is thus acquired1 expands and enlarges the mind1 excites its faculties1 and calls those limbs and muscles into freer exercise which1 by too constant use in one direction1 not only acquire an illiberal air1 but are apt also to lose somewhat of their native play and energy4 ,and thus1 without directly qualifying a man for any of the employments of life1 it enriches and ennobles all4 ,without teaching him the peculiar business of any one office or calling1 it enables him to act his part in each of them with better grace and more elevated carriage2 and1 if happily planned and conducted1 is a main ingredient in that complete and generous education which fits a man #8to perform justly1 skilfully1 and magnanimously1 all the offices1 both private and public1 of peace and war4' 07#bc7 #h4 ,the view of ,liberal ,education1 advocated in these extracts1 is expanded by ,mr4 ,davison in the ,essay to which ,i have already referred4 ,he lays more stress on the 8usefulness0 of ,liberal ,education in the larger sense of the word than his predecessor in the controversy4 ,instead of arguing that the ,utility of knowledge to the individual varies inversely with its ,utility to the public1 he chiefly employs himself on the suggestions contained in ,dr4 ,copleston's last sentences4 ,he shows1 first1 that a ,liberal ,education is something far higher1 even in the scale of ,utility1 than what is commonly called a ,useful ,education1 and next1 that it is necessary or useful for the purposes even of that ,professional ,education which commonly engrosses the title of ,useful4 ,the former of these two theses he recommends to us in an argument from which the following passages are selected3-- 8,it is to take a very contracted view of life10 he says1 8to think with great anxiety how persons may be educated to superior skill in their department1 comparatively neglecting or excluding the more liberal and enlarged cultivation4 ,in his 7,mr4 ,edgeworth's7 system1 the value of every attainment is to be measured by its subserviency to a calling4 ,the specific duties of that calling are exalted at the cost of those free and independent tastes and virtues which come in to sustain the common relations of society1 and raise the individual in them4 ,in short1 a man is to be usurped by his profession4 ,he is to be clothed in its garb from head to foot4 ,his virtues1 his science1 and his ideas are all to be put into a gown or uniform1 and the whole man to be shaped1 pressed1 and stiffened1 in the exact mould of his technical character4 ,any interloping accomplishments1 or a faculty which cannot be taken into public pay1 if they are to be indulged in him at all1 must creep along under the cloak of his more serviceable privileged merits4 ,such is the state of perfection to which the spirit and general tendency of this system would lead us4 8,but the professional character is not the only one which a person engaged in a profession has to support4 ,he is not always upon duty4 ,there are services he owes1 which are neither parochial1 nor forensic1 nor military1 nor to be described by any such epithet of civil regulation1 and yet are in no wise inferior to those that bear these authoritative titles2 inferior neither in their intrinsic value1 nor their moral import1 nor their impression upon society4 ,as a friend1 as a companion1 as a citizen at large2 in the connections of domestic life2 in the improvement and embellishment of his leisure1 he has a sphere of action1 revolving1 if you please1 within the sphere of his profession1 but not clashing with it2 in which if he can show none of the advantages of an improved understanding1 whatever may be his skill or proficiency in the other1 he is no more than an ill-educated man4 8,there is a certain faculty in which all nations of any refinement are great practitioners4 ,it is not taught at school or college as a distinct science2 though it deserves that what is taught there should be made to have some reference to it2 nor is it endowed at all by the public2 everybody being obliged to exercise it for himself in person1 which he does to the best of his skill4 ,but in nothing is there a greater difference than in the manner of doing it4 ,the advocates of professional learning will smile when we tell them that this same faculty which we would have encouraged1 is simply that of speaking good sense in ,english1 without fee or reward1 in common conversation4 ,they will smile when we lay some stress upon it2 but in reality it is no such trifle as they imagine4 ,look into the huts of savages1 and see1 for there is nothing to listen to1 the dismal blank of their stupid hours of silence2 their professional avocations of war and hunting are over2 and1 having nothing to do1 they have nothing to say4 ,turn to improved life1 and you find conversation in all its forms the medium of something more than an idle pleasure2 indeed1 a very active agent in circulating and forming the opinions1 tastes1 and feelings of a whole people4 ,it makes of itself a considerable affair4 ,its topics are the most promiscuous--all those which do not belong to any particular province4 ,as for its power and influence1 we may fairly say that it is of just the same consequence to a man's immediate society1 how he talks1 as how he acts4 ,now of all those who furnish their share to rational conversation1 a mere adept in his own art is universally admitted to be the worst4 ,the sterility and uninstructiveness of such a person's social hours are quite proverbial4 ,or if he escape being dull1 it is only by launching into ill-timed1 learned loquacity4 ,we do not desire of him lectures or speeches2 and he has nothing else to give4 ,among benches he may be powerful2 but seated on a chair he is quite another person4 ,on the other hand1 we may affirm1 that one of the best companions is a man who1 to the accuracy and research of a profession1 has joined a free excursive acquaintance with various learning1 and caught from it the spirit of general observation40 #i4 ,having thus shown that a liberal education is a real benefit to the subjects of it1 as members of society1 in the various duties and circumstances and accidents of life1 he goes on1 in the next place1 to show that1 over and above those direct services which might fairly be expected of it1 it actually subserves the discharge of those particular functions1 and the pursuit of those particular advantages1 which are connected with professional exertion1 and to which ,professional ,education is directed4 8,we admit10 he observes1 8that when a person makes a business of one pursuit1 he is in the right way to eminence in it2 and that divided attention will rarely give excellence in many4 ,but our assent will go no further4 ,for1 to think that the way to prepare a person for excelling in any one pursuit 7and that is the only point in hand71 is to fetter his early studies1 and cramp the first development of his mind1 by a reference to the exigencies of that pursuit barely1 is a very different notion1 and one which1 we apprehend1 deserves to be exploded rather than received4 ,possibly a few of the abstract1 insulated kinds of learning might be approached in that way4 ,the exceptions to be made are very few1 and need not be recited4 ,but for the acquisition of professional and practical ability such maxims are death to it4 ,the main ingredients of that ability are requisite knowledge and cultivated faculties2 but1 of the two1 the latter is by far the chief4 ,a man of well improved faculties has the command of another's knowledge4 ,a man without them1 has not the command of his own4 8,of the intellectual powers1 the judgment is that which takes the foremost lead in life4 ,how to form it to the two habits it ought to possess1 of exactness and vigour1 is the problem4 ,it would be ignorant presumption so much as to hint at any routine of method by which these qualities may with certainty be imparted to every or any understanding4 ,still1 however1 we may safely lay it down that they are not to be got #8by a gatherer of simples1' but are the combined essence and extracts of many different things1 drawn from much varied reading and discipline1 first1 and observation afterwards4 ,for if there be a single intelligible point on this head1 it is that a man who has been trained to think upon one subject or for one subject only1 will never be a good judge even in that one3 whereas the enlargement of his circle gives him increased knowledge and power in a rapidly increasing ratio4 ,so much do ideas act1 not as solitary units1 but by grouping and combination2 and so clearly do all the things that fall within the proper province of the same faculty of the mind1 intertwine with and support each other4 ,judgment lives as it were by comparison and discrimination4 ,can it be doubted1 then1 whether the range and extent of that assemblage of things upon which it is practised in its first essays are of use to its power8 8,to open our way a little further on this matter1 we will define what we mean by the power of judgment2 and then try to ascertain among what kind of studies the improvement of it may be expected at all4 8,judgment does not stand here for a certain homely1 useful quality of intellect1 that guards a person from committing mistakes to the injury of his fortunes or common reputation2 but for that master-principle of business1 literature1 and talent1 which gives him strength in any subject he chooses to grapple with1 and enables him to seize the strong point in it4 ,whether this definition be metaphysically correct or not1 it comes home to the substance of our inquiry4 ,it describes the power that every one desires to possess when he comes to act in a profession1 or elsewhere2 and corresponds with our best idea of a cultivated mind4 8,next1 it will not be denied1 that in order to do any good to the judgment1 the mind must be employed upon such subjects as come within the cognizance of that faculty1 and give some real exercise to its perceptions4 ,here we have a rule of selection by which the different parts of learning may be classed for our purpose4 ,those which belong to the province of the judgment are religion 7in its evidences and interpretation71 ethics1 history1 eloquence1 poetry1 theories of general speculation1 the fine arts1 and works of wit4 ,great as the variety of these large divisions of learning may appear1 they are all held in union by two capital principles of connexion4 ,first1 they are all quarried out of one and the same great subject of man's moral1 social1 and feeling nature4 ,and secondly1 they are all under the control 7more or less strict7 of the same power of moral reason40 8,if these studies10 he continues1 8be such as give a direct play and exercise to the faculty of the judgment1 then they are the true basis of education for the active and inventive powers1 whether destined for a profession or any other use4 ,miscellaneous as the assemblage may appear1 of history1 eloquence1 poetry1 ethics1 etc41 blended together1 they will all conspire in an union of effect4 ,they are necessary mutually to explain and interpret each other4 ,the knowledge derived from them all will amalgamate1 and the habits of a mind versed and practised in them by turns will join to produce a richer vein of thought and of more general and practical application than could be obtained of any single one1 as the fusion of the metals into ,corinthian brass gave the artist his most ductile and perfect material4 ,might we venture to imitate an author 7whom indeed it is much safer to take as an authority than to attempt to copy71 ,lord ,bacon1 in some of his concise illustrations of the comparative utility of the different studies1 we should say that history would give fulness1 moral philosophy strength1 and poetry elevation to the understanding4 ,such in reality is the natural force and tendency of the studies2 but there are few minds susceptible enough to derive from them any sort of virtue adequate to those high expressions4 ,we must be contented therefore to lower our panegyric to this1 that a person cannot avoid receiving some infusion and tincture1 at least1 of those several qualities1 from that course of diversified reading4 ,one thing is unquestionable1 that the elements of general reason are not to be found fully and truly expressed in any one kind of study2 and that he who would wish to know her idiom1 must read it in many books4 8,if different studies are useful for aiding1 they are still more useful for correcting each other2 for as they have their particular merits severally1 so they have their defects1 and the most extensive acquaintance with one can produce only an intellect either too flashy or too jejune1 or infected with some other fault of confined reading4 ,history1 for example1 shows things as they are1 that is1 the morals and interests of men disfigured and perverted by all their imperfections of passion1 folly1 and ambition2 philosophy strips the picture too much2 poetry adorns it too much2 the concentrated lights of the three correct the false peculiar colouring of each1 and show us the truth4 ,the right mode of thinking upon it is to be had from them taken all together1 as every one must know who has seen their united contributions of thought and feeling expressed in the masculine sentiment of our immortal statesman1 ,mr4 ,burke1 whose eloquence is inferior only to his more admirable wisdom4 ,if any mind improved like his1 is to be our instructor1 we must go to the fountain head of things as he did1 and study not his works but his method2 by the one we may become feeble imitators1 by the other arrive at some ability of our own4 ,but1 as all biography assures us1 he1 and every other able thinker1 has been formed1 not by a parsimonious admeasurement of studies to some definite future object 7which is ,mr4 ,edgeworth's maxim71 but by taking a wide and liberal compass1 and thinking a great deal on many subjects with no better end in view than because the exercise was one which made them more rational and intelligent beings40 #aj4 ,but ,i must bring these extracts to an end4 ,to-day ,i have confined myself to saying that that training of the intellect1 which is best for the individual himself1 best enables him to discharge his duties to society4 ,the ,philosopher1 indeed1 and the man of the world differ in their very notion1 but the methods1 by which they are respectively formed1 are pretty much the same4 ,the ,philosopher has the same command of matters of thought1 which the true citizen and gentleman has of matters of business and conduct4 ,if then a practical end must be assigned to a ,university course1 ,i say it is that of training good members of society4 ,its art is the art of social life1 and its end is fitness for the world4 ,it neither confines its views to particular professions on the one hand1 nor creates heroes or inspires genius on the other4 ,works indeed of genius fall under no art2 heroic minds come under no rule2 a ,university is not a birthplace of poets or of immortal authors1 of founders of schools1 leaders of colonies1 or conquerors of nations4 ,it does not promise a generation of ,aristotles or ,newtons1 of ,napoleons or ,washingtons1 of ,raphaels or ,shakespeares1 though such miracles of nature it has before now contained within its precincts4 ,nor is it content on the other hand with forming the critic or the experimentalist1 the economist or the engineer1 though such too it includes within its scope4 ,but a ,university training is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary end2 it aims at raising the intellectual tone of society1 at cultivating the public mind1 at purifying the national taste1 at supplying true principles to popular enthusiasm and fixed aims to popular aspiration1 at giving enlargement and sobriety to the ideas of the age1 at facilitating the exercise of political power1 and refining the intercourse of private life4 ,it is the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments1 a truth in developing them1 an eloquence in expressing them1 and a force in urging them4 ,it teaches him to see things as they are1 to go right to the point1 to disentangle a skein of thought1 to detect what is sophistical1 and to discard what is irrelevant4 ,it prepares him to fill any post with credit1 and to master any subject with facility4 ,it shows him how to accommodate himself to others1 how to throw himself into their state of mind1 how to bring before them his own1 how to influence them1 how to come to an understanding with them1 how to bear with them4 ,he is at home in any society1 he has common ground with every class2 he knows when to speak and when to be silent2 he is able to converse1 he is able to listen2 he can ask a question pertinently1 and gain a lesson seasonably1 when he has nothing to impart himself2 he is ever ready1 yet never in the way2 he is a pleasant companion1 and a comrade you can depend upon2 he knows when to be serious and when to trifle1 and he has a sure tact which enables him to trifle with gracefulness and to be serious with effect4 ,he has the repose of a mind which lives in itself1 while it lives in the world1 and which has resources for its happiness at home when it cannot go abroad4 ,he has a gift which serves him in public1 and supports him in retirement1 without which good fortune is but vulgar1 and with which failure and disappointment have a charm4 ,the art which tends to make a man all this1 is in the object which it pursues as useful as the art of wealth or the art of health1 though it is less susceptible of method1 and less tangible1 less certain1 less complete in its result4 ,discourse ,,viii4 ,knowledge ,viewed ,in ,relation ,to ,religion4 #a4 ,we shall be brought1 ,gentlemen1 to-day1 to the termination of the investigation which ,i commenced three ,discourses back1 and which1 ,i was well aware1 from its length1 if for no other reason1 would make demands upon the patience even of indulgent hearers4 ,first ,i employed myself in establishing the principle that ,knowledge is its own reward2 and ,i showed that1 when considered in this light1 it is called ,liberal ,knowledge1 and is the scope of ,academical ,institutions4 ,next1 ,i examined what is meant by ,knowledge1 when it is said to be pursued for its own sake2 and ,i showed that1 in order satisfactorily to fulfil this idea1 ,philosophy must be its form2 or1 in other words1 that its matter must not be admitted into the mind passively1 as so much acquirement1 but must be mastered and appropriated as a system consisting of parts1 related one to the other1 and interpretative of one another in the unity of a whole4 ,further1 ,i showed that such a philosophical contemplation of the field of ,knowledge as a whole1 leading1 as it did1 to an understanding of its separate departments1 and an appreciation of them respectively1 might in consequence be rightly called an illumination2 also1 it was rightly called an enlargement of mind1 because it was a distinct location of things one with another1 as if in space2 while it was moreover its proper cultivation and its best condition1 both because it secured to the intellect the sight of things as they are1 or of truth1 in opposition to fancy1 opinion1 and theory2 and again1 because it presupposed and involved the perfection of its various powers4 ,such1 ,i said1 was that ,knowledge1 which deserves to be sought for its own sake1 even though it promised no ulterior advantage4 ,but1 when ,i had got as far as this1 ,i went farther1 and observed that1 from the nature of the case1 what was so good in itself could not but have a number of external uses1 though it did not promise them1 simply because it was good2 and that it was necessarily the source of benefits to society1 great and diversified in proportion to its own intrinsic excellence4 ,just as in morals1 honesty is the best policy1 as being profitable in a secular aspect1 though such profit is not the measure of its worth1 so too as regards what may be called the virtues of the ,intellect1 their very possession indeed is a substantial good1 and is enough1 yet still that substance has a shadow1 inseparable from it1 viz41 its social and political usefulness4 ,and this was the subject to which ,i devoted the preceding ,discourse4 ,one portion of the subject remains3--this intellectual culture1 which is so exalted in itself1 not only has a bearing upon social and active duties1 but upon ,religion also4 ,the educated mind may be said to be in a certain sense religious2 that is1 it has what may be considered a religion of its own1 independent of ,catholicism1 partly co-operating with it1 partly thwarting it2 at once a defence yet a disturbance to the ,church in ,catholic countries1--and in countries beyond her pale1 at one time in open warfare with her1 at another in defensive alliance4 ,the history of ,schools and ,academies1 and of ,literature and ,science generally1 will1 ,i think1 justify me in thus speaking4 ,since1 then1 my aim in these ,discourses is to ascertain the function and the action of a ,university1 viewed in itself1 and its relations to the various instruments of teaching and training which are round about it1 my survey of it would not be complete unless ,i attempted1 as ,i now propose to do1 to exhibit its general bearings upon ,religion4 #b4 ,right ,reason1 that is1 ,reason rightly exercised1 leads the mind to the ,catholic ,faith1 and plants it there1 and teaches it in all its religious speculations to act under its guidance4 ,but ,reason1 considered as a real agent in the world1 and as an operative principle in man's nature1 with an historical course and with definite results1 is far from taking so straight and satisfactory a direction4 ,it considers itself from first to last independent and supreme2 it requires no external authority2 it makes a religion for itself4 ,even though it accepts ,catholicism1 it does not go to sleep2 it has an action and development of its own1 as the passions have1 or the moral sentiments1 or the principle of self-interest4 ,divine grace1 to use the language of ,theology1 does not by its presence supersede nature2 nor is nature at once brought into simple concurrence and coalition with grace4 ,nature pursues its course1 now coincident with that of grace1 now parallel to it1 now across1 now divergent1 now counter1 in proportion to its own imperfection and to the attraction and influence which grace exerts over it4 ,and what takes place as regards other principles of our nature and their developments is found also as regards the ,reason4 ,there is1 we know1 a ,religion of enthusiasm1 of superstitious ignorance of statecraft2 and each has that in it which resembles ,catholicism1 and that again which contradicts ,catholicism4 ,there is the ,religion of a warlike people1 and of a pastoral people2 there is a ,religion of rude times1 and in like manner there is a ,religion of civilized times1 of the cultivated intellect1 of the philosopher1 scholar1 and gentleman4 ,this is that ,religion of ,reason1 of which ,i speak4 ,viewed in itself1 however near it comes to ,catholicism1 it is of course simply distinct from it2 for ,catholicism is one whole1 and admits of no compromise or modification4 ,yet this is to view it in the abstract2 in matter of fact1 and in reference to individuals1 we can have no difficulty in conceiving this philosophical ,religion present in a ,catholic country1 as a spirit influencing men to a certain extent1 for good or for bad or for both1--a spirit of the age1 which again may be found1 as among ,catholics1 so with still greater sway and success in a country not ,catholic1 yet specifically the same in such a country as it exists in a ,catholic community4 ,the problem then before us to-day1 is to set down some portions of the outline1 if we can ascertain them1 of the ,religion of ,civilization1 and to determine how they lie relatively to those principles1 doctrines1 and rules1 which ,heaven has given us in the ,catholic ,church4 ,and here again1 when ,i speak of ,revealed ,truth1 it is scarcely necessary to say that ,i am not referring to the main articles and prominent points of faith1 as contained in the ,creed4 ,had ,i undertaken to delineate a philosophy1 which directly interfered with the ,creed1 ,i could not have spoken of it as compatible with the profession of ,catholicism4 ,the philosophy ,i speak of1 whether it be viewed within or outside the ,church1 does not necessarily take cognizance of the ,creed4 ,where the country is ,catholic1 the educated mind takes its articles for granted1 by a sort of implicit faith2 where it is not1 it simply ignores them and the whole subject-matter to which they relate1 as not affecting social and political interests4 ,truths about ,god's ,nature1 about ,his dealings towards the human race1 about the ,economy of ,redemption1--in the one case it humbly accepts them1 and passes on2 in the other it passes them over1 as matters of simple opinion1 which never can be decided1 and which can have no power over us to make us morally better or worse4 ,i am not speaking then of belief in the great objects of faith1 when ,i speak of ,catholicism1 but ,i am contemplating ,catholicism chiefly as a system of pastoral instruction and moral duty2 and ,i have to do with its doctrines mainly as they are subservient to its direction of the conscience and the conduct4 ,i speak of it1 for instance1 as teaching the ruined state of man2 his utter inability to gain ,heaven by any thing he can do himself2 the moral certainty of his losing his soul if left to himself2 the simple absence of all rights and claims on the part of the creature in the presence of the ,creator2 the illimitable claims of the ,creator on the service of the creature2 the imperative and obligatory force of the voice of conscience2 and the inconceivable evil of sensuality4 ,i speak of it as teaching1 that no one gains ,heaven except by the free grace of ,god1 or without a regeneration of nature2 that no one can please ,him without faith2 that the heart is the seat both of sin and of obedience2 that charity is the fulfilling of the ,law2 and that incorporation into the ,catholic ,church is the ordinary instrument of salvation4 ,these are the lessons which distinguish ,catholicism as a popular religion1 and these are the subjects to which the cultivated intellect will practically be turned2--,i have to compare and contrast1 not the doctrinal1 but the moral and social teaching of ,philosophy on the one hand1 and ,catholicism on the other4 #c4 ,now1 on opening the subject1 we see at once a momentous benefit which the philosopher is likely to confer on the pastors of the ,church4 ,it is obvious that the first step which they have to effect in the conversion of man and the renovation of his nature1 is his rescue from that fearful subjection to sense which is his ordinary state4 ,to be able to break through the meshes of that thraldom1 and to disentangle and to disengage its ten thousand holds upon the heart1 is to bring it1 ,i might almost say1 half way to ,heaven4 ,here1 even divine grace1 to speak of things according to their appearances1 is ordinarily baffled1 and retires1 without expedient or resource1 before this giant fascination4 ,religion seems too high and unearthly to be able to exert a continued influence upon us3 its effort to rouse the soul1 and the soul's effort to co-operate1 are too violent to last4 ,it is like holding out the arm at full length1 or supporting some great weight1 which we manage to do for a time1 but soon are exhausted and succumb4 ,nothing can act beyond its own nature2 when then we are called to what is supernatural1 though those extraordinary aids from ,heaven are given us1 with which obedience becomes possible1 yet even with them it is of transcendent difficulty4 ,we are drawn down to earth every moment with the ease and certainty of a natural gravitation1 and it is only by sudden impulses and1 as it were1 forcible plunges that we attempt to mount upwards4 ,religion indeed enlightens1 terrifies1 subdues2 it gives faith1 it inflicts remorse1 it inspires resolutions1 it draws tears1 it inflames devotion1 but only for the occasion4 ,i repeat1 it imparts an inward power which ought to effect more than this2 ,i am not forgetting either the real sufficiency of its aids1 nor the responsibility of those in whom they fail4 ,i am not discussing theological questions at all1 ,i am looking at phenomena as they lie before me1 and ,i say that1 in matter of fact1 the sinful spirit repents1 and protests it will never sin again1 and for a while is protected by disgust and abhorrence from the malice of its foe4 ,but that foe knows too well that such seasons of repentance are wont to have their end3 he patiently waits1 till nature faints with the effort of resistance1 and lies passive and hopeless under the next access of temptation4 ,what we need then is some expedient or instrument1 which at least will obstruct and stave off the approach of our spiritual enemy1 and which is sufficiently congenial and level with our nature to maintain as firm a hold upon us as the inducements of sensual gratification4 ,it will be our wisdom to employ nature against itself4 ,thus sorrow1 sickness1 and care are providential antagonists to our inward disorders2 they come upon us as years pass on1 and generally produce their natural effects on us1 in proportion as we are subjected to their influence4 ,these1 however1 are ,god's instruments1 not ours2 we need a similar remedy1 which we can make our own1 the object of some legitimate faculty1 or the aim of some natural affection1 which is capable of resting on the mind1 and taking up its familiar lodging with it1 and engrossing it1 and which thus becomes a match for the besetting power of sensuality1 and a sort of homopathic medicine for the disease4 ,here then ,i think is the important aid which intellectual cultivation furnishes to us in rescuing the victims of passion and self-will4 ,it does not supply religious motives2 it is not the cause or proper antecedent of any thing supernatural2 it is not meritorious of heavenly aid or reward2 but it does a work1 at least materially good 7as theologians speak71 whatever be its real and formal character4 ,it expels the excitements of sense by the introduction of those of the intellect4 ,this then is the prim facie advantage of the pursuit of ,knowledge2 it is the drawing the mind off from things which will harm it to subjects which are worthy a rational being2 and1 though it does not raise it above nature1 nor has any tendency to make us pleasing to our ,maker1 yet is it nothing to substitute what is in itself harmless for what is1 to say the least1 inexpressibly dangerous8 is it a little thing to exchange a circle of ideas which are certainly sinful1 for others which are certainly not so8 ,you will say1 perhaps1 in the words of the ,apostle1 8,knowledge puffeth up30 and doubtless this mental cultivation1 even when it is successful for the purpose for which ,i am applying it1 may be from the first nothing more than the substitution of pride for sensuality4 ,i grant it1 ,i think ,i shall have something to say on this point presently2 but this is not a necessary result1 it is but an incidental evil1 a danger which may be realized or may be averted1 whereas we may in most cases predicate guilt1 and guilt of a heinous kind1 where the mind is suffered to run wild and indulge its thoughts without training or law of any kind2 and surely to turn away a soul from mortal sin is a good and a gain so far1 whatever comes of it4 ,and therefore1 if a friend in need is twice a friend1 ,i conceive that intellectual employments1 though they do no more than occupy the mind with objects naturally noble or innocent1 have a special claim upon our consideration and gratitude4 #d4 ,nor is this all3 ,knowledge1 the discipline by which it is gained1 and the tastes which it forms1 have a natural tendency to refine the mind1 and to give it an indisposition1 simply natural1 yet real1 nay1 more than this1 a disgust and abhorrence1 towards excesses and enormities of evil1 which are often or ordinarily reached at length by those who are not careful from the first to set themselves against what is vicious and criminal4 ,it generates within the mind a fastidiousness1 analogous to the delicacy or daintiness which good nurture or a sickly habit induces in respect of food2 and this fastidiousness1 though arguing no high principle1 though no protection in the case of violent temptation1 nor sure in its operation1 yet will often or generally be lively enough to create an absolute loathing of certain offences1 or a detestation and scorn of them as ungentlemanlike1 to which ruder natures1 nay1 such as have far more of real religion in them1 are tempted1 or even betrayed4 ,scarcely can we exaggerate the value1 in its place1 of a safeguard such as this1 as regards those multitudes who are thrown upon the open field of the world1 or are withdrawn from its eye and from the restraint of public opinion4 ,in many cases1 where it exists1 sins1 familiar to those who are otherwise circumstanced1 will not even occur to the mind3 in others1 the sense of shame and the quickened apprehension of detection will act as a sufficient obstacle to them1 when they do present themselves before it4 ,then1 again1 the fastidiousness ,i am speaking of will create a simple hatred of that miserable tone of conversation which1 obtaining as it does in the world1 is a constant fuel of evil1 heaped up round about the soul3 moreover1 it will create an irresolution and indecision in doing wrong1 which will act as a remora till the danger is past away4 ,and though it has no tendency1 ,i repeat1 to mend the heart1 or to secure it from the dominion in other shapes of those very evils which it repels in the particular modes of approach by which they prevail over others1 yet cases may occur when it gives birth1 after sins have been committed1 to so keen a remorse and so intense a self-hatred1 as are even sufficient to cure the particular moral disorder1 and to prevent its accesses ever afterwards2--as the spendthrift in the story1 who1 after gazing on his lost acres from the summit of an eminence1 came down a miser1 and remained a miser to the end of his days4 ,and all this holds good in a special way1 in an age such as ours1 when1 although pain of body and mind may be rife as heretofore1 yet other counteractions of evil1 of a penal character1 which are present at other times1 are away4 ,in rude and semi-barbarous periods1 at least in a climate such as our own1 it is the daily1 nay1 the principal business of the senses1 to convey feelings of discomfort to the mind1 as far as they convey feelings at all4 ,exposure to the elements1 social disorder and lawlessness1 the tyranny of the powerful1 and the inroads of enemies1 are a stern discipline1 allowing brief intervals1 or awarding a sharp penance1 to sloth and sensuality4 ,the rude food1 the scanty clothing1 the violent exercise1 the vagrant life1 the military constraint1 the imperfect pharmacy1 which now are the trials of only particular classes of the community1 were once the lot more or less of all4 ,in the deep woods or the wild solitudes of the medieval era1 feelings of religion or superstition were naturally present to the population1 which in various ways co-operated with the missionary or pastor1 in retaining it in a noble simplicity of manners4 ,but1 when in the advancement of society men congregate in towns1 and multiply in contracted spaces1 and law gives them security1 and art gives them comforts1 and good government robs them of courage and manliness1 and monotony of life throws them back upon themselves1 who does not see that diversion or protection from evil they have none1 that vice is the mere reaction of unhealthy toil1 and sensual excess the holyday of resourceless ignorance8 ,this is so well understood by the practical benevolence of the day1 that it has especially busied itself in plans for supplying the masses of our town population with intellectual and honourable recreations4 ,cheap literature1 libraries of useful and entertaining knowledge1 scientific lectureships1 museums1 zoological collections1 buildings and gardens to please the eye and to give repose to the feelings1 external objects of whatever kind1 which may take the mind off itself1 and expand and elevate it in liberal contemplations1 these are the human means1 wisely suggested1 and good as far as they go1 for at least parrying the assaults of moral evil1 and keeping at bay the enemies1 not only of the individual soul1 but of society at large4 ,such are the instruments by which an age of advanced civilization combats those moral disorders1 which ,reason as well as ,revelation denounces2 and ,i have not been backward to express my sense of their serviceableness to ,religion4 ,moreover1 they are but the foremost of a series of influences1 which intellectual culture exerts upon our moral nature1 and all upon the type of ,christianity1 manifesting themselves in veracity1 probity1 equity1 fairness1 gentleness1 benevolence1 and amiableness2 so much so1 that a character more noble to look at1 more beautiful1 more winning1 in the various relations of life and in personal duties1 is hardly conceivable1 than may1 or might be1 its result1 when that culture is bestowed upon a soil naturally adapted to virtue4 ,if you would obtain a picture for contemplation which may seem to fulfil the ideal1 which the ,apostle has delineated under the name of charity1 in its sweetness and harmony1 its generosity1 its courtesy to others1 and its depreciation of self1 you could not have recourse to a better furnished studio than to that of ,philosophy1 with the specimens of it1 which with greater or less exactness are scattered through society in a civilized age4 ,it is enough to refer you1 ,gentlemen1 to the various ,biographies and ,remains of contemporaries and others1 which from time to time issue from the press1 to see how striking is the action of our intellectual upon our moral nature1 where the moral material is rich1 and the intellectual cast is perfect4 ,individuals will occur to all of us1 who deservedly attract our love and admiration1 and whom the world almost worships as the work of its own hands4 ,religious principle1 indeed1--that is1 faith1--is1 to all appearance1 simply away2 the work is as certainly not supernatural as it is certainly noble and beautiful4 ,this must be insisted on1 that the ,intellect may have its due2 but it also must be insisted on for the sake of conclusions to which ,i wish to conduct our investigation4 ,the radical difference indeed of this mental refinement from genuine religion1 in spite of its seeming relationship1 is the very cardinal point on which my present discussion turns2 yet1 on the other hand1 such refinement may readily be assigned to a ,christian origin by hasty or distant observers1 or by those who view it in a particular light4 ,and as this is the case1 ,i think it advisable1 before proceeding with the delineation of its characteristic features1 to point out to you distinctly the elementary principles on which its morality is based4 #e4 ,you will bear in mind then1 ,gentlemen1 that ,i spoke just now of the scorn and hatred which a cultivated mind feels for some kinds of vice1 and the utter disgust and profound humiliation which may come over it1 if it should happen in any degree to be betrayed into them4 ,now this feeling may have its root in faith and love1 but it may not2 there is nothing really religious in it1 considered by itself4 ,conscience indeed is implanted in the breast by nature1 but it inflicts upon us fear as well as shame2 when the mind is simply angry with itself and nothing more1 surely the true import of the voice of nature and the depth of its intimations have been forgotten1 and a false philosophy has misinterpreted emotions which ought to lead to ,god4 ,fear implies the transgression of a law1 and a law implies a lawgiver and judge2 but the tendency of intellectual culture is to swallow up the fear in the self-reproach1 and self-reproach is directed and limited to our mere sense of what is fitting and becoming4 ,fear carries us out of ourselves1 whereas shame may act upon us only within the round of our own thoughts4 ,such1 ,i say1 is the danger which awaits a civilized age2 such is its besetting sin 7not inevitable1 ,god forbid6 or we must abandon the use of ,god's own gifts71 but still the ordinary sin of the ,intellect2 conscience tends to become what is called a moral sense2 the command of duty is a sort of taste2 sin is not an offence against ,god1 but against human nature4 ,the less amiable specimens of this spurious religion are those which we meet not unfrequently in my own country4 ,i can use with all my heart the poet's words1 8,england1 with all thy faults1 ,i love thee still20 but to those faults no ,catholic can be blind4 ,we find there men possessed of many virtues1 but proud1 bashful1 fastidious1 and reserved4 ,why is this8 it is because they think and act as if there were really nothing objective in their religion2 it is because conscience to them is not the word of a lawgiver1 as it ought to be1 but the dictate of their own minds and nothing more2 it is because they do not look out of themselves1 because they do not look through and beyond their own minds to their ,maker1 but are engrossed in notions of what is due to themselves1 to their own dignity and their own consistency4 ,their conscience has become a mere self-respect4 ,instead of doing one thing and then another1 as each is called for1 in faith and obedience1 careless of what may be called the keeping of deed with deed1 and leaving ,him who gives the command to blend the portions of their conduct into a whole1 their one object1 however unconscious to themselves1 is to paint a smooth and perfect surface1 and to be able to say to themselves that they have done their duty4 ,when they do wrong1 they feel1 not contrition1 of which ,god is the object1 but remorse1 and a sense of degradation4 ,they call themselves fools1 not sinners2 they are angry and impatient1 not humble4 ,they shut themselves up in themselves2 it is misery to them to think or to speak of their own feelings2 it is misery to suppose that others see them1 and their shyness and sensitiveness often become morbid4 ,as to confession1 which is so natural to the ,catholic1 to them it is impossible2 unless indeed1 in cases where they have been guilty1 an apology is due to their own character1 is expected of them1 and will be satisfactory to look back upon4 ,they are victims of an intense self-contemplation4 ,there are1 however1 far more pleasing and interesting forms of this moral malady than that which ,i have been depicting3 ,i have spoken of the effect of intellectual culture on proud natures2 but it will show to greater advantage1 yet with as little approximation to religious faith1 in amiable and unaffected minds4 ,observe1 ,gentlemen1 the heresy1 as it may be called1 of which ,i speak1 is the substitution of a moral sense or taste for conscience in the true meaning of the word2 now this error may be the foundation of a character of far more elasticity and grace than ever adorned the persons whom ,i have been describing4 ,it is especially congenial to men of an imaginative and poetical cast of mind1 who will readily accept the notion that virtue is nothing more than the graceful in conduct4 ,such persons1 far from tolerating fear1 as a principle1 in their apprehension of religious and moral truth1 will not be slow to call it simply gloom and superstition4 ,rather a philosopher's1 a gentleman's religion1 is of a liberal and generous character2 it is based upon honour2 vice is evil1 because it is unworthy1 despicable1 and odious4 ,this was the quarrel of the ancient heathen with ,christianity1 that1 instead of simply fixing the mind on the fair and the pleasant1 it intermingled other ideas with them of a sad and painful nature2 that it spoke of tears before joy1 a cross before a crown2 that it laid the foundation of heroism in penance2 that it made the soul tremble with the news of ,purgatory and ,hell2 that it insisted on views and a worship of the ,deity1 which to their minds was nothing else than mean1 servile1 and cowardly4 ,the notion of an ,all-perfect1 ,ever-present ,god1 in whose sight we are less than atoms1 and who1 while ,he deigns to visit us1 can punish as well as bless1 was abhorrent to them2 they made their own minds their sanctuary1 their own ideas their oracle1 and conscience in morals was but parallel to genius in art1 and wisdom in philosophy4 #f4 ,had ,i room for all that might be said upon the subject1 ,i might illustrate this intellectual religion from the history of the ,emperor ,julian1 the apostate from ,christian ,truth1 the foe of ,christian education4 ,he1 in whom every ,catholic sees the shadow of the future ,anti-,christ1 was all but the pattern-man of philosophical virtue4 ,weak points in his character he had1 it is true1 even in a merely poetical standard2 but1 take him all in all1 and ,i cannot but recognize in him a specious beauty and nobleness of moral deportment1 which combines in it the rude greatness of ,fabricius or ,regulus with the accomplishments of ,pliny or ,antoninus4 ,his simplicity of manners1 his frugality1 his austerity of life1 his singular disdain of sensual pleasure1 his military heroism1 his application to business1 his literary diligence1 his modesty1 his clemency1 his accomplishments1 as ,i view them1 go to make him one of the most eminent specimens of pagan virtue which the world has ever seen47#bd7 ,yet how shallow1 how meagre1 nay1 how unamiable is that virtue after all1 when brought upon its critical trial by his sudden summons into the presence of his ,judge6 ,his last hours form a unique passage in history1 both as illustrating the helplessness of philosophy under the stern realities of our being1 and as being reported to us on the evidence of an eye-witness4 8,friends and fellow-soldiers10 he said1 to use the words of a writer1 well fitted1 both from his literary tastes and from his hatred of ,christianity1 to be his panegyrist1 8the seasonable period of my departure is now arrived1 and ,i discharge1 with the cheerfulness of a ready debtor1 the demands of nature4''' ,i die without remorse1 as ,i have lived without guilt4 ,i am pleased to reflect on the innocence of my private life2 and ,i can affirm with confidence that the supreme authority1 that emanation of the divine ,power1 has been preserved in my hands pure and immaculate4''' ,i now offer my tribute of gratitude to the ,eternal ,being1 who has not suffered me to perish by the cruelty of a tyrant1 by the secret dagger of conspiracy1 or by the slow tortures of lingering disease4 ,he has given me1 in the midst of an honourable career1 a splendid and glorious departure from this world1 and ,i hold it equally absurd1 equally base1 to solicit1 or to decline1 the stroke of fate4''' 8,he reproved the immoderate grief of the spectators1 and conjured them not to disgrace1 by unmanly tears1 the fate of a prince who in a few moments would be united with ,heaven and with the stars4 ,the spectators were silent2 and ,julian entered into a metaphysical argument with the philosophers ,priscus and ,maximus on the nature of the soul4 ,the efforts which he made1 of mind as well as body1 most probably hastened his death4 ,his wound began to bleed with great violence2 his respiration was embarrassed by the swelling of the veins2 he called for a draught of cold water1 and as soon as he had drank it expired without pain1 about the hour of midnight407#be7 ,such1 ,gentlemen1 is the final exhibition of the ,religion of ,reason3 in the insensibility of conscience1 in the ignorance of the very idea of sin1 in the contemplation of his own moral consistency1 in the simple absence of fear1 in the cloudless self-confidence1 in the serene self-possession1 in the cold self-satisfaction1 we recognize the mere ,philosopher4 #g4 ,gibbon paints with pleasure what1 conformably with the sentiments of a godless intellectualism1 was an historical fulfilment of his own idea of moral perfection2 ,lord ,shaftesbury had already drawn out that idea in a theoretical form1 in his celebrated collection of ,treatises which he has called 8,characteristics of men1 manners1 opinions1 views20 and it will be a further illustration of the subject before us1 if you will allow me1 ,gentlemen1 to make some extracts from this work4 ,one of his first attacks is directed against the doctrine of reward and punishment1 as if it introduced a notion into religion inconsistent with the true apprehension of the beauty of virtue1 and with the liberality and nobleness of spirit in which it should be pursued4 8,men have not been content10 he says1 8to show the natural advantages of honesty and virtue4 ,they have rather lessened these1 the better1 as they thought1 to advance another foundation4 ,they have made virtue so mercenary a thing1 and have talked so much of its rewards1 that one can hardly tell what there is in it1 after all1 which can be worth rewarding4 ,for to be bribed only or terrified into an honest practice1 bespeaks little of real honesty or worth40 8,if10 he says elsewhere1 insinuating what he dare not speak out1 8if through hope merely of reward1 or fear of punishment1 the creature be inclined to do the good he hates1 or restrained from doing the ill to which he is not otherwise in the least degree averse there is in this case no virtue or goodness whatever4 ,there is no more of rectitude1 piety1 or sanctity1 in a creature thus reformed1 than there is meekness or gentleness in a tiger strongly chained1 or innocence and sobriety in a monkey under the discipline of the whip4''' ,while the will is neither gained1 nor the inclination wrought upon1 but awe alone prevails and forces obedience1 the obedience is servile1 and all which is done through it merely servile40 ,that is1 he says that ,christianity is the enemy of moral virtue1 as influencing the mind by fear of ,god1 not by love of good4 ,the motives then of hope and fear being1 to say the least1 put far into the background1 and nothing being morally good but what springs simply or mainly from a love of virtue for its own sake1 this love-inspiring quality in virtue is its beauty1 while a bad conscience is not much more than the sort of feeling which makes us shrink from an instrument out of tune4 8,some by mere nature10 he says1 8others by art and practice1 are masters of an ear in music1 an eye in painting1 a fancy in the ordinary things of ornament and grace1 a judgment in proportions of all kinds1 and a general good taste in most of those subjects which make the amusement and delight of the ingenious people of the world4 ,let such gentlemen as these be as extravagant as they please1 or as irregular in their morals1 they must at the same time discover their inconsistency1 live at variance with themselves1 and in contradiction to that principle on which they ground their highest pleasure and entertainment4 ,of all other beauties which virtuosos pursue1 poets celebrate1 musicians sing1 and architects or artists of whatever kind describe or form1 the most delightful1 the most engaging and pathetic1 is that which is drawn from real life and from the passions4 ,nothing affects the heart like that which is purely from itself1 and of its own nature3 such as the beauty of sentiments1 the grace of actions1 the turn of characters1 and the proportions and features of a human mind4 ,this lesson of philosophy1 even a romance1 a poem1 or a play may teach us4''' ,let poets or the men of harmony deny1 if they can1 this force of nature1 or withstand this moral magic4''' ,every one is a virtuoso of a higher or lower degree2 every one pursues a grace ''' of one kind or other4 ,the venustum1 the honestum1 the decorum of things will force its way4''' ,the most natural beauty in the world is honesty and moral truth2 for all beauty is truth40 ,accordingly1 virtue being only one kind of beauty1 the principle which determines what is virtuous is1 not conscience1 but taste4 8,could we once convince ourselves10 he says1 8of what is in itself so evident1 viz41 that in the very nature of things there must of necessity be the foundation of a right and wrong taste1 as well in respect of inward character of features as of outward person1 behaviour1 and action1 we should be far more ashamed of ignorance and wrong judgment in the former than in the latter of these subjects4''' ,one who aspires to the character of a man of breeding and politeness is careful to form his judgment of arts and sciences upon right models of perfection4''' ,he takes particular care to turn his eye from every thing which is gaudy1 luscious1 and of false taste4 ,nor is he less careful to turn his ear from every sort of music1 besides that which is of the best manner and truest harmony4 ',twere to be wished we had the same regard to a right taste in life and manners4''' ,if civility and humanity be a taste2 if brutality1 insolence1 riot1 be in the same manner a taste1 ''' who would not endeavour to force nature as well in this respect as in what relates to a taste or judgment in other arts and sciences80 ,sometimes he distinctly contrasts this taste with principle and conscience1 and gives it the preference over them4 8,after all10 he says1 8'tis not merely what we call principle1 but a taste1 which governs men4 ,they may think for certain1 #8,this is right1' or #8that wrong2' they may believe #8this is a virtue1' or #8that a sin2' #8this is punishable by man1' or #8that by ,god2' yet if the savour of things lies cross to honesty1 if the fancy be florid1 and the appetite high towards the subaltern beauties and lower orders of worldly symmetries and proportions1 the conduct will infallibly turn this latter way40 ,thus1 somewhat like a ,jansenist1 he makes the superior pleasure infallibly conquer1 and implies that1 neglecting principle1 we have but to train the taste to a kind of beauty higher than sensual4 ,he adds3 8,even conscience1 ,i fear1 such as is owing to religious discipline1 will make but a slight figure1 when this taste is set amiss40 ,and hence the well-known doctrine of this author1 that ridicule is the test of truth2 for truth and virtue being beauty1 and falsehood and vice deformity1 and the feeling inspired by deformity being that of derision1 as that inspired by beauty is admiration1 it follows that vice is not a thing to weep about1 but to laugh at4 8,nothing is ridiculous10 he says1 8but what is deformed2 nor is any thing proof against raillery but what is handsome and just4 ,and therefore 'tis the hardest thing in the world to deny fair honesty the use of this weapon1 which can never bear an edge against herself1 and bears against every thing contrary40 ,and hence again1 conscience1 which intimates a ,law-giver1 being superseded by a moral taste or sentiment1 which has no sanction beyond the constitution of our nature1 it follows that our great rule is to contemplate ourselves1 if we would gain a standard of life and morals4 ,thus he has entitled one of his ,treatises a 8,soliloquy10 with the motto1 8,nec te qusiveris extra20 and he observes1 8,the chief interest of ambition1 avarice1 corruption1 and every sly insinuating vice1 is to prevent this interview and familiarity of discourse1 which is consequent upon close retirement and inward recess4 ',tis the grand artifice of villainy and lewdness1 as well as of superstition and bigotry1 to put us upon terms of greater distance and formality with ourselves1 and evade our proving method of soliloquy4''' ,a passionate lover1 whatever solitude he may affect1 can never be truly by himself4''' ',tis the same reason which keeps the imaginary saint or mystic from being capable of this entertainment4 ,instead of looking narrowly into his own nature and mind1 that he may be no longer a mystery to himself1 he is taken up with the contemplation of other mysterious natures1 which he never can explain or comprehend40 #h4 ,taking these passages as specimens of what ,i call the ,religion of ,philosophy1 it is obvious to observe that there is no doctrine contained in them which is not in a certain sense true2 yet1 on the other hand1 that almost every statement is perverted and made false1 because it is not the whole truth4 ,they are exhibitions of truth under one aspect1 and therefore insufficient2 conscience is most certainly a moral sense1 but it is more2 vice again1 is a deformity1 but it is worse4 ,lord ,shaftesbury may insist1 if he will1 that simple and solitary fear cannot effect a moral conversion1 and we are not concerned to answer him2 but he will have a difficulty in proving that any real conversion follows from a doctrine which makes virtue a mere point of good taste1 and vice vulgar and ungentlemanlike4 ,such a doctrine is essentially superficial1 and such will be its effects4 ,it has no better measure of right and wrong than that of visible beauty and tangible fitness4 ,conscience indeed inflicts an acute pang1 but that pang1 forsooth1 is irrational1 and to reverence it is an illiberal superstition4 ,but1 if we will make light of what is deepest within us1 nothing is left but to pay homage to what is more upon the surface4 ,to seem becomes to be2 what looks fair will be good1 what causes offence will be evil2 virtue will be what pleases1 vice what pains4 ,as well may we measure virtue by utility as by such a rule4 ,nor is this an imaginary apprehension2 we all must recollect the celebrated sentiment into which a great and wise man was betrayed1 in the glowing eloquence of his valediction to the spirit of chivalry4 8,it is gone10 cries ,mr4 ,burke2 8that sensibility of principle1 that chastity of honour1 which felt a stain like a wound2 which inspired courage1 while it mitigated ferocity2 which ennobled whatever it touched1 and under which vice lost half its evil by losing all its grossness40 ,in the last clause of this beautiful sentence we have too apt an illustration of the ethical temperament of a civilized age4 ,it is detection1 not the sin1 which is the crime2 private life is sacred1 and inquiry into it is intolerable2 and decency is virtue4 ,scandals1 vulgarities1 whatever shocks1 whatever disgusts1 are offences of the first order4 ,drinking and swearing1 squalid poverty1 improvidence1 laziness1 slovenly disorder1 make up the idea of profligacy3 poets may say any thing1 however wicked1 with impunity2 works of genius may be read without danger or shame1 whatever their principles2 fashion1 celebrity1 the beautiful1 the heroic1 will suffice to force any evil upon the community4 ,the splendours of a court1 and the charms of good society1 wit1 imagination1 taste1 and high breeding1 the prestige of rank1 and the resources of wealth1 are a screen1 an instrument1 and an apology for vice and irreligion4 ,and thus at length we find1 surprising as the change may be1 that that very refinement of ,intellectualism1 which began by repelling sensuality1 ends by excusing it4 ,under the shadow indeed of the ,church1 and in its due development1 ,philosophy does service to the cause of morality2 but1 when it is strong enough to have a will of its own1 and is lifted up with an idea of its own importance1 and attempts to form a theory1 and to lay down a principle1 and to carry out a system of ethics1 and undertakes the moral education of the man1 then it does but abet evils to which at first it seemed instinctively opposed4 ,true ,religion is slow in growth1 and1 when once planted1 is difficult of dislodgement2 but its intellectual counterfeit has no root in itself3 it springs up suddenly1 it suddenly withers4 ,it appeals to what is in nature1 and it falls under the dominion of the old ,adam4 ,then1 like dethroned princes1 it keeps up a state and majesty1 when it has lost the real power4 ,deformity is its abhorrence2 accordingly1 since it cannot dissuade men from vice1 therefore in order to escape the sight of its deformity1 it embellishes it4 ,it 8skins and films the ulcerous place10 which it cannot probe or heal1 8,whiles rank corruption1 mining all within1 ,infects unseen40 ,and from this shallowness of philosophical ,religion it comes to pass that its disciples seem able to fulfil certain precepts of ,christianity more readily and exactly than ,christians themselves4 ,st4 ,paul1 as ,i have said1 gives us a pattern of evangelical perfection2 he draws the ,christian character in its most graceful form1 and its most beautiful hues4 ,he discourses of that charity which is patient and meek1 humble and single-minded1 disinterested1 contented1 and persevering4 ,he tells us to prefer each the other before himself1 to give way to each other1 to abstain from rude words and evil speech1 to avoid self-conceit1 to be calm and grave1 to be cheerful and happy1 to observe peace with all men1 truth and justice1 courtesy and gentleness1 all that is modest1 amiable1 virtuous1 and of good repute4 ,such is ,st4 ,paul's exemplar of the ,christian in his external relations2 and1 ,i repeat1 the school of the world seems to send out living copies of this typical excellence with greater success than the ,church4 ,at this day the 8gentleman0 is the creation1 not of ,christianity1 but of civilization4 ,but the reason is obvious4 ,the world is content with setting right the surface of things2 the ,church aims at regenerating the very depths of the heart4 ,she ever begins with the beginning2 and1 as regards the multitude of her children1 is never able to get beyond the beginning1 but is continually employed in laying the foundation4 ,she is engaged with what is essential1 as previous and as introductory to the ornamental and the attractive4 ,she is curing men and keeping them clear of mortal sin2 she is 8treating of justice and chastity1 and the judgment to come30 she is insisting on faith and hope1 and devotion1 and honesty1 and the elements of charity2 and has so much to do with precept1 that she almost leaves it to inspirations from ,heaven to suggest what is of counsel and perfection4 ,she aims at what is necessary rather than at what is desirable4 ,she is for the many as well as for the few4 ,she is putting souls in the way of salvation1 that they may then be in a condition1 if they shall be called upon1 to aspire to the heroic1 and to attain the full proportions1 as well as the rudiments1 of the beautiful4 #i4 ,such is the method1 or the policy 7so to call it71 of the ,church2 but ,philosophy looks at the matter from a very different point of view3 what have ,philosophers to do with the terror of judgment or the saving of the soul8 ,lord ,shaftesbury calls the former a sort of 8panic fear40 ,of the latter he scoffingly complains that 8the saving of souls is now the heroic passion of exalted spirits40 ,of course he is at liberty1 on his principles1 to pick and choose out of ,christianity what he will2 he discards the theological1 the mysterious1 the spiritual2 he makes selection of the morally or esthetically beautiful4 ,to him it matters not at all that he begins his teaching where he should end it2 it matters not that1 instead of planting the tree1 he merely crops its flowers for his banquet2 he only aims at the present life1 his philosophy dies with him2 if his flowers do but last to the end of his revel1 he has nothing more to seek4 ,when night comes1 the withered leaves may be mingled with his own ashes2 he and they will have done their work1 he and they will be no more4 ,certainly1 it costs little to make men virtuous on conditions such as these2 it is like teaching them a language or an accomplishment1 to write ,latin or to play on an instrument1--the profession of an artist1 not the commission of an ,apostle4 ,this embellishment of the exterior is almost the beginning and the end of philosophical morality4 ,this is why it aims at being modest rather than humble2 this is how it can be proud at the very time that it is unassuming4 ,to humility indeed it does not even aspire2 humility is one of the most difficult of virtues both to attain and to ascertain4 ,it lies close upon the heart itself1 and its tests are exceedingly delicate and subtle4 ,its counterfeits abound2 however1 we are little concerned with them here1 for1 ,i repeat1 it is hardly professed even by name in the code of ethics which we are reviewing4 ,as has been often observed1 ancient civilization had not the idea1 and had no word to express it3 or rather1 it had the idea1 and considered it a defect of mind1 not a virtue1 so that the word which denoted it conveyed a reproach4 ,as to the modern world1 you may gather its ignorance of it by its perversion of the somewhat parallel term 8condescension40 ,humility or condescension1 viewed as a virtue of conduct1 may be said to consist1 as in other things1 so in our placing ourselves in our thoughts on a level with our inferiors2 it is not only a voluntary relinquishment of the privileges of our own station1 but an actual participation or assumption of the condition of those to whom we stoop4 ,this is true humility1 to feel and to behave as if we were low2 not1 to cherish a notion of our importance1 while we affect a low position4 ,such was ,st4 ,paul's humility1 when he called himself 8the least of the saints20 such the humility of those many holy men who have considered themselves the greatest of sinners4 ,it is an abdication1 as far as their own thoughts are concerned1 of those prerogatives or privileges to which others deem them entitled4 ,now it is not a little instructive to contrast with this idea1 ,gentlemen1--with this theological meaning of the word 8condescension10--its proper ,english sense2 put them in juxta-position1 and you will at once see the difference between the world's humility and the humility of the ,gospel4 ,as the world uses the word1 8condescension0 is a stooping indeed of the person1 but a bending forward1 unattended with any the slightest effort to leave by a single inch the seat in which it is so firmly established4 ,it is the act of a superior1 who protests to himself1 while he commits it1 that he is superior still1 and that he is doing nothing else but an act of grace towards those on whose level1 in theory1 he is placing himself4 ,and this is the nearest idea which the philosopher can form of the virtue of self-abasement2 to do more than this is to his mind a meanness or an hypocrisy1 and at once excites his suspicion and disgust4 ,what the world is1 such it has ever been2 we know the contempt which the educated pagans had for the martyrs and confessors of the ,church2 and it is shared by the anti-,catholic bodies of this day4 ,such are the ethics of ,philosophy1 when faithfully represented2 but an age like this1 not pagan1 but professedly ,christian1 cannot venture to reprobate humility in set terms1 or to make a boast of pride4 ,accordingly1 it looks out for some expedient by which it may blind itself to the real state of the case4 ,humility1 with its grave and self-denying attributes1 it cannot love2 but what is more beautiful1 what more winning1 than modesty8 what virtue1 at first sight1 simulates humility so well8 though what in fact is more radically distinct from it8 ,in truth1 great as is its charm1 modesty is not the deepest or the most religious of virtues4 ,rather it is the advanced guard or sentinel of the soul militant1 and watches continually over its nascent intercourse with the world about it4 ,it goes the round of the senses2 it mounts up into the countenance2 it protects the eye and ear2 it reigns in the voice and gesture4 ,its province is the outward deportment1 as other virtues have relation to matters theological1 others to society1 and others to the mind itself4 ,and being more superficial than other virtues1 it is more easily disjoined from their company2 it admits of being associated with principles or qualities naturally foreign to it1 and is often made the cloak of feelings or ends for which it was never given to us4 ,so little is it the necessary index of humility1 that it is even compatible with pride4 ,the better for the purpose of ,philosophy2 humble it cannot be1 so forthwith modesty becomes its humility4 ,pride1 under such training1 instead of running to waste in the education of the mind1 is turned to account2 it gets a new name2 it is called self-respect2 and ceases to be the disagreeable1 uncompanionable quality which it is in itself4 ,though it be the motive principle of the soul1 it seldom comes to view2 and when it shows itself1 then delicacy and gentleness are its attire1 and good sense and sense of honour direct its motions4 ,it is no longer a restless agent1 without definite aim2 it has a large field of exertion assigned to it1 and it subserves those social interests which it would naturally trouble4 ,it is directed into the channel of industry1 frugality1 honesty1 and obedience2 and it becomes the very staple of the religion and morality held in honour in a day like our own4 ,it becomes the safeguard of chastity1 the guarantee of veracity1 in high and low2 it is the very household god of society1 as at present constituted1 inspiring neatness and decency in the servant girl1 propriety of carriage and refined manners in her mistress1 uprightness1 manliness1 and generosity in the head of the family4 ,it diffuses a light over town and country2 it covers the soil with handsome edifices and smiling gardens2 it tills the field1 it stocks and embellishes the shop4 ,it is the stimulating principle of providence on the one hand1 and of free expenditure on the other2 of an honourable ambition1 and of elegant enjoyment4 ,it breathes upon the face of the community1 and the hollow sepulchre is forthwith beautiful to look upon4 ,refined by the civilization which has brought it into activity1 this self-respect infuses into the mind an intense horror of exposure1 and a keen sensitiveness of notoriety and ridicule4 ,it becomes the enemy of extravagances of any kind2 it shrinks from what are called scenes2 it has no mercy on the mock-heroic1 on pretence or egotism1 on verbosity in language1 or what is called prosiness in conversation4 ,it detests gross adulation2 not that it tends at all to the eradication of the appetite to which the flatterer ministers1 but it sees the absurdity of indulging it1 it understands the annoyance thereby given to others1 and if a tribute must be paid to the wealthy or the powerful1 it demands greater subtlety and art in the preparation4 ,thus vanity is changed into a more dangerous self-conceit1 as being checked in its natural eruption4 ,it teaches men to suppress their feelings1 and to control their tempers1 and to mitigate both the severity and the tone of their judgments4 ,as ,lord ,shaftesbury would desire1 it prefers playful wit and satire in putting down what is objectionable1 as a more refined and good-natured1 as well as a more effectual method1 than the expedient which is natural to uneducated minds4 ,it is from this impatience of the tragic and the bombastic that it is now quietly but energetically opposing itself to the unchristian practice of duelling1 which it brands as simply out of taste1 and as the remnant of a barbarous age2 and certainly it seems likely to effect what ,religion has aimed at abolishing in vain4 #aj4 ,hence it is that it is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain4 ,this description is both refined and1 as far as it goes1 accurate4 ,he is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him2 and he concurs with their movements rather than takes the initiative himself4 ,his benefits may be considered as parallel to what are called comforts or conveniences in arrangements of a personal nature3 like an easy chair or a good fire1 which do their part in dispelling cold and fatigue1 though nature provides both means of rest and animal heat without them4 ,the true gentleman in like manner carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast2--all clashing of opinion1 or collision of feeling1 all restraint1 or suspicion1 or gloom1 or resentment2 his great concern being to make every one at their ease and at home4 ,he has his eyes on all his company2 he is tender towards the bashful1 gentle towards the distant1 and merciful towards the absurd2 he can recollect to whom he is speaking2 he guards against unseasonable allusions1 or topics which may irritate2 he is seldom prominent in conversation1 and never wearisome4 ,he makes light of favours while he does them1 and seems to be receiving when he is conferring4 ,he never speaks of himself except when compelled1 never defends himself by a mere retort1 he has no ears for slander or gossip1 is scrupulous in imputing motives to those who interfere with him1 and interprets every thing for the best4 ,he is never mean or little in his disputes1 never takes unfair advantage1 never mistakes personalities or sharp sayings for arguments1 or insinuates evil which he dare not say out4 ,from a long-sighted prudence1 he observes the maxim of the ancient sage1 that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend4 ,he has too much good sense to be affronted at insults1 he is too well employed to remember injuries1 and too indolent to bear malice4 ,he is patient1 forbearing1 and resigned1 on philosophical principles2 he submits to pain1 because it is inevitable1 to bereavement1 because it is irreparable1 and to death1 because it is his destiny4 ,if he engages in controversy of any kind1 his disciplined intellect preserves him from the blundering discourtesy of better1 perhaps1 but less educated minds2 who1 like blunt weapons1 tear and hack instead of cutting clean1 who mistake the point in argument1 waste their strength on trifles1 misconceive their adversary1 and leave the question more involved than they find it4 ,he may be right or wrong in his opinion1 but he is too clear-headed to be unjust2 he is as simple as he is forcible1 and as brief as he is decisive4 ,nowhere shall we find greater candour1 consideration1 indulgence3 he throws himself into the minds of his opponents1 he accounts for their mistakes4 ,he knows the weakness of human reason as well as its strength1 its province and its limits4 ,if he be an unbeliever1 he will be too profound and large-minded to ridicule religion or to act against it2 he is too wise to be a dogmatist or fanatic in his infidelity4 ,he respects piety and devotion2 he even supports institutions as venerable1 beautiful1 or useful1 to which he does not assent2 he honours the ministers of religion1 and it contents him to decline its mysteries without assailing or denouncing them4 ,he is a friend of religious toleration1 and that1 not only because his philosophy has taught him to look on all forms of faith with an impartial eye1 but also from the gentleness and effeminacy of feeling1 which is the attendant on civilization4 ,not that he may not hold a religion too1 in his own way1 even when he is not a ,christian4 ,in that case his religion is one of imagination and sentiment2 it is the embodiment of those ideas of the sublime1 majestic1 and beautiful1 without which there can be no large philosophy4 ,sometimes he acknowledges the being of ,god1 sometimes he invests an unknown principle or quality with the attributes of perfection4 ,and this deduction of his reason1 or creation of his fancy1 he makes the occasion of such excellent thoughts1 and the starting-point of so varied and systematic a teaching1 that he even seems like a disciple of ,christianity itself4 ,from the very accuracy and steadiness of his logical powers1 he is able to see what sentiments are consistent in those who hold any religious doctrine at all1 and he appears to others to feel and to hold a whole circle of theological truths1 which exist in his mind no otherwise than as a number of deductions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,such are some of the lineaments of the ethical character1 which the cultivated intellect will form1 apart from religious principle4 ,they are seen within the pale of the ,church and without it1 in holy men1 and in profligate2 they form the beau-ideal of the world2 they partly assist and partly distort the development of the ,catholic4 ,they may subserve the education of a ,st4 ,francis de ,sales or a ,cardinal ,pole2 they may be the limits of the contemplation of a ,shaftesbury or a ,gibbon4 ,basil and ,julian were fellow-students at the schools of ,athens2 and one became the ,saint and ,doctor of the ,church1 the other her scoffing and relentless foe4 ,discourse ,,ix4 ,duties ,of ,the ,church ,towards ,knowledge4 #a4 ,i have to congratulate myself1 ,gentlemen1 that at length ,i have accomplished1 with whatever success1 the difficult and anxious undertaking to which ,i have been immediately addressing myself4 ,difficult and anxious it has been in truth1 though the main subject of ,university ,teaching has been so often and so ably discussed already2 for ,i have attempted to follow out a line of thought more familiar to ,protestants just now than to ,catholics1 upon ,catholic grounds4 ,i declared my intention1 when ,i opened the subject1 of treating it as a philosophical and practical1 rather than as a theological question1 with an appeal to common sense1 not to ecclesiastical rules2 and for this very reason1 while my argument has been less ambitious1 it has been deprived of the lights and supports which another mode of handling it would have secured4 ,no anxiety1 no effort of mind is more severe than his1 who in a difficult matter has it seriously at heart to investigate without error and to instruct without obscurity2 as to myself1 if the past discussion has at any time tried the patience of the kind persons who have given it their attention1 ,i can assure them that on no one can it have inflicted so great labour and fatigue as on myself4 ,happy they who are engaged in provinces of thought1 so familiarly traversed and so thoroughly explored1 that they see every where the footprints1 the paths1 the landmarks1 and the remains of former travellers1 and can never step wrong2 but for myself1 ,gentlemen1 ,i have felt like a navigator on a strange sea1 who is out of sight of land1 is surprised by night1 and has to trust mainly to the rules and instruments of his science for reaching the port4 ,the everlasting mountains1 the high majestic cliffs1 of the opposite coast1 radiant in the sunlight1 which are our ordinary guides1 fail us in an excursion such as this2 the lessons of antiquity1 the determinations of authority1 are here rather the needle1 chart1 and plummet1 than great objects1 with distinct and continuous outlines and completed details1 which stand up and confront and occupy our gaze1 and relieve us from the tension and suspense of our personal observation4 ,and thus1 in spite of the pains we may take to consult others and avoid mistakes1 it is not till the morning comes and the shore greets us1 and we see our vessel making straight for harbour1 that we relax our jealous watch1 and consider anxiety irrational4 ,such in a measure has been my feeling in the foregoing inquiry2 in which indeed ,i have been in want neither of authoritative principles nor distinct precedents1 but of treatises in extenso on the subject on which ,i have written1--the finished work of writers1 who1 by their acknowledged judgment and erudition1 might furnish me for my private guidance with a running instruction on each point which successively came under review4 ,i have spoken of the arduousness of my 8immediate0 undertaking1 because what ,i have been attempting has been of a preliminary nature1 not contemplating the duties of the ,church towards a ,university1 nor the characteristics of a ,university which is ,catholic1 but inquiring what a ,university is1 what is its aim1 what its nature1 what its bearings4 ,i have accordingly laid down first1 that all branches of knowledge are1 at least implicitly1 the subject-matter of its teaching2 that these branches are not isolated and independent one of another1 but form together a whole or system2 that they run into each other1 and complete each other1 and that1 in proportion to our view of them as a whole1 is the exactness and trustworthiness of the knowledge which they separately convey2 that the process of imparting knowledge to the intellect in this philosophical way is its true culture2 that such culture is a good in itself2 that the knowledge which is both its instrument and result is called ,liberal ,knowledge2 that such culture1 together with the knowledge which effects it1 may fitly be sought for its own sake2 that it is1 however1 in addition1 of great secular utility1 as constituting the best and highest formation of the intellect for social and political life2 and lastly1 that1 considered in a religious aspect1 it concurs with ,christianity a certain way1 and then diverges from it2 and consequently proves in the event1 sometimes its serviceable ally1 sometimes1 from its very resemblance to it1 an insidious and dangerous foe4 ,though1 however1 these ,discourses have only professed to be preliminary1 being directed to the investigation of the object and nature of the ,education which a ,university professes to impart1 at the same time ,i do not like to conclude without making some remarks upon the duties of the ,church towards it1 or rather on the ground of those duties4 ,if the ,catholic ,faith is true1 a ,university cannot exist externally to the ,catholic pale1 for it cannot teach ,universal ,knowledge if it does not teach ,catholic theology4 ,this is certain2 but still1 though it had ever so many theological ,chairs1 that would not suffice to make it a ,catholic ,university2 for theology would be included in its teaching only as a branch of knowledge1 only as one out of many constituent portions1 however important a one1 of what ,i have called ,philosophy4 ,hence a direct and active jurisdiction of the ,church over it and in it is necessary1 lest it should become the rival of the ,church with the community at large in those theological matters which to the ,church are exclusively committed1--acting as the representative of the intellect1 as the ,church is the representative of the religious principle4 ,the illustration of this proposition shall be the subject of my concluding ,discourse4 #b4 ,i say then1 that1 even though the case could be so that the whole system of ,catholicism was recognized and professed1 without the direct presence of the ,church1 still this would not at once make such a ,university a ,catholic ,institution1 nor be sufficient to secure the due weight of religious considerations in its philosophical studies4 ,for it may easily happen that a particular bias or drift may characterize an ,institution1 which no rules can reach1 nor officers remedy1 nor professions or promises counteract4 ,we have an instance of such a case in the ,spanish ,inquisition2--here was a purely ,catholic establishment1 devoted to the maintenance1 or rather the ascendancy of ,catholicism1 keenly zealous for theological truth1 the stern foe of every anti-,catholic idea1 and administered by ,catholic theologians2 yet it in no proper sense belonged to the ,church4 ,it was simply and entirely a ,state institution1 it was an expression of that very ,church-and-,king spirit which has prevailed in these islands2 nay1 it was an instrument of the ,state1 according to the confession of the acutest ,protestant historians1 in its warfare against the ,holy ,see4 ,considered 8materially10 it was nothing but ,catholic2 but its spirit and form were earthly and secular1 in spite of whatever faith and zeal and sanctity and charity were to be found in the individuals who from time to time had a share in its administration4 ,and in like manner1 it is no sufficient security for the ,catholicity of a ,university1 even that the whole of ,catholic theology should be professed in it1 unless the ,church breathes her own pure and unearthly spirit into it1 and fashions and moulds its organization1 and watches over its teaching1 and knits together its pupils1 and superintends its action4 ,the ,spanish ,inquisition came into collision with the supreme ,catholic authority1 and that1 from the fact that its immediate end was of a secular character2 and for the same reason1 whereas ,academical ,institutions 7as ,i have been so long engaged in showing7 are in their very nature directed to social1 national1 temporal objects in the first instance1 and since they are living and energizing bodies1 if they deserve the name of ,university at all1 and of necessity have some one formal and definite ethical character1 good or bad1 and do of a certainty imprint that character on the individuals who direct and who frequent them1 it cannot but be that1 if left to themselves1 they will1 in spite of their profession of ,catholic ,truth1 work out results more or less prejudicial to its interests4 ,nor is this all3 such ,institutions may become hostile to ,revealed ,truth1 in consequence of the circumstances of their teaching as well as of their end4 ,they are employed in the pursuit of ,liberal ,knowledge1 and ,liberal ,knowledge has a special tendency1 not necessary or rightful1 but a tendency in fact1 when cultivated by beings such as we are1 to impress us with a mere philosophical theory of life and conduct1 in the place of ,revelation4 ,i have said much on this subject already4 ,truth has two attributes--beauty and power2 and while ,useful ,knowledge is the possession of truth as powerful1 ,liberal ,knowledge is the apprehension of it as beautiful4 ,pursue it1 either as beauty or as power1 to its furthest extent and its true limit1 and you are led by either road to the ,eternal and ,infinite1 to the intimations of conscience and the announcements of the ,church4 ,satisfy yourself with what is only visibly or intelligibly excellent1 as you are likely to do1 and you will make present utility and natural beauty the practical test of truth1 and the sufficient object of the intellect4 ,it is not that you will at once reject ,catholicism1 but you will measure and proportion it by an earthly standard4 ,you will throw its highest and most momentous disclosures into the background1 you will deny its principles1 explain away its doctrines1 re-arrange its precepts1 and make light of its practices1 even while you profess it4 ,knowledge1 viewed as ,knowledge1 exerts a subtle influence in throwing us back on ourselves1 and making us our own centre1 and our minds the measure of all things4 ,this then is the tendency of that ,liberal ,education1 of which a ,university is the school1 viz41 to view ,revealed ,religion from an aspect of its own1--to fuse and recast it1--to tune it1 as it were1 to a different key1 and to reset its harmonies1--to circumscribe it by a circle which unwarrantably amputates here1 and unduly develops there2 and all under the notion1 conscious or unconscious1 that the human intellect1 self-educated and self-supported1 is more true and perfect in its ideas and judgments than that of ,prophets and ,apostles1 to whom the sights and sounds of ,heaven were immediately conveyed4 ,a sense of propriety1 order1 consistency1 and completeness gives birth to a rebellious stirring against miracle and mystery1 against the severe and the terrible4 ,this ,intellectualism first and chiefly comes into collision with precept1 then with doctrine1 then with the very principle of dogmatism2--a perception of the ,beautiful becomes the substitute for faith4 ,in a country which does not profess the faith1 it at once runs1 if allowed1 into scepticism or infidelity2 but even within the pale of the ,church1 and with the most unqualified profession of her ,creed1 it acts1 if left to itself1 as an element of corruption and debility4 ,catholicism1 as it has come down to us from the first1 seems to be mean and illiberal2 it is a mere popular religion2 it is the religion of illiterate ages or servile populations or barbarian warriors2 it must be treated with discrimination and delicacy1 corrected1 softened1 improved1 if it is to satisfy an enlightened generation4 ,it must be stereotyped as the patron of arts1 or the pupil of speculation1 or the protg of science2 it must play the literary academician1 or the empirical philanthropist1 or the political partisan2 it must keep up with the age2 some or other expedient it must devise1 in order to explain away1 or to hide1 tenets under which the intellect labours and of which it is ashamed--its doctrine1 for instance1 of grace1 its mystery of the ,godhead1 its preaching of the ,cross1 its devotion to the ,queen of ,saints1 or its loyalty to the ,apostolic ,see4 ,let this spirit be freely evolved out of that philosophical condition of mind1 which in former ,discourses ,i have so highly1 so justly extolled1 and it is impossible but1 first indifference1 then laxity of belief1 then even heresy will be the successive results4 ,here then are two injuries which ,revelation is likely to sustain at the hands of the ,masters of human reason unless the ,church1 as in duty bound1 protects the sacred treasure which is in jeopardy4 ,the first is a simple ignoring of ,theological ,truth altogether1 under the pretence of not recognising differences of religious opinion2--which will only take place in countries or under governments which have abjured ,catholicism4 ,the second1 which is of a more subtle character1 is a recognition indeed of ,catholicism1 but 7as if in pretended mercy to it7 an adulteration of its spirit4 ,i will now proceed to describe the dangers ,i speak of more distinctly1 by a reference to the general subject-matter of instruction which a ,university undertakes4 ,there are three great subjects on which ,human ,reason employs itself3--,god1 ,nature1 and ,man3 and theology being put aside in the present argument1 the physical and social worlds remain4 ,these1 when respectively subjected to ,human ,reason1 form two books3 the book of nature is called ,science1 the book of man is called ,literature4 ,literature and ,science1 thus considered1 nearly constitute the subject-matter of ,liberal ,education2 and1 while ,science is made to subserve the former of the two injuries1 which ,revealed ,truth sustains1--its exclusion1 ,literature subserves the latter1--its corruption4 ,let us consider the influence of each upon ,religion separately4 #c4 ,i4 ,as to ,physical ,science1 of course there can be no real collision between it and ,catholicism4 ,nature and ,grace1 ,reason and ,revelation1 come from the same ,divine ,author1 whose works cannot contradict each other4 ,nevertheless1 it cannot be denied that1 in matter of fact1 there always has been a sort of jealousy and hostility between ,religion and physical philosophers4 ,the name of ,galileo reminds us of it at once4 ,not content with investigating and reasoning in his own province1 it is said1 he went out of his way directly to insult the received interpretation of ,scripture2 theologians repelled an attack which was wanton and arrogant2 and ,science1 affronted in her minister1 has taken its full revenge upon ,theology since4 ,a vast multitude of its teachers1 ,i fear it must be said1 have been either unbelievers or sceptics1 or at least have denied to ,christianity any teaching1 distinctive or special1 over the ,religion of ,nature4 ,there have indeed been most illustrious exceptions2 some men protected by their greatness of mind1 some by their religious profession1 some by the fear of public opinion2 but ,i suppose the run of experimentalists1 external to the ,catholic ,church1 have more or less inherited the positive or negative unbelief of ,laplace1 ,buffon1 ,franklin1 ,priestley1 ,cuvier1 and ,humboldt4 ,i do not of course mean to say that there need be in every case a resentful and virulent opposition made to ,religion on the part of scientific men2 but their emphatic silence or phlegmatic inadvertence as to its claims have implied1 more eloquently than any words1 that in their opinion it had no voice at all in the subject-matter1 which they had appropriated to themselves4 ,the same antagonism shows itself in the middle ages4 ,friar ,bacon was popularly regarded with suspicion as a dealer in unlawful arts2 ,pope ,sylvester the ,second has been accused of magic for his knowledge of natural secrets2 and the geographical ideas of ,st4 ,virgil1 ,bishop of ,saltzburg1 were regarded with anxiety by the great ,st4 ,boniface1 the glory of ,england1 the ,martyr-,apostle of ,germany4 ,i suppose1 in matter of fact1 magical superstition and physical knowledge did commonly go together in those ages3 however1 the hostility between experimental science and theology is far older than ,christianity4 ,lord ,bacon traces it to an era prior to ,socrates2 he tells us that1 among the ,greeks1 the atheistic was the philosophy most favourable to physical discoveries1 and he does not hesitate to imply that the rise of the religious schools was the ruin of science47#bf7 ,now1 if we would investigate the reason of this opposition between ,theology and ,physics1 ,i suppose we must first take into account ,lord ,bacon's own explanation of it4 ,it is common in judicial inquiries to caution the parties on whom the verdict depends to put out of their minds whatever they have heard out of court on the subject to which their attention is to be directed4 ,they are to judge by the evidence2 and this is a rule which holds in other investigations as far as this1 that nothing of an adventitious nature ought to be introduced into the process4 ,in like manner1 from religious investigations1 as such1 physics must be excluded1 and from physical1 as such1 religion2 and if we mix them1 we shall spoil both4 ,the theologian1 speaking of ,divine ,omnipotence1 for the time simply ignores the laws of nature as existing restraints upon its exercise2 and the physical philosopher1 on the other hand1 in his experiments upon natural phenomena1 is simply ascertaining those laws1 putting aside the question of that ,omnipotence4 ,if the theologian1 in tracing the ways of ,providence1 were stopped with objections grounded on the impossibility of physical miracles1 he would justly protest against the interruption2 and were the philosopher1 who was determining the motion of the heavenly bodies1 to be questioned about their ,final or their ,first ,cause1 he too would suffer an illogical interruption4 ,the latter asks the cause of volcanoes1 and is impatient at being told it is 8the divine vengeance20 the former asks the cause of the overthrow of the guilty cities1 and is preposterously referred to the volcanic action still visible in their neighbourhood4 ,the inquiry into final causes for the moment passes over the existence of established laws2 the inquiry into physical1 passes over for the moment the existence of ,god4 ,in other words1 physical science is in a certain sense atheistic1 for the very reason it is not theology4 ,this is ,lord ,bacon's justification1 and an intelligible one1 for considering that the fall of atheistic philosophy in ancient times was a blight upon the hopes of physical science4 8,aristotle10 he says1 8,galen1 and others frequently introduce such causes as these3--the hairs of the eyelids are for a fence to the sight2 the bones for pillars whence to build the bodies of animals2 the leaves of trees are to defend the fruit from the sun and wind2 the clouds are designed for watering the earth4 ,all which are properly alleged in metaphysics2 but in physics1 are impertinent1 and as remoras to the ship1 that hinder the sciences from holding on their course of improvement1 and as introducing a neglect of searching after physical causes407#bg7 ,here then is one reason for the prejudice of physical philosophers against ,theology3--on the one hand1 their deep satisfaction in the laws of nature indisposes them towards the thought of a ,moral ,governor1 and makes them sceptical of ,his interposition2 on the other hand1 the occasional interference of religious criticism in a province not religious1 has made them sore1 suspicious1 and resentful4 #d4 ,another reason of a kindred nature is to be found in the difference of method by which truths are gained in theology and in physical science4 ,induction is the instrument of ,physics1 and deduction only is the instrument of ,theology4 ,there the simple question is1 ,what is revealed8 all doctrinal knowledge flows from one fountain head4 ,if we are able to enlarge our view and multiply our propositions1 it must be merely by the comparison and adjustment of the original truths2 if we would solve new questions1 it must be by consulting old answers4 ,the notion of doctrinal knowledge absolutely novel1 and of simple addition from without1 is intolerable to ,catholic ears1 and never was entertained by any one who was even approaching to an understanding of our creed4 ,revelation is all in all in doctrine2 the ,apostles its sole depository1 the inferential method its sole instrument1 and ecclesiastical authority its sole sanction4 ,the ,divine ,voice has spoken once for all1 and the only question is about its meaning4 ,now this process1 as far as it was reasoning1 was the very mode of reasoning which1 as regards physical knowledge1 the school of ,bacon has superseded by the inductive method3--no wonder1 then1 that that school should be irritated and indignant to find that a subject-matter remains still1 in which their favourite instrument has no office2 no wonder that they rise up against this memorial of an antiquated system1 as an eyesore and an insult2 and no wonder that the very force and dazzling success of their own method in its own departments should sway or bias unduly the religious sentiments of any persons who come under its influence4 ,they assert that no new truth can be gained by deduction2 ,catholics assent1 but add that1 as regards religious truth1 they have not to seek at all1 for they have it already4 ,christian ,truth is purely of revelation2 that revelation we can but explain1 we cannot increase1 except relatively to our own apprehensions2 without it we should have known nothing of its contents1 with it we know just as much as its contents1 and nothing more4 ,and1 as it was given by a divine act independent of man1 so will it remain in spite of man4 ,niebuhr may revolutionize history1 ,lavoisier chemistry1 ,newton astronomy2 but ,god ,himself is the author as well as the subject of theology4 ,when ,truth can change1 its ,revelation can change2 when human reason can outreason the ,omniscient1 then may it supersede ,his work4 ,avowals such as these fall strange upon the ear of men whose first principle is the search after truth1 and whose starting-points of search are things material and sensible4 ,they scorn any process of inquiry not founded on experiment2 the ,mathematics indeed they endure1 because that science deals with ideas1 not with facts1 and leads to conclusions hypothetical rather than real2 8,metaphysics0 they even use as a by-word of reproach2 and ,ethics they admit only on condition that it gives up conscience as its scientific ground1 and bases itself on tangible utility3 but as to ,theology1 they cannot deal with it1 they cannot master it1 and so they simply outlaw it and ignore it4 ,catholicism1 forsooth1 8confines the intellect10 because it holds that ,god's intellect is greater than theirs1 and that what ,he has done1 man cannot improve4 ,and what in some sort justifies them to themselves in this extravagance is the circumstance that there is a religion close at their doors which1 discarding so severe a tone1 has actually adopted their own principle of inquiry4 ,protestantism treats ,scripture just as they deal with ,nature2 it takes the sacred text as a large collection of phenomena1 from which1 by an inductive process1 each individual ,christian may arrive at just those religious conclusions which approve themselves to his own judgment4 ,it considers faith a mere modification of reason1 as being an acquiescence in certain probable conclusions till better are found4 ,sympathy1 then1 if no other reason1 throws experimental philosophers into alliance with the enemies of ,catholicism4 #e4 ,i have another consideration to add1 not less important than any ,i have hitherto adduced4 ,the physical sciences1 ,astronomy1 ,chemistry1 and the rest1 are doubtless engaged upon divine works1 and cannot issue in untrue religious conclusions4 ,but at the same time it must be recollected that ,revelation has reference to circumstances which did not arise till after the heavens and the earth were made4 ,they were made before the introduction of moral evil into the world3 whereas the ,catholic ,church is the instrument of a remedial dispensation to meet that introduction4 ,no wonder then that her teaching is simply distinct1 though not divergent1 from the theology which ,physical ,science suggests to its followers4 ,she sets before us a number of attributes and acts on the part of the ,divine ,being1 for which the material and animal creation gives no scope2 power1 wisdom1 goodness are the burden of the physical world1 but it does not and could not speak of mercy1 long-suffering1 and the economy of human redemption1 and but partially of the moral law and moral goodness4 8,sacred ,theology10 says ,lord ,bacon1 8must be drawn from the words and the oracles of ,god3 not from the light of nature or the dictates of reason4 ,it is written1 that #8the ,heavens declare the glory of ,god2' but we nowhere find it that the ,heavens declare the will of ,god2 which is pronounced a law and a testimony1 that men should do according to it4 ,nor does this hold only in the great mysteries of the ,godhead1 of the creation1 of the redemption4''' ,we cannot doubt that a large part of the moral law is too sublime to be attained by the light of nature2 though it is still certain that men1 even with the light and law of nature1 have some notions of virtue1 vice1 justice1 wrong1 good1 and evil407#bh7 ,that the new and further manifestations of the ,almighty1 made by ,revelation1 are in perfect harmony with the teaching of the natural world1 forms indeed one subject of the profound work of the ,anglican ,bishop ,butler2 but they cannot in any sense be gathered from nature1 and the silence of nature concerning them may easily seduce the imagination1 though it has no force to persuade the reason1 to revolt from doctrines which have not been authenticated by facts1 but are enforced by authority4 ,in a scientific age1 then1 there will naturally be a parade of what is called ,natural ,theology1 a wide-spread profession of the ,unitarian creed1 an impatience of mystery1 and a scepticism about miracles4 ,and to all this must be added the ample opportunity which physical science gives to the indulgence of those sentiments of beauty1 order1 and congruity1 of which ,i have said so much as the ensigns and colours 7as they may be called7 of a civilized age in its warfare against ,catholicism4 ,it being considered1 then1 that ,catholicism differs from physical science1 in drift1 in method of proof1 and in subject-matter1 how can it fail to meet with unfair usage from the philosophers of any ,institution in which there is no one to take its part8 ,that ,physical ,science itself will be ultimately the loser by such ill treatment of ,theology1 ,i have insisted on at great length in some preceding ,discourses2 for to depress unduly1 to encroach upon any science1 and much more on an important one1 is to do an injury to all4 ,however1 this is not the concern of the ,church2 the ,church has no call to watch over and protect ,science3 but towards ,theology she has a distinct duty3 it is one of the special trusts committed to her keeping4 ,where ,theology is1 there she must be2 and if a ,university cannot fulfil its name and office without the recognition of ,revealed ,truth1 she must be there to see that it is a bon fide recognition1 sincerely made and consistently acted on4 #f4 ,,ii4 ,and if the interposition of the ,church is necessary in the ,schools of ,science1 still more imperatively is it demanded in the other main constituent portion of the subject-matter of ,liberal ,education1--,literature4 ,literature stands related to ,man as ,science stands to ,nature2 it is his history4 ,man is composed of body and soul2 he thinks and he acts2 he has appetites1 passions1 affections1 motives1 designs2 he has within him the lifelong struggle of duty with inclination2 he has an intellect fertile and capacious2 he is formed for society1 and society multiplies and diversifies in endless combinations his personal characteristics1 moral and intellectual4 ,all this constitutes his life2 of all this ,literature is the expression2 so that ,literature is to man in some sort what autobiography is to the individual2 it is his ,life and ,remains4 ,moreover1 he is this sentient1 intelligent1 creative1 and operative being1 quite independent of any extraordinary aid from ,heaven1 or any definite religious belief2 and as such1 as he is in himself1 does ,literature represent him2 it is the ,life and ,remains of the natural man1 innocent or guilty4 ,i do not mean to say that it is impossible in its very notion that ,literature should be tinctured by a religious spirit2 ,hebrew ,literature1 as far as it can be called ,literature1 certainly is simply theological1 and has a character imprinted on it which is above nature2 but ,i am speaking of what is to be expected without any extraordinary dispensation2 and ,i say that1 in matter of fact1 as ,science is the reflection of ,nature1 so is ,literature also--the one1 of ,nature physical1 the other1 of ,nature moral and social4 ,circumstances1 such as locality1 period1 language1 seem to make little or no difference in the character of ,literature1 as such2 on the whole1 all ,literatures are one2 they are the voices of the natural man4 ,i wish this were all that had to be said to the disadvantage of ,literature2 but while ,nature physical remains fixed in its laws1 ,nature moral and social has a will of its own1 is self-governed1 and never remains any long while in that state from which it started into action4 ,man will never continue in a mere state of innocence2 he is sure to sin1 and his literature will be the expression of his sin1 and this whether he be heathen or ,christian4 ,christianity has thrown gleams of light on him and his literature2 but as it has not converted him1 but only certain choice specimens of him1 so it has not changed the characters of his mind or of his history2 his literature is either what it was1 or worse than what it was1 in proportion as there has been an abuse of knowledge granted and a rejection of truth4 ,on the whole1 then1 ,i think it will be found1 and ever found1 as a matter of course1 that ,literature1 as such1 no matter of what nation1 is the science or history1 partly and at best of the natural man1 partly of man in rebellion4 #g4 ,here then1 ,i say1 you are involved in a difficulty greater than that which besets the cultivation of ,science2 for1 if ,physical ,science be dangerous1 as ,i have said1 it is dangerous1 because it necessarily ignores the idea of moral evil2 but ,literature is open to the more grievous imputation of recognizing and understanding it too well4 ,some one will say to me perhaps3 8,our youth shall not be corrupted4 ,we will dispense with all general or national ,literature whatever1 if it be so exceptionable2 we will have a ,christian ,literature of our own1 as pure1 as true1 as the ,jewish40 ,you cannot have it3--,i do not say you cannot form a select literature for the young1 nay1 even for the middle or lower classes2 this is another matter altogether3 ,i am speaking of ,university ,education1 which implies an extended range of reading1 which has to deal with standard works of genius1 or what are called the classics of a language3 and ,i say1 from the nature of the case1 if ,literature is to be made a study of human nature1 you cannot have a ,christian ,literature4 ,it is a contradiction in terms to attempt a sinless ,literature of sinful man4 ,you may gather together something very great and high1 something higher than any ,literature ever was2 and when you have done so1 you will find that it is not ,literature at all4 ,you will have simply left the delineation of man1 as such1 and have substituted for it1 as far as you have had any thing to substitute1 that of man1 as he is or might be1 under certain special advantages4 ,give up the study of man1 as such1 if so it must be2 but say you do so4 ,do not say you are studying him1 his history1 his mind and his heart1 when you are studying something else4 ,man is a being of genius1 passion1 intellect1 conscience1 power4 ,he exercises these various gifts in various ways1 in great deeds1 in great thoughts1 in heroic acts1 in hateful crimes4 ,he founds states1 he fights battles1 he builds cities1 he ploughs the forest1 he subdues the elements1 he rules his kind4 ,he creates vast ideas1 and influences many generations4 ,he takes a thousand shapes1 and undergoes a thousand fortunes4 ,literature records them all to the life1 ,quicquid agunt homines1 votum1 timor1 ira1 voluptas1 ,gaudia1 discursus4 ,he pours out his fervid soul in poetry2 he sways to and fro1 he soars1 he dives1 in his restless speculations2 his lips drop eloquence2 he touches the canvas1 and it glows with beauty2 he sweeps the strings1 and they thrill with an ecstatic meaning4 ,he looks back into himself1 and he reads his own thoughts1 and notes them down2 he looks out into the universe1 and tells over and celebrates the elements and principles of which it is the product4 ,such is man3 put him aside1 keep him before you2 but1 whatever you do1 do not take him for what he is not1 for something more divine and sacred1 for man regenerate4 ,nay1 beware of showing ,god's grace and its work at such disadvantage as to make the few whom it has thoroughly influenced compete in intellect with the vast multitude who either have it not1 or use it ill4 ,the elect are few to choose out of1 and the world is inexhaustible4 ,from the first1 ,jabel and ,tubalcain1 ,nimrod 8the stout hunter10 the learning of the ,pharaohs1 and the wisdom of the ,east country1 are of the world4 ,every now and then they are rivalled by a ,solomon or a ,beseleel1 but the habitat of natural gifts is the natural man4 ,the ,church may use them1 she cannot at her will originate them4 ,not till the whole human race is made new will its literature be pure and true4 ,possible of course it is in idea1 for nature1 inspired by heavenly grace1 to exhibit itself on a large scale1 in an originality of thought or action1 even far beyond what the world's literature has recorded or exemplified2 but1 if you would in fact have a literature of saints1 first of all have a nation of them4 ,what is a clearer proof of the truth of all this than the structure of the ,inspired ,word itself8 ,it is undeniably not the reflection or picture of the many1 but of the few2 it is no picture of life1 but an anticipation of death and judgment4 ,human literature is about all things1 grave or gay1 painful or pleasant2 but the ,inspired ,word views them only in one aspect1 and as they tend to one scope4 ,it gives us little insight into the fertile developments of mind2 it has no terms in its vocabulary to express with exactness the intellect and its separate faculties3 it knows nothing of genius1 fancy1 wit1 invention1 presence of mind1 resource4 ,it does not discourse of empire1 commerce1 enterprise1 learning1 philosophy1 or the fine arts4 ,slightly too does it touch on the more simple and innocent courses of nature and their reward4 ,little does it say7#bi7 of those temporal blessings which rest upon our worldly occupations1 and make them easy1 of the blessings which we derive from the sunshine day and the serene night1 from the succession of the seasons1 and the produce of the earth4 ,little about our recreations and our daily domestic comforts2 little about the ordinary occasions of festivity and mirth1 which sweeten human life2 and nothing at all about various pursuits or amusements1 which it would be going too much into detail to mention4 ,we read indeed of the feast when ,isaac was weaned1 and of ,jacob's courtship1 and of the religious merry-makings of holy ,job2 but exceptions1 such as these1 do but remind us what might be in ,scripture1 and is not4 ,if then by ,literature is meant the manifestation of human nature in human language1 you will seek for it in vain except in the world4 ,put up with it1 as it is1 or do not pretend to cultivate it2 take things as they are1 not as you could wish them4 #h4 ,nay1 ,i am obliged to go further still2 even if we could1 still we should be shrinking from our plain duty1 ,gentlemen1 did we leave out ,literature from ,education4 ,for why do we educate1 except to prepare for the world8 ,why do we cultivate the intellect of the many beyond the first elements of knowledge1 except for this world8 ,will it be much matter in the world to come whether our bodily health or whether our intellectual strength was more or less1 except of course as this world is in all its circumstances a trial for the next8 ,if then a ,university is a direct preparation for this world1 let it be what it professes4 ,it is not a ,convent1 it is not a ,seminary2 it is a place to fit men of the world for the world4 ,we cannot possibly keep them from plunging into the world1 with all its ways and principles and maxims1 when their time comes2 but we can prepare them against what is inevitable2 and it is not the way to learn to swim in troubled waters1 never to have gone into them4 ,proscribe 7,i do not merely say particular authors1 particular works1 particular passages7 but ,secular ,literature as such2 cut out from your class books all broad manifestations of the natural man2 and those manifestations are waiting for your pupil's benefit at the very doors of your lecture room in living and breathing substance4 ,they will meet him there in all the charm of novelty1 and all the fascination of genius or of amiableness4 ,to-day a pupil1 to-morrow a member of the great world3 to-day confined to the ,lives of the ,saints1 to-morrow thrown upon ,babel2--thrown on ,babel1 without the honest indulgence of wit and humour and imagination having ever been permitted to him1 without any fastidiousness of taste wrought into him1 without any rule given him for discriminating 8the precious from the vile10 beauty from sin1 the truth from the sophistry of nature1 what is innocent from what is poison4 ,you have refused him the masters of human thought1 who would in some sense have educated him1 because of their incidental corruption3 you have shut up from him those whose thoughts strike home to our hearts1 whose words are proverbs1 whose names are indigenous to all the world1 who are the standard of their mother tongue1 and the pride and boast of their countrymen1 ,homer1 ,ariosto1 ,cervantes1 ,shakespeare1 because the old ,adam smelt rank in them2 and for what have you reserved him8 ,you have given him 8a liberty unto0 the multitudinous blasphemy of his day2 you have made him free of its newspapers1 its reviews1 its magazines1 its novels1 its controversial pamphlets1 of its ,parliamentary debates1 its law proceedings1 its platform speeches1 its songs1 its drama1 its theatre1 of its enveloping1 stifling atmosphere of death4 ,you have succeeded but in this1--in making the world his ,university4 ,difficult then as the question may be1 and much as it may try the judgments and even divide the opinions of zealous and religious ,catholics1 ,i cannot feel any doubt myself1 ,gentlemen1 that the ,church's true policy is not to aim at the exclusion of ,literature from ,secular ,schools1 but at her own admission into them4 ,let her do for ,literature in one way what she does for ,science in another2 each has its imperfection1 and she has her remedy for each4 ,she fears no knowledge1 but she purifies all2 she represses no element of our nature1 but cultivates the whole4 ,science is grave1 methodical1 logical2 with ,science then she argues1 and opposes reason to reason4 ,literature does not argue1 but declaims and insinuates2 it is multiform and versatile3 it persuades instead of convincing1 it seduces1 it carries captive2 it appeals to the sense of honour1 or to the imagination1 or to the stimulus of curiosity2 it makes its way by means of gaiety1 satire1 romance1 the beautiful1 the pleasurable4 ,is it wonderful that with an agent like this the ,church should claim to deal with a vigour corresponding to its restlessness1 to interfere in its proceedings with a higher hand1 and to wield an authority in the choice of its studies and of its books which would be tyrannical1 if reason and fact were the only instruments of its conclusions8 ,but1 any how1 her principle is one and the same throughout3 not to prohibit truth of any kind1 but to see that no doctrines pass under the name of ,truth but those which claim it rightfully4 #i4 ,such at least is the lesson which ,i am taught by all the thought which ,i have been able to bestow upon the subject2 such is the lesson which ,i have gained from the history of my own special ,father and ,patron1 ,st4 ,philip ,neri4 ,he lived in an age as traitorous to the interests of ,catholicism as any that preceded it1 or can follow it4 ,he lived at a time when pride mounted high1 and the senses held rule2 a time when kings and nobles never had more of state and homage1 and never less of personal responsibility and peril2 when medieval winter was receding1 and the summer sun of civilization was bringing into leaf and flower a thousand forms of luxurious enjoyment2 when a new world of thought and beauty had opened upon the human mind1 in the discovery of the treasures of classic literature and art4 ,he saw the great and the gifted1 dazzled by the ,enchantress1 and drinking in the magic of her song2 he saw the high and the wise1 the student and the artist1 painting1 and poetry and sculpture1 and music1 and architecture1 drawn within her range1 and circling round the abyss3 he saw heathen forms mounting thence1 and forming in the thick air3--all this he saw1 and he perceived that the mischief was to be met1 not with argument1 not with science1 not with protests and warnings1 not by the recluse or the preacher1 but by means of the great counter-fascination of purity and truth4 ,he was raised up to do a work almost peculiar in the ,church1--not to be a ,jerome ,savonarola1 though ,philip had a true devotion towards him and a tender memory of his ,florentine house2 not to be a ,st4 ,charles1 though in his beaming countenance ,philip had recognized the aureol of a saint2 not to be a ,st4 ,ignatius1 wrestling with the foe1 though ,philip was termed the ,society's bell of call1 so many subjects did he send to it2 not to be a ,st4 ,francis ,xavier1 though ,philip had longed to shed his blood for ,christ in ,india with him2 not to be a ,st4 ,caietan1 or hunter of souls1 for ,philip preferred1 as he expressed it1 tranquilly to cast in his net to gain them2 he preferred to yield to the stream1 and direct the current1 which he could not stop1 of science1 literature1 art1 and fashion1 and to sweeten and to sanctify what ,god had made very good and man had spoilt4 ,and so he contemplated as the idea of his mission1 not the propagation of the faith1 nor the exposition of doctrine1 nor the catechetical schools2 whatever was exact and systematic pleased him not2 he put from him monastic rule and authoritative speech1 as ,david refused the armour of his king4 ,no2 he would be but an ordinary individual priest as others3 and his weapons should be but unaffected humility and unpretending love4 ,all he did was to be done by the light1 and fervour1 and convincing eloquence of his personal character and his easy conversation4 ,he came to the ,eternal ,city and he sat himself down there1 and his home and his family gradually grew up around him1 by the spontaneous accession of materials from without4 ,he did not so much seek his own as draw them to him4 ,he sat in his small room1 and they in their gay worldly dresses1 the rich and the wellborn1 as well as the simple and the illiterate1 crowded into it4 ,in the mid-heats of summer1 in the frosts of winter1 still was he in that low and narrow cell at ,san ,girolamo1 reading the hearts of those who came to him1 and curing their souls' maladies by the very touch of his hand4 ,it was a vision of the ,magi worshipping the infant ,saviour1 so pure and innocent1 so sweet and beautiful was he2 and so loyal and so dear to the gracious ,virgin ,mother4 ,and they who came remained gazing and listening1 till at length1 first one and then another threw off their bravery1 and took his poor cassock and girdle instead3 or1 if they kept it1 it was to put haircloth under it1 or to take on them a rule of life1 while to the world they looked as before4 ,in the words of his biographer1 8he was all things to all men4 ,he suited himself to noble and ignoble1 young and old1 subjects and prelates1 learned and ignorant2 and received those who were strangers to him with singular benignity1 and embraced them with as much love and charity as if he had been a long while expecting them4 ,when he was called upon to be merry he was so2 if there was a demand upon his sympathy he was equally ready4 ,he gave the same welcome to all3 caressing the poor equally with the rich1 and wearying himself to assist all to the utmost limits of his power4 ,in consequence of his being so accessible and willing to receive all comers1 many went to him every day1 and some continued for the space of thirty1 nay forty years1 to visit him very often both morning and evening1 so that his room went by the agreeable nickname of the ,home of ,christian mirth4 ,nay1 people came to him1 not only from all parts of ,italy1 but from ,france1 ,spain1 ,germany1 and all ,christendom2 and even the infidels and ,jews1 who had ever any communication with him1 revered him as a holy man407#cj7 ,the first families of ,rome1 the ,massimi1 the ,aldobrandini1 the ,colonnas1 the ,altieri1 the ,vitelleschi1 were his friends and his penitents4 ,nobles of ,poland1 ,grandees of ,spain1 ,knights of ,malta1 could not leave ,rome without coming to him4 ,cardinals1 ,archbishops1 and ,bishops were his intimates2 ,federigo ,borromeo haunted his room and got the name of 8,father ,philip's soul40 ,the ,cardinal-,archbishops of ,verona and ,bologna wrote books in his honour4 ,pope ,pius the ,fourth died in his arms4 ,lawyers1 painters1 musicians1 physicians1 it was the same too with them4 ,baronius1 ,zazzara1 and ,ricci1 left the law at his bidding1 and joined his congregation1 to do its work1 to write the annals of the ,church1 and to die in the odour of sanctity4 ,palestrina had ,father ,philip's ministrations in his last moments4 ,animuccia hung about him during life1 sent him a message after death1 and was conducted by him through ,purgatory to ,heaven4 ,and who was he1 ,i say1 all the while1 but an humble priest1 a stranger in ,rome1 with no distinction of family or letters1 no claim of station or of office1 great simply in the attraction with which a ,divine ,power had gifted him8 and yet thus humble1 thus unennobled1 thus empty-handed1 he has achieved the glorious title of ,apostle of ,rome4 #aj4 ,well were it for his clients and children1 ,gentlemen1 if they could promise themselves the very shadow of his special power1 or could hope to do a miserable fraction of the sort of work in which he was pre-eminently skilled4 ,but so far at least they may attempt1--to take his position1 and to use his method1 and to cultivate the arts of which he was so bright a pattern4 ,for me1 if it be ,god's blessed will that in the years now coming ,i am to have a share in the great undertaking1 which has been the occasion and the subject of these ,discourses1 so far ,i can say for certain that1 whether or not ,i can do any thing at all in ,st4 ,philip's way1 at least ,i can do nothing in any other4 ,neither by my habits of life1 nor by vigour of age1 am ,i fitted for the task of authority1 or of rule1 or of initiation4 ,i do but aspire1 if strength is given me1 to be your minister in a work which must employ younger minds and stronger lives than mine4 ,i am but fit to bear my witness1 to proffer my suggestions1 to express my sentiments1 as has in fact been my occupation in these discussions2 to throw such light upon general questions1 upon the choice of objects1 upon the import of principles1 upon the tendency of measures1 as past reflection and experience enable me to contribute4 ,i shall have to make appeals to your consideration1 your friendliness1 your confidence1 of which ,i have had so many instances1 on which ,i so tranquilly repose2 and after all1 neither you nor ,i must ever be surprised1 should it so happen that the ,hand of ,him1 with whom are the springs of life and death1 weighs heavy on me1 and makes me unequal to anticipations in which you have been too kind1 and to hopes in which ,i may have been too sanguine4 ,,university ,,subjects1 ,,discussed ,,in ,,occasional ,,lectures ,,and ,,essays4 ,introductory ,letter4 ,to ,the ,right ,honourable ,,william ,,monsell1 ,m4,p41 ,,etc41 ,,etc47#ca7 ,,my ,,dear ,,monsell1 ,i seem to have some claim for asking leave of you to prefix your name to the following small ,volume1 since it is a memorial of work done in a country which you so dearly love1 and in behalf of an undertaking in which you feel so deep an interest4 ,nor do ,i venture on the step without some hope that it is worthy of your acceptance1 at least on account of those portions of it which have already received the approbation of the learned men to whom they were addressed1 and which have been printed at their desire4 ,but1 even though there were nothing to recommend it except that it came from me1 ,i know well that you would kindly welcome it as a token of the truth and constancy with which ,i am1 ,,my ,,dear ,,monsell1 ,yours very affectionately1 ,november #aheh4 ,,john ,h4 ,,newman4 ,advertisement4 ,it has been the fortune of the author through life1 that the ,volumes which he has published have grown for the most part out of the duties which lay upon him1 or out of the circumstances of the moment4 ,rarely has he been master of his own studies4 ,the present collection of ,lectures and ,essays1 written by him while ,rector of the ,catholic ,university of ,ireland1 is certainly not an exception to this remark4 ,rather1 it requires the above consideration to be kept in view1 as an apology for the want of keeping which is apparent between its separate portions1 some of them being written for public delivery1 others with the privileged freedom of anonymous compositions4 ,however1 whatever be the inconvenience which such varieties in tone and character may involve1 the author cannot affect any compunction for having pursued the illustration of one and the same important subject-matter1 with which he had been put in charge1 by such methods1 graver or lighter1 so that they were lawful1 as successively came to his hand4 ,november1 #aheh4 ,lecture ,i4 ,christianity ,and ,letters4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters4 #a4 ,it seems but natural1 ,gentlemen1 now that we are opening the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters1 or1 as it was formerly called1 of ,arts1 in this new ,university1 that we should direct our attention to the question1 what are the subjects generally included under that name1 and what place they hold1 and how they come to hold that place1 in a ,university1 and in the education which a ,university provides4 ,this would be natural on such an occasion1 even though the ,faculty of ,arts held but a secondary place in the academical system2 but it seems to be even imperative on us1 considering that the studies which that ,faculty embraces are almost the direct subject-matter and the staple of the mental exercises proper to a ,university4 ,it is indeed not a little remarkable that1 in spite of the special historical connexion of ,university ,institutions with the ,sciences of ,theology1 ,law1 and ,medicine1 a ,university1 after all1 should be formally based 7as it really is71 and should emphatically live in1 the ,faculty of ,arts2 but such is the deliberate decision of those who have most deeply and impartially considered the subject47#cb7 ,arts existed before other ,faculties2 the ,masters of ,arts were the ruling and directing body2 the success and popularity of the ,faculties of ,law and ,medicine were considered to be in no slight measure an encroachment and a usurpation1 and were met with jealousy and resistance4 ,when ,colleges arose and became the medium and instrument of ,university action1 they did but confirm the ascendency of the ,faculty of ,arts2 and thus1 even down to this day1 in those academical corporations which have more than others retained the traces of their medieval origin1--,i mean the ,universities of ,oxford and ,cambridge1--we hear little of ,theology1 ,medicine1 or ,law1 and almost exclusively of ,arts4 ,now1 considering the reasonable association1 to which ,i have already referred1 which exists in our minds between ,universities and the three learned professions1 here is a phenomenon which has to be contemplated for its own sake and accounted for1 as well as a circumstance enhancing the significance and importance of the act in which we have been for some weeks engaged2 and ,i consider that ,i shall not be employing our time unprofitably1 if ,i am able to make a suggestion1 which1 while it illustrates the fact1 is able to explain the difficulty4 #b4 ,here ,i must go back1 ,gentlemen1 a very great way1 and ask you to review the course of ,civilization since the beginning of history4 ,when we survey the stream of human affairs for the last three thousand years1 we find it to run thus3--,at first sight there is so much fluctuation1 agitation1 ebbing and flowing1 that we may despair to discern any law in its movements1 taking the earth as its bed1 and mankind as its contents2 but1 on looking more closely and attentively1 we shall discern1 in spite of the heterogeneous materials and the various histories and fortunes which are found in the race of man during the long period ,i have mentioned1 a certain formation amid the chaos1--one and one only1--and extending1 though not over the whole earth1 yet through a very considerable portion of it4 ,man is a social being and can hardly exist without society1 and in matter of fact societies have ever existed all over the habitable earth4 ,the greater part of these associations have been political or religious1 and have been comparatively limited in extent1 and temporary4 ,they have been formed and dissolved by the force of accidents or by inevitable circumstances2 and1 when we have enumerated them one by one1 we have made of them all that can be made4 ,but there is one remarkable association which attracts the attention of the philosopher1 not political nor religious1 or at least only partially and not essentially such1 which began in the earliest times and grew with each succeeding age1 till it reached its complete development1 and then continued on1 vigorous and unwearied1 and which still remains as definite and as firm as ever it was4 ,its bond is a common civilization2 and1 though there are other civilizations in the world1 as there are other societies1 yet this civilization1 together with the society which is its creation and its home1 is so distinctive and luminous in its character1 so imperial in its extent1 so imposing in its duration1 and so utterly without rival upon the face of the earth1 that the association may fitly assume to itself the title of 8,human ,society10 and its civilization the abstract term 8,civilization40 ,there are indeed great outlying portions of mankind which are not1 perhaps never have been1 included in this ,human ,society2 still they are outlying portions and nothing else1 fragmentary1 unsociable1 solitary1 and unmeaning1 protesting and revolting against the grand central formation of which ,i am speaking1 but not uniting with each other into a second whole4 ,i am not denying of course the civilization of the ,chinese1 for instance1 though it be not our civilization2 but it is a huge1 stationary1 unattractive1 morose civilization4 ,nor do ,i deny a civilization to the ,hindoos1 nor to the ancient ,mexicans1 nor to the ,saracens1 nor 7in a certain sense7 to the ,turks2 but each of these races has its own civilization1 as separate from one another as from ours4 ,i do not see how they can be all brought under one idea4 ,each stands by itself1 as if the other were not2 each is local2 many of them are temporary2 none of them will bear a comparison with the ,society and the ,civilization which ,i have described as alone having a claim to those names1 and on which ,i am going to dwell4 ,gentlemen1 let me here observe that ,i am not entering upon the question of races1 or upon their history4 ,i have nothing to do with ethnology4 ,i take things as ,i find them on the surface of history1 and am but classing phenomena4 ,looking1 then1 at the countries which surround the ,mediterranean ,sea as a whole1 ,i see them to be1 from time immemorial1 the seat of an association of intellect and mind1 such as to deserve to be called the ,intellect and the ,mind of the ,human ,kind4 ,starting as it does and advancing from certain centres1 till their respective influences intersect and conflict1 and then at length intermingle and combine1 a common ,thought has been generated1 and a common ,civilization defined and established4 ,egypt is one such starting point1 ,syria another1 ,greece a third1 ,italy a fourth1 and ,north ,africa a fifth1--afterwards ,france and ,spain4 ,as time goes on1 and as colonization and conquest work their changes1 we see a great association of nations formed1 of which the ,roman empire is the maturity and the most intelligible expression2 an association1 however1 not political1 but mental1 based on the same intellectual ideas1 and advancing by common intellectual methods4 ,and this association or social commonwealth1 with whatever reverses1 changes1 and momentary dissolutions1 continues down to this day2 not1 indeed1 precisely on the same territory1 but with such only partial and local disturbances1 and on the other hand1 with so combined and harmonious a movement1 and such a visible continuity1 that it would be utterly unreasonable to deny that it is throughout all that interval but one and the same4 ,in its earliest age it included far more of the eastern world than it has since2 in these later times it has taken into its compass a new hemisphere2 in the middle ages it lost ,africa1 ,egypt1 and ,syria1 and extended itself to ,germany1 ,scandinavia1 and the ,british ,isles4 ,at one time its territory was flooded by strange and barbarous races1 but the existing civilization was vigorous enough to vivify what threatened to stifle it1 and to assimilate to the old social forms what came to expel them2 and thus the civilization of modern times remains what it was of old1 not ,chinese1 or ,hindoo1 or ,mexican1 or ,saracenic1 or of any new description hitherto unknown1 but the lineal descendant1 or rather the continuation1 mutatis mutandis1 of the civilization which began in ,palestine and ,greece4 ,considering1 then1 the characteristics of this great civilized ,society1 which ,i have already insisted on1 ,i think it has a claim to be considered as the representative ,society and ,civilization of the human race1 as its perfect result and limit1 in fact2--those portions of the race which do not coalesce with it being left to stand by themselves as anomalies1 unaccountable indeed1 but for that very reason not interfering with what on the contrary has been turned to account and has grown into a whole4 ,i call then this commonwealth pre-eminently and emphatically ,human ,society1 and its intellect the ,human ,mind1 and its decisions the sense of mankind1 and its disciplined and cultivated state ,civilization in the abstract1 and the territory on which it lies the orbis terrarum1 or the ,world4 ,for1 unless the illustration be fanciful1 the object which ,i am contemplating is like the impression of a seal upon the wax2 which rounds off and gives form to the greater portion of the soft material1 and presents something definite to the eye1 and preoccupies the space against any second figure1 so that we overlook and leave out of our thoughts the jagged outline or unmeaning lumps outside of it1 intent upon the harmonious circle which fills the imagination within it4 #c4 ,now1 before going on to speak of the education1 and the standards of education1 which the ,civilized ,world1 as ,i may now call it1 has enjoined and requires1 ,i wish to draw your attention1 ,gentlemen1 to the circumstance that this same orbis terrarum1 which has been the seat of ,civilization1 will be found1 on the whole1 to be the seat also of that supernatural society and system which our ,maker has given us directly from ,himself1 the ,christian ,polity4 ,the natural and divine associations are not indeed exactly coincident1 nor ever have been4 ,as the territory of ,civilization has varied with itself in different ages1 while on the whole it has been the same1 so1 in like manner1 ,christianity has fallen partly outside ,civilization1 and ,civilization partly outside ,christianity2 but1 on the whole1 the two have occupied one and the same orbis terrarum4 ,often indeed they have even moved pari passu1 and at all times there has been found the most intimate connexion between them4 ,christianity waited till the orbis terrarum attained its most perfect form before it appeared2 and it soon coalesced1 and has ever since co-operated1 and often seemed identical1 with the ,civilization which is its companion4 ,there are certain analogies1 too1 which hold between ,civilization and ,christianity4 ,as ,civilization does not cover the whole earth1 neither does ,christianity2 but there is nothing else like the one1 and nothing else like the other4 ,each is the only thing of its kind4 ,again1 there are1 as ,i have already said1 large outlying portions of the world in a certain sense cultivated and educated1 which1 if they could exist together in one1 would go far to constitute a second orbis terrarum1 the home of a second distinct civilization2 but every one of these is civilized on its own principle and idea1 or at least they are separated from each other1 and have not run together1 while the ,civilization and ,society which ,i have been describing is one organized whole4 ,and1 in like manner1 ,christianity coalesces into one vast body1 based upon common ideas2 yet there are large outlying organizations of religion independent of each other and of it4 ,moreover1 ,christianity1 as is the case in the parallel instance of ,civilization1 continues on in the world without interruption from the date of its rise1 while other religious bodies1 huge1 local1 and isolated1 are rising and falling1 or are helplessly stationary1 from age to age1 on all sides of it4 ,there is another remarkable analogy between ,christianity and ,civilization1 and the mention of it will introduce my proper subject1 to which what ,i have hitherto said is merely a preparation4 ,we know that ,christianity is built upon definite ideas1 principles1 doctrines1 and writings1 which were given at the time of its first introduction1 and have never been superseded1 and admit of no addition4 ,i am not going to parallel any thing which is the work of man1 and in the natural order1 with what is from heaven1 and in consequence infallible1 and irreversible1 and obligatory2 but1 after making this reserve1 lest ,i should possibly be misunderstood1 still ,i would remark that1 in matter of fact1 looking at the state of the case historically1 ,civilization too has its common principles1 and views1 and teaching1 and especially its books1 which have more or less been given from the earliest times1 and are1 in fact1 in equal esteem and respect1 in equal use now1 as they were when they were received in the beginning4 ,in a word1 the ,classics1 and the subjects of thought and the studies to which they give rise1 or1 to use the term most to our present purpose1 the ,arts1 have ever1 on the whole1 been the instruments of education which the civilized orbis terrarum has adopted2 just as inspired works1 and the lives of saints1 and the articles of faith1 and the catechism1 have ever been the instrument of education in the case of ,christianity4 ,and this consideration1 you see1 ,gentlemen 7to drop down at once upon the subject proper to the occasion which has brought us together71 invests the opening of the ,school in ,arts with a solemnity and moment of a peculiar kind1 for we are but reiterating an old tradition1 and carrying on those august methods of enlarging the mind1 and cultivating the intellect1 and refining the feelings1 in which the process of ,civilization has ever consisted4 #d4 ,in the country which has been the fountain head of intellectual gifts1 in the age which preceded or introduced the first formations of ,human ,society1 in an era scarcely historical1 we may dimly discern an almost mythical personage1 who1 putting out of consideration the actors in ,old ,testament history1 may be called the first ,apostle of ,civilization4 ,like an ,apostle in a higher order of things1 he was poor and a wanderer1 and feeble in the flesh1 though he was to do such great things1 and to live in the mouths of a hundred generations and a thousand tribes4 ,a blind old man2 whose wanderings were such that1 when he became famous1 his birth-place could not be ascertained1 so that it was said1-- 8,seven famous towns contend for ,homer dead1 ,through which the living ,homer begged his bread40 ,yet he had a name in his day2 and1 little guessing in what vast measures his wish would be answered1 he supplicated1 with a tender human sentiment1 as he wandered over the islands of the gean and the ,asian coasts1 that those who had known and loved him would cherish his memory when he was away4 ,unlike the proud boast of the ,roman poet1 if he spoke it in earnest1 8,exegi monumentum re perennius10 he did but indulge the hope that one1 whose coming had been expected with pleasure1 might excite regret when he had departed1 and be rewarded by the sympathy and praise of his friends even in the presence of other minstrels4 ,a set of verses remains1 which is ascribed to him1 in which he addresses the ,delian women in the tone of feeling which ,i have described4 8,farewell to you all10 he says1 8and remember me in time to come1 and when any one of men on earth1 a stranger from far1 shall inquire of you1 ,o maidens1 who is the sweetest of minstrels here about1 and in whom do you most delight8 then make answer modestly1 ,it is a blind man1 and he lives in steep ,chios40 ,the great poet remained unknown for some centuries1--that is1 unknown to what we call fame4 ,his verses were cherished by his countrymen1 they might be the secret delight of thousands1 but they were not collected into a volume1 nor viewed as a whole1 nor made a subject of criticism4 ,at length an ,athenian ,prince took upon him the task of gathering together the scattered fragments of a genius which had not aspired to immortality1 of reducing them to writing1 and of fitting them to be the text-book of ancient education4 ,henceforth the vagrant ballad-singer1 as he might be thought1 was submitted1 to his surprise1 to a sort of literary canonization1 and was invested with the office of forming the young mind of ,greece to noble thoughts and bold deeds4 ,to be read in ,homer soon became the education of a gentleman2 and a rule1 recognized in her free age1 remained as a tradition even in the times of her degradation4 ,xenophon introduces to us a youth who knew both ,iliad and ,odyssey by heart2 ,dio witnesses that they were some of the first books put into the hands of boys2 and ,horace decided that they taught the science of life better than ,stoic or ,academic4 ,alexander the ,great nourished his imagination by the scenes of the ,iliad4 ,as time went on1 other poets were associated with ,homer in the work of education1 such as ,hesiod and the ,tragedians4 ,the majestic lessons concerning duty and religion1 justice and providence1 which occur in schylus and ,sophocles1 belong to a higher school than that of ,homer2 and the verses of ,euripides1 even in his lifetime1 were so familiar to ,athenian lips and so dear to foreign ears1 that1 as is reported1 the captives of ,syracuse gained their freedom at the price of reciting them to their conquerors4 ,such poetry may be considered oratory also1 since it has so great a power of persuasion2 and the alliance between these two gifts had existed from the time that the verses of ,orpheus had1 according to the fable1 made woods and streams and wild animals to follow him about4 ,soon1 however1 ,oratory became the subject of a separate art1 which was called ,rhetoric1 and of which the ,sophists were the chief masters4 ,moreover1 as ,rhetoric was especially political in its nature1 it presupposed or introduced the cultivation of ,history2 and thus the pages of ,thucydides became one of the special studies by which ,demosthenes rose to be the first orator of ,greece4 ,but it is needless to trace out further the formation of the course of liberal education2 it is sufficient to have given some specimens in illustration of it4 ,the studies1 which it was found to involve1 were four principal ones1 ,grammar1 ,rhetoric1 ,logic1 and ,mathematics2 and the science of ,mathematics1 again1 was divided into four1 ,geometry1 ,arithmetic1 ,astronomy1 and ,music2 making in all seven1 which are known by the name of the ,seven ,liberal ,arts4 ,and thus a definite school of intellect was formed1 founded on ideas and methods of a distinctive character1 and 7as we may say7 of the highest and truest character1 as far as they went1 and which gradually associated in one1 and assimilated1 and took possession of1 that multitude of nations which ,i have considered to represent mankind1 and to possess the orbis terrarum4 ,when we pass from ,greece to ,rome1 we are met with the common remark1 that ,rome produced little that was original1 but borrowed from ,greece4 ,it is true2 ,terence copied from ,menander1 ,virgil from ,homer1 ,hesiod1 and ,theocritus2 and ,cicero professed merely to reproduce the philosophy of ,greece4 ,but1 granting its truth ever so far1 ,i do but take it as a proof of the sort of instinct which has guided the course of ,civilization4 ,the world was to have certain intellectual teachers1 and no others2 ,homer and ,aristotle1 with the poets and philosophers who circle round them1 were to be the schoolmasters of all generations1 and therefore the ,latins1 falling into the law on which the world's education was to be carried on1 so added to the classical library as not to reverse or interfere with what had already been determined4 ,and there was the more meaning in this arrangement1 when it is considered that ,greek was to be forgotten during many centuries1 and the tradition of intellectual training to be conveyed through ,latin2 for thus the world was secured against the consequences of a loss which would have changed the character of its civilization4 ,i think it very remarkable1 too1 how soon the ,latin writers became text-books in the boys' schools4 ,even to this day ,shakespeare and ,milton are not studied in our course of education2 but the poems of ,virgil and ,horace1 as those of ,homer and the ,greek authors in an earlier age1 were in schoolboys' satchels not much more than a hundred years after they were written4 ,i need not go on to show at length that they have preserved their place in the system of education in the orbis terrarum1 and the ,greek writers with them or through them1 down to this day4 ,the induction of centuries has often been made4 ,even in the lowest state of learning the tradition was kept up4 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 whose era1 not to say whose influence1 is often considered especially unfavourable to the old literature1 was himself well versed in it1 encouraged purity of ,latinity in his court1 and is said figuratively by the contemporary historian of his life to have supported the hall of the ,apostolic ,see upon the columns of the ,seven ,liberal ,arts4 ,in the ninth century1 when the dark age was close at hand1 we still hear of the cultivation1 with whatever success 7according of course to the opportunities of the times1 but ,i am speaking of the nature of the studies1 not of the proficiency of the students71 the cultivation of ,music1 ,dialectics1 ,rhetoric1 ,grammar1 ,mathematics1 ,astronomy1 ,physics1 and ,geometry2 of the supremacy of ,horace in the schools1 8and the great ,virgil1 ,sallust1 and ,statius40 ,in the thirteenth or following centuries1 of 8,virgil1 ,lucian1 ,statius1 ,ovid1 ,livy1 ,sallust1 ,cicero1 and ,quintilian20 and after the revival of literature in the commencement of the modern era1 we find ,st4 ,carlo ,borromeo enjoining the use of works of ,cicero1 ,ovid1 ,virgil1 and ,horace47#cc7 #e4 ,i pass thus cursorily over the series of informations which history gives us on the subject1 merely with a view of recalling to your memory1 ,gentlemen1 and impressing upon you the fact1 that the literature of ,greece1 continued into1 and enriched by1 the literature of ,rome1 together with the studies which it involves1 has been the instrument of education1 and the food of civilization1 from the first times of the world down to this day2--and now we are in a condition to answer the question which thereupon arises1 when we turn to consider1 by way of contrast1 the teaching which is characteristic of ,universities4 ,how has it come to pass that1 although the genius of ,universities is so different from that of the schools which preceded them1 nevertheless the course of study pursued in those schools was not superseded in the middle ages by those more brilliant sciences which ,universities introduced8 ,it might have seemed as if ,scholastic ,theology1 ,law1 and ,medicine would have thrown the ,seven ,liberal ,arts into the shade1 but in the event they failed to do so4 ,i consider the reason to be1 that the authority and function of the monastic and secular schools1 as supplying to the young the means of education1 lay deeper than in any appointment of ,charlemagne1 who was their nominal founder1 and were based in the special character of that civilization which is so intimately associated with ,christianity1 that it may even be called the soil out of which ,christianity grew4 ,the medieval sciences1 great as is their dignity and utility1 were never intended to supersede that more real and proper cultivation of the mind which is effected by the study of the liberal ,arts2 and1 when certain of these sciences did in fact go out of their province and did attempt to prejudice the traditional course of education1 the encroachment was in matter of fact resisted4 ,there were those in the middle age1 as ,john of ,salisbury1 who vigorously protested against the extravagances and usurpations which ever attend the introduction of any great good whatever1 and which attended the rise of the peculiar sciences of which ,universities were the seat2 and1 though there were times when the old traditions seemed to be on the point of failing1 somehow it has happened that they have never failed2 for the instinct of ,civilization and the common sense of ,society prevailed1 and the danger passed away1 and the studies which seemed to be going out gained their ancient place1 and were acknowledged1 as before1 to be the best instruments of mental cultivation1 and the best guarantees for intellectual progress4 ,and this experience of the past we may apply to the circumstances in which we find ourselves at present2 for1 as there was a movement against the ,classics in the middle age1 so has there been now4 ,the truth of the ,baconian method for the purposes for which it was created1 and its inestimable services and inexhaustible applications in the interests of our material well-being1 have dazzled the imaginations of men1 somewhat in the same way as certain new sciences carried them away in the age of ,abelard2 and since that method does such wonders in its own province1 it is not unfrequently supposed that it can do as much in any other province also4 ,now1 ,bacon himself never would have so argued2 he would not have needed to be reminded that to advance the useful arts is one thing1 and to cultivate the mind another4 ,the simple question to be considered is1 how best to strengthen1 refine1 and enrich the intellectual powers2 the perusal of the poets1 historians1 and philosophers of ,greece and ,rome will accomplish this purpose1 as long experience has shown2 but that the study of the experimental sciences will do the like1 is proved to us as yet by no experience whatever4 ,far indeed am ,i from denying the extreme attractiveness1 as well as the practical benefit to the world at large1 of the sciences of ,chemistry1 ,electricity1 and ,geology2 but the question is not what department of study contains the more wonderful facts1 or promises the more brilliant discoveries1 and which is in the higher and which in an inferior rank2 but simply which out of all provides the most robust and invigorating discipline for the unformed mind4 ,and ,i conceive it is as little disrespectful to ,lord ,bacon to prefer the ,classics in this point of view to the sciences which have grown out of his philosophy as it would be disrespectful to ,st4 ,thomas in the middle ages to have hindered the study of the ,summa from doing prejudice to the ,faculty of ,arts4 ,accordingly1 ,i anticipate that1 as in the middle ages both the teaching and the government of the ,university remained in the ,faculty of ,arts1 in spite of the genius which created or illustrated ,theology and ,law1 so now too1 whatever be the splendour of the modern philosophy1 the marvellousness of its disclosures1 the utility of its acquisitions1 and the talent of its masters1 still it will not avail in the event1 to detrude classical literature and the studies connected with it from the place which they have held in all ages in education4 ,such1 then1 is the course of reflection obviously suggested by the act in which we have been lately engaged1 and which we are now celebrating4 ,in the nineteenth century1 in a country which looks out upon a new world1 and anticipates a coming age1 we have been engaged in opening the ,schools dedicated to the studies of polite literature and liberal science1 or what are called the ,arts1 as a first step towards the establishment on ,catholic ground of a ,catholic ,university4 ,and while we thus recur to ,greece and ,athens with pleasure and affection1 and recognize in that famous land the source and the school of intellectual culture1 it would be strange indeed if we forgot to look further south also1 and there to bow before a more glorious luminary1 and a more sacred oracle of truth1 and the source of another sort of knowledge1 high and supernatural1 which is seated in ,palestine4 ,jerusalem is the fountain-head of religious knowledge1 as ,athens is of secular4 ,in the ancient world we see two centres of illumination1 acting independently of each other1 each with its own movement1 and at first apparently without any promise of convergence4 ,greek civilization spreads over the ,east1 conquering in the conquests of ,alexander1 and1 when carried captive into the ,west1 subdues the conquerors who brought it thither4 ,religion1 on the other hand1 is driven from its own aboriginal home to the ,north and ,west by reason of the sins of the people who were in charge of it1 in a long course of judgments and plagues and persecutions4 ,each by itself pursues its career and fulfils its mission2 neither of them recognizes1 nor is recognized by the other4 ,at length the ,temple of ,jerusalem is rooted up by the armies of ,titus1 and the effete schools of ,athens are stifled by the edict of ,justinian4 ,so pass away the ancient ,voices of religion and learning2 but they are silenced only to revive more gloriously and perfectly elsewhere4 ,hitherto they came from separate sources1 and performed separate works4 ,each leaves an heir and successor in the ,west1 and that heir and successor is one and the same4 ,the grace stored in ,jerusalem1 and the gifts which radiate from ,athens1 are made over and concentrated in ,rome4 ,this is true as a matter of history4 ,rome has inherited both sacred and profane learning2 she has perpetuated and dispensed the traditions of ,moses and ,david in the supernatural order1 and of ,homer and ,aristotle in the natural4 ,to separate those distinct teachings1 human and divine1 which meet in ,rome1 is to retrograde2 it is to rebuild the ,jewish ,temple and to plant anew the groves of ,academus4 #f4 ,on this large subject1 however1 on which ,i might say much1 time does not allow me to enter4 ,to show how sacred learning and profane are dependent on each other1 correlative and mutually complementary1 how faith operates by means of reason1 and reason is directed and corrected by faith1 is really the subject of a distinct lecture4 ,i would conclude1 then1 with merely congratulating you1 ,gentlemen1 on the great undertaking which we have so auspiciously commenced4 ,whatever be its fortunes1 whatever its difficulties1 whatever its delays1 ,i cannot doubt at all that the encouragement which it has already received1 and the measure of success which it has been allotted1 are but a presage and an anticipation of a gradual advance towards its completion1 in such times and such manner as ,providence shall appoint4 ,for myself1 ,i have never had any misgiving about it1 because ,i had never known anything of it before the time when the ,holy ,see had definitely decided upon its prosecution4 ,it is my happiness to have no cognizance of the anxieties and perplexities of venerable and holy prelates1 or the discussions of experienced and prudent men1 which preceded its definitive recognition on the part of the highest ecclesiastical authority4 ,it is my happiness to have no experience of the time when good ,catholics despaired of its success1 distrusted its expediency1 or even felt an obligation to oppose it4 ,it has been my happiness that ,i have never been in controversy with persons in this country external to the ,catholic ,church1 nor have been forced into any direct collision with institutions or measures which rest on a foundation hostile to ,catholicism4 ,no one can accuse me of any disrespect towards those whose principles or whose policy ,i disapprove2 nor am ,i conscious of any other aim than that of working in my own place1 without going out of my way to offend others4 ,if ,i have taken part in the undertaking which has now brought us together1 it has been because ,i believed it was a great work1 great in its conception1 great in its promise1 and great in the authority from which it proceeds4 ,i felt it to be so great that ,i did not dare to incur the responsibility of refusing to take part in it4 ,how far indeed1 and how long1 ,i am to be connected with it1 is another matter altogether4 ,it is enough for one man to lay only one stone of so noble and grand an edifice2 it is enough1 more than enough for me1 if ,i do so much as merely begin1 what others may more hopefully continue4 ,one only among the sons of men has carried out a perfect work1 and satisfied and exhausted the mission on which ,he came4 ,one alone has with ,his last breath said 8,consummatum est40 ,but all who set about their duties in faith and hope and love1 with a resolute heart and a devoted will1 are able1 weak though they be1 to do what1 though incomplete1 is imperishable4 ,even their failures become successes1 as being necessary steps in a course1 and as terms 7so to say7 in a long series1 which will at length fulfil the object which they propose4 ,and they will unite themselves in spirit1 in their humble degree1 with those real heroes of ,holy ,writ and ecclesiastical history1 ,moses1 ,elias1 and ,david1 ,basil1 ,athanasius1 and ,chrysostom1 ,gregory the ,seventh1 ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury1 and many others1 who did most when they fancied themselves least prosperous1 and died without being permitted to see the fruit of their labours4 ,lecture ,,ii4 ,literature4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters4 #a4 ,wishing to address you1 ,gentlemen1 at the commencement of a new ,session1 ,i tried to find a subject for discussion1 which might be at once suitable to the occasion1 yet neither too large for your time1 nor too minute or abstruse for your attention4 ,i think ,i see one for my purpose in the very title of your ,faculty4 ,it is the ,faculty of ,philosophy and ,letters4 ,now the question may arise as to what is meant by 8,philosophy10 and what is meant by 8,letters40 ,as to the other ,faculties1 the subject-matter which they profess is intelligible1 as soon as named1 and beyond all dispute4 ,we know what ,science is1 what ,medicine1 what ,law1 and what ,theology2 but we have not so much ease in determining what is meant by ,philosophy and ,letters4 ,each department of that twofold province needs explanation3 it will be sufficient1 on an occasion like this1 to investigate one of them4 ,accordingly ,i shall select for remark the latter of the two1 and attempt to determine what we are to understand by ,letters or ,literature1 in what ,literature consists1 and how it stands relatively to ,science4 ,we speak1 for instance1 of ancient and modern literature1 the literature of the day1 sacred literature1 light literature2 and our lectures in this place are devoted to classical literature and ,english literature4 ,are ,letters1 then1 synonymous with books8 ,this cannot be1 or they would include in their range ,philosophy1 ,law1 and1 in short1 the teaching of all the other ,faculties4 ,far from confusing these various studies1 we view the works of ,plato or ,cicero sometimes as philosophy1 sometimes as literature2 on the other hand1 no one would ever be tempted to speak of ,euclid as literature1 or of ,matthi's ,greek ,grammar4 ,is1 then1 literature synonymous with composition8 with books written with an attention to style8 is literature fine writing8 again1 is it studied and artificial writing8 ,there are excellent persons who seem to adopt this last account of ,literature as their own idea of it4 ,they depreciate it1 as if it were the result of a mere art or trick of words4 ,professedly indeed1 they are aiming at the ,greek and ,roman classics1 but their criticisms have quite as great force against all literature as against any4 ,i think ,i shall be best able to bring out what ,i have to say on the subject by examining the statements which they make in defence of their own view of it4 ,they contend then1 #a4 that fine writing1 as exemplified in the ,classics1 is mainly a matter of conceits1 fancies1 and prettinesses1 decked out in choice words2 #b4 that this is the proof of it1 that the classics will not bear translating2--7and this is why ,i have said that the real attack is upon literature altogether1 not the classical only2 for1 to speak generally1 all literature1 modern as well as ancient1 lies under this disadvantage4 ,this1 however1 they will not allow2 for they maintain17 #c4 that ,holy ,scripture presents a remarkable contrast to secular writings on this very point1 viz41 in that ,scripture does easily admit of translation1 though it is the most sublime and beautiful of all writings4 #b4 ,now ,i will begin by stating these three positions in the words of a writer1 who is cited by the estimable ,catholics in question as a witness1 or rather as an advocate1 in their behalf1 though he is far from being able in his own person to challenge the respect which is inspired by themselves4 8,there are two sorts of eloquence10 says this writer1 8the one indeed scarce deserves the name of it1 which consists chiefly in laboured and polished periods1 an over-curious and artificial arrangement of figures1 tinselled over with a gaudy embellishment of words1 which glitter1 but convey little or no light to the understanding4 ,this kind of writing is for the most part much affected and admired by the people of weak judgment and vicious taste2 but it is a piece of affectation and formality the sacred writers are utter strangers to4 ,it is a vain and boyish eloquence2 and1 as it has always been esteemed below the great geniuses of all ages1 so much more so with respect to those writers who were actuated by the spirit of ,infinite ,wisdom1 and therefore wrote with that force and majesty with which never man writ4 ,the other sort of eloquence is quite the reverse to this1 and which may be said to be the true characteristic of the ,holy ,scriptures2 where the excellence does not arise from a laboured and far-fetched elocution1 but from a surprising mixture of simplicity and majesty1 which is a double character1 so difficult to be united that it is seldom to be met with in compositions merely human4 ,we see nothing in ,holy ,writ of affectation and superfluous ornament4''' ,now1 it is observable that the most excellent profane authors1 whether ,greek or ,latin1 lose most of their graces whenever we find them literally translated4 ,homer's famed representation of ,jupiter--his cried-up description of a tempest1 his relation of ,neptune's shaking the earth and opening it to its centre1 his description of ,pallas's horses1 with numbers of other long-since admired passages1 flag1 and almost vanish away1 in the vulgar ,latin translation4 8,let any one but take the pains to read the common ,latin interpretations of ,virgil1 ,theocritus1 or even of ,pindar1 and one may venture to affirm he will be able to trace out but few remains of the graces which charmed him so much in the original4 ,the natural conclusion from hence is1 that in the classical authors1 the expression1 the sweetness of the numbers1 occasioned by a musical placing of words1 constitute a great part of their beauties2 whereas1 in the sacred writings1 they consist more in the greatness of the things themselves than in the words and expressions4 ,the ideas and conceptions are so great and lofty in their own nature that they necessarily appear magnificent in the most artless dress4 ,look but into the ,bible1 and we see them shine through the most simple and literal translations4 ,that glorious description which ,moses gives of the creation of the heavens and the earth1 which ,longinus ''' was so greatly taken with1 has not lost the least whit of its intrinsic worth1 and though it has undergone so many translations1 yet triumphs over all1 and breaks forth with as much force and vehemence as in the original4''' ,in the history of ,joseph1 where ,joseph makes himself known1 and weeps aloud upon the neck of his dear brother ,benjamin1 that all the house of ,pharaoh heard him1 at that instant none of his brethren are introduced as uttering aught1 either to express their present joy or palliate their former injuries to him4 ,on all sides there immediately ensues a deep and solemn silence2 a silence infinitely more eloquent and expressive than anything else that could have been substituted in its place4 ,had ,thucydides1 ,herodotus1 ,livy1 or any of the celebrated classical historians1 been employed in writing this history1 when they came to this point they would doubtless have exhausted all their fund of eloquence in furnishing ,joseph's brethren with laboured and studied harangues1 which1 however fine they might have been in themselves1 would nevertheless have been unnatural1 and altogether improper on the occasion407#cd7 ,this is eloquently written1 but it contains1 ,i consider1 a mixture of truth and falsehood1 which it will be my business to discriminate from each other4 ,far be it from me to deny the unapproachable grandeur and simplicity of ,holy ,scripture2 but ,i shall maintain that the classics are1 as human compositions1 simple and majestic and natural too4 ,i grant that ,scripture is concerned with things1 but ,i will not grant that classical literature is simply concerned with words4 ,i grant that human literature is often elaborate1 but ,i will maintain that elaborate composition is not unknown to the writers of ,scripture4 ,i grant that human literature cannot easily be translated out of the particular language to which it belongs2 but it is not at all the rule that ,scripture can easily be translated either2--and now ,i address myself to my task3-- #c4 ,here1 then1 in the first place1 ,i observe1 ,gentlemen1 that ,literature1 from the derivation of the word1 implies writing1 not speaking2 this1 however1 arises from the circumstance of the copiousness1 variety1 and public circulation of the matters of which it consists4 ,what is spoken cannot outrun the range of the speaker's voice1 and perishes in the uttering4 ,when words are in demand to express a long course of thought1 when they have to be conveyed to the ends of the earth1 or perpetuated for the benefit of posterity1 they must be written down1 that is1 reduced to the shape of literature2 still1 properly speaking1 the terms1 by which we denote this characteristic gift of man1 belong to its exhibition by means of the voice1 not of handwriting4 ,it addresses itself1 in its primary idea1 to the ear1 not to the eye4 ,we call it the power of speech1 we call it language1 that is1 the use of the tongue2 and1 even when we write1 we still keep in mind what was its original instrument1 for we use freely such terms in our books as 8saying10 8speaking10 8telling10 8talking10 8calling20 we use the terms 8phraseology0 and 8diction20 as if we were still addressing ourselves to the ear4 ,now ,i insist on this1 because it shows that speech1 and therefore literature1 which is its permanent record1 is essentially a personal work4 ,it is not some production or result1 attained by the partnership of several persons1 or by machinery1 or by any natural process1 but in its very idea it proceeds1 and must proceed1 from some one given individual4 ,two persons cannot be the authors of the sounds which strike our ear2 and1 as they cannot be speaking one and the same speech1 neither can they be writing one and the same lecture or discourse1--which must certainly belong to some one person or other1 and is the expression of that one person's ideas and feelings1--ideas and feelings personal to himself1 though others may have parallel and similar ones1--proper to himself1 in the same sense as his voice1 his air1 his countenance1 his carriage1 and his action1 are personal4 ,in other words1 ,literature expresses1 not objective truth1 as it is called1 but subjective2 not things1 but thoughts4 ,now this doctrine will become clearer by considering another use of words1 which does relate to objective truth1 or to things2 which relates to matters1 not personal1 not subjective to the individual1 but which1 even were there no individual man in the whole world to know them or to talk about them1 would exist still4 ,such objects become the matter of ,science1 and words indeed are used to express them1 but such words are rather symbols than language1 and however many we use1 and however we may perpetuate them by writing1 we never could make any kind of literature out of them1 or call them by that name4 ,such1 for instance1 would be ,euclid's ,elements2 they relate to truths universal and eternal2 they are not mere thoughts1 but things3 they exist in themselves1 not by virtue of our understanding them1 not in dependence upon our will1 but in what is called the nature of things1 or at least on conditions external to us4 ,the words1 then1 in which they are set forth are not language1 speech1 literature1 but rather1 as ,i have said1 symbols4 ,and1 as a proof of it1 you will recollect that it is possible1 nay usual1 to set forth the propositions of ,euclid in algebraical notation1 which1 as all would admit1 has nothing to do with literature4 ,what is true of mathematics is true also of every study1 so far forth as it is scientific2 it makes use of words as the mere vehicle of things1 and is thereby withdrawn from the province of literature4 ,thus metaphysics1 ethics1 law1 political economy1 chemistry1 theology1 cease to be literature in the same degree as they are capable of a severe scientific treatment4 ,and hence it is that ,aristotle's works on the one hand1 though at first sight literature1 approach in character1 at least a great number of them1 to mere science2 for even though the things which he treats of and exhibits may not always be real and true1 yet he treats them as if they were1 not as if they were the thoughts of his own mind2 that is1 he treats them scientifically4 ,on the other hand1 ,law or ,natural ,history has before now been treated by an author with so much of colouring derived from his own mind as to become a sort of literature2 this is especially seen in the instance of ,theology1 when it takes the shape of ,pulpit ,eloquence4 ,it is seen too in historical composition1 which becomes a mere specimen of chronology1 or a chronicle1 when divested of the philosophy1 the skill1 or the party and personal feelings of the particular writer4 ,science1 then1 has to do with things1 literature with thoughts2 science is universal1 literature is personal2 science uses words merely as symbols1 but literature uses language in its full compass1 as including phraseology1 idiom1 style1 composition1 rhythm1 eloquence1 and whatever other properties are included in it4 ,let us then put aside the scientific use of words1 when we are to speak of language and literature4 ,literature is the personal use or exercise of language4 ,that this is so is further proved from the fact that one author uses it so differently from another4 ,language itself in its very origination would seem to be traceable to individuals4 ,their peculiarities have given it its character4 ,we are often able in fact to trace particular phrases or idioms to individuals2 we know the history of their rise4 ,slang surely1 as it is called1 comes of1 and breathes of the personal4 ,the connection between the force of words in particular languages and the habits and sentiments of the nations speaking them has often been pointed out4 ,and1 while the many use language as they find it1 the man of genius uses it indeed1 but subjects it withal to his own purposes1 and moulds it according to his own peculiarities4 ,the throng and succession of ideas1 thoughts1 feelings1 imaginations1 aspirations1 which pass within him1 the abstractions1 the juxtapositions1 the comparisons1 the discriminations1 the conceptions1 which are so original in him1 his views of external things1 his judgments upon life1 manners1 and history1 the exercises of his wit1 of his humour1 of his depth1 of his sagacity1 all these innumerable and incessant creations1 the very pulsation and throbbing of his intellect1 does he image forth1 to all does he give utterance1 in a corresponding language1 which is as multiform as this inward mental action itself and analogous to it1 the faithful expression of his intense personality1 attending on his own inward world of thought as its very shadow3 so that we might as well say that one man's shadow is another's as that the style of a really gifted mind can belong to any but himself4 ,it follows him about as a shadow4 ,his thought and feeling are personal1 and so his language is personal4 #d4 ,thought and speech are inseparable from each other4 ,matter and expression are parts of one3 style is a thinking out into language4 ,this is what ,i have been laying down1 and this is literature2 not things1 not the verbal symbols of things2 not on the other hand mere words2 but thoughts expressed in language4 ,call to mind1 ,gentlemen1 the meaning of the ,greek word which expresses this special prerogative of man over the feeble intelligence of the inferior animals4 ,it is called ,logos3 what does ,logos mean8 it stands both for reason and for speech1 and it is difficult to say which it means more properly4 ,it means both at once3 why8 because really they cannot be divided1--because they are in a true sense one4 ,when we can separate light and illumination1 life and motion1 the convex and the concave of a curve1 then will it be possible for thought to tread speech under foot1 and to hope to do without it--then will it be conceivable that the vigorous and fertile intellect should renounce its own double1 its instrument of expression1 and the channel of its speculations and emotions4 ,critics should consider this view of the subject before they lay down such canons of taste as the writer whose pages ,i have quoted4 ,such men as he is consider fine writing to be an addition from without to the matter treated of1--a sort of ornament superinduced1 or a luxury indulged in1 by those who have time and inclination for such vanities4 ,they speak as if one man could do the thought1 and another the style4 ,we read in ,persian travels of the way in which young gentlemen go to work in the ,east1 when they would engage in correspondence with those who inspire them with hope or fear4 ,they cannot write one sentence themselves2 so they betake themselves to the professional letter-writer4 ,they confide to him the object they have in view4 ,they have a point to gain from a superior1 a favour to ask1 an evil to deprecate2 they have to approach a man in power1 or to make court to some beautiful lady4 ,the professional man manufactures words for them1 as they are wanted1 as a stationer sells them paper1 or a schoolmaster might cut their pens4 ,thought and word are1 in their conception1 two things1 and thus there is a division of labour4 ,the man of thought comes to the man of words2 and the man of words1 duly instructed in the thought1 dips the pen of desire into the ink of devotedness1 and proceeds to spread it over the page of desolation4 ,then the nightingale of affection is heard to warble to the rose of loveliness1 while the breeze of anxiety plays around the brow of expectation4 ,this is what the ,easterns are said to consider fine writing2 and it seems pretty much the idea of the school of critics to whom ,i have been referring4 ,we have an instance in literary history of this very proceeding nearer home1 in a great ,university1 in the latter years of the last century4 ,i have referred to it before now in a public lecture elsewhere27#ce7 but it is too much in point here to be omitted4 ,a learned ,arabic scholar had to deliver a set of lectures before its doctors and professors on an historical subject in which his reading had lain4 ,a linguist is conversant with science rather than with literature2 but this gentleman felt that his lectures must not be without a style4 ,being of the opinion of the ,orientals1 with whose writings he was familiar1 he determined to buy a style4 ,he took the step of engaging a person1 at a price1 to turn the matter which he had got together into ornamental ,english4 ,observe1 he did not wish for mere grammatical ,english1 but for an elaborate1 pretentious style4 ,an artist was found in the person of a country curate1 and the job was carried out4 ,his lectures remain to this day1 in their own place in the protracted series of annual ,discourses to which they belong1 distinguished amid a number of heavyish compositions by the rhetorical and ambitious diction for which he went into the market4 ,this learned divine1 indeed1 and the author ,i have quoted1 differ from each other in the estimate they respectively form of literary composition2 but they agree together in this1--in considering such composition a trick and a trade2 they put it on a par with the gold plate and the flowers and the music of a banquet1 which do not make the viands better1 but the entertainment more pleasurable2 as if language were the hired servant1 the mere mistress of the reason1 and not the lawful wife in her own house4 ,but can they really think that ,homer1 or ,pindar1 or ,shakespeare1 or ,dryden1 or ,walter ,scott1 were accustomed to aim at diction for its own sake1 instead of being inspired with their subject1 and pouring forth beautiful words because they had beautiful thoughts8 this is surely too great a paradox to be borne4 ,rather1 it is the fire within the author's breast which overflows in the torrent of his burning1 irresistible eloquence2 it is the poetry of his inner soul1 which relieves itself in the ,ode or the ,elegy2 and his mental attitude and bearing1 the beauty of his moral countenance1 the force and keenness of his logic1 are imaged in the tenderness1 or energy1 or richness of his language4 ,nay1 according to the well-known line1 8facit indignatio versus20 not the words alone1 but even the rhythm1 the metre1 the verse1 will be the contemporaneous offspring of the emotion or imagination which possesses him4 8,poeta nascitur1 non fit10 says the proverb2 and this is in numerous instances true of his poems1 as well as of himself4 ,they are born1 not framed2 they are a strain rather than a composition2 and their perfection is the monument1 not so much of his skill as of his power4 ,and this is true of prose as well as of verse in its degree3 who will not recognize in the vision of ,mirza a delicacy and beauty of style which is very difficult to describe1 but which is felt to be in exact correspondence to the ideas of which it is the expression8 #e4 ,and1 since the thoughts and reasonings of an author have1 as ,i have said1 a personal character1 no wonder that his style is not only the image of his subject1 but of his mind4 ,that pomp of language1 that full and tuneful diction1 that felicitousness in the choice and exquisiteness in the collocation of words1 which to prosaic writers seem artificial1 is nothing else but the mere habit and way of a lofty intellect4 ,aristotle1 in his sketch of the magnanimous man1 tells us that his voice is deep1 his motions slow1 and his stature commanding4 ,in like manner1 the elocution of a great intellect is great4 ,his language expresses1 not only his great thoughts1 but his great self4 ,certainly he might use fewer words than he uses2 but he fertilizes his simplest ideas1 and germinates into a multitude of details1 and prolongs the march of his sentences1 and sweeps round to the full diapason of his harmony1 as if 1 rejoicing in his own vigour and richness of resource4 ,i say1 a narrow critic will call it verbiage1 when really it is a sort of fulness of heart1 parallel to that which makes the merry boy whistle as he walks1 or the strong man1 like the smith in the novel1 flourish his club when there is no one to fight with4 ,shakespeare furnishes us with frequent instances of this peculiarity1 and all so beautiful1 that it is difficult to select for quotation4 ,for instance1 in ,macbeth3-- 8,canst thou not minister to a mind diseased1 ,pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow1 ,raze out the written troubles of the brain1 ,and1 with some sweet oblivious antidote1 ,cleanse the foul bosom of that perilous stuff1 ,which weighs upon the heart80 ,here a simple idea1 by a process which belongs to the orator rather than to the poet1 but still comes from the native vigour of genius1 is expanded into a many-membered period4 ,the following from ,hamlet is of the same kind3-- 8',tis not alone my inky cloak1 good mother1 ,nor customary suits of solemn black1 ,nor windy suspiration of forced breath1 ,no1 nor the fruitful river in the eye1 ,nor the dejected haviour of the visage1 ,together with all forms1 modes1 shows of grief1 ,that can denote me truly40 ,now1 if such declamation1 for declamation it is1 however noble1 be allowable in a poet1 whose genius is so far removed from pompousness or pretence1 much more is it allowable in an orator1 whose very province it is to put forth words to the best advantage he can4 ,cicero has nothing more redundant in any part of his writings than these passages from ,shakespeare4 ,no lover then at least of ,shakespeare may fairly accuse ,cicero of gorgeousness of phraseology or diffuseness of style4 ,nor will any sound critic be tempted to do so4 ,as a certain unaffected neatness and propriety and grace of diction may be required of any author who lays claim to be a classic1 for the same reason that a certain attention to dress is expected of every gentleman1 so to ,cicero may be allowed the privilege of the 8os magna sonaturum10 of which the ancient critic speaks4 ,his copious1 majestic1 musical flow of language1 even if sometimes beyond what the subject-matter demands1 is never out of keeping with the occasion or with the speaker4 ,it is the expression of lofty sentiments in lofty sentences1 the 8mens magna in corpore magno40 ,it is the development of the inner man4 ,cicero vividly realised the status of a ,roman senator and statesman1 and the 8pride of place0 of ,rome1 in all the grace and grandeur which attached to her2 and he imbibed1 and became1 what he admired4 ,as the exploits of ,scipio or ,pompey are the expression of this greatness in deed1 so the language of ,cicero is the expression of it in word4 ,and1 as the acts of the ,roman ruler or soldier represent to us1 in a manner special to themselves1 the characteristic magnanimity of the lords of the earth1 so do the speeches or treatises of her accomplished orator bring it home to our imaginations as no other writing could do4 ,neither ,livy1 nor ,tacitus1 nor ,terence1 nor ,seneca1 nor ,pliny1 nor ,quintilian1 is an adequate spokesman for the ,imperial ,city4 ,they write ,latin2 ,cicero writes ,roman4 #f4 ,you will say that ,cicero's language is undeniably studied1 but that ,shakespeare's is as undeniably natural and spontaneous2 and that this is what is meant1 when the ,classics are accused of being mere artists of words4 ,here we are introduced to a further large question1 which gives me the opportunity of anticipating a misapprehension of my meaning4 ,i observe1 then1 that1 not only is that lavish richness of style1 which ,i have noticed in ,shakespeare1 justifiable on the principles which ,i have been laying down1 but1 what is less easy to receive1 even elaborateness in composition is no mark of trick or artifice in an author4 ,undoubtedly the works of the ,classics1 particularly the ,latin1 are elaborate2 they have cost a great deal of time1 care1 and trouble4 ,they have had many rough copies2 ,i grant it4 ,i grant also that there are writers of name1 ancient and modern1 who really are guilty of the absurdity of making sentences1 as the very end of their literary labour4 ,such was ,isocrates2 such were some of the sophists2 they were set on words1 to the neglect of thoughts or things2 ,i cannot defend them4 ,if ,i must give an ,english instance of this fault1 much as ,i love and revere the personal character and intellectual vigour of ,dr4 ,johnson1 ,i cannot deny that his style often outruns the sense and the occasion1 and is wanting in that simplicity which is the attribute of genius4 ,still1 granting all this1 ,i cannot grant1 notwithstanding1 that genius never need take pains1--that genius may not improve by practice1--that it never incurs failures1 and succeeds the second time1--that it never finishes off at leisure what it has thrown off in the outline at a stroke4 ,take the instance of the painter or the sculptor2 he has a conception in his mind which he wishes to represent in the medium of his art2--the ,madonna and ,child1 or ,innocence1 or ,fortitude1 or some historical character or event4 ,do you mean to say he does not study his subject8 does he not make sketches8 does he not even call them 8studies08 does he not call his workroom a studio8 is he not ever designing1 rejecting1 adopting1 correcting1 perfecting8 ,are not the first attempts of ,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle extant1 in the case of some of their most celebrated compositions8 ,will any one say that the ,apollo ,belvidere is not a conception patiently elaborated into its proper perfection8 ,these departments of taste are1 according to the received notions of the world1 the very province of genius1 and yet we call them arts2 they are the 8,fine ,arts40 ,why may not that be true of literary composition which is true of painting1 sculpture1 architecture1 and music8 ,why may not language be wrought as well as the clay of the modeller8 why may not words be worked up as well as colours8 why should not skill in diction be simply subservient and instrumental to the great prototypal ideas which are the contemplation of a ,plato or a ,virgil8 ,our greatest poet tells us1 8,the poet's eye1 in a fine frenzy rolling1 ,doth glance from heaven to earth1 from earth to heaven1 ,and1 as imagination bodies forth ,the forms of things unknown1 the poet's pen ,turns them to shapes1 and gives to airy nothing ,a local habitation and a name40 ,now1 is it wonderful that that pen of his should sometimes be at fault for a while1--that it should pause1 write1 erase1 re-write1 amend1 complete1 before he satisfies himself that his language has done justice to the conceptions which his mind's eye contemplated8 ,in this point of view1 doubtless1 many or most writers are elaborate2 and those certainly not the least whose style is furthest removed from ornament1 being simple and natural1 or vehement1 or severely business-like and practical4 ,who so energetic and manly as ,demosthenes8 ,yet he is said to have transcribed ,thucydides many times over in the formation of his style4 ,who so gracefully natural as ,herodotus8 yet his very dialect is not his own1 but chosen for the sake of the perfection of his narrative4 ,who exhibits such happy negligence as our own ,addison8 yet artistic fastidiousness was so notorious in his instance that the report has got abroad1 truly or not1 that he was too late in his issue of an important state-paper1 from his habit of revision and recomposition4 ,such great authors were working by a model which was before the eyes of their intellect1 and they were labouring to say what they had to say1 in such a way as would most exactly and suitably express it4 ,it is not wonderful that other authors1 whose style is not simple1 should be instances of a similar literary diligence4 ,virgil wished his neid to be burned1 elaborate as is its composition1 because he felt it needed more labour still1 in order to make it perfect4 ,the historian ,gibbon in the last century is another instance in point4 ,you must not suppose ,i am going to recommend his style for imitation1 any more than his principles2 but ,i refer to him as the example of a writer feeling the task which lay before him1 feeling that he had to bring out into words for the comprehension of his readers a great and complicated scene1 and wishing that those words should be adequate to his undertaking4 ,i think he wrote the first chapter of his ,history three times over2 it was not that he corrected or improved the first copy2 but he put his first essay1 and then his second1 aside--he recast his matter1 till he had hit the precise exhibition of it which he thought demanded by his subject4 ,now in all these instances1 ,i wish you to observe1 that what ,i have admitted about literary workmanship differs from the doctrine which ,i am opposing in this1--that the mere dealer in words cares little or nothing for the subject which he is embellishing1 but can paint and gild anything whatever to order2 whereas the artist1 whom ,i am acknowledging1 has his great or rich visions before him1 and his only aim is to bring out what he thinks or what he feels in a way adequate to the thing spoken of1 and appropriate to the speaker4 #g4 ,the illustration which ,i have been borrowing from the ,fine ,arts will enable me to go a step further4 ,i have been showing the connection of the thought with the language in literary composition2 and in doing so ,i have exposed the unphilosophical notion1 that the language was an extra which could be dispensed with1 and provided to order according to the demand4 ,but ,i have not yet brought out1 what immediately follows from this1 and which was the second point which ,i had to show1 viz41 that to be capable of easy translation is no test of the excellence of a composition4 ,if ,i must say what ,i think1 ,i should lay down1 with little hesitation1 that the truth was almost the reverse of this doctrine4 ,nor are many words required to show it4 ,such a doctrine1 as is contained in the passage of the author whom ,i quoted when ,i began1 goes upon the assumption that one language is just like another language1--that every language has all the ideas1 turns of thought1 delicacies of expression1 figures1 associations1 abstractions1 points of view1 which every other language has4 ,now1 as far as regards ,science1 it is true that all languages are pretty much alike for the purposes of ,science2 but even in this respect some are more suitable than others1 which have to coin words1 or to borrow them1 in order to express scientific ideas4 ,but if languages are not all equally adapted even to furnish symbols for those universal and eternal truths in which ,science consists1 how can they reasonably be expected to be all equally rich1 equally forcible1 equally musical1 equally exact1 equally happy in expressing the idiosyncratic peculiarities of thought of some original and fertile mind1 who has availed himself of one of them8 ,a great author takes his native language1 masters it1 partly throws himself into it1 partly moulds and adapts it1 and pours out his multitude of ideas through the variously ramified and delicately minute channels of expression which he has found or framed3--does it follow that this his personal presence 7as it may be called7 can forthwith be transferred to every other language under the sun8 ,then may we reasonably maintain that ,beethoven's piano music is not really beautiful1 because it cannot be played on the hurdy-gurdy4 ,were not this astonishing doctrine maintained by persons far superior to the writer whom ,i have selected for animadversion1 ,i should find it difficult to be patient under a gratuitous extravagance4 ,it seems that a really great author must admit of translation1 and that we have a test of his excellence when he reads to advantage in a foreign language as well as in his own4 ,then ,shakespeare is a genius because he can be translated into ,german1 and not a genius because he cannot be translated into ,french4 ,then the multiplication-table is the most gifted of all conceivable compositions1 because it loses nothing by translation1 and can hardly be said to belong to any one language whatever4 ,whereas ,i should rather have conceived that1 in proportion as ideas are novel and recondite1 they would be difficult to put into words1 and that the very fact of their having insinuated themselves into one language would diminish the chance of that happy accident being repeated in another4 ,in the language of savages you can hardly express any idea or act of the intellect at all3 is the tongue of the ,hottentot or ,esquimaux to be made the measure of the genius of ,plato1 ,pindar1 ,tacitus1 ,st4 ,jerome1 ,dante1 or ,cervantes8 ,let us recur1 ,i say1 to the illustration of the ,fine ,arts4 ,i suppose you can express ideas in painting which you cannot express in sculpture2 and the more an artist is of a painter1 the less he is likely to be of a sculptor4 ,the more he commits his genius to the methods and conditions of his own art1 the less he will be able to throw himself into the circumstances of another4 ,is the genius of ,fra ,angelico1 of ,francia1 or of ,raffaelle disparaged by the fact that he was able to do that in colours which no man that ever lived1 which no ,angel1 could achieve in wood8 ,each of the ,fine ,arts has its own subject-matter2 from the nature of the case you can do in one what you cannot do in another2 you can do in painting what you cannot do in carving2 you can do in oils what you cannot do in fresco2 you can do in marble what you cannot do in ivory2 you can do in wax what you cannot do in bronze4 ,then1 ,i repeat1 applying this to the case of languages1 why should not genius be able to do in ,greek what it cannot do in ,latin8 and why are its ,greek and ,latin works defective because they will not turn into ,english8 ,that genius1 of which we are speaking1 did not make ,english2 it did not make all languages1 present1 past1 and future2 it did not make the laws of any language3 why is it to be judged of by that in which it had no part1 over which it has no control8 #h4 ,and now we are naturally brought on to our third point1 which is on the characteristics of ,holy ,scripture as compared with profane literature4 ,hitherto we have been concerned with the doctrine of these writers1 viz41 that style is an extra1 that it is a mere artifice1 and that hence it cannot be translated2 now we come to their fact1 viz41 that ,scripture has no such artificial style1 and that ,scripture can easily be translated4 ,surely their fact is as untenable as their doctrine4 ,scripture easy of translation6 then why have there been so few good translators8 why is it that there has been such great difficulty in combining the two necessary qualities1 fidelity to the original and purity in the adopted vernacular8 why is it that the authorized versions of the ,church are often so inferior to the original as compositions1 except that the ,church is bound above all things to see that the version is doctrinally correct1 and in a difficult problem is obliged to put up with defects in what is of secondary importance1 provided she secure what is of first8 ,if it were so easy to transfer the beauty of the original to the copy1 she would not have been content with her received version in various languages which could be named4 ,and then in the next place1 ,scripture not elaborate6 ,scripture not ornamented in diction1 and musical in cadence6 ,why1 consider the ,epistle to the ,hebrews--where is there in the classics any composition more carefully1 more artificially written8 ,consider the book of ,job--is it not a sacred drama1 as artistic1 as perfect1 as any ,greek tragedy of ,sophocles or ,euripides8 ,consider the ,psalter--are there no ornaments1 no rhythm1 no studied cadences1 no responsive members1 in that divinely beautiful book8 ,and is it not hard to understand8 are not the ,prophets hard to understand8 is not ,st4 ,paul hard to understand8 ,who can say that these are popular compositions8 who can say that they are level at first reading with the understandings of the multitude8 ,that there are portions indeed of the inspired volume more simple both in style and in meaning1 and that these are the more sacred and sublime passages1 as1 for instance1 parts of the ,gospels1 ,i grant at once2 but this does not militate against the doctrine ,i have been laying down4 ,recollect1 ,gentlemen1 my distinction when ,i began4 ,i have said ,literature is one thing1 and that ,science is another2 that ,literature has to do with ideas1 and ,science with realities2 that ,literature is of a personal character1 that ,science treats of what is universal and eternal4 ,in proportion1 then1 as ,scripture excludes the personal colouring of its writers1 and rises into the region of pure and mere inspiration1 when it ceases in any sense to be the writing of man1 of ,st4 ,paul or ,st4 ,john1 of ,moses or ,isaias1 then it comes to belong to ,science1 not ,literature4 ,then it conveys the things of heaven1 unseen verities1 divine manifestations1 and them alone--not the ideas1 the feelings1 the aspirations1 of its human instruments1 who1 for all that they were inspired and infallible1 did not cease to be men4 ,st4 ,paul's epistles1 then1 ,i consider to be literature in a real and true sense1 as personal1 as rich in reflection and emotion1 as ,demosthenes or ,euripides2 and1 without ceasing to be revelations of objective truth1 they are expressions of the subjective notwithstanding4 ,on the other hand1 portions of the ,gospels1 of the book of ,genesis1 and other passages of the ,sacred ,volume1 are of the nature of ,science4 ,such is the beginning of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 which we read at the end of ,mass4 ,such is the ,creed4 ,i mean1 passages such as these are the mere enunciation of eternal things1 without 7so to say7 the medium of any human mind transmitting them to us4 ,the words used have the grandeur1 the majesty1 the calm1 unimpassioned beauty of ,science2 they are in no sense ,literature1 they are in no sense personal2 and therefore they are easy to apprehend1 and easy to translate4 ,did time admit ,i could show you parallel instances of what ,i am speaking of in the ,classics1 inferior to the inspired word in proportion as the subject-matter of the classical authors is immensely inferior to the subjects treated of in ,scripture--but parallel1 inasmuch as the classical author or speaker ceases for the moment to have to do with ,literature1 as speaking of things objectively1 and rises to the serene sublimity of ,science4 ,but ,i should be carried too far if ,i began4 #i4 ,i shall then merely sum up what ,i have said1 and come to a conclusion4 ,reverting1 then1 to my original question1 what is the meaning of ,letters1 as contained1 ,gentlemen1 in the designation of your ,faculty1 ,i have answered1 that by ,letters or ,literature is meant the expression of thought in language1 where by 8thought0 ,i mean the ideas1 feelings1 views1 reasonings1 and other operations of the human mind4 ,and the ,art of ,letters is the method by which a speaker or writer brings out in words1 worthy of his subject1 and sufficient for his audience or readers1 the thoughts which impress him4 ,literature1 then1 is of a personal character2 it consists in the enunciations and teachings of those who have a right to speak as representatives of their kind1 and in whose words their brethren find an interpretation of their own sentiments1 a record of their own experience1 and a suggestion for their own judgments4 ,a great author1 ,gentlemen1 is not one who merely has a copia verborum1 whether in prose or verse1 and can1 as it were1 turn on at his will any number of splendid phrases and swelling sentences2 but he is one who has something to say and knows how to say it4 ,i do not claim for him1 as such1 any great depth of thought1 or breadth of view1 or philosophy1 or sagacity1 or knowledge of human nature1 or experience of human life1 though these additional gifts he may have1 and the more he has of them the greater he is2 but ,i ascribe to him1 as his characteristic gift1 in a large sense the faculty of ,expression4 ,he is master of the two-fold ,logos1 the thought and the word1 distinct1 but inseparable from each other4 ,he may1 if so be1 elaborate his compositions1 or he may pour out his improvisations1 but in either case he has but one aim1 which he keeps steadily before him1 and is conscientious and single-minded in fulfilling4 ,that aim is to give forth what he has within him2 and from his very earnestness it comes to pass that1 whatever be the splendour of his diction or the harmony of his periods1 he has with him the charm of an incommunicable simplicity4 ,whatever be his subject1 high or low1 he treats it suitably and for its own sake4 ,if he is a poet1 8nil molitur inept40 ,if he is an orator1 then too he speaks1 not only 8distinct0 and 8splendid10 but also 8apt40 ,his page is the lucid mirror of his mind and life-- 8,quo fit1 ut omnis ,votiv pateat veluti descripta tabell ,vita senis40 ,he writes passionately1 because he feels keenly2 forcibly1 because he conceives vividly2 he sees too clearly to be vague2 he is too serious to be otiose2 he can analyze his subject1 and therefore he is rich2 he embraces it as a whole and in its parts1 and therefore he is consistent2 he has a firm hold of it1 and therefore he is luminous4 ,when his imagination wells up1 it overflows in ornament2 when his heart is touched1 it thrills along his verse4 ,he always has the right word for the right idea1 and never a word too much4 ,if he is brief1 it is because few words suffice2 when he is lavish of them1 still each word has its mark1 and aids1 not embarrasses1 the vigorous march of his elocution4 ,he expresses what all feel1 but all cannot say2 and his sayings pass into proverbs among his people1 and his phrases become household words and idioms of their daily speech1 which is tesselated with the rich fragments of his language1 as we see in foreign lands the marbles of ,roman grandeur worked into the walls and pavements of modern palaces4 ,such pre-eminently is ,shakespeare among ourselves2 such pre-eminently ,virgil among the ,latins2 such in their degree are all those writers who in every nation go by the name of ,classics4 ,to particular nations they are necessarily attached from the circumstance of the variety of tongues1 and the peculiarities of each2 but so far they have a catholic and ecumenical character1 that what they express is common to the whole race of man1 and they alone are able to express it4 #aj4 ,if then the power of speech is a gift as great as any that can be named1--if the origin of language is by many philosophers even considered to be nothing short of divine1--if by means of words the secrets of the heart are brought to light1 pain of soul is relieved1 hidden grief is carried off1 sympathy conveyed1 counsel imparted1 experience recorded1 and wisdom perpetuated1--if by great authors the many are drawn up into unity1 national character is fixed1 a people speaks1 the past and the future1 the ,east and the ,west are brought into communication with each other1--if such men are1 in a word1 the spokesmen and prophets of the human family1--it will not answer to make light of ,literature or to neglect its study2 rather we may be sure that1 in proportion as we master it in whatever language1 and imbibe its spirit1 we shall ourselves become in our own measure the ministers of like benefits to others1 be they many or few1 be they in the obscurer or the more distinguished walks of life1--who are united to us by social ties1 and are within the sphere of our personal influence4 ,lecture ,,iii4 ,english ,catholic ,literature4 ,one of the special objects which a ,catholic ,university would promote is that of the formation of a ,catholic ,literature in the ,english language4 ,it is an object1 however1 which must be understood before it can be suitably prosecuted2 and which will not be understood without some discussion and investigation4 ,first ideas on the subject must almost necessarily be crude4 ,the real state of the case1 what is desirable1 what is possible1 has to be ascertained2 and then what has to be done1 and what is to be expected4 ,we have seen in public matters1 for half a year past17#cf7 to what mistakes1 and to what disappointments1 the country has been exposed1 from not having been able distinctly to put before it what was to be aimed at by its fleets and armies1 what was practicable1 what was probable1 in operations of war3 and so1 too1 in the field of literature1 we are sure of falling into a parallel perplexity and dissatisfaction1 if we start with a vague notion of doing something or other important by means of a ,catholic ,university1 without having the caution to examine what is feasible1 and what is unnecessary or hopeless4 ,accordingly1 it is natural ,i should wish to direct attention to this subject1 even though it be too difficult to handle in any exact or complete way1 and though my attempt must be left for others to bring into a more perfect shape1 who are more fitted for the task4 ,here ,i shall chiefly employ myself in investigating what the object is not4 #a4 ,in its relation to ,religious ,literature4 ,when a 8,catholic ,literature in the ,english tongue0 is spoken of as a desideratum1 no reasonable person will mean by 8,catholic works0 much more than the 8works of ,catholics40 ,the phrase does not mean a religious literature4 8,religious ,literature0 indeed would mean much more than 8the ,literature of religious men20 it means over and above this1 that the subject-matter of the ,literature is religious2 but by 8,catholic ,literature0 is not to be understood a literature which treats exclusively or primarily of ,catholic matters1 of ,catholic doctrine1 controversy1 history1 persons1 or politics2 but it includes all subjects of literature whatever1 treated as a ,catholic would treat them1 and as he only can treat them4 ,why it is important to have them treated by ,catholics hardly need be explained here1 though something will be incidentally said on the point as we proceed3 meanwhile ,i am drawing attention to the distinction between the two phrases in order to avoid a serious misapprehension4 ,for it is evident that1 if by a ,catholic ,literature were meant nothing more or less than a religious literature1 its writers would be mainly ecclesiastics2 just as writers on ,law are mainly lawyers1 and writers on ,medicine are mainly physicians or surgeons4 ,and if this be so1 a ,catholic ,literature is no object special to a ,university1 unless a ,university is to be considered identical with a ,seminary or a ,theological ,school4 ,i am not denying that a ,university might prove of the greatest benefit even to our religious literature2 doubtless it would1 and in various ways2 still it is concerned with ,theology only as one great subject of thought1 as the greatest indeed which can occupy the human mind1 yet not as the adequate or direct scope of its institution4 ,yet ,i suppose it is not impossible for a literary layman to wince at the idea1 and to shrink from the proposal1 of taking part in a scheme for the formation of a ,catholic ,literature1 under the apprehension that in some way or another he will be entangling himself in a semi-clerical occupation4 ,it is not uncommon1 on expressing an anticipation that the ,professors of a ,catholic ,university will promote a ,catholic ,literature1 to have to encounter a vague notion that a lecturer or writer so employed must have something polemical about him1 must moralize or preach1 must 7in ,protestant language7 improve the occasion1 though his subject is not at all a religious one2 in short1 that he must do something else besides fairly and boldly go right on1 and be a ,catholic speaking as a ,catholic spontaneously will speak1 on the ,classics1 or ,fine ,arts1 or ,poetry1 or whatever he has taken in hand4 ,men think that he cannot give a lecture on ,comparative ,anatomy without being bound to digress into the ,argument from ,final ,causes2 that he cannot recount the present geological theories without forcing them into an interpretation seriatim of the first two chapters of ,genesis4 ,many1 indeed1 seem to go further still1 and actually pronounce that1 since our own ,university has been recommended by the ,holy ,see1 and is established by the ,hierarchy1 it cannot but be engaged in teaching religion and nothing else1 and must and will have the discipline of a ,seminary2 which is about as sensible and logical a view of the matter as it would be to maintain that the ,prime ,minister ipso facto holds an ecclesiastical office1 since he is always a ,protestant2 or that the members of the ,house of ,commons must necessarily have been occupied in clerical duties1 as long as they took an oath about ,transubstantiation4 ,catholic ,literature is not synonymous with ,theology1 nor does it supersede or interfere with the work of catechists1 divines1 preachers1 or schoolmen4 #b4 ,in its relation to ,science4 #a4 ,and next1 it must be borne in mind1 that when we aim at providing a ,catholic ,literature for ,catholics1 in place of an existing literature which is of a marked ,protestant character1 we do not1 strictly speaking1 include the pure sciences in our desideratum4 ,not that we should not feel pleased and proud to find ,catholics distinguish themselves in publications on abstract or experimental philosophy1 on account of the honour it does to our religion in the eyes of the world2--not that we are insensible to the congruity and respectability of depending in these matters on ourselves1 and not on others1 at least as regards our text-books2--not that we do not confidently anticipate that ,catholics of these countries will in time to come be able to point to authorities and discoverers in science of their own1 equal to those of ,protestant ,england1 ,germany1 or ,sweden2--but because1 as regards mathematics1 chemistry1 astronomy1 and similar subjects1 one man will not1 on the score of his religion1 treat of them better than another1 and because the works of even an unbeliever or idolator1 while he kept within the strict range of such studies1 might be safely admitted into ,catholic lecture-rooms1 and put without scruple into the hands of ,catholic youths4 ,there is no crying demand1 no imperative necessity1 for our acquisition of a ,catholic ,euclid or a ,catholic ,newton4 ,the object of all science is truth2--the pure sciences proceed to their enunciations from principles which the intellect discerns by a natural light1 and by a process recognized by natural reason2 and the experimental sciences investigate facts by methods of analysis or by ingenious expedients1 ultimately resolvable into instruments of thought equally native to the human mind4 ,if then we may assume that there is an objective truth1 and that the constitution of the human mind is in correspondence with it1 and acts truly when it acts according to its own laws2 if we may assume that ,god made us1 and that what ,he made is good1 and that no action from and according to nature can in itself be evil2 it will follow that1 so long as it is man who is the geometrician1 or natural philosopher1 or mechanic1 or critic1 no matter what man he be1 ,hindoo1 ,mahometan1 or infidel1 his conclusions within his own science1 according to the laws of that science1 are unquestionable1 and not to be suspected by ,catholics1 unless ,catholics may legitimately be jealous of fact and truth1 of divine principles and divine creations4 ,i have been speaking of the scientific treatises or investigations of those who are not ,catholics1 to which the subject of ,literature leads me2 but ,i might even go on to speak of them in their persons as well as in their books4 ,were it not for the scandal which they would create2 were it not for the example they would set2 were it not for the certain tendency of the human mind involuntarily to outleap the strict boundaries of an abstract science1 and to teach it upon extraneous principles1 to embody it in concrete examples1 and to carry it on to practical conclusions2 above all1 were it not for the indirect influence1 and living energetic presence1 and collateral duties1 which accompany a ,professor in a great school of learning1 ,i do not see 7abstracting from him1 ,i repeat1 in hypothesis1 what never could possibly be abstracted from him in fact71 why the chair of ,astronomy in a ,catholic ,university should not be filled by a ,la ,place1 or that of ,physics by a ,humboldt4 ,whatever they might wish to say1 still1 while they kept to their own science1 they would be unable1 like the heathen ,prophet in ,scripture1 to 8go beyond the word of the ,lord1 to utter any thing of their own head40 #b4 ,so far the arguments hold good of certain celebrated writers in a ,northern ,review1 who1 in their hostility to the principle of dogmatic teaching1 seem obliged to maintain1 because subject-matters are distinct1 that living opinions are distinct too1 and that men are abstractions as well as their respective sciences4 8,on the morning of the thirteenth of ,august1 in the year #agjd10 says a justly celebrated author1 in illustration and defence of the anti-dogmatic principle in political and social matters1 8two great captains1 equal in authority1 united by close private and public ties1 but of different creeds1 prepared for battle1 on the event of which were staked the liberties of ,europe4''' ,marlborough gave orders for public prayers2 the ,english chaplains read the service at the head of the ,english regiments2 the ,calvinistic chaplains of the ,dutch army1 with heads on which hand of ,bishop had never been laid1 poured forth their supplications in front of their countrymen4 ,in the meantime the ,danes might listen to the ,lutheran ministers2 and ,capuchins might encourage the ,austrian squadrons1 and pray to the ,virgin for a blessing on the arms of the holy ,roman ,empire4 ,the battle commences2 these men of various religions all act like members of one body3 the ,catholic and the ,protestant generals exert themselves to assist and to surpass each other2 before sunset the ,empire is saved2 ,france has lost in a day the fruits of eight years of intrigue and of victory2 and the allies1 after conquering together1 return thanks to ,god separately1 each after his own form of worship407#cg7 ,the writer of this lively passage would be doubtless unwilling himself to carry out the principle which it insinuates to those extreme conclusions to which it is often pushed by others1 in matters of education4 ,viewed in itself1 viewed in the abstract1 that principle is simply1 undeniably true2 and is only sophistical when it is carried out in practical matters at all4 ,a religious opinion1 though not formally recognized1 cannot fail of influencing in fact the school1 or society1 or polity in which it is found2 though in the abstract that opinion is one thing1 and the school1 society1 or polity1 another4 ,here were ,episcopalians1 ,lutherans1 ,calvinists1 and ,catholics found all fighting on one side1 it is true1 without any prejudice to their respective religious tenets3 and1 certainly1 ,i never heard that in a battle soldiers did do any thing else but fight4 ,i did not know they had time for going beyond the matter in hand2 yet1 even as regards this very illustration which he has chosen1 if we were bound to decide by it the controversy1 it does so happen that that danger of interference and collision between opposite religionists actually does occur upon a campaign1 which could not be incurred in a battle3 and at this very time some jealousy or disgust has been shown in ,english popular publications1 when they have had to record that our ally1 the ,emperor of the ,french1 has sent his troops1 who are serving with the ,british against the ,russians1 to attend ,high ,mass1 or has presented his sailors with a picture of the ,madonna4 ,if1 then1 we could have ,professors who were mere abstractions and phantoms1 marrowless in their bones1 and without speculation in their eyes2 or if they could only open their mouths on their own special subject1 and in their scientific pedantry were dead to the world2 if they resembled the well known character in the ,romance1 who was so imprisoned or fossilized in his erudition1 that1 though 8he stirred the fire with some address10 nevertheless1 on attempting to snuff the candles1 he 8was unsuccessful1 and relinquished that ambitious post of courtesy1 after having twice reduced the parlour to total darkness10 then indeed ,voltaire himself might be admitted1 not without scandal1 but without risk1 to lecture on astronomy or galvanism in ,catholic1 or ,protestant1 or ,presbyterian ,colleges1 or in all of them at once2 and we should have no practical controversy with philosophers who1 after the fashion of the author ,i have been quoting1 are so smart in proving that we1 who differ from them1 must needs be so bigotted and puzzle-headed4 ,and in strict conformity with these obvious distinctions1 it will be found that1 so far as we are able to reduce scientific men of anti-,catholic opinions to the type of the imaginary bookworm to whom ,i have been alluding1 we do actually use them in our schools4 ,we allow our ,catholic student to use them1 so far as he can surprise them 7if ,i may use the expression71 in their formal treatises1 and can keep them close prisoners there4 ,vix defessa senem passus componere membra1 ,cum clamore ruit magno1 manicisque jacentem ,occupat4 ,the fisherman1 in the ,arabian tale1 took no harm from the genius1 till he let him out from the brass bottle in which he was confined4 8,he examined the vessel and shook it1 to see if what was within made any noise1 but he heard nothing40 ,all was safe till he had succeeded in opening it1 and 8then came out a very thick smoke1 which1 ascending to the clouds and extending itself along the sea shore in a thick mist1 astonished him very much4 ,after a time the smoke collected1 and was converted into a genius of enormous height4 ,at the sight of this monster1 whose head appeared to reach the clouds1 the fisherman trembled with fear40 ,such is the difference between an unbelieving or heretical philosopher in person1 and in the mere disquisitions proper to his science4 ,porson was no edifying companion for young men of eighteen1 nor are his letters on the text of the ,three ,heavenly ,witnesses to be recommended2 but that does not hinder his being admitted into ,catholic schools1 while he is confined within the limits of his ,preface to the ,hecuba4 ,franklin certainly would have been intolerable in person1 if he began to talk freely1 and throw out1 as ,i think he did in private1 that each solar system had its own god2 but such extravagances of so able a man do not interfere with the honour we justly pay his name in the history of experimental science4 ,nay1 the great ,newton himself would have been silenced in a ,catholic ,university1 when he got upon the ,apocalypse2 yet is that any reason why we should not study his ,principia1 or avail ourselves of the wonderful analysis which he1 ,protestant as he was1 originated1 and which ,french infidels have developed8 ,we are glad1 for their own sakes1 that anti-,catholic writers should1 in their posthumous influence1 do as much real service to the human race as ever they can1 and we have no wish to interfere with it4 #c4 ,returning1 then1 to the point from which we set out1 ,i observe that1 this being the state of the case as regards abstract science1 viz41 that we have no quarrel with its anti-,catholic commentators1 till they thrust their persons into our ,chairs1 or their popular writings into our reading-rooms1 it follows that1 when we contemplate the formation of a ,catholic ,literature1 we do not consider scientific works as among our most prominent desiderata4 ,they are to be looked for1 not so much for their own sake1 as because they are indications that we have able scientific men in our communion2 for if we have such1 they will be certain to write1 and in proportion as they increase in number will there be the chance of really profound1 original1 and standard books issuing from our ,lecture-rooms and ,libraries4 ,but1 after all1 there is no reason why these should be better than those which we have already received from ,protestants2 though it is at once more becoming and more agreeable to our feelings to use books of our own1 instead of being indebted to the books of others4 ,literature1 then1 is not synonymous with ,science2 nor does ,catholic education imply the exclusion of works of abstract reasoning1 or of physical experiment1 or the like1 though written by persons of another or of no communion4 ,there is another consideration in point here1 or rather prior to what ,i have been saying2 and that is1 that1 considering certain scientific works1 those on ,criticism1 for instance1 are so often written in a technical phraseology1 and since others1 as mathematical1 deal so largely in signs1 symbols1 and figures1 which belong to all languages1 these abstract studies cannot properly be said to fall under ,english ,literature at all2--for by ,literature ,i understand ,thought1 conveyed under the forms of some particular language4 ,and this brings me to speak of ,literature in its highest and most genuine sense1 viz41 as an historical and national fact2 and ,i fear1 in this sense of the word also1 it is altogether beside or beyond any object which a ,catholic ,university can reasonably contemplate1 at least in any moderate term of years2 but so large a subject here opens upon us that ,i must postpone it to another ,section4 #c4 ,in its relation to ,classical ,literature4 #a4 ,i have been directing the reader's attention1 first to what we do not1 and next to what we need not contemplate1 when we turn our thoughts to the formation of an ,english ,catholic ,literature4 ,i said that our object was neither a library of theological nor of scientific knowledge1 though theology in its literary aspect1 and abstract science as an exercise of intellect1 have both of course a place in the ,catholic encyclopdia4 ,one undertaking1 however1 there is1 which not merely does not1 and need not1 but unhappily cannot1 come into the reasonable contemplation of any set of persons1 whether members of a ,university or not1 who are desirous of ,catholicizing the ,english language1 as is very evident2 and that is simply the creation of an ,english ,classical ,literature1 for that has been done long ago1 and would be a work beyond the powers of any body of men1 even if it had still to be done4 ,if ,i insist on this point here1 no one must suppose ,i do not consider it to be self-evident2 for ,i shall not be aiming at proving it1 so much as at bringing it home distinctly to the mind1 that we may1 one and all1 have a clearer perception of the state of things with which we have to deal4 ,there is many an undeniable truth which is not practically felt and appreciated2 and1 unless we master our position in the matter before us1 we may be led off into various wild imaginations or impossible schemes1 which will1 as a matter of course1 end in disappointment4 ,were the ,catholic ,church acknowledged from this moment through the length and breadth of these islands1 and the ,english tongue henceforth baptized into the ,catholic faith1 and sealed and consecrated to ,catholic objects1 and were the present intellectual activity of the nation to continue1 as of course it would continue1 we should at once have an abundance of ,catholic works1 which would be ,english1 and purely ,english1 literature and high literature2 but still all these would not constitute 8,english ,literature10 as the words are commonly understood1 nor even then could we say that the 8,english ,literature0 was ,catholic4 ,much less can we ever aspire to affirm it1 while we are but a portion of the vast ,english-speaking world-wide race1 and are but striving to create a current in the direction of ,catholic truth1 when the waters are rapidly flowing the other way4 ,in no case can we1 strictly speaking1 form an ,english ,literature2 for by the ,literature of a ,nation is meant its ,classics1 and its ,classics have been given to ,england1 and have been recognized as such1 long since4 #b4 ,a ,literature1 when it is formed1 is a national and historical fact2 it is a matter of the past and the present1 and can be as little ignored as the present1 as little undone as the past4 ,we can deny1 supersede1 or change it1 then only1 when we can do the same towards the race or language which it represents4 ,every great people has a character of its own1 which it manifests and perpetuates in a variety of ways4 ,it developes into a monarchy or republic2--by means of commerce or in war1 in agriculture or in manufactures1 or in all of these at once2 in its cities1 its public edifices and works1 bridges1 canals1 and harbours2 in its laws1 traditions1 customs1 and manners2 in its songs and its proverbs2 in its religion2 in its line of policy1 its bearing1 its action towards foreign nations2 in its alliances1 fortunes1 and the whole course of its history4 ,all these are peculiar1 and parts of a whole1 and betoken the national character1 and savour of each other2 and the case is the same with the national language and literature4 ,they are what they are1 and cannot be any thing else1 whether they be good or bad or of a mixed nature2 before they are formed1 we cannot prescribe them1 and afterwards1 we cannot reverse them4 ,we may feel great repugnance to ,milton or ,gibbon as men2 we may most seriously protest against the spirit which ever lives1 and the tendency which ever operates1 in every page of their writings2 but there they are1 an integral portion of ,english ,literature2 we cannot extinguish them2 we cannot deny their power2 we cannot write a new ,milton or a new ,gibbon2 we cannot expurgate what needs to be exorcised4 ,they are great ,english authors1 each breathing hatred to the ,catholic ,church in his own way1 each a proud and rebellious creature of ,god1 each gifted with incomparable gifts4 ,we must take things as they are1 if we take them at all4 ,we may refuse to say a word to ,english literature1 if we will2 we may have recourse to ,french or to ,italian instead1 if we think either of these less exceptionable than our own2 we may fall back upon the ,classics of ,greece and ,rome2 we may have nothing whatever to do with literature1 as such1 of any kind1 and confine ourselves to purely amorphous or monstrous specimens of language2 but if we do once profess in our ,universities the ,english language and literature1 if we think it allowable to know the state of things we live in1 and that national character which we share1 if we think it desirable to have a chance of writing what may be read after our day1 and praiseworthy to aim at providing for ,catholics who speak ,english a ,catholic ,literature then--,i do not say that we must at once throw open every sort of book to the young1 the weak1 or the untrained1--,i do not say that we may dispense with our ecclesiastical indexes and emendations1 but--we must not fancy ourselves creating what is already created in spite of us1 and which never could at a moment be created by means of us1 and we must recognize that historical literature1 which is in occupation of the language1 both as a fact1 nay1 and as a standard for ourselves4 ,there is surely nothing either 8temerarious0 or paradoxical in a statement like this4 ,the growth of a nation is like that of an individual2 its tone of voice and subjects for speech vary with its age4 ,each age has its own propriety and charm2 as a boy's beauty is not a man's1 and the sweetness of a treble differs from the richness of a bass1 so it is with a whole people4 ,the same period does not produce its most popular poet1 its most effective orator1 and its most philosophic historian4 ,language changes with the progress of thought and the events of history1 and style changes with it2 and while in successive generations it passes through a series of separate excellences1 the respective deficiencies of all are supplied alternately by each4 ,thus language and literature may be considered as dependent on a process of nature1 and admitting of subjection to her laws4 ,father ,hardouin indeed1 who maintained that1 with the exception of ,pliny1 ,cicero1 ,virgil's ,georgics1 and ,horace's ,satires and ,epistles1 ,latin literature was the work of the medieval monks1 had the conception of a literature neither national nor historical2 but the rest of the world will be apt to consider time and place as necessary conditions in its formation1 and will be unable to conceive of classical authors1 except as either the elaboration of centuries1 or the rare and fitful accident of genius4 ,first-rate excellence in literature1 as in other matters1 is either an accident or the outcome of a process2 and in either case demands a course of years to secure4 ,we cannot reckon on a ,plato1 we cannot force an ,aristotle1 any more than we can command a fine harvest1 or create a coal field4 ,if a literature be1 as ,i have said1 the voice of a particular nation1 it requires a territory and a period1 as large as that nation's extent and history1 to mature in4 ,it is broader and deeper than the capacity of any body of men1 however gifted1 or any system of teaching1 however true4 ,it is the exponent1 not of truth1 but of nature1 which is true only in its elements4 ,it is the result of the mutual action of a hundred simultaneous influences and operations1 and the issue of a hundred strange accidents in independent places and times2 it is the scanty compensating produce of the wild discipline of the world and of life1 so fruitful in failures2 and it is the concentration of those rare manifestations of intellectual power1 which no one can account for4 ,it is made up1 in the particular language here under consideration1 of human beings as heterogeneous as ,burns and ,bunyan1 ,de ,foe and ,johnson1 ,goldsmith and ,cowper1 ,law and ,fielding1 ,scott and ,byron4 ,the remark has been made that the history of an author is the history of his works2 it is far more exact to say that1 at least in the case of great writers1 the history of their works is the history of their fortunes or their times4 ,each is1 in his turn1 the man of his age1 the type of a generation1 or the interpreter of a crisis4 ,he is made for his day1 and his day for him4 ,hooker would not have been1 but for the existence of ,catholics and ,puritans1 the defeat of the former and the rise of the latter2 ,clarendon would not have been without the ,great ,rebellion2 ,hobbes is the prophet of the reaction to scoffing infidelity2 and ,addison is the child of the ,revolution and its attendant changes4 ,if there be any of our classical authors1 who might at first sight have been pronounced a ,university man1 with the exception of ,johnson1 ,addison is he2 yet even ,addison1 the son and brother of clergymen1 the fellow of an ,oxford ,society1 the resident of a ,college which still points to the walk which he planted1 must be something more1 in order to take his place among the ,classics of the language1 and owed the variety of his matter to his experience of life1 and to the call made on his resources by the exigencies of his day4 ,the world he lived in made him and used him4 ,while his writings educated his own generation1 they have delineated it for all posterity after him4 #c4 ,i have been speaking of the authors of a literature1 in their relation to the people and course of events to which they belong2 but a prior consideration1 at which ,i have already glanced1 is their connection with the language itself1 which has been their organ4 ,if they are in great measure the creatures of their times1 they are on the other hand in a far higher sense the creators of their language4 ,it is indeed commonly called their mother tongue1 but virtually it did not exist till they gave it life and form4 ,all greater matters are carried on and perfected by a succession of individual minds2 what is true in the history of thought and of action is true of language also4 ,certain masters of composition1 as ,shakespeare1 ,milton1 and ,pope1 the writers of the ,protestant ,bible and ,prayer ,book1 ,hooker and ,addison1 ,swift1 ,hume1 and ,goldsmith1 have been the making of the ,english language2 and as that language is a fact1 so is the literature a fact1 by which it is formed1 and in which it lives4 ,men of great ability have taken it in hand1 each in his own day1 and have done for it what the master of a gymnasium does for the bodily frame4 ,they have formed its limbs1 and developed its strength2 they have endowed it with vigour1 exercised it in suppleness and dexterity1 and taught it grace4 ,they have made it rich1 harmonious1 various1 and precise4 ,they have furnished it with a variety of styles1 which from their individuality may almost be called dialects1 and are monuments both of the powers of the language and the genius of its cultivators4 ,how real a creation1 how sui generis1 is the style of ,shakespeare1 or of the ,protestant ,bible and ,prayer ,book1 or of ,swift1 or of ,pope1 or of ,gibbon1 or of ,johnson6 ,even were the subject-matter without meaning1 though in truth the style cannot really be abstracted from the sense1 still the style would1 on that supposition1 remain as perfect and original a work as ,euclid's elements or a symphony of ,beethoven4 ,and1 like music1 it has seized upon the public mind2 and the literature of ,england is no longer a mere letter1 printed in books1 and shut up in libraries1 but it is a living voice1 which has gone forth in its expressions and its sentiments into the world of men1 which daily thrills upon our ears and syllables our thoughts1 which speaks to us through our correspondents1 and dictates when we put pen to paper4 ,whether we will or no1 the phraseology and diction of ,shakespeare1 of the ,protestant formularies1 of ,milton1 of ,pope1 of ,johnson's ,tabletalk1 and of ,walter ,scott1 have become a portion of the vernacular tongue1 the household words1 of which perhaps we little guess the origin1 and the very idioms of our familiar conversation4 ,the man in the comedy spoke prose without knowing it2 and we ,catholics1 without consciousness and without offence1 are ever repeating the half sentences of dissolute playwrights and heretical partizans and preachers4 ,so tyrannous is the literature of a nation2 it is too much for us4 ,we cannot destroy or reverse it2 we may confront and encounter it1 but we cannot make it over again4 ,it is a great work of man1 when it is no work of ,god's4 ,i repeat1 then1 whatever we be able or unable to effect in the great problem which lies before us1 any how we cannot undo the past4 ,english ,literature will ever have been ,protestant4 ,swift and ,addison1 the most native and natural of our writers1 ,hooker and ,milton1 the most elaborate1 never can become our co-religionists2 and1 though this is but the enunciation of a truism1 it is not on that account an unprofitable enunciation4 #d4 ,i trust we are not the men to give up an undertaking because it is perplexed or arduous2 and to do nothing because we cannot do everything4 ,much may be attempted1 much attained1 even granting ,english ,literature is not ,catholic4 ,something indeed may be said even in alleviation of the misfortune itself1 on which ,i have been insisting2 and with two remarks bearing upon this latter point ,i will bring this ,section to an end4 #a4 ,first1 then1 it is to be considered that1 whether we look to countries ,christian or heathen1 we find the state of literature there as little satisfactory as it is in these islands2 so that1 whatever are our difficulties here1 they are not worse than those of ,catholics all over the world4 ,i would not indeed say a word to extenuate the calamity1 under which we lie1 of having a literature formed in ,protestantism2 still1 other literatures have disadvantages of their own2 and1 though in such matters comparisons are impossible1 ,i doubt whether we should be better pleased if our ,english ,classics were tainted with licentiousness1 or defaced by infidelity or scepticism4 ,i conceive we should not much mend matters if we were to exchange literatures with the ,french1 ,italians1 or ,germans4 ,about ,germany1 however1 ,i will not speak2 as to ,france1 it has great and religious authors2 its classical drama1 even in comedy1 compared with that of other literatures1 is singularly unexceptionable2 but who is there that holds a place among its writers so historical and important1 who is so copious1 so versatile1 so brilliant1 as that ,voltaire who is an open scoffer at every thing sacred1 venerable1 or high-minded8 ,nor can ,rousseau1 though he has not the pretensions of ,voltaire1 be excluded from the classical writers of ,france4 ,again1 the gifted ,pascal1 in the work on which his literary fame is mainly founded1 does not approve himself to a ,catholic judgment2 and ,descartes1 the first of ,french philosophers1 was too independent in his inquiries to be always correct in his conclusions4 ,the witty ,rabelais is said1 by a recent critic17#ch7 to show covertly in his former publications1 and openly in his latter1 his 8dislike to the ,church of ,rome40 ,la ,fontaine was with difficulty brought1 on his death-bed1 to make public satisfaction for the scandal which he had done to religion by his immoral ,contes1 though at length he threw into the fire a piece which he had just finished for the stage4 ,montaigne1 whose ,essays 8make an epoch in literature10 by 8their influence upon the tastes and opinions of ,europe20 whose 8school embraces a large proportion of ,french and ,english literature20 and of whose 8brightness and felicity of genius there can be but one opinion10 is disgraced1 as the same writer tells us1 by 8a sceptical bias and great indifference of temperament20 and 8has led the way0 as an habitual offender1 8to the indecency too characteristic of ,french literature40 ,nor does ,italy present a more encouraging picture4 ,ariosto1 one of the few names1 ancient or modern1 who is allowed on all hands to occupy the first rank of ,literature1 is1 ,i suppose1 rightly arraigned by the author ,i have above quoted1 of 8coarse sensuality40 ,pulci1 8by his sceptical insinuations1 seems clearly to display an intention of exposing religion to contempt40 ,boccaccio1 the first of ,italian prose-writers1 had in his old age touchingly to lament the corrupting tendency of his popular compositions2 and ,bellarmine has to vindicate him1 ,dante1 and ,petrarch1 from the charge of virulent abuse of the ,holy ,see4 ,dante certainly does not scruple to place in his ,inferno a ,pope1 whom the ,church has since canonized1 and his work on ,monarchia is on the ,index4 ,another great ,florentine1 ,macchiavel1 is on the ,index also2 and ,giannone1 as great in political history at ,naples as ,macchiavel at ,florence1 is notorious for his disaffection to the interests of the ,roman ,pontiff4 ,these are but specimens of the general character of secular literature1 whatever be the people to whom it belongs4 ,one literature may be better than another1 but bad will be the best1 when weighed in the balance of truth and morality4 ,it cannot be otherwise2 human nature is in all ages and all countries the same2 and its literature1 therefore1 will ever and everywhere be one and the same also4 ,man's work will savour of man2 in his elements and powers excellent and admirable1 but prone to disorder and excess1 to error and to sin4 ,such too will be his literature2 it will have the beauty and the fierceness1 the sweetness and the rankness1 of the natural man1 and1 with all its richness and greatness1 will necessarily offend the senses of those who1 in the ,apostle's words1 are really 8exercised to discern between good and evil40 8,it is said of the holy ,sturme10 says an ,oxford writer1 8that1 in passing a horde of unconverted ,germans1 as they were bathing and gambolling in the stream1 he was so overpowered by the intolerable scent which arose from them that he nearly fainted away40 ,national ,literature is1 in a parallel way1 the untutored movements of the reason1 imagination1 passions1 and affections of the natural man1 the leapings and the friskings1 the plungings and the snortings1 the sportings and the buffoonings1 the clumsy play and the aimless toil1 of the noble1 lawless savage of ,god's intellectual creation4 ,it is well that we should clearly apprehend a truth so simple and elementary as this1 and not expect from the nature of man1 or the literature of the world1 what they never held out to us4 ,certainly1 ,i did not know that the world was to be regarded as favourable to ,christian faith or practice1 or that it would be breaking any engagement with us1 if it took a line divergent from our own4 ,i have never fancied that we should have reasonable ground for surprise or complaint1 though man's intellect puris naturalibus did prefer1 of the two1 liberty to truth1 or though his heart cherished a leaning towards licence of thought and speech in comparison with restraint4 #e4 #b4 ,if we do but resign ourselves to facts1 we shall soon be led on to the second reflection which ,i have promised--viz41 that1 not only are things not better abroad1 but they might be worse at home4 ,we have1 it is true1 a ,protestant literature2 but then it is neither atheistical nor immoral2 and1 in the case of at least half a dozen of its highest and most influential departments1 and of the most popular of its authors1 it comes to us with very considerable alleviations4 ,for instance1 there surely is a call on us for thankfulness that the most illustrious amongst ,english writers has so little of a ,protestant about him that ,catholics have been able1 without extravagance1 to claim him as their own1 and that enemies to our creed have allowed that he is only not a ,catholic1 because1 and as far as1 his times forbade it4 ,it is an additional satisfaction to be able to boast that he offends in neither of those two respects1 which reflect so seriously upon the reputation of great authors abroad4 ,whatever passages may be gleaned from his dramas disrespectful to ecclesiastical authority1 still these are but passages2 on the other hand1 there is in ,shakespeare neither contempt of religion nor scepticism1 and he upholds the broad laws of moral and divine truth with the consistency and severity of an schylus1 ,sophocles1 or ,pindar4 ,there is no mistaking in his works on which side lies the right2 ,satan is not made a hero1 nor ,cain a victim1 but pride is pride1 and vice is vice1 and1 whatever indulgence he may allow himself in light thoughts or unseemly words1 yet his admiration is reserved for sanctity and truth4 ,from the second chief fault of ,literature1 as indeed my last words imply1 he is not so free2 but1 often as he may offend against modesty1 he is clear of a worse charge1 sensuality1 and hardly a passage can be instanced in all that he has written to seduce the imagination or to excite the passions4 ,a rival to ,shakespeare1 if not in genius1 at least in copiousness and variety1 is found in ,pope2 and he was actually a ,catholic1 though personally an unsatisfactory one4 ,his freedom indeed from ,protestantism is but a poor compensation for a false theory of religion in one of his poems2 but1 taking his works as a whole1 we may surely acquit them of being dangerous to the reader1 whether on the score of morals or of faith4 ,again1 the special title of moralist in ,english ,literature is accorded by the public voice to ,johnson1 whose bias towards ,catholicity is well known4 ,if we were to ask for a report of our philosophers1 the investigation would not be so agreeable2 for we have three of evil1 and one of unsatisfactory repute4 ,locke is scarcely an honour to us in the standard of truth1 grave and manly as he is2 and ,hobbes1 ,hume1 and ,bentham1 in spite of their abilities1 are simply a disgrace4 ,yet1 even in this department1 we find some compensation in the names of ,clarke1 ,berkeley1 ,butler1 and ,reid1 and in a name more famous than them all4 ,bacon was too intellectually great to hate or to contemn the ,catholic faith2 and he deserves by his writings to be called the most orthodox of ,protestant philosophers4 #d4 ,in its relation to the ,literature of the ,day4 #a4 ,the past cannot be undone4 ,that our ,english ,classical ,literature is not ,catholic is a plain fact which we cannot deny1 to which we must reconcile ourselves1 as best we may1 and which1 as ,i have shown above1 has after all its compensations4 ,when1 then1 ,i speak of the desirableness of forming a ,catholic ,literature1 ,i am contemplating no such vain enterprise as that of reversing history2 no1 nor of redeeming the past by the future4 ,i have no dream of ,catholic ,classics as still reserved for the ,english language4 ,in truth1 classical authors not only are national1 but belong to a particular age of a nation's life2 and ,i should not wonder if1 as regards ourselves1 that age is passing away4 ,moreover1 they perform a particular office towards its language1 which is not likely to be called for beyond a definite time4 ,and further1 though analogies or parallels cannot be taken to decide a question of this nature1 such is the fact1 that the series of our classical writers has already extended through a longer period than was granted to the ,classical ,literature either of ,greece or of ,rome2 and thus the ,english language also may have a long course of literature still to come through many centuries1 without that ,literature being classical4 ,latin1 for instance1 was a living language for many hundred years after the date of the writers who brought it to its perfection2 and then it continued for a second long period to be the medium of ,european correspondence4 ,greek was a living language to a date not very far short of that of the taking of ,constantinople1 ten centuries after the date of ,st4 ,basil1 and seventeen hundred years after the period commonly called classical4 ,and thus1 as the year has its spring and summer1 so even for those celebrated languages there was but a season of splendour1 and1 compared with the whole course of their duration1 but a brief season4 ,since1 then1 ,english has had its great writers for a term of about three hundred years1--as long1 that is1 as the period from ,sappho to ,demosthenes1 or from ,pisistratus to ,arcesilas1 or from schylus and ,pindar to ,carneades1 or from ,ennius to ,pliny1--we should have no right to be disappointed if the classical period be close upon its termination4 ,by the ,classics of a national ,literature ,i mean those authors who have the foremost place in exemplifying the powers and conducting the development of its language4 ,the language of a nation is at first rude and clumsy2 and it demands a succession of skilful artists to make it malleable and ductile1 and to work it up to its proper perfection4 ,it improves by use1 but it is not every one who can use it while as yet it is unformed4 ,to do this is an effort of genius2 and so men of a peculiar talent arise1 one after another1 according to the circumstances of the times1 and accomplish it4 ,one gives it flexibility1 that is1 shows how it can be used without difficulty to express adequately a variety of thoughts and feelings in their nicety or intricacy2 another makes it perspicuous or forcible2 a third adds to its vocabulary2 and a fourth gives it grace and harmony4 ,the style of each of such eminent masters becomes henceforth in some sort a property of the language itself2 words1 phrases1 collocations1 and structure1 which hitherto did not exist1 gradually passing into the conversation and the composition of the educated classes4 #b4 ,now ,i will attempt to show how this process of improvement is effected1 and what is its limit4 ,i conceive then that these gifted writers act upon the spoken and written language by means of the particular schools which form about them respectively4 ,their style1 using the word in a large sense1 forcibly arrests the reader1 and draws him on to imitate it1 by virtue of what is excellent in it1 in spite of such defects as1 in common with all human works1 it may contain4 ,i suppose all of us will recognize this fascination4 ,for myself when ,i was fourteen or fifteen1 ,i imitated ,addison2 when ,i was seventeen1 ,i wrote in the style of ,johnson2 about the same time ,i fell in with the twelfth volume of ,gibbon1 and my ears rang with the cadence of his sentences1 and ,i dreamed of it for a night or two4 ,then ,i began to make an analysis of ,thucydides in ,gibbon's style4 ,in like manner1 most ,oxford undergraduates1 forty years ago1 when they would write poetry1 adopted the versification of ,pope ,darwin1 and the ,pleasures of ,hope1 which had been made popular by ,heber and ,milman4 ,the literary schools1 indeed1 which ,i am speaking of1 as resulting from the attractions of some original1 or at least novel artist1 consist for the most part of mannerists1 none of whom rise much above mediocrity2 but they are not the less serviceable as channels1 by means of which the achievements of genius may be incorporated into the language itself1 or become the common property of the nation4 ,henceforth1 the most ordinary composer1 the very student in the lecture-room1 is able to write with a precision1 a grace1 or a copiousness1 as the case may be unknown before the date of the authors whom he imitates1 and he wonders at1 if he does not rather pride himself on1 his novas frondes1 et non sua poma4 ,if there is any one who illustrates this remark1 it is ,gibbon2 ,i seem to trace his vigorous condensation and peculiar rhythm at every turn in the literature of the present day4 ,pope1 again1 is said to have tuned our versification4 ,since his time1 any one1 who has an ear and turn for poetry1 can with little pains throw off a copy of verses equal or superior to the poet's own1 and with far less of study and patient correction than would have been demanded of the poet himself for their production4 ,compare the choruses of the ,samson ,agonistes with any stanza taken at random in ,thalaba3 how much had the language gained in the interval between them6 ,without denying the high merits of ,southey's beautiful romance1 we surely shall not be wrong in saying1 that in its unembarrassed eloquent flow1 it is the language of the nineteenth century that speaks1 as much as the author himself4 ,i will give an instance of what ,i mean3 let us take the beginning of the first chorus in the ,samson3-- ,just are the ways of ,god4 ,and justifiable to men2 ,unless there be who think not ,god at all2 ,if any be1 they walk obscure1 ,for of such doctrine never was there school1 ,but the heart of the fool1 ,and no man therein doctor but himself4 ,but men there be1 who doubt ,his ways not just1 ,as to ,his own edicts found contradicting1 ,then give the reins to wandering thought1 ,regardless of ,his glory's diminution2 ,till1 by their own perplexities involved1 ,they ravel more1 still less resolved1 ,but never find self-satisfying solution4 ,and now take the opening stanza of ,thalaba3-- ,how beautiful is night ,a dewy freshness fills the silent air2 ,no mist obscures1 nor cloud1 nor speck1 nor stain1 ,breaks the serene of heaven4 ,in full-orb'd glory yonder ,moon divine ,rolls through the dark blue depths4 ,beneath her steady ray ,the desert circle spreads1 ,like the round ocean girdled with the sky4 ,how beautiful is night6 ,does not ,southey show to advantage here8 yet the voice of the world proclaims ,milton pre-eminently a poet2 and no one can affect a doubt of the delicacy and exactness of his ear4 ,yet1 much as he did for the language in verse and in prose1 he left much for other artists to do after him1 which they have successfully accomplished4 ,we see the fruit of the literary labours of ,pope1 ,thomson1 ,gray1 ,goldsmith1 and other poets of the eighteenth century1 in the musical eloquence of ,southey4 #c4 ,so much for the process2 now for its termination4 ,i think it is brought about in some such way as the following3-- ,the influence of a great classic upon the nation which he represents is twofold2 on the one hand he advances his native language towards its perfection2 but on the other hand he discourages in some measure any advance beyond his own4 ,thus1 in the parallel case of science1 it is commonly said on the continent1 that the very marvellousness of ,newton's powers was the bane of ,english mathematics3 inasmuch as those who succeeded him were content with his discoveries1 bigoted to his methods of investigation1 and averse to those new instruments which have carried on the ,french to such brilliant and successful results4 ,in ,literature1 also1 there is something oppressive in the authority of a great writer1 and something of tyranny in the use to which his admirers put his name4 ,the school which he forms would fain monopolize the language1 draws up canons of criticism from his writings1 and is intolerant of innovation4 ,those who come under its influence are dissuaded or deterred from striking out a path of their own4 ,thus ,virgil's transcendent excellence fixed the character of the hexameter in subsequent poetry1 and took away the chances1 if not of improvement1 at least of variety4 ,even ,juvenal has much of ,virgil in the structure of his verse4 ,i have known those who prefer the rhythm of ,catullus4 ,however1 so summary a result is not of necessary occurrence4 ,the splendour of an author may excite a generous emulation1 or the tyrannous formalism of his followers a re-action2 and thus other authors and other schools arise4 ,we read of ,thucydides1 on hearing ,herodotus read his history at ,olympia1 being incited to attempt a similar work1 though of an entirely different and of an original structure4 ,gibbon1 in like manner1 writing of ,hume and ,robertson1 says3 8,the perfect composition1 the nervous language1 the well-turned periods of ,dr4 ,robertson1 inflamed me to the ambitious hope that ,i might one day tread in his footsteps2 the calm philosophy1 the careless inimitable beauties of his friend and rival1 often forced me to close the volume with a mixed sensation of delight and despair407#ci7 ,as to re-actions1 ,i suppose there has been something of the kind against the supremacy of ,pope1 since the time that his successors1 ,campbell especially1 have developed his peculiarities and even defects into extravagance4 ,crabbe1 for instance1 turned back to a versification having much more of ,dryden in it2 and ,byron1 in spite of his high opinion of ,pope1 threw into his lines the rhythm of blank verse4 ,still1 on the whole1 the influence of a ,classic acts in the way of discouraging any thing new1 rather than in that of exciting rivalry or provoking re-action4 ,and another consideration is to be taken into account4 ,when a language has been cultivated in any particular department of thought1 and so far as it has been generally perfected1 an existing want has been supplied1 and there is no need for further workmen4 ,in its earlier times1 while it is yet unformed1 to write in it at all is almost a work of genius4 ,it is like crossing a country before roads are made communicating between place and place4 ,the authors of that age deserve to be ,classics1 both because of what they do and because they can do it4 ,it requires the courage or the force of great talent to compose in the language at all2 and the composition1 when effected1 makes a permanent impression on it4 ,in those early times1 too1 the licence of speech unfettered by precedents1 the novelty of the work1 the state of society1 and the absence of criticism1 enable an author to write with spirit and freshness4 ,but1 as centuries pass on1 this stimulus is taken away2 the language by this time has become manageable for its various purposes1 and is ready at command4 ,ideas have found their corresponding expressions2 and one word will often convey what once required half a dozen4 ,roots have been expanded1 derivations multiplied1 terms invented or adopted4 ,a variety of phrases has been provided1 which form a sort of compound words4 ,separate professions1 pursuits1 and provinces of literature have gained their conventional terminology4 ,there is an historical1 political1 social1 commercial style4 ,the ear of the nation has become accustomed to useful expressions or combinations of words1 which otherwise would sound harsh4 ,strange metaphors have been naturalized in the ordinary prose1 yet cannot be taken as precedents for a similar liberty4 ,criticism has become an art1 and exercises a continual and jealous watch over the free genius of new writers4 ,it is difficult for them to be original in the use of their mother tongue without being singular4 ,thus the language has become in a great measure stereotype2 as in the case of the human frame1 it has expanded to the loss of its elasticity1 and can expand no more4 ,then the general style of educated men1 formed by the accumulated improvements of centuries1 is far superior perhaps in perfectness to that of any one of those national ,classics1 who have taught their countrymen to write more clearly1 or more elegantly1 or more forcibly than themselves4 ,and literary men submit themselves to what they find so well provided for them2 or1 if impatient of conventionalities1 and resolved to shake off a yoke which tames them down to the loss of individuality1 they adopt no half measures1 but indulge in novelties which offend against the genius of the language1 and the true canons of taste4 ,political causes may co-operate in a revolt of this kind2 and1 as a nation declines in patriotism1 so does its language in purity4 ,it seems to me as if the sententious1 epigrammatic style of writing1 which set in with ,seneca1 and is seen at least as late as in the writings of ,st4 ,ambrose1 is an attempt to escape from the simplicity of ,csar and the majestic elocution of ,cicero2 while ,tertullian1 with more of genius than good sense1 relieves himself in the harsh originality of his provincial ,latin4 ,there is another impediment1 as time goes on1 to the rise of fresh classics in any nation2 and that is the effect which foreigners1 or foreign literature1 will exert upon it4 ,it may happen that a certain language1 like ,greek1 is adopted and used familiarly by educated men in other countries2 or again1 that educated men1 to whom it is native1 may abandon it for some other language1 as the ,romans of the second and third centuries wrote in ,greek instead of ,latin4 ,the consequence will be1 that the language in question will tend to lose its nationality--that is1 its distinctive character2 it will cease to be idiomatic in the sense in which it once was so2 and whatever grace or propriety it may retain1 it will be comparatively tame and spiritless2 or1 on the other hand1 it will be corrupted by the admixture of foreign elements4 #d4 ,such1 as ,i consider1 being the fortunes of ,classical ,literature1 viewed generally1 ,i should never be surprised to find that1 as regards this hemisphere1 for ,i can prophesy nothing of ,america1 we have well nigh seen the end of ,english ,classics4 ,certainly1 it is in no expectation of ,catholics continuing the series here that ,i speak of the duty and necessity of their cultivating ,english literature4 ,when ,i speak of the formation of a ,catholic school of writers1 ,i have respect principally to the matter of what is written1 and to composition only so far forth as style is necessary to convey and to recommend the matter4 ,i mean a literature which resembles the literature of the day4 ,this is not a day for great writers1 but for good writing1 and a great deal of it4 ,there never was a time when men wrote so much and so well1 and that1 without being of any great account themselves4 ,while our literature in this day1 especially the periodical1 is rich and various1 its language is elaborated to a perfection far beyond that of our ,classics1 by the jealous rivalry1 the incessant practice1 the mutual influence1 of its many writers4 ,in point of mere style1 ,i suppose1 many an article in the ,times newspaper1 or ,edinburgh ,review1 is superior to a preface of ,dryden's1 or a ,spectator1 or a pamphlet of ,swift's1 or one of ,south's sermons4 ,our writers write so well that there is little to choose between them4 ,what they lack is that individuality1 that earnestness1 most personal yet most unconscious of self1 which is the greatest charm of an author4 ,the very form of the compositions of the day suggests to us their main deficiency4 ,they are anonymous4 ,so was it not in the literature of those nations which we consider the special standard of classical writing2 so is it not with our own ,classics4 ,the ,epic was sung by the voice of the living1 present poet4 ,the drama1 in its very idea1 is poetry in persons4 ,historians begin1 8,herodotus1 of ,halicarnassus1 publishes his researches20 or1 8,thucydides1 the ,athenian1 has composed an account of the war40 ,pindar is all through his odes a speaker4 ,plato1 ,xenophon1 and ,cicero1 throw their philosophical dissertations into the form of a dialogue4 ,orators and preachers are by their very profession known persons1 and the personal is laid down by the ,philosopher of antiquity as the source of their greatest persuasiveness4 ,virgil and ,horace are ever bringing into their poetry their own characters and tastes4 ,dante's poems furnish a series of events for the chronology of his times4 ,milton is frequent in allusions to his own history and circumstances4 ,even when ,addison writes anonymously1 he writes under a professed character1 and that in a great measure his own2 he writes in the first person4 ,the 8,i0 of the ,spectator1 and the 8we0 of the modern ,review or ,newspaper1 are the respective symbols of the two ages in our literature4 ,catholics must do as their neighbours2 they must be content to serve their generation1 to promote the interests of religion1 to recommend truth1 and to edify their brethren to-day1 though their names are to have little weight1 and their works are not to last much beyond themselves4 #e4 ,and now having shown what it is that a ,catholic ,university does not think of doing1 what it need not do1 and what it cannot do1 ,i might go on to trace out in detail what it is that it really might and will encourage and create4 ,but1 as such an investigation would neither be difficult to pursue1 nor easy to terminate1 ,i prefer to leave the subject at the preliminary point to which ,i have brought it4 ,lecture ,,iv4 ,elementary ,studies4 ,it has often been observed that1 when the eyes of the infant first open upon the world1 the reflected rays of light which strike them from the myriad of surrounding objects present to him no image1 but a medley of colours and shadows4 ,they do not form into a whole2 they do not rise into foregrounds and melt into distances2 they do not divide into groups2 they do not coalesce into unities2 they do not combine into persons2 but each particular hue and tint stands by itself1 wedged in amid a thousand others upon the vast and flat mosaic1 having no intelligence1 and conveying no story1 any more than the wrong side of some rich tapestry4 ,the little babe stretches out his arms and fingers1 as if to grasp or to fathom the many-coloured vision2 and thus he gradually learns the connexion of part with part1 separates what moves from what is stationary1 watches the coming and going of figures1 masters the idea of shape and of perspective1 calls in the information conveyed through the other senses to assist him in his mental process1 and thus gradually converts a calidoscope into a picture4 ,the first view was the more splendid1 the second the more real2 the former more poetical1 the latter more philosophical4 ,alas6 what are we doing all through life1 both as a necessity and as a duty1 but unlearning the world's poetry1 and attaining to its prose6 ,this is our education1 as boys and as men1 in the action of life1 and in the closet or library2 in our affections1 in our aims1 in our hopes1 and in our memories4 ,and in like manner it is the education of our intellect2 ,i say1 that one main portion of intellectual education1 of the labours of both school and university1 is to remove the original dimness of the mind's eye2 to strengthen and perfect its vision2 to enable it to look out into the world right forward1 steadily and truly2 to give the mind clearness1 accuracy1 precision2 to enable it to use words aright1 to understand what it says1 to conceive justly what it thinks about1 to abstract1 compare1 analyze1 divide1 define1 and reason1 correctly4 ,there is a particular science which takes these matters in hand1 and it is called logic2 but it is not by logic1 certainly not by logic alone1 that the faculty ,i speak of is acquired4 ,the infant does not learn to spell and read the hues upon his retina by any scientific rule2 nor does the student learn accuracy of thought by any manual or treatise4 ,the instruction given him1 of whatever kind1 if it be really instruction1 is mainly1 or at least pre-eminently1 this1--a discipline in accuracy of mind4 ,boys are always more or less inaccurate1 and too many1 or rather the majority1 remain boys all their lives4 ,when1 for instance1 ,i hear speakers at public meetings declaiming about 8large and enlightened views10 or about 8freedom of conscience10 or about 8the ,gospel10 or any other popular subject of the day1 ,i am far from denying that some among them know what they are talking about2 but it would be satisfactory1 in a particular case1 to be sure of the fact2 for it seems to me that those household words may stand in a man's mind for a something or other1 very glorious indeed1 but very misty1 pretty much like the idea of 8civilization0 which floats before the mental vision of a ,turk1--that is1 if1 when he interrupts his smoking to utter the word1 he condescends to reflect whether it has any meaning at all4 ,again1 a critic in a periodical dashes off1 perhaps1 his praises of a new work1 as 8talented1 original1 replete with intense interest1 irresistible in argument1 and1 in the best sense of the word1 a very readable book20--can we really believe that he cares to attach any definite sense to the words of which he is so lavish8 nay1 that1 if he had a habit of attaching sense to them1 he could ever bring himself to so prodigal and wholesale an expenditure of them8 ,to a short-sighted person1 colours run together and intermix1 outlines disappear1 blues and reds and yellows become russets or browns1 the lamps or candles of an illumination spread into an unmeaning glare1 or dissolve into a milky way4 ,he takes up an eye-glass1 and the mist clears up2 every image stands out distinct1 and the rays of light fall back upon their centres4 ,it is this haziness of intellectual vision which is the malady of all classes of men by nature1 of those who read and write and compose1 quite as well as of those who cannot1--of all who have not had a really good education4 ,those who cannot either read or write may1 nevertheless1 be in the number of those who have remedied and got rid of it2 those who can1 are too often still under its power4 ,it is an acquisition quite separate from miscellaneous information1 or knowledge of books4 ,this is a large subject1 which might be pursued at great length1 and of which here ,i shall but attempt one or two illustrations4 #a4 ,grammar4 #a4 ,one of the subjects especially interesting to all persons who1 from any point of view1 as officials or as students1 are regarding a ,university course1 is that of the ,entrance ,examination4 ,now a principal subject introduced into this examination will be 8the elements of ,latin and ,greek ,grammar40 8,grammar0 in the middle ages was often used as almost synonymous with 8literature10 and a ,grammarian was a 8,professor literarum40 ,this is the sense of the word in which a youth of an inaccurate mind delights4 ,he rejoices to profess all the classics1 and to learn none of them4 ,on the other hand1 by 8,grammar0 is now more commonly meant1 as ,johnson defines it1 8the art of using words properly10 and it 8comprises four parts--,orthography1 ,etymology1 ,syntax1 and ,prosody40 ,grammar1 in this sense1 is the scientific analysis of language1 and to be conversant with it1 as regards a particular language1 is to be able to understand the meaning and force of that language when thrown into sentences and paragraphs4 ,thus the word is used when the 8elements of ,latin and ,greek ,grammar0 are spoken of as subjects of our ,entrance ,examination2 not1 that is1 the elements of ,latin and ,greek literature1 as if a youth were intended to have a smattering of the classical writers in general1 and were to be able to give an opinion about the eloquence of ,demosthenes and ,cicero1 the value of ,livy1 or the existence of ,homer2 or need have read half a dozen ,greek and ,latin authors1 and portions of a dozen others3--though of course it would be much to his credit if he had done so2 only1 such proficiency is not to be expected1 and cannot be required1 of him3--but we mean the structure and characteristics of the ,latin and ,greek languages1 or an examination of his scholarship4 ,that is1 an examination in order to ascertain whether he knows ,etymology and ,syntax1 the two principal departments of the science of language1--whether he understands how the separate portions of a sentence hang together1 how they form a whole1 how each has its own place in the government of it1 what are the peculiarities of construction or the idiomatic expressions in it proper to the language in which it is written1 what is the precise meaning of its terms1 and what the history of their formation4 ,all this will be best arrived at by trying how far he can frame a possible1 or analyze a given sentence4 ,to translate an ,english sentence into ,latin is to frame a sentence1 and is the best test whether or not a student knows the difference of ,latin from ,english construction2 to construe and parse is to analyze a sentence1 and is an evidence of the easier attainment of knowing what ,latin construction is in itself4 ,and this is the sense of the word 8,grammar0 which our inaccurate student detests1 and this is the sense of the word which every sensible tutor will maintain4 ,his maxim is1 8a little1 but well20 that is1 really know what you say you know3 know what you know and what you do not know2 get one thing well before you go on to a second2 try to ascertain what your words mean2 when you read a sentence1 picture it before your mind as a whole1 take in the truth or information contained in it1 express it in your own words1 and1 if it be important1 commit it to the faithful memory4 ,again1 compare one idea with another2 adjust truths and facts2 form them into one whole1 or notice the obstacles which occur in doing so4 ,this is the way to make progress2 this is the way to arrive at results2 not to swallow knowledge1 but 7according to the figure sometimes used7 to masticate and digest it4 #b4 ,to illustrate what ,i mean1 ,i proceed to take an instance4 ,i will draw the sketch of a candidate for entrance1 deficient to a great extent4 ,i shall put him below par1 and not such as it is likely that a respectable school would turn out1 with a view of clearly bringing before the reader1 by the contrast1 what a student ought not to be1 or what is meant by inaccuracy4 ,and1 in order to simplify the case to the utmost1 ,i shall take1 as he will perceive as ,i proceed1 one single word as a sort of text1 and show how that one word1 even by itself1 affords matter for a sufficient examination of a youth in grammar1 history1 and geography4 ,i set off thus3-- ,tutor4 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,i believe8 sit down4 ,candidate4 ,yes4 ,t4 ,what are the ,latin and ,greek books you propose to be examined in8 ,c4 ,homer1 ,lucian1 ,demosthenes1 ,xenophon1 ,virgil1 ,horace1 ,statius1 ,juvenal1 ,cicero1 ,analecta1 and ,matthi4 ,t4 ,no2 ,i mean what are the books ,i am to examine you in8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,the two books1 one ,latin and one ,greek3 don't flurry yourself4 ,c4 ,oh1 ''' ,xenophon and ,virgil4 ,t4 ,xenophon and ,virgil4 ,very well2 what part of ,xenophon8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,what work of ,xenophon8 ,c4 ,xenophon4 ,t4 ,xenophon wrote many works4 ,do you know the names of any of them8 ,c4 ,i ''' ,xenophon ''' ,xenophon4 ,t4 ,is it the ,anabasis you take up8 ,c4 7with surprise7 ,o yes2 the ,anabasis4 ,t4 ,well1 ,xenophon's ,anabasis2 now what is the meaning of the word anabasis8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,you know very well2 take your time1 and don't be alarmed4 ,anabasis means ''' ,c4 ,an ascent4 ,t4 ,very right2 it means an ascent4 ,now how comes it to mean an ascent8 ,what is it derived from8 ,c4 ,it comes from ''' 7a pause74 ,anabasis ''' it is the nominative4 ,t4 ,quite right3 but what part of speech is it8 ,c4 ,a noun1--a noun substantive4 ,t4 ,very well2 a noun substantive1 now what is the verb that anabasis is derived from8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,from the verb 1 isn't it8 from 4 ,c4 ,yes4 ,t4 ,just so4 ,now1 what does mean8 ,c4 ,to go up1 to ascend4 ,t4 ,very well2 and which part of the word means to go1 and which part up8 ,c4 is up1 and go4 ,t4 to go1 yes2 now1 8 ,what does mean8 ,c4 ,a going4 ,t4 ,that is right2 and -8 ,c4 ,a going up4 ,t4 ,now what is a going down8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,what is down8 ''' ''' don't you recollect8 4 ,c4 4 ,t4 ,well1 then1 what is a going down8 ,cat 44 cat ''' ,c4 ,cat4''' ,t4 ,cata ''' ,c4 ,cata4''' ,t4 ,catabasis4 ,c4 ,oh1 of course1 catabasis4 ,t4 ,now tell me what is the future of 8 ,c4 7thinks7 4 ,t4 ,no1 no2 think again2 you know better than that4 ,c4 7objects7 1 8 ,t4 ,certainly1 is the future of 2 but is1 you know1 an irregular verb4 ,c4 ,oh1 ,i recollect1 4 ,t4 ,well1 that is much better2 but you are not quite right yet2 4 ,c4 ,oh1 of course14 ,t4 4 ,now do you mean to say that comes from 8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,for instance3 comes from by a change of letters2 does in any similar way come from 8 ,c4 ,it is an irregular verb4 ,t4 ,what do you mean by an irregular verb8 does it form tenses anyhow and by caprice8 ,c4 ,it does not go according to the paradigm4 ,t4 ,yes1 but how do you account for this8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,are its tenses formed from several roots8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 is silent2 then he changes the subject4 ,t4 ,well1 now you say ,anabasis means an ascent4 ,who ascended8 ,c4 ,the ,greeks1 ,xenophon4 ,t4 ,very well3 ,xenophon and the ,greeks2 the ,greeks ascended4 ,to what did they ascend8 ,c4 ,against the ,persian king3 they ascended to fight the ,persian king4 ,t4 ,that is right ''' an ascent2 but ,i thought we called it a descent when a foreign army carried war into a country8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,don't we talk of a descent of barbarians8 ,c4 ,yes4 ,t4 ,why then are the ,greeks said to go up8 ,c4 ,they went up to fight the ,persian king4 ,t4 ,yes2 but why up ''' why not down8 ,c4 ,they came down afterwards1 when they retreated back to ,greece4 ,t4 ,perfectly right2 they did ''' but could you give no reason why they are said to go up to ,persia1 not down8 ,c4 ,they went up to ,persia4 ,t4 ,why do you not say they went down8 ,c4 pauses1 then ''' ,they went down to ,persia4 ,t4 ,you have misunderstood me4 ,a silence4 ,t4 ,why do you not say down8 ,c4 ,i do ''' down4 ,t4 ,you have got confused2 you know very well4 ,c4 ,i understood you to ask why ,i did not say 8they went down40 ,a silence on both sides4 ,t4 ,have you come up to ,dublin or down8 ,c4,i came up4 ,t4 ,why do you call it coming up8 ,c4 thinks1 then smiles1 then ''' ,we always call it coming up to ,dublin4 ,t4 ,well1 but you always have a reason for what you do ''' what is your reason here8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,come1 come1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,i won't believe you don't know2 ,i am sure you have a very good reason for saying you go up to ,dublin1 not down4 ,c4 thinks1 then ''' ,it is the capital4 ,t4 ,very well2 now was ,persia the capital8 ,c4 ,yes4 ,t4 ,well ''' no ''' not exactly ''' explain yourself2 was ,persia a city8 ,c4 ,a country4 ,t4 ,that is right2 well1 but did you ever hear of ,susa8 ,now1 why did they speak of going up to ,persia8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,because it was the seat of government2 that was one reason4 ,persia was the seat of government2 they went up because it was the seat of government4 ,c4 ,because it was the seat of government4 ,t4 ,now where did they go up from8 ,c4 ,from ,greece4 ,t4 ,but where did this army assemble8 whence did it set out8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,it is mentioned in the first book2 where did the troops rendezvous8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,open your book2 now turn to ,book ,i41 chapter ii42 now tell me4 ,c4 ,oh1 at ,sardis4 ,t4 ,very right3 at ,sardis2 now where was ,sardis8 ,c4 ,in ,asia ,minor8''' no ''' it's an island ''' a pause1 then ''' ,sardinia4 ,t4 ,in ,asia ,minor2 the army set out from ,asia ,minor1 and went on towards ,persia2 and therefore it is said to go up--because ''' ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,because ''' ,persia ''' ,c4 ,because ,persia ''' ,t4 ,of course2 because ,persia held a sovereignty over ,asia ,minor4 ,c4 ,yes4 ,t4 ,now do you know how and when ,persia came to conquer and gain possession of ,asia ,minor8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,was ,persia in possession of many countries8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,was ,persia at the head of an empire8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,who was ,xerxes8 ,c4 ,oh1 ,xerxes ''' yes ''' ,xerxes2 he invaded ,greece2 he flogged the sea4 ,t4 ,right2 he flogged the sea3 what sea8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,have you read any history of ,persia8''' what history8 ,c4 ,grote1 and ,mitford4 ,t4 ,well1 now1 ,mr4 ,brown1 you can name some other reason why the ,greeks spoke of going up to ,persia8 ,do we talk of going up or down from the sea-coast8 ,c4 ,up4 ,t4 ,that is right2 well1 going from ,asia ,minor1 would you go from the sea1 or towards it8 ,c4 ,from4 ,t4 ,what countries would you pass1 going from the coast of ,asia ,minor to ,persia8 ''' mention any of them4 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,what do you mean by ,asia ,minor8''' why called ,minor8''' how does it lie8 ,c4 is silent4 ,etc41 etc4 #c4 ,i have drawn out this specimen at the risk of wearying the reader2 but ,i have wished to bring out clearly what it really is which an ,entrance ,examination should aim at and require in its students4 ,this young man had read the ,anabasis1 and had some general idea what the word meant2 but he had no accurate knowledge how the word came to have its meaning1 or of the history and geography implied in it4 ,this being the case1 it was useless1 or rather hurtful1 for a boy like him to amuse himself with running through ,grote's many volumes1 or to cast his eye over ,matthi's minute criticisms4 ,indeed1 this seems to have been ,mr4 ,brown's stumbling-block2 he began by saying that he had read ,demosthenes1 ,virgil1 ,juvenal1 and ,i do not know how many other authors4 ,nothing is more common in an age like this1 when books abound1 than to fancy that the gratification of a love of reading is real study4 ,of course there are youths who shrink even from story books1 and cannot be coaxed into getting through a tale of romance4 ,such ,mr4 ,brown was not2 but there are others1 and ,i suppose he was in their number1 who certainly have a taste for reading1 but in whom it is little more than the result of mental restlessness and curiosity4 ,such minds cannot fix their gaze on one object for two seconds together2 the very impulse which leads them to read at all1 leads them to read on1 and never to stay or hang over any one idea4 ,the pleasurable excitement of reading what is new is their motive principle2 and the imagination that they are doing something1 and the boyish vanity which accompanies it1 are their reward4 ,such youths often profess to like poetry1 or to like history or biography2 they are fond of lectures on certain of the physical sciences2 or they may possibly have a real and true taste for natural history or other cognate subjects2--and so far they may be regarded with satisfaction2 but on the other hand they profess that they do not like logic1 they do not like algebra1 they have no taste for mathematics2 which only means that they do not like application1 they do not like attention1 they shrink from the effort and labour of thinking1 and the process of true intellectual gymnastics4 ,the consequence will be that1 when they grow up1 they may1 if it so happen1 be agreeable in conversation1 they may be well informed in this or that department of knowledge1 they may be what is called literary2 but they will have no consistency1 steadiness1 or perseverance2 they will not be able to make a telling speech1 or to write a good letter1 or to fling in debate a smart antagonist1 unless so far as1 now and then1 mother-wit supplies a sudden capacity1 which cannot be ordinarily counted on4 ,they cannot state an argument or a question1 or take a clear survey of a whole transaction1 or give sensible and appropriate advice under difficulties1 or do any of those things which inspire confidence and gain influence1 which raise a man in life1 and make him useful to his religion or his country4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now1 having instanced what ,i mean by the want of accuracy1 and stated the results in which ,i think it issues1 ,i proceed to sketch1 by way of contrast1 an examination which displays a student1 who1 whatever may be his proficiency1 at least knows what he is about1 and has tried to master what he has read4 ,i am far from saying that every candidate for admission must come up to its standard3-- ,t4 ,i think you have named ,cicero's ,letters ad ,familiares1 ,mr4 ,black8 ,open1 if you please1 at ,book xi41 ,epistle #bi1 and begin reading4 ,c4 reads4 ,cicero ,appio salutem4 ,dubitanti mihi 7quod scit ,atticus noster71 de hoc toto consilio profectionis1 quod in utramque partem in mentem multa veniebant1 magnum pondus accessit ad tollendam dubitationem1 judicium et consilium tuum4 ,nam et scripsisti aperte1 quid tibi videretur2 et ,atticus ad me sermonem tuum pertulit4 ,semper judicavi1 in te1 et in capiendo consilio prudentiam summam esse1 et in dando fidem2 maximeque sum expertus1 cm1 initio civilis belli1 per literas te consuluissem quid mihi faciendum esse censeres2 eundumne ad ,pompeium an manendum in ,itali4 ,t4 ,very well1 stop there2 ,now construe4 ,c4 ,cicero ,appio salutem4''' ,cicero greets ,appius4 ,t4 8,greets ,appius40 ,true2 but it sounds stiff in ,english1 doesn't it8 ,what is the real ,english of it8 ,c4 8,my dear ,appius80''' ,t4 ,that will do2 go on4 ,c4 ,dubitanti mihi1 quod scit ,atticus noster1 ,while ,i was hesitating1 as our friend ,atticus knows4''' ,t4 ,that is right4 ,c4 ,de hoc toto consilio profectionis1 about the whole plan ''' entire project ''' de hoc toto consilio profectionis ''' on the subject of my proposed journey ''' on my proposed journey altogether4 ,t4 ,never mind2 go on2 any of them will do4 ,c4 ,quod in utramque partem in mentem multa veniebant1 inasmuch as many considerations both for and against it came into my mind1 magnum pondus accessit ad tollendam dubitationem1 it came with great force to remove my hesitation4 ,t4 ,what do you mean by 8accessit08 ,c4 ,it means it contributed to turn the scale2 accessit1 it was an addition to one side4 ,t4 ,well1 it may mean so1 but the words run1 ad tollendam dubitationem4 ,c4 ,it was a great ''' it was a powerful help towards removing my hesitation ''' no ''' this was a powerful help1 viz41 your judgment and advice4 ,t4 ,well1 what is the construction of 8pondus0 and 8judicium08 ,c4 ,your advice came as a great weight4 ,t4 ,very well1 go on4 ,c4 ,nam et scripsisti aperte quid tibi videretur2 for you distinctly wrote your opinion4 ,t4 ,now1 what is the force of 8nam08 ,c4 pauses2 then1 ,it refers to 8accessit0 ''' it is an explanation of the fact1 that ,appius's opinion was a help4 ,t4 8,et02 you omitted 8et0 ''' 8et scripsisti40 ,c4 ,it is one of two 8ets02 et scripsisti1 et ,atticus4 ,t4 ,well1 but why don't you construe it8 ,c4 ,et scripsisti1 you both distinctly4''' ,t4 ,no2 tell me1 why did you leave it out8 had you a reason8 ,c4 ,i thought it was only the ,latin style1 to dress the sentence1 to make it antithetical2 and was not ,english4 ,t4 ,very good1 still1 you can express it2 try4 ,c4 ,also1 with the second clause8 ,t4 ,that is right1 go on4 ,c4 ,nam et1 for you distinctly stated in writing your opinion1 et ,atticus ad me sermonem tuum pertulit1 and ,aticus too sent me word of what you said1''' of what you said to him in conversation4 ,t4 8,pertulit40 ,c4 ,it means that ,atticus conveyed on to ,cicero the conversation he had with ,appius4 ,t4 ,who was ,atticus8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,who was ,atticus8 ,c4 ,i didn't think it came into the examination4''' ,t4 ,well1 ,i didn't say it did3 but still you can tell me who ,atticus was4 ,c4 ,a great friend of ,cicero's4 ,t4 ,did he take much part in politics8 ,c4 ,no4 ,t4 ,what were his opinions8 ,c4 ,he was an ,epicurean4 ,t4 ,what was an ,epicurean8 ,c4 is silent1 then1 ,epicureans lived for themselves4 ,t4 ,you are answering very well1 sir2 proceed4 ,c4 ,semper judicavi1 ,i have ever considered1 in te1 et in capiendo consilio prudentiam summam esse1 et in dando fidem2 that your wisdom was of the highest order ''' that you had the greatest wisdom ''' that nothing could exceed the wisdom of your resolves1 or the honesty of your advice4 ,t4 8,fidem40 ,c4 ,it means faithfulness to the person asking ''' maximeque sum expertus1 and ,i had a great proof of it4''' ,t4 ,great2 why don't you say greatest8 8maxime0 is superlative4 ,c4 ,the ,latins use the superlative1 when they only mean the positive4 ,t4 ,you mean1 when ,english uses the positive2 can you give me an instance of what you mean8 ,c4 ,cicero always speaks of others as amplissimi1 optimi1 doctissimi1 clarissimi4 ,t4 ,do they ever use the comparative for the positive8 ,c4 thinks1 then1 ,certior factus sum4 ,t4 ,well1 perhaps2 however1 here1 8maxime0 may mean special1 may it not8 ,c4 ,and ,i had a special proof of it1 cm1 initio civilis belli1 per literas te consuluissem1 when1 on the commencement of the civil war1 ,i had written to ask your advice1 quid mihi faciendum esse censeres1 what you thought ,i ought to do1 eundumne ad ,pompeium1 an manendum in ,itali1 to go to ,pompey1 or to remain in ,italy4 ,t4 ,very well1 now stop4 ,dubitanti mini1 quod scit ,atticus noster4 ,you construed quod1 as4 ,c4 ,i meant the relative as4 ,t4 ,is as a relative8 ,c4 ,as is used in ,english for the relative1 as when we say such as for those who4 ,t4 ,well1 but why do you use it here8 ,what is the antecedent to 8quod08 ,c4 ,the sentence ,dubitanti mihi1 etc4 ,t4 ,still1 construe 8quod0 literally4 ,c4 ,a thing which4 ,t4 ,where is a thing8 ,c4 ,it is understood4 ,t4 ,well1 but put it in4 ,c4 ,illud quod4 ,t4 ,is that right8 what is the common phrase8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,did you ever see 8illud quod0 in that position8 is it the phrase8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,it is commonly 8id quod10 isn't it8 id quod4 ,c4 ,oh1 ,i recollect1 id quod4 ,t4 ,well1 which is more common1 8quod10 or 8id quod10 when the sentence is the antecedent8 ,c4 ,i think 8id quod40 ,t4 ,at least it is far more distinct2 yes1 ,i think it is more common4 ,what could you put instead of it8 ,c4 ,quod quidem4 ,t4 ,now1 dubitanti mihi2 what is 8mihi0 governed by8 ,c4 ,accessit4 ,t4 ,no2 hardly4 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,does 8accessit0 govern the dative8 ,c4 ,i thought it did4 ,t4 ,well1 it may2 but would ,cicero use the dative after it8 what is the more common practice with words of motion8 ,do you say1 ,venit mihi1 he came to me8 ,c4 ,no1 ,venit ad me2--,i recollect4 ,t4 ,that is right2 venit ad me4 ,now1 for instance1 8incumbo30 what case does 8incumbo0 govern8 ,c4 ,incumbite remis8 ,t4 ,where is that8 in ,cicero8 ,c4 ,no1 in ,virgil4 ,cicero uses 8in02 ,i recollect1 incumbere in opus ''' ad opus4 ,t4 ,well1 then1 is this 8mihi0 governed by 8accessit08 what comes after accessit8 ,c4 ,i see2 it is1 accessit ad tollendam dubitationem4 ,t4 ,that is right2 but then1 what after all do you do with 8mihi08 how is it governed8 ,c4 is silent4 ,t4 ,how is 8mihi0 governed1 if it does not come after 8accessit08 ,c4 pauses1 then1 8,mihi0 ''' 8mihi0 is often used so2 and 8tibi0 and 8sibi03 ,i mean 8suo sibi gladio hunc jugulo02 ''' 8venit mihi in mentem02 that is1 it came into my mind2 and so1 8accessit mihi ad tollendam10 etc4 ,t4 ,that is very right4 ,c4 ,i recollect somewhere in ,horace1 vellunt tibi barbam4 ,etc41 etc4 #d4 ,and now1 my patient reader1 ,i suspect you have had enough of me on this subject2 and the best ,i can expect from you is1 that you will say3 8,his first pages had some amusement in them1 but he is dullish towards the end40 ,perhaps so2 but then you must kindly bear in mind that the latter part is about a steady careful youth1 and the earlier part is not2 and that goodness1 exactness1 and diligence1 and the correct and the unexceptionable1 though vastly more desirable than their contraries in fact1 are not near so entertaining in fiction4 #b4 ,composition4 #a4 ,i am able to present the reader by anticipation with the correspondence which will pass between ,mr4 ,brown's father and ,mr4 ,white1 the tutor1 on the subject of ,mr4 ,brown's examination for entrance at the ,university4 ,and1 in doing so1 let me state the reason why ,i dwell on what many will think an extreme case1 or even a caricature4 ,i do so1 because what may be called exaggeration is often the best means of bringing out certain faults of the mind which do indeed exist commonly1 if not in that degree4 ,if a master in carriage and deportment wishes to carry home to one of his boys that he slouches1 he will caricature the boy himself1 by way of impressing on the boy's intellect a sort of abstract and typical representation of the ungraceful habit which he wishes corrected4 ,when we once have the simple and perfect ideas of things in our minds1 we refer the particular and partial manifestations of them to these types2 we recognize what they are1 good or bad1 as we never did before1 and we have a guide set up within us to direct our course by4 ,so it is with principles of taste1 good breeding1 or of conventional fashion2 so it is in the fine arts1 in painting1 or in music4 ,we cannot even understand the criticism passed on these subjects until we have set up for ourselves the ideal standard of what is admirable and what is absurd4 ,so is it with the cultivation and discipline of the mind1 it a handsomer place than ,i thought for--really a respectable town4 ,but it is sadly behind the world in many things4 ,think of its having no ,social ,science1 not even a ,national ,gallery or ,british ,museum6 nor have they any high art here3 some good public buildings1 but very pagan4 ,the bay is a fine thing4 8,i called with your letter on ,mr4 ,black1 who introduced me to the professors1 some of whom1 judging by their skulls1 are clever men4 8,there is a lot here for examination1 and an ,exhibition is to be given to the best4 ,i should like to get it4 ,young ,black1--you saw him once1--is one of them2 ,i knew him at school2 he is a large fellow now1 though younger than ,i am4 ,if he be the best of them1 ,i shall not be much afraid4 8,well--in ,i went yesterday1 and was examined4 ,it was such a queer concern4 ,one of the junior ,tutors had me up1 and he must be a new hand1 he was so uneasy4 ,he gave me the slowest examination6 ,i don't know to this minute what he was at4 ,he first said a word or two1 and then was silent4 ,he then asked me why we came up to ,dublin1 and did not go down2 and put some absurd little questions about 4 ,i was tolerably satisfied with myself1 but he gave me no opportunity to show off4 ,he asked me literally nothing2 he did not even give me a passage to construe for a long time1 and then gave me nothing more than two or three easy sentences4 ,and he kept playing with his paper knife1 and saying3 #8,how are you now1 ,mr4 ,brown8 don't be alarmed1 ,mr4 ,brown2 take your time1 ,mr4 ,brown2 you know very well1 ,mr4 ,brown2' so that ,i could hardly help laughing4 ,i never was less afraid in my life4 ,it would be wonderful if such an examination could put me out of countenance4 8,there's a lot of things which ,i know very well1 which the ,examiner said not a word about4 ,indeed1 ,i think ,i have been getting up a great many things for nothing2--provoking enough4 ,i had read a good deal of ,grote2 but though ,i told him so1 he did not ask me one question in it2 and there's ,whewell1 ,macaulay1 and ,schlegel1 all thrown away4 8,he has not said a word yet where ,i am to be lodged4 ,he looked quite confused when ,i asked him4 ,he is1 ,i suspect1 a character4 8,your dutiful son1 etc41 8,,robert40 ,mr4 ,white to ,mr4 ,brown1 sen4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sir1 8,i have to acknowledge the kind letter you sent me by your son1 and ,i am much pleased to find the confidence you express in us4 ,your son seems an amiable young man1 of studious habits1 and there is every hope1 when he joins us1 of his passing his academical career with respectability1 and his examination with credit4 ,this is what ,i should have expected from his telling me that he had been educated at home under your own paternal eye2 indeed1 if ,i do not mistake1 you have undertaken the interesting office of instructor yourself4 8,i hardly know what best to recommend to him at the moment3 his reading has been desultory2 he knows something about a great many things1 of which youths of his age commonly know nothing4 ,of course we could take him into residence now1 if you urge it2 but my advice is that he should first direct his efforts to distinct preparation for our examination1 and to study its particular character4 ,our rule is to recommend youths to do a little well1 instead of throwing themselves upon a large field of study4 ,i conceive it to be your son's fault of mind not to see exactly the point of things1 nor to be so well grounded as he might be4 ,young men are indeed always wanting in accuracy2 this kind of deficiency is not peculiar to him1 and he will doubtless soon overcome it when he sets about it4 8,on the whole1 then1 if you will kindly send him up six months hence he will be more able to profit by our lectures4 ,i will tell him what to read in the meanwhile4 ,did it depend on me1 ,i should send him for that time to a good school or college1 or ,i could find you a private ,tutor for him4 8,i am1 etc40 ,mr4 ,brown1 sen41 to ,mr4 ,white4 8,,sir1 8,your letter1 which ,i have received by this morning's post1 is gratifying to a parent's feelings1 so far as it bears witness to the impression which my son's amiableness and steadiness have made on you4 ,he is indeed a most exemplary lad3 fathers are partial1 and their word about their children is commonly not to be taken2 but ,i flatter myself that the present case is an exception to the rule2 for1 if ever there was a well-conducted youth1 it is my dear son4 ,he is certainly very clever2 and a closer student1 and1 for his age1 of more extensive reading and sounder judgment1 does not exist4 8,with this conviction1 you will excuse me if ,i say that there were portions of your letter which ,i could not reconcile with that part of it to which ,i have been alluding4 ,you say he is #8a young man of studious habits1' having #8every hope of passing his academical career with respectability1 and his examination with credit2' you allow that #8he knows something about a great many things1 of which youths of his age commonly know nothing3' no common commendation1 ,i consider2 yet1 in spite of this1 you recommend1 though you do not exact1 as a complete disarrangement of my plans 7for ,i do not know how long my duties will keep me in ,ireland71 a postponement of his coming into residence for six months4 8,will you allow me to suggest an explanation of this inconsistency8 ,it is found in your confession that the examination is of a #8particular character4' ,of course it is very right in the governors of a great ,institution to be #8particular1' and it is not for me to argue with them4 ,nevertheless1 ,i cannot help saying1 that at this day nothing is so much wanted in education as general knowledge4 ,this alone will fit a youth for the world4 ,in a less stirring time1 it may be well enough to delay in particularities1 and to trifle over minuti2 but the world will not stand still for us1 and1 unless we are up to its requisitions1 we shall find ourselves thrown out of the contest4 ,a man must have something in him now1 to make his way2 and the sooner we understand this1 the better4 8,it mortified me1 ,i confess1 to hear from my son1 that you did not try him in a greater number of subjects1 in handling which he would probably have changed your opinion of him4 ,he has a good memory1 and a great talent for history1 ancient and modern1 especially constitutional and parliamentary2 another favourite study with him is the philosophy of history4 ,he has read ,pritchard's ,physical ,history1 ,cardinal ,wiseman's ,lectures on ,science1 ,bacon's ,advancement of ,learning1 ,macaulay1 and ,hallam3 ,i never met with a faster reader4 ,i have let him attend1 in ,england1 some of the most talented lecturers in chemistry1 geology1 and comparative anatomy1 and he sees the ,quarterly ,reviews and the best ,magazines1 as a matter of course4 ,yet on these matters not a word of examination6 8,i have forgotten to mention1 he has a very pretty idea of poetical composition3 ,i enclose a fragment which ,i have found on his table1 as well as one of his prose ,essays4 8,allow me1 as a warm friend of your undertaking1 to suggest1 that the substance of knowledge is far more valuable than its technicalities2 and that the vigour of the youthful mind is but wasted on barren learning1 and its ardour is quenched in dry disquisition4 8,i have the honour to be1 etc40 ,on the receipt of this letter1 ,mr4 ,white will find1 to his dissatisfaction1 that he has not advanced one hair's breadth in bringing home to ,mr4 ,brown's father the real state of the case1 and has done no more than present himself as a mark for certain commonplaces1 very true1 but very inappropriate to the matter in hand4 ,filled with this disappointing thought1 for a while he will not inspect the enclosures of ,mr4 ,brown's letter1 being his son's attempts at composition4 ,at length he opens them1 and reads as follows3 ,mr4 ,brown's poetry4 ,,the ,,taking ,,of ,,sebastopol47#dj7 ,oh1 might ,i flee to ,araby the blest1 ,the world forgetting1 but its gifts possessed1 ,where fair-eyed peace holds sway from shore to shore1 ,and war's shrill clarion frights the air no more4 ,heard ye the cloud-compelling blast7#da7 awake ,the slumbers of the inhospitable lake87#db7 ,saw ye the banner in its pride unfold ,the blush of crimson and the blaze of gold8 ,raglan and ,st4 ,arnaud1 in high command1 ,have steamed from old ,byzantium's hoary strand2 ,the famed ,cyanean rocks presaged their fight1 ,twin giants1 with the astonished ,muscovite4 ,so the loved maid1 in ,syria's balmy noon1 ,forebodes the coming of the hot simoon1 ,and sighs4''' ,and longs4''' ,and dimly traces4''' 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,brown's prose4 8,,fortes ,,fortuna ,,adjuvat40 8,of all the uncertain and capricious powers which rule our earthly destiny1 fortune is the chief4 ,who has not heard of the poor being raised up1 and the rich being laid low8 ,alexander the ,great said he envied ,diogenes in his tub1 because ,diogenes could have nothing less4 ,we need not go far for an instance of fortune4 ,who was so great as ,nicholas1 the ,czar of all the ,russias1 a year ago1 and now he is #8fallen1 fallen from his high estate1 without a friend to grace his obsequies4'7#dc7 ,the ,turks are the finest specimen of the human race1 yet they1 too1 have experienced the vicissitudes of fortune4 ,horace says that we should wrap ourselves in our virtue1 when fortune changes4 ,napoleon1 too1 shows us how little we can rely on fortune2 but his faults1 great as they were1 are being redeemed by his nephew1 ,louis ,napoleon1 who has shown himself very different from what we expected1 though he has never explained how he came to swear to the ,constitution1 and then mounted the imperial throne4 8,from all this it appears1 that we should rely on fortune only while it remains1--recollecting the words of the thesis1 #8,fortes fortuna adjuvat2' and that1 above all1 we should ever cultivate those virtues which will never fail us1 and which are a sure basis of respectability1 and will profit us here and hereafter40 99 99 99 99 99 ,on reading these compositions over1 ,mr4 ,white will take to musing2 then he will reflect that he may as well spare himself the trouble of arguing with a correspondent1 whose principle and standard of judgment is so different from his own2 and so he will write a civil letter back to ,mr4 ,brown1 enclosing the two papers4 #c4 ,mr4 ,brown1 however1 has not the resignation of ,mr4 ,white2 and1 on his ,dublin friend1 ,mr4 ,black1 paying him a visit1 he will open his mind to him2 and ,i am going to tell the reader all that will pass between the two4 ,mr4 ,black is a man of education and of judgment4 ,he knows the difference between show and substance2 he is penetrated with the conviction that ,rome was not built in a day1 that buildings will not stand without foundations1 and that1 if boys are to be taught well1 they must be taught slowly1 and step by step4 ,moreover1 he thinks in his secret heart that his own son ,harry1 whose acquaintance we have already formed1 is worth a dozen young ,browns4 ,to him1 then1 not quite an impartial judge1 ,mr4 ,brown unbosoms his dissatisfaction1 presenting to him his son's ,theme as an experimentum crucis between him and ,mr4 ,white4 ,mr4 ,black reads it through once1 and then a second time2 and then he observes-- 8,well1 it is only the sort of thing which any boy would write1 neither better nor worse4 ,i speak candidly40 ,on ,mr4 ,brown expressing disappointment1 inasmuch as the said ,theme is not the sort of thing which any boy could write1 ,mr4 ,black continues-- 8,there's not one word of it upon the thesis2 but all boys write in this way40 ,mr4 ,brown directs his friend's attention to the knowledge of ancient history which the composition displays1 of ,alexander and ,diogenes2 of the history of ,napoleon2 to the evident interest which the young author takes in contemporary history1 and his prompt application of passing events to his purpose2 moreover1 to the apposite quotation from ,dryden1 and the reference to ,horace2--all proofs of a sharp wit and a literary mind4 ,but ,mr4 ,black is more relentlessly critical than the occasion needs1 and more pertinacious than any father can comfortably bear4 ,he proceeds to break the butterfly on the wheel in the following oration3-- 8,now look here10 he says1 8the subject is #8,fortes fortuna adjuvat'2 now this is a proposition2 it states a certain general principle1 and this is just what an ordinary boy would be sure to miss1 and ,robert does miss it4 ,he goes off at once on the word #8fortuna4' #8,fortuna' was not his subject2 the thesis was intended to guide him1 for his own good2 he refuses to be put into leading-strings2 he breaks loose1 and runs off in his own fashion on the broad field and in wild chase of #8fortune1' instead of closing with a subject1 which1 as being definite1 would have supported him4 8,it would have been very cruel to have told a boy to write on #8fortune'2 it would have been like asking him his opinion #8of things in general4' ,fortune is #8good1' #8bad1' #8capricious1' #8unexpected1' ten thousand things all at once 7you see them all in the ,gradus71 and one of them as much as the other4 ,ten thousand things may be said of it3 give me one of them1 and ,i will write upon it2 ,i cannot write on more than one2 ,robert prefers to write upon all4 8 #8,fortune favours the bold2' here is a very definite subject3 take hold of it1 and it will steady and lead you on3 you will know in what direction to look4 ,not one boy in a hundred does avail himself of this assistance2 your boy is not solitary in his inaccuracy2 all boys are more or less inaccurate1 because they are boys2 boyishness of mind means inaccuracy4 ,boys cannot deliver a message1 or execute an order1 or relate an occurrence1 without a blunder4 ,they do not rouse up their attention and reflect3 they do not like the trouble of it3 they cannot look at anything steadily2 and1 when they attempt to write1 off they go in a rigmarole of words1 which does them no good1 and never would1 though they scribbled themes till they wrote their fingers off4 8,a really clever youth1 especially as his mind opens1 is impatient of this defect of mind1 even though1 as being a youth1 he be partially under its influence4 ,he shrinks from a vague subject1 as spontaneously as a slovenly mind takes to it2 and he will often show at disadvantage1 and seem ignorant and stupid1 from seeing more and knowing more1 and having a clearer perception of things than another has4 ,i recollect once hearing such a young man1 in the course of an examination1 asked very absurdly what #8his opinion' was of ,lord ,chatham4 ,well1 this was like asking him his view of #8things in general4' ,the poor youth stuck1 and looked like a fool1 though it was not he4 ,the examiner1 blind to his own absurdity1 went on to ask him #8what were the characteristics of ,english history4' ,another silence1 and the poor fellow seemed to lookers-on to be done for1 when his only fault was that he had better sense than his interrogator4 8,when ,i hear such questions put1 ,i admire the tact of the worthy ,milnwood in ,old ,mortality1 when in a similar predicament4 ,sergeant ,bothwell broke into his house and dining-room in the king's name1 and asked him what he thought of the murder of the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrew's2 the old man was far too prudent to hazard any opinion of his own1 even on a precept of the ,decalogue1 when a trooper called for it2 so he glanced his eye down the ,royal ,proclamation in the ,sergeant's hand1 and appropriated its sentiments as an answer to the question before him4 ,thereby he was enabled to pronounce the said assassination to be #8savage1' #8treacherous1' #8diabolical1' and #8contrary to the king's peace and the security of the subject2' to the edification of all present1 and the satisfaction of the military inquisitor4 ,it was in some such way my young friend got off4 ,his guardian angel reminded him in a whisper that ,mr4 ,grey1 his examiner1 had himself written a book on ,lord ,chatham and his times4 ,this set him up at once2 he drew boldly on his knowledge of his man for the political views advanced in it2 was at no loss for definite propositions to suit his purpose2 recovered his ground1 and came off triumphantly40 ,here ,mr4 ,black stops2 and ,mr4 ,brown takes advantage of the pause to insinuate that ,mr4 ,black is not himself a disciple of his own philosophy1 having travelled some way from his subject2--his friend stands corrected1 and retraces his steps4 8,the thesis10 he begins again1 8is #8,fortune favours the brave2' ,robert has gone off with the nominative without waiting for verb and accusative4 ,he might as easily have gone off upon #8brave1' or upon #8favour1' except that #8fortune' comes first4 ,he does not merely ramble from his subject1 but he starts from a false point4 ,nothing could go right after this beginning1 for having never gone off his subject 7as ,i did off mine71 he never could come back to it4 ,however1 at least he might have kept to some subject or other2 he might have shown some exactness or consecutiveness in detail2 but just the contrary2--observe4 ,he begins by calling fortune #8a power'2 let that pass4 ,next1 it is one of the powers #8which rule our earthly destiny1' that is1 fortune rules destiny4 ,why1 where there is fortune1 there is no destiny2 where there is destiny1 there is no fortune4 ,next1 after stating generally that fortune raises or depresses1 he proceeds to exemplify3 there's ,alexander1 for instance1 and ,diogenes1--instances1 that is1 of what fortune did not do1 for they died1 as they lived1 in their respective states of life4 ,then comes the ,emperor ,nicholas hic et nunc2 with the ,turks on the other hand1 place and time and case not stated4 ,then examples are dropped1 and we are turned over to poetry1 and what we ought to do1 according to ,horace1 when fortune changes4 ,next1 we are brought back to our examples1 in order to commence a series of rambles1 beginning with ,napoleon the ,first4 ,apropos of ,napoleon the ,first comes in ,napoleon the ,third2 this leads us to observe that the latter has acted #8very differently from what we expected2' and this again to the further remark1 that no explanation has yet been given of his getting rid of the ,constitution4 ,he then ends by boldly quoting the thesis1 in proof that we may rely on fortune1 when we cannot help it2 and by giving us advice1 sound1 but unexpected1 to cultivate virtue40 8,o6 ,black1 it is quite ludicrous0 ''' breaks in ,mr4 ,brown2--this ,mr4 ,brown must be a very good-tempered man1 or he would not bear so much3--this is my remark1 not ,mr4 ,black's1 who will not be interrupted1 but only raises his voice3 8,now1 ,i know how this ,theme was written10 he says1 8first one sentence1 and then your boy sat thinking1 and devouring the end of his pen2 presently down went the second1 and so on4 ,the rule is1 first think1 and then write3 don't write when you have nothing to say2 or1 if you do1 you will make a mess of it4 ,a thoughtful youth may deliver himself clumsily1 he may set down little2 but depend upon it1 his half sentences will be worth more than the folio sheet of another boy1 and an experienced examiner will see it4 8,now1 ,i will prophesy one thing of ,robert1 unless this fault is knocked out of him10 continues merciless ,mr4 ,black4 8,when he grows up1 and has to make a speech1 or write a letter for the papers1 he will look out for flowers1 full-blown flowers1 figures1 smart expressions1 trite quotations1 hackneyed beginnings and endings1 pompous circumlocutions1 and so on3 but the meaning1 the sense1 the solid sense1 the foundation1 you may hunt the slipper long enough before you catch it40 8,well10 says ,mr4 ,brown1 a little chafed1 8you are a great deal worse than ,mr4 ,white2 you have missed your vocation3 you ought to have been a schoolmaster40 ,yet he goes home somewhat struck by what his friend has said1 and turns it in his mind for some time to come1 when he gets there4 ,he is a sensible man at bottom1 as well as good-tempered1 this ,mr4 ,brown4 #c4 ,latin ,writing4 #a4 ,mr4 ,white1 the ,tutor1 is more and more pleased with young ,mr4 ,black2 and1 when the latter asks him for some hints for writing ,latin1 ,mr4 ,white takes him into his confidence and lends him a number of his own papers4 ,among others he puts the following into ,mr4 ,black's hands4 ,mr4 ,white's view of ,latin translation4 8,there are four requisites of good ,composition1--correctness of vocabulary1 or diction1 syntax1 idiom1 and elegance4 ,of these1 the two first need no explanation1 and are likely to be displayed by every candidate4 ,the last is desirable indeed1 but not essential4 ,the point which requires especial attention is idiomatic propriety4 8,by idiom is meant that use of words which is peculiar to a particular language4 ,two nations may have corresponding words for the same ideas1 yet differ altogether in their mode of using those words4 ,for instance1 #8et' means #8and1' yet it does not always admit of being used in ,latin1 where #8and' is used in ,english4 #8,faire' may be ,french for #8do'2 yet in a particular phrase1 for #8,how do you do8' #8faire' is not used1 but #8se porter1' viz41 #8,comment vous portez-vous8' ,an ,englishman or a ,frenchman would be almost unintelligible and altogether ridiculous to each other1 who used the ,french or ,english words1 with the idioms or peculiar uses of his own language4 ,hence1 the most complete and exact acquaintance with dictionary and grammar will utterly fail to teach a student to write or compose4 ,something more is wanted1 viz41 the knowledge of the use of words and constructions1 or the knowledge of idiom4 8,take the following ,english of a modern writer3 8 #8,this is a serious consideration3--,among men1 as among wild beasts1 the taste of blood creates the appetite for it1 and the appetite for it is strengthened by indulgence4' 8,translate it word for word literally into ,latin1 thus3-- 8 #8,hc est seria consideratio4 ,inter homines1 ut inter feras1 gustus sanguinis creat ejus appetitum1 et ejus appetitus indulgenti roboratur4' 8,purer ,latin1 as far as diction is concerned1 more correct1 as far as syntax1 cannot be desired4 ,every word is classical1 every construction grammatical3 yet ,latinity it simply has none4 ,from beginning to end it follows the ,english mode of speaking1 or ,english idiom1 not the ,latin4 8,in proportion1 then1 as a candidate advances from this ,anglicism into ,latinity1 so far does he write good ,latin4 8,we might make the following remarks upon the above literal version4 8#a4 #8,consideratio' is not #8a consideration2' the ,latins1 having no article1 are driven to expedients to supply its place1 e4g41 quidam is sometimes used for a4 8#b4 #8,consideratio' is not #8a consideration1' i4e41 a thing considered1 or a subject2 but the act of considering4 8#c4 ,it must never be forgotten1 that such words as #8consideratio' are generally metaphorical1 and therefore cannot be used simply1 and without limitation or explanation1 in the ,english sense1 according to which the mental act is primarily conveyed by the word4 #8,consideratio1' it is true1 can be used absolutely1 with greater propriety than most words of the kind2 but if we take a parallel case1 for instance1 #8agitatio1' we could not use it at once in the mental sense for #8agitation1' but we should be obliged to say #8agitatio mentis1 animi1' etc41 though even then it would not answer to #8agitation4' 8#d4 #8,inter homines1 gustus1' etc4 ,here the ,english1 as is not uncommon1 throws two ideas together4 ,it means1 first1 that something occurs among men1 and occurs among wild beasts1 and that it is the same thing which occurs among both2 and secondly that this something is1 that the taste of blood has a certain particular effect4 ,in other words1 it means1 7#a7 #8this occurs among beasts and men1' 7#b7 viz41 that the #8taste of blood1' etc4 ,therefore1 #8inter homines1 etc41 gustus creat1 etc41' does not express the ,english meaning1 it only translates its expression4 8#e4 #8,inter homines' is not the ,latin phrase for #8among4' #8,inter' generally involves some sense of division1 viz41 interruption1 contrast1 rivalry1 etc4 ,thus1 with a singular noun1 #8inter cnam hoc accidit1' i4e41 this interrupted the supper4 ,and so with two nouns1 #8inter me et ,brundusium ,csar est4' ,and so with a plural noun1 #8hoc inter homines ambigitur1' i4e41 man with man4 #8,micat inter omnes ,julium sidus1' i4e41 in the rivalry of star against star4 #8,inter tot annos unus 7vir7 inventus est1' i4e41 though all those years1 one by one1 put in their claim1 yet only one of them can produce a man1 etc4 #8,inter se diligunt1' they love each other4 ,on the contrary1 the ,latin word for #8among1' simply understood1 is #8in4' 8#f4 ,as a general rule1 indicatives active followed by accusatives1 are foreign to the main structure of a ,latin sentence4 8#g4 #8,et2' here two clauses are connected1 having different subjects or nominatives2 in the former #8appetitus' is in the nominative1 and in the latter in the accusative4 ,it is usual in ,latin to carry on the same subject1 in connected clauses4 8#h4 #8,et' here connects two distinct clauses4 #8,autem' is more common4 8,these being some of the faults of the literal version1 ,i transcribe the translations sent in to me by six of my pupils respectively1 who1 however deficient in elegance of composition1 and though more or less deficient in hitting the ,latin idiom1 yet evidently know what idiom is4 8,the first wrote3--,videte rem graviorem2 quod feris1 id hominibus quoque accidit1--sanguinis sitim semel gustantibus intus concipi1 plen potantibus maturari4 8,the second wrote3--,res seria agitur2 nam quod in feris1 illud in hominibus quoque cernitur1 sanguinis appetitionem et suscitari lambendo et epulando inflammari4 8,the third3--,ecce res summ consideratione digna2 et in feris et in hominibus1 sanguinis semel delibati sitis est1 spius hausti libido4 8,the fourth3--,sollicit animadvertendum est1 cum in feris tum in hominibus fieri1 ut gutt pariant appetitum sanguinis1 frequentiores potus ingluviem4 8,and the fifth3--,perpende sedulo1 gustum sanguinis tam in hominibus quam in feris prim appetitionem sui tandem cupidinem inferre4 8,and the sixth3--,hoc grave est1 quod hominibus cum feris videmus commune1 gustasse est appetere sanguinem1 hausisse in deliciis habere40 ,mr4 ,black1 junr41 studies this paper1 and considers that he has gained something from it4 ,accordingly1 when he sees his father1 he mentions to him ,mr4 ,white1 his kindness1 his papers1 and especially the above1 of which he has taken a copy4 ,his father begs to see it2 and1 being a bit of a critic1 forthwith delivers his judgment on it1 and condescends to praise it2 but he says that it fails in this1 viz41 in overlooking the subject of structure4 ,he maintains that the turning-point of good or bad ,latinity is1 not idiom1 as ,mr4 ,white says1 but structure4 ,then ,mr4 ,black1 the father1 is led on to speak of himself1 and of his youthful studies2 and he ends by giving ,harry a history of his own search after the knack of writing ,latin4 ,i do not see quite how this is to the point of ,mr4 ,white's paper1 which cannot be said to contradict ,mr4 ,black's narrative2 but for this very reason1 ,i may consistently quote it1 for from a different point of view it may throw light on the subject treated in common by both these literary authorities4 #b4 ,old ,mr4 ,black's ,confession of his search after a ,latin style4 8,the attempts and the failures and the successes of those who have gone before1 my dear son1 are the direction-posts of those who come after2 and1 as ,i am only speaking to you1 it strikes me that ,i may1 without egotism or ostentation1 suggest views or cautions1 which might indeed be useful to the ,university ,student generally1 by a relation of some of my own endeavours to improve my own mind1 and to increase my own knowledge in my early life4 ,i am no great admirer of self-taught geniuses2 to be self-taught is a misfortune1 except in the case of those extraordinary minds1 to whom the title of genius justly belongs2 for in most cases1 to be self-taught is to be badly grounded1 to be slovenly finished1 and to be preposterously conceited4 ,nor1 again1 was that misfortune ,i speak of really mine2 but ,i have been left at times just so much to myself1 as to make it possible for young students to gain hints from the history of my mind1 which will be useful to themselves4 ,and now for my subject4 8,at school ,i was reckoned a sharp boy2 ,i ran through its classes rapidly2 and by the time ,i was fifteen1 my masters had nothing more to teach me1 and did not know what to do with me4 ,i might have gone to a public school1 or to a private tutor for three or four years2 but there were reasons against either plan1 and at the unusual age ,i speak of1 with some inexact acquaintance with ,homer1 ,sophocles1 ,herodotus1 and ,xenophon1 ,horace1 ,virgil1 and ,cicero1 ,i was matriculated at the ,university4 ,i had from a child been very fond of composition1 verse and prose1 ,english and ,latin1 and took especial interest in the subject of style2 and one of the wishes nearest my heart was to write ,latin well4 ,i had some idea of the style of ,addison1 ,hume1 and ,johnson1 in ,english2 but ,i had no idea what was meant by good ,latin style4 ,i had read ,cicero without learning what it was2 the books said1 #8,this is neat ,ciceronian language1' #8this is pure and elegant ,latinity1' but they did not tell me why4 ,some persons told me to go by my ear2 to get ,cicero by heart2 and then ,i should know how to turn my thoughts and marshal my words1 nay1 more1 where to put subjunctive moods and where to put indicative4 ,in consequence ,i had a vague1 unsatisfied feeling on the subject1 and kept grasping shadows1 and had upon me something of the unpleasant sensation of a bad dream4 8,when ,i was sixteen1 ,i fell upon an article in the ,quarterly1 which reviewed a ,latin history of 7,i think7 the ,rebellion of #agae2 perhaps by ,dr4 ,whitaker4 ,years afterwards ,i learned that the critique was the writing of a celebrated ,oxford scholar2 but at the time1 it was the subject itself1 not the writer1 that took hold of me4 ,i read it carefully1 and made extracts which1 ,i believe1 ,i have to this day4 ,had ,i known more of ,latin writing1 it would have been of real use to me2 but as it was concerned of necessity in verbal criticisms1 it did but lead me deeper into the mistake to which ,i had already been introduced1--that ,latinity consisted in using good phrases4 ,accordingly ,i began noting down1 and using in my exercises1 idiomatic or peculiar expressions3 such as #8oleum perdidi1' #8haud scio an non1' #8cogitanti mihi1' #8verum enimvero1' #8equidem1' #8dixerim1' and the like2 and ,i made a great point of putting the verb at the end of the sentence4 ,what took me in the same direction was ,dumesnil's ,synonymes1 a good book1 but one which does not even profess to teach ,latin writing4 ,i was aiming to be an architect by learning to make bricks4 8,then ,i fell in with the ,germania and ,agricola of ,tacitus1 and was very much taken by his style4 ,its peculiarities were much easier to understand1 and to copy1 than ,cicero's3 #8decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile2' and thus1 without any advance whatever in understanding the genius of the language1 or the construction of a ,latin sentence1 ,i added to my fine words and cut-and-dried idioms1 phrases smacking of ,tacitus4 ,the ,dialogues of ,erasmus1 which ,i studied1 carried me in the same direction2 for dialogues1 from the nature of the case1 consist of words and clauses1 and smart1 pregnant1 or colloquial expressions1 rather than of sentences with an adequate structure40 ,mr4 ,black takes breath1 and then continues3 8,the labour1 then1 of years came to nothing1 and when ,i was twenty ,i knew no more of ,latin composition than ,i had known at fifteen4 ,it was then that circumstances turned my attention to a volume of ,latin ,lectures1 which had been published by the accomplished scholar of whose critique in the ,quarterly ,review ,i have already spoken4 ,the ,lectures in question had been delivered terminally while he held the ,professorship of ,poetry1 and were afterwards collected into a volume2 and various circumstances combined to give them a peculiar character4 ,delivered one by one at intervals1 to a large1 cultivated1 and critical audience1 they both demanded and admitted of special elaboration of the style4 ,as coming from a person of his high reputation for ,latinity1 they were displays of art2 and1 as addressed to persons who had to follow ex tempore the course of a discussion delivered in a foreign tongue1 they needed a style as neat1 pointed1 lucid1 and perspicuous as it was ornamental4 ,moreover1 as expressing modern ideas in an ancient language1 they involved a new development and application of its powers4 ,the result of these united conditions was a style less simple1 less natural and fresh1 than ,cicero's2 more studied1 more ambitious1 more sparkling2 heaping together in a page the flowers which ,cicero scatters over a treatise2 but still on that very account more fitted for the purpose of inflicting upon the inquiring student what ,latinity was4 ,any how1 such was its effect upon me2 it was like the #8,open ,sesame' of the tale2 and ,i quickly found that ,i had a new sense1 as regards composition1 that ,i understood beyond mistake what a ,latin sentence should be1 and saw how an ,english sentence must be fused and remoulded in order to make it ,latin4 ,henceforth ,cicero1 as an artist1 had a meaning1 when ,i read him1 which he never had had to me before2 the bad dream of seeking and never finding was over2 and1 whether ,i ever wrote ,latin or not1 at least ,i knew what good ,latin was4 8,i had now learned that good ,latinity lies in structure2 that every word of a sentence may be ,latin1 yet the whole sentence remain ,english2 and that dictionaries do not teach composition4 ,exulting in my discovery1 ,i next proceeded to analyze and to throw into the shape of science that idea of ,latinity to which ,i had attained4 ,rules and remarks1 such as are contained in works on composition1 had not led me to master the idea2 and now that ,i really had gained it1 it led me to form from it rules and remarks for myself4 ,i could now turn ,cicero to account1 and ,i proceeded to make his writings the materials of an induction1 from which ,i drew out and threw into form what ,i have called a science of ,latinity1--with its principles and peculiarities1 their connection and their consequences1--or at least considerable specimens of such a science1 the like of which ,i have not happened to see in print4 ,considering1 however1 how much has been done for scholarship since the time ,i speak of1 and especially how many ,german books have been translated1 ,i doubt not ,i should now find my own poor investigations and discoveries anticipated and superseded by works which are in the hands of every school-boy4 ,at the same time1 ,i am quite sure that ,i gained a very great deal in the way of precision of thought1 delicacy of judgment1 and refinement of taste1 by the processes of induction to which ,i am referring4 ,i kept blank books1 in which every peculiarity in every sentence of ,cicero was minutely noted down1 as ,i went on reading4 ,the force of words1 their combination into phrases1 their collocation--the carrying on of one subject or nominative through a sentence1 the breaking up of a sentence into clauses1 the evasion of its categorical form1 the resolution of abstract nouns into verbs and participles2--what is possible in ,latin composition and what is not1 how to compensate for want of brevity by elegance1 and to secure perspicuity by the use of figures1 these1 and a hundred similar points of art1 ,i illustrated with a diligence which even bordered on subtlety4 ,cicero became a mere magazine of instances1 and the main use of the river was to feed the canal4 ,i am unable to say whether these elaborate inductions would profit any one else1 but ,i have a vivid recollection of the great utility they were at that time to my own mind4 8,the general subject of ,latin composition1 my dear son1 has ever interested me much1 and you see only one point in it has made me speak for a quarter of an hour2 but now that ,i have had my say about it1 what is its upshot8 ,the great moral ,i would impress upon you is this1 that in learning to write ,latin1 as in all learning1 you must not trust to books1 but only make use of them2 not hang like a dead weight upon your teacher1 but catch some of his life2 handle what is given you1 not as a formula1 but as a pattern to copy and as a capital to improve2 throw your heart and mind into what you are about1 and thus unite the separate advantages of being tutored and of being self-taught1--self-taught1 yet without oddities1 and tutorized1 yet without conventionalities40 8,why1 my dear father10 says young ,mr4 ,black1 8you speak like a book4 ,you must let me ask you to write down for me what you have been giving out in conversation40 ,i have had the advantage of the written copy4 #d4 ,general ,religious ,knowledge4 #a4 ,it has been the custom in the ,english ,universities to introduce religious instruction into the ,school of ,arts2 and a very right custom it is1 which every ,university may well imitate4 ,i have certainly felt it ought to have a place in that ,school2 yet the subject is not without its difficulty1 and ,i intend to say a few words upon it here4 ,that place1 if it has one1 should of course be determined on some intelligible principle1 which1 while it justifies the introduction of ,religion into a secular ,faculty1 will preserve it from becoming an intrusion1 by fixing the conditions under which it is to be admitted4 ,there are many who would make over the subject of ,religion to the theologian exclusively2 there are others who allow it almost unlimited extension in the province of ,letters4 ,the latter of these two classes1 if not large1 at least is serious and earnest2 it seems to consider that the ,classics should be superseded by the ,scriptures and the ,fathers1 and that ,theology proper should be taught to the youthful aspirant for ,university honours4 ,i am not here concerned with opinions of this character1 which ,i respect1 but cannot follow4 ,nor am ,i concerned with that large class1 on the other hand1 who1 in their exclusion of ,religion from the lecture-rooms of ,philosophy and ,letters 7or of ,arts1 as it used to be called71 are actuated by scepticism or indifference2 but there are other persons1 much to be consulted1 who arrive at the same practical conclusion as the sceptic and unbeliever1 from real reverence and pure zeal for the interests of ,theology1 which they consider sure to suffer from the superficial treatment of lay-professors1 and the superficial reception of young minds1 as soon as1 and in whatever degree1 it is associated with classical1 philosophical1 and historical studies2--and as very many persons of great consideration seem to be of this opinion1 ,i will set down the reasons why ,i follow the ,english tradition instead1 and in what sense ,i follow it4 ,i might appeal1 ,i conceive1 to authority in my favour1 but ,i pass it over1 because mere authority1 however sufficient for my own guidance1 is not sufficient for the definite direction of those who have to carry out the matter of it in practice4 #b4 ,in the first place1 then1 it is congruous certainly that youths who are prepared in a ,catholic ,university for the general duties of a secular life1 or for the secular professions1 should not leave it without some knowledge of their religion2 and1 on the other hand1 it does1 in matter of fact1 act to the disadvantage of a ,christian place of education1 in the world and in the judgment of men of the world1 and is a reproach to its conductors1 and even a scandal1 if it sends out its pupils accomplished in all knowledge except ,christian knowledge2 and hence1 even though it were impossible to rest the introduction of religious teaching into the secular lecture-room upon any logical principle1 the imperative necessity of its introduction would remain1 and the only question would be1 what matter was to be introduced1 and how much4 ,and next1 considering that1 as the mind is enlarged and cultivated generally1 it is capable1 or rather is desirous and has need1 of fuller religious information1 it is difficult to maintain that that knowledge of ,christianity which is sufficient for entrance at the ,university is all that is incumbent on students who have been submitted to the academical course4 ,so that we are unavoidably led on to the further question1 viz41 shall we sharpen and refine the youthful intellect1 and then leave it to exercise its new powers upon the most sacred of subjects1 as it will1 and with the chance of its exercising them wrongly2 or shall we proceed to feed it with divine truth1 as it gains an appetite for knowledge8 ,religious teaching1 then1 is urged upon us in the case of ,university students1 first1 by its evident propriety2 secondly1 by the force of public opinion2 thirdly1 from the great inconveniences of neglecting it4 ,and1 if the subject of ,religion is to have a real place in their course of study1 it must enter into the examinations in which that course results2 for nothing will be found to impress and occupy their minds but such matters as they have to present to their ,examiners4 ,such1 then1 are the considerations which actually oblige us to introduce the subject of ,religion into our secular schools1 whether it be logical or not to do so2 but next1 ,i think that we can do so without any sacrifice of principle or of consistency2 and this1 ,i trust1 will appear1 if ,i proceed to explain the mode which ,i should propose to adopt for the purpose3-- ,i would treat the subject of ,religion in the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters simply as a branch of knowledge4 ,if the ,university student is bound to have a knowledge of ,history generally1 he is bound to have inclusively a knowledge of sacred history as well as profane2 if he ought to be well instructed in ,ancient ,literature1 ,biblical ,literature comes under that general description as well as ,classical2 if he knows the ,philosophy of men1 he will not be extravagating from his general subject1 if he cultivate also that ,philosophy which is divine4 ,and as a student is not necessarily superficial1 though he has not studied all the classical poets1 or all ,aristotle's philosophy1 so he need not be dangerously superficial1 if he has but a parallel knowledge of ,religion4 #c4 ,however1 it may be said that the risk of theological error is so serious1 and the effects of theological conceit are so mischievous1 that it is better for a youth to know nothing of the sacred subject1 than to have a slender knowledge which he can use freely and recklessly1 for the very reason that it is slender4 ,and here we have the maxim in corroboration3 8,a little learning is a dangerous thing40 ,this objection is of too anxious a character to be disregarded4 ,i should answer it thus3--,in the first place it is obvious to remark1 that one great portion of the knowledge here advocated is1 as ,i have just said1 historical knowledge1 which has little or nothing to do with doctrine4 ,if a ,catholic youth mixes with educated ,protestants of his own age1 he will find them conversant with the outlines and the characteristics of sacred and ecclesiastical history as well as profane3 it is desirable that he should be on a par with them1 and able to keep up a conversation with them4 ,it is desirable1 if he has left our ,university with honours or prizes1 that he should know as well as they about the great primitive divisions of ,christianity1 its polity1 its luminaries1 its acts1 and its fortunes2 its great eras1 and its course down to this day4 ,he should have some idea of its propagation1 and of the order in which the nations1 which have submitted to it1 entered its pale2 and of the list of its ,fathers1 and of its writers generally1 and of the subjects of their works4 ,he should know who ,st4 ,justin ,martyr was1 and when he lived2 what language ,st4 ,ephraim wrote in2 on what ,st4 ,chrysostom's literary fame is founded2 who was ,celsus1 or ,ammonius1 or ,porphyry1 or ,ulphilas1 or ,symmachus1 or ,theodoric4 ,who were the ,nestorians2 what was the religion of the barbarian nations who took possession of the ,roman ,empire3 who was ,eutyches1 or ,berengarius1 who the ,albigenses4 ,he should know something about the ,benedictines1 ,dominicans1 or ,franciscans1 about the ,crusades1 and the chief movers in them4 ,he should be able to say what the ,holy ,see has done for learning and science2 the place which these islands hold in the literary history of the dark age2 what part the ,church had1 and how her highest interests fared1 in the revival of letters2 who ,bessarion was1 or ,ximenes1 or ,william of ,wykeham1 or ,cardinal ,allen4 ,i do not say that we can insure all this knowledge in every accomplished student who goes from us1 but at least we can admit such knowledge1 we can encourage it1 in our lecture-rooms and examination-halls4 ,and so in like manner1 as regards ,biblical knowledge1 it is desirable that1 while our students are encouraged to pursue the history of classical literature1 they should also be invited to acquaint themselves with some general facts about the canon of ,holy ,scripture1 its history1 the ,jewish canon1 ,st4 ,jerome1 the ,protestant ,bible2 again1 about the languages of ,scripture1 the contents of its separate books1 their authors1 and their versions4 ,in all such knowledge ,i conceive no great harm can lie in being superficial4 ,but now as to ,theology itself4 ,to meet the apprehended danger1 ,i would exclude the teaching in extense of pure dogma from the secular schools1 and content myself with enforcing such a broad knowledge of doctrinal subjects as is contained in the catechisms of the ,church1 or the actual writings of her laity4 ,i would have students apply their minds to such religious topics as laymen actually do treat1 and are thought praiseworthy in treating4 ,certainly ,i admit that1 when a lawyer or physician1 or statesman1 or merchant1 or soldier sets about discussing theological points1 he is likely to succeed as ill as an ecclesiastic who meddles with law1 or medicine1 or the exchange4 ,but ,i am professing to contemplate ,christian knowledge in what may be called its secular aspect1 as it is practically useful in the intercourse of life and in general conversation2 and ,i would encourage it so far as it bears upon the history1 the literature1 and the philosophy of ,christianity4 ,it is to be considered that our students are to go out into the world1 and a world not of professed ,catholics1 but of inveterate1 often bitter1 commonly contemptuous1 ,protestants2 nay1 of ,protestants who1 so far as they come from ,protestant ,universities and public schools1 do know their own system1 do know1 in proportion to their general attainments1 the doctrines and arguments of ,protestantism4 ,i should desire1 then1 to encourage in our students an intelligent apprehension of the relations1 as ,i may call them1 between the ,church and ,society at large2 for instance1 the difference between the ,church and a religious sect2 the respective prerogatives of the ,church and the civil power2 what the ,church claims of necessity1 what it cannot dispense with1 what it can2 what it can grant1 what it cannot4 ,a ,catholic hears the celibacy of the clergy discussed in general society2 is that usage a matter of faith1 or is it not of faith8 ,he hears the ,pope accused of interfering with the prerogatives of her ,majesty1 because he appoints an hierarchy4 ,what is he to answer8 ,what principle is to guide him in the remarks which he cannot escape from the necessity of making8 ,he fills a station of importance1 and he is addressed by some friend who has political reasons for wishing to know what is the difference between ,canon and ,civil ,law1 whether the ,council of ,trent has been received in ,france1 whether a ,priest cannot in certain cases absolve prospectively1 what is meant by his intention1 what by the opus operatum2 whether1 and in what sense1 we consider ,protestants to be heretics2 whether any one can be saved without sacramental confession2 whether we deny the reality of natural virtue1 or what worth we assign to it8 ,questions may be multiplied without limit1 which occur in conversation between friends1 in social intercourse1 or in the business of life1 when no argument is needed1 no subtle and delicate disquisition1 but a few direct words stating the fact1 and when perhaps a few words may even hinder most serious inconveniences to the ,catholic body4 ,half the controversies which go on in the world arise from ignorance of the facts of the case2 half the prejudices against ,catholicity lie in the misinformation of the prejudiced parties4 ,candid persons are set right1 and enemies silenced1 by the mere statement of what it is that we believe4 ,it will not answer the purpose for a ,catholic to say1 8,i leave it to theologians10 8,i will ask my priest20 but it will commonly give him a triumph1 as easy as it is complete1 if he can then and there lay down the law4 ,i say 8lay down the law20 for remarkable it is that even those who speak against ,catholicism like to hear about it1 and will excuse its advocate from alleging arguments if he can gratify their curiosity by giving them information4 ,generally speaking1 however1 as ,i have said1 what is given as information will really be an argument as well as information4 ,i recollect1 some twenty-five years ago1 three friends of my own1 as they then were1 clergymen of the ,establishment1 making a tour through ,ireland4 ,in the ,west or ,south they had occasion to become pedestrians for the day2 and they took a boy of thirteen to be their guide4 ,they amused themselves with putting questions to him on the subject of his religion2 and one of them confessed to me on his return that that poor child put them all to silence4 ,how8 ,not1 of course1 by any train of arguments1 or refined theological disquisition1 but merely by knowing and understanding the answers in his catechism4 #d4 ,nor will argument itself be out of place in the hands of laymen mixing with the world4 ,as secular power1 influence1 or resources are never more suitably placed than when they are in the hands of ,catholics1 so secular knowledge and secular gifts are then best employed when they minister to ,divine ,revelation4 ,theologians inculcate the matter1 and determine the details of that ,revelation2 they view it from within2 philosophers view it from without1 and this external view may be called the ,philosophy of ,religion1 and the office of delineating it externally is most gracefully performed by laymen4 ,in the first age laymen were most commonly the ,apologists4 ,such were ,justin1 ,tatian1 ,athenagoras1 ,aristides1 ,hermias1 ,minucius ,felix1 ,arnobius1 and ,lactantius4 ,in like manner in this age some of the most prominent defences of the ,church are from laymen3 as ,de ,maistre1 ,chateaubriand1 ,nicolas1 ,montalembert1 and others4 ,if laymen may write1 lay students may read2 they surely may read what their fathers may have written4 ,they might surely study other works too1 ancient and modern1 written whether by ecclesiastics or laymen1 which1 although they do contain theology1 nevertheless1 in their structure and drift1 are polemical4 ,such is ,origen's great work against ,celsus2 and ,tertullian's ,apology2 such some of the controversial treatises of ,eusebius and ,theodoret2 or ,st4 ,augustine's ,city of ,god2 or the tract of ,vincentius ,lirinensis4 ,and ,i confess that ,i should not even object to portions of ,bellarmine's ,controversies1 or to the work of ,suarez on laws1 or to ,melchior ,canus's treatises on the ,loci ,theologici4 ,on these questions in detail1 however1--which are1 ,i readily acknowledge1 very delicate1--opinions may differ1 even where the general principle is admitted2 but1 even if we confine ourselves strictly to the ,philosophy1 that is1 the external contemplation1 of ,religion1 we shall have a range of reading sufficiently wide1 and as valuable in its practical application as it is liberal in its character4 ,in it will be included what are commonly called the ,evidences2 and what is a subject of special interest at this day1 the ,notes of the ,church4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but ,i have said enough in general illustration of the rule which ,i am recommending4 ,one more remark ,i make1 though it is implied in what ,i have been saying3--,whatever students read in the province of ,religion1 they read1 and would read from the very nature of the case1 under the superintendence1 and with the explanations1 of those who are older and more experienced than themselves4 ,lecture ,v4 ,a ,form ,of ,infidelity ,of ,the ,day4 #a4 ,its ,sentiments4 #a4 ,though it cannot be denied that at the present day1 in consequence of the close juxtaposition and intercourse of men of all religions1 there is a considerable danger of the subtle1 silent1 unconscious perversion and corruption of ,catholic intellects1 who as yet profess1 and sincerely profess1 their submission to the authority of ,revelation1 still that danger is far inferior to what it was in one portion of the middle ages4 ,nay1 contrasting the two periods together1 we may even say1 that in this very point they differ1 that1 in the medieval1 since ,catholicism was then the sole religion recognized in ,christendom1 unbelief necessarily made its advances under the language and the guise of faith2 whereas in the present1 when universal toleration prevails1 and it is open to assail revealed truth 7whether ,scripture or ,tradition1 the ,fathers or the 8,sense of the faithful071 unbelief in consequence throws off the mask1 and takes up a position over against us in citadels of its own1 and confronts us in the broad light and with a direct assault4 ,and ,i have no hesitation in saying 7apart of course from moral and ecclesiastical considerations1 and under correction of the command and policy of the ,church71 that ,i prefer to live in an age when the fight is in the day1 not in the twilight2 and think it a gain to be speared by a foe1 rather than to be stabbed by a friend4 ,i do not1 then1 repine at all at the open development of unbelief in ,germany1 supposing unbelief is to be1 or at its growing audacity in ,england2 not as if ,i were satisfied with the state of things1 considered positively1 but because1 in the unavoidable alternative of avowed unbelief and secret1 my own personal leaning is in favour of the former4 ,i hold that unbelief is in some shape unavoidable in an age of intellect and in a world like this1 considering that faith requires an act of the will1 and presupposes the due exercise of religious advantages4 ,you may persist in calling ,europe ,catholic1 though it is not2 you may enforce an outward acceptance of ,catholic dogma1 and an outward obedience to ,catholic precept2 and your enactments may be1 so far1 not only pious in themselves1 but even merciful towards the teachers of false doctrine1 as well as just towards their victims2 but this is all that you can do2 you cannot bespeak conclusions which1 in spite of yourselves1 you are leaving free to the human will4 ,there will be1 ,i say1 in spite of you1 unbelief and immorality to the end of the world1 and you must be prepared for immorality more odious1 and unbelief more astute1 more subtle1 more bitter1 and more resentful1 in proportion as it is obliged to dissemble4 ,it is one great advantage of an age in which unbelief speaks out1 that ,faith can speak out too2 that1 if falsehood assails ,truth1 ,truth can assail falsehood4 ,in such an age it is possible to found a ,university more emphatically ,catholic than could be set up in the middle age1 because ,truth can entrench itself carefully1 and define its own profession severely1 and display its colours unequivocally1 by occasion of that very unbelief which so shamelessly vaunts itself4 ,and a kindred advantage to this is the confidence which1 in such an age1 we can place in all who are around us1 so that we need look for no foes but those who are in the enemy's camp4 #b4 ,the medieval schools were the arena of as critical a struggle between truth and error as ,christianity has ever endured2 and the philosophy which bears their name carried its supremacy by means of a succession of victories in the cause of the ,church4 ,scarcely had ,universities risen into popularity1 when they were found to be infected with the most subtle and fatal forms of unbelief2 and the heresies of the ,east germinated in the ,west of ,europe and in ,catholic lecture-rooms1 with a mysterious vigour upon which history throws little light4 ,the questions agitated were as deep as any in theology2 the being and essence of the ,almighty were the main subjects of the disputation1 and ,aristotle was introduced to the ecclesiastical youth as a teacher of ,pantheism4 ,saracenic expositions of the great philosopher were in vogue2 and1 when a fresh treatise was imported from ,constantinople1 the curious and impatient student threw himself upon it1 regardless of the ,church's warnings1 and reckless of the effect upon his own mind4 ,the acutest intellects became sceptics and misbelievers2 and the head of the ,holy ,roman ,empire1 the ,csar ,frederick the ,second1 to say nothing of our miserable king ,john1 had the reputation of meditating a profession of ,mahometanism4 ,it is said that1 in the community at large1 men had a vague suspicion and mistrust of each other's belief in ,revelation4 ,a secret society was discovered in the ,universities of ,lombardy1 ,tuscany1 and ,france1 organized for the propagation of infidel opinions2 it was bound together by oaths1 and sent its missionaries among the people in the disguise of pedlars and vagrants4 ,the success of such efforts was attested in the south of ,france by the great extension of the ,albigenses1 and the prevalence of ,manichean doctrine4 ,the ,university of ,paris was obliged to limit the number of its doctors in theology to as few as eight1 from misgivings about the orthodoxy of its divines generally4 ,the narrative of ,simon of ,tournay1 struck dead for crying out after lecture1 8,ah6 good ,jesus1 ,i could disprove ,thee1 did ,i please1 as easily as ,i have proved10 whatever be its authenticity1 at least may be taken as a representation of the frightful peril to which ,christianity was exposed4 ,amaury of ,chartres was the author of a school of ,pantheism1 and has given his name to a sect2 ,abelard1 ,roscelin1 ,gilbert1 and ,david de ,dinant1 ,tanquelin1 and ,eon1 and others who might be named1 show the extraordinary influence of anti-,catholic doctrines on high and low4 ,ten ecclesiastics and several of the populace of ,paris were condemned for maintaining that our ,lord's reign was past1 that the ,holy ,ghost was to be incarnate1 or for parallel heresies4 ,frederick the ,second established a ,university at ,naples with a view to the propagation of the infidelity which was so dear to him4 ,it gave birth to the great ,st4 ,thomas1 the champion of revealed truth4 ,so intimate was the intermixture1 so close the grapple1 between faith and unbelief4 ,it was the conspiracy of traitors1 it was a civil strife1 of which the medieval seats of learning were the scene4 ,in this day1 on the contrary1 ,truth and ,error lie over against each other with a valley between them1 and ,david goes forward in the sight of all men1 and from his own camp1 to engage with the ,philistine4 ,such is the providential overruling of that principle of toleration1 which was conceived in the spirit of unbelief1 in order to the destruction of ,catholicity4 ,the sway of the ,church is contracted2 but she gains in intensity what she loses in extent4 ,she has now a direct command and a reliable influence over her own institutions1 which was wanting in the middle ages4 ,a ,university is her possession in these times1 as well as her creation3 nor has she the need1 which once was so urgent1 to expel heresies from her pale1 which have now their own centres of attraction elsewhere1 and spontaneously take their departure4 ,secular advantages no longer present an inducement to hypocrisy1 and her members in consequence have the consolation of being able to be sure of each other4 ,how much better is it1 for us at least1 whatever it may be for themselves 7to take a case before our eyes in ,ireland71 that those persons1 who have left the ,church to become ministers in the ,protestant ,establishment1 should be in their proper place1 as they are1 than that they should have perforce continued in her communion6 ,i repeat it1 ,i would rather fight with unbelief as we find it in the nineteenth century1 than as it existed in the twelfth and thirteenth4 #c4 ,i look out1 then1 into the enemy's camp1 and ,i try to trace the outlines of the hostile movements and the preparations for assault which are there in agitation against us4 ,the arming and the manuvring1 the earth-works and the mines1 go on incessantly2 and one cannot of course tell1 without the gift of prophecy1 which of his projects will be carried into effect and attain its purpose1 and which will eventually fail or be abandoned4 ,threatening demonstrations may come to nothing2 and those who are to be our most formidable foes1 may before the attack elude our observation4 ,all these uncertainties1 we know1 are the lot of the soldier in the field3 and they are parallel to those which befall the warriors of the ,temple4 ,fully feeling the force of such considerations1 and under their correction1 nevertheless ,i make my anticipations according to the signs of the times2 and such must be my proviso1 when ,i proceed to describe some characteristics of one particular form of infidelity1 which is coming into existence and activity over against us1 in the intellectual citadels of ,england4 ,it must not be supposed that ,i attribute1 what ,i am going to speak of as a form of infidelity of the day1 to any given individual or individuals2 nor is it necessary to my purpose to suppose that any one man as yet consciously holds1 or sees the drift1 of that portion of the theory to which he has given assent4 ,i am to describe a set of opinions which may be considered as the true explanation of many floating views1 and the converging point of a multitude of separate and independent minds2 and1 as of old ,arius or ,nestorius not only was spoken of in his own person1 but was viewed as the abstract and typical teacher of the heresy which he introduced1 and thus his name denoted a heretic more complete and explicit1 even though not more formal1 than the heresiarch himself1 so here too1 in like manner1 ,i may be describing a school of thought in its fully developed proportions1 which at present every one1 to whom membership with it is imputed1 will at once begin to disown1 and ,i may be pointing to teachers whom no one will be able to descry4 ,still1 it is not less true that ,i may be speaking of tendencies and elements which exist1 and he may come in person at last1 who comes at first to us merely in his spirit and in his power4 ,the teacher1 then1 whom ,i speak of1 will discourse thus in his secret heart3--,he will begin1 as many so far have done before him1 by laying it down as if a position which approves itself to the reason1 immediately that it is fairly examined1--which is of so axiomatic a character as to have a claim to be treated as a first principle1 and is firm and steady enough to bear a large superstructure upon it1--that ,religion is not the subject-matter of a science4 8,you may have opinions in religion1 you may have theories1 you may have arguments1 you may have probabilities2 you may have anything but demonstration1 and therefore you cannot have science4 ,in mechanics you advance from sure premisses to sure conclusions2 in optics you form your undeniable facts into system1 arrive at general principles1 and then again infallibly apply them3 here you have ,science4 ,on the other hand1 there is at present no real science of the weather1 because you cannot get hold of facts and truths on which it depends2 there is no science of the coming and going of epidemics2 no science of the breaking out and the cessation of wars2 no science of popular likings and dislikings1 or of the fashions4 ,it is not that these subject-matters are themselves incapable of science1 but that1 under existing circumstances1 we are incapable of subjecting them to it4 ,and so1 in like manner10 says the philosopher in question1 8without denying that in the matter of religion some things are true and some things false1 still we certainly are not in a position to determine the one or the other4 ,and1 as it would be absurd to dogmatize about the weather1 and say that #ahfj will be a wet season or a dry season1 a time of peace or war1 so it is absurd for men in our present state to teach anything positively about the next world1 that there is a heaven1 or a hell1 or a last judgment1 or that the soul is immortal1 or that there is a ,god4 ,it is not that you have not a right to your own opinion1 as you have a right to place implicit trust in your own banker1 or in your own physician2 but undeniably such persuasions are not knowledge1 they are not scientific1 they cannot become public property1 they are consistent with your allowing your friend to entertain the opposite opinion2 and1 if you are tempted to be violent in the defence of your own view of the case in this matter of religion1 then it is well to lay seriously to heart whether sensitiveness on the subject of your banker or your doctor1 when he is handled sceptically by another1 would not be taken to argue a secret misgiving in your mind about him1 in spite of your confident profession1 an absence of clear1 unruffled certainty in his honesty or in his skill40 ,such is our philosopher's primary position4 ,he does not prove it2 he does but distinctly state it2 but he thinks it self-evident when it is distinctly stated4 ,and there he leaves it4 #d4 ,taking his primary position henceforth for granted1 he will proceed as follows3--8,well1 then1 if ,religion is just one of those subjects about which we can know nothing1 what can be so absurd as to spend time upon it8 what so absurd as to quarrel with others about it8 ,let us all keep to our own religious opinions respectively1 and be content2 but so far from it1 upon no subject whatever has the intellect of man been fastened so intensely as upon ,religion4 ,and the misery is1 that1 if once we allow it to engage our attention1 we are in a circle from which we never shall be able to extricate ourselves4 ,our mistake reproduces and corroborates itself4 ,a small insect1 a wasp or a fly1 is unable to make his way through the pane of glass2 and his very failure is the occasion of greater violence in his struggle than before4 ,he is as heroically obstinate in his resolution to succeed as the assailant or defender of some critical battle-field2 he is unflagging and fierce in an effort which cannot lead to anything beyond itself4 ,when1 then1 in like manner1 you have once resolved that certain religious doctrines shall be indisputably true1 and that all men ought to perceive their truth1 you have engaged in an undertaking which1 though continued on to eternity1 will never reach its aim2 and1 since you are convinced it ought to do so1 the more you have failed hitherto1 the more violent and pertinacious will be your attempt in time to come4 ,and further still1 since you are not the only man in the world who is in this error1 but one of ten thousand1 all holding the general principle that ,religion is scientific1 and yet all differing as to the truths and facts and conclusions of this science1 it follows that the misery of social disputation and disunion is added to the misery of a hopeless investigation1 and life is not only wasted in fruitless speculation1 but embittered by bigotted sectarianism4 8,such is the state in which the world has laid10 it will be said1 8ever since the introduction of ,christianity4 ,christianity has been the bane of true knowledge1 for it has turned the intellect away from what it can know1 and occupied it in what it cannot4 ,differences of opinion crop up and multiply themselves1 in proportion to the difficulty of deciding them2 and the unfruitfulness of ,theology has been1 in matter of fact1 the very reason1 not for seeking better food1 but for feeding on nothing else4 ,truth has been sought in the wrong direction1 and the attainable has been put aside for the visionary40 ,now1 there is no call on me here to refute these arguments1 but merely to state them4 ,i need not refute what has not yet been proved4 ,it is sufficient for me to repeat what ,i have already said1 that they are founded upon a mere assumption4 ,supposing1 indeed1 religious truth cannot be ascertained1 then1 of course1 it is not only idle1 but mischievous1 to attempt to do so2 then1 of course1 argument does but increase the mistake of attempting it4 ,but surely both ,catholics and ,protestants have written solid defences of ,revelation1 of ,christianity1 and of dogma1 as such1 and these are not simply to be put aside without saying why4 ,it has not yet been shown by our philosophers to be self-evident that religious truth is really incapable of attainment2 on the other hand1 it has at least been powerfully argued by a number of profound minds that it can be attained2 and the onus probandi plainly lies with those who are introducing into the world what the whole world feels to be a paradox4 #e4 ,however1 where men really are persuaded of all this1 however unreasonable1 what will follow8 ,a feeling1 not merely of contempt1 but of absolute hatred1 towards the ,catholic theologian and the dogmatic teacher4 ,the patriot abhors and loathes the partizans who have degraded and injured his country2 and the citizen of the world1 the advocate of the human race1 feels bitter indignation at those whom he holds to have been its misleaders and tyrants for two thousand years4 8,the world has lost two thousand years4 ,it is pretty much where it was in the days of ,augustus4 ,this is what has come of priests40 ,there are those who are actuated by a benevolent liberalism1 and condescend to say that ,catholics are not worse than other maintainers of dogmatic theology4 ,there are those1 again1 who are good enough to grant that the ,catholic ,church fostered knowledge and science up to the days of ,galileo1 and that she has only retrograded for the last several centuries4 ,but the new teacher1 whom ,i am contemplating in the light of that nebula out of which he will be concentrated1 echoes the words of the early persecutor of ,christians1 that they are the 8enemies of the human race40 8,but for ,athanasius1 but for ,augustine1 but for ,aquinas1 the world would have had its ,bacons and its ,newtons1 its ,lavoisiers1 its ,cuviers1 its ,watts1 and its ,adam ,smiths1 centuries upon centuries ago4 ,and now1 when at length the true philosophy has struggled into existence1 and is making its way1 what is left for its champion but to make an eager desperate attack upon ,christian theology1 the scabbard flung away1 and no quarter given8 and what will be the issue but the triumph of the stronger1--the overthrow of an old error and an odious tyranny1 and a reign of the beautiful ,truth80 ,thus he thinks1 and he sits dreaming over the inspiring thought1 and longs for that approaching1 that inevitable day4 ,there let us leave him for the present1 dreaming and longing in his impotent hatred of a ,power which ,julian and ,frederic1 ,shaftesbury and ,voltaire1 and a thousand other great sovereigns and subtle thinkers1 have assailed in vain4 #b4 ,its ,policy4 #a4 ,it is a miserable time when a man's ,catholic profession is no voucher for his orthodoxy1 and when a teacher of religion may be within the ,church's pale1 yet external to her faith4 ,such has been for a season the trial of her children at various eras of her history4 ,it was the state of things during the dreadful ,arian ascendancy1 when the flock had to keep aloof from the shepherd1 and the unsuspicious ,fathers of the ,western ,councils trusted and followed some consecrated sophist from ,greece or ,syria4 ,it was the case in those passages of medieval history when simony resisted the ,supreme ,pontiff1 or when heresy lurked in ,universities4 ,it was a longer and more tedious trial1 while the controversies lasted with the ,monophysites of old1 and with the ,jansenists in modern times4 ,a great scandal it is and a perplexity to the little ones of ,christ1 to have to choose between rival claimants upon their allegiance1 or to find a condemnation at length pronounced upon one whom in their simplicity they have admired4 ,we1 too1 in this age have our scandals1 for scandals must be2 but they are not what they were once2 and if it be the just complaint of pious men now1 that never was infidelity so rampant1 it is their boast and consolation1 on the other hand1 that never was the ,church less troubled with false teachers1 never more united4 ,false teachers do not remain within her pale now1 because they can easily leave it1 and because there are seats of error external to her to which they are attracted4 8,they went out from us10 says the ,apostle1 8but they were not of us2 for if they had been of us1 they would no doubt have continued with us3 but that they might be made manifest that they are not all of us40 ,it is a great gain when error becomes manifest1 for it then ceases to deceive the simple4 ,with these thoughts ,i began to describe by anticipation the formation of a school of unbelief external to the ,church1 which perhaps as yet only exists1 as ,i then expressed it1 in a nebula4 ,in the middle ages it might have managed1 by means of subterfuges1 to maintain itself for a while within the sacred limits1--now of course it is outside of it2 yet still1 from the intermixture of ,catholics with the world1 and the present immature condition of the false doctrine1 it may at first exert an influence even upon those who would shrink from it if they recognized it as it really is and as it will ultimately show itself4 ,moreover1 it is natural1 and not unprofitable1 for persons under our circumstances to speculate on the forms of error with which a ,university of this age will have to contend1 as the medieval ,universities had their own special antagonists4 ,and for both reasons ,i am hazarding some remarks on a set of opinions and a line of action which seems to be at present1 at least in its rudiments1 in the seats of ,english intellect1 whether the danger dies away of itself or not4 ,i have already said that its fundamental dogma is1 that nothing can be known for certain about the unseen world4 ,this being taken for granted as a self-evident point1 undeniable as soon as stated1 it goes on1 or will go on1 to argue that1 in consequence1 the immense outlay which has been made of time1 anxiety1 and toil1 of health1 bodily and mental1 upon theological researches1 has been simply thrown away2 nay1 has been1 not useless merely1 but even mischievous1 inasmuch as it has indirectly thwarted the cultivation of studies of far greater promise and of an evident utility4 ,this is the main position of the ,school ,i am contemplating2 and the result1 in the minds of its members1 is a deep hatred and a bitter resentment against the ,power which has managed1 as they consider1 to stunt the world's knowledge and the intellect of man for so many hundred years4 ,thus much ,i have already said1 and now ,i am going to state the line of policy which these people will adopt1 and the course of thought which that policy of theirs will make necessary to them or natural4 #b4 ,supposing1 then1 it is the main tenet of the ,school in question1 that the study of ,religion as a science has been the bane of philosophy and knowledge1 what remedy will its masters apply for the evils they deplore8 ,should they profess themselves the antagonists of theology1 and engage in argumentative exercises with theologians8 ,this evidently would be to increase1 to perpetuate the calamity4 ,nothing1 they will say to themselves1 do religious men desire so ardently1 nothing would so surely advance the cause of ,religion1 as ,controversy4 ,the very policy of religious men1 they will argue1 is to get the world to fix its attention steadily upon the subject of ,religion1 and ,controversy is the most effectual means of doing this4 ,and their own game1 they will consider1 is1 on the contrary1 to be elaborately silent about it4 ,should they not then go on to shut up the theological schools1 and exclude ,religion from the subjects scientifically treated in philosophical education8 ,this indeed has been1 and is1 a favourite mode of proceeding with very many of the enemies of ,theology2 but still it cannot be said to have been justified by any greater success than the policy of ,controversy4 ,the establishment of the ,london ,university only gave immediate occasion to the establishment of ,king's ,college1 founded on the dogmatic principle2 and the liberalism of the ,dutch government led to the restoration of the ,university of ,louvain4 ,it is a well-known story how the very absence of the statues of ,brutus and ,cassius brought them more vividly into the recollection of the ,roman people4 ,when1 then1 in a comprehensive scheme of education1 ,religion alone is excluded1 that exclusion pleads in its behalf4 ,whatever be the real value of ,religion1 say these philosophers to themselves1 it has a name in the world1 and must not be ill-treated1 lest men should rally round it from a feeling of generosity4 ,they will decide1 in consequence1 that the exclusive method1 though it has met with favour in this generation1 is quite as much a mistake as the controversial4 ,turning1 then1 to the ,universities of ,england1 they will pronounce that the true policy to be observed there would be simply to let the schools of ,theology alone4 ,most unfortunate it is that they have been roused from the state of decadence and torpor in which they lay some twenty or thirty years ago4 ,up to that time1 a routine lecture1 delivered once to successive batches of young men destined for the ,protestant ,ministry1 not during their residence1 but when they were leaving or had already left the ,university1--and not about dogmatics1 history1 ecclesiastical law1 or casuistry1 but about the list of authors to be selected and works to be read by those who had neither curiosity to read them nor money to purchase2--and again a periodical advertisement of a lecture on the ,thirty-nine ,articles1 which was never delivered because it was never attended1--these two demonstrations1 one undertaken by one theological ,professor1 the other by another1 comprised the theological teaching of a seat of learning which had been the home of ,duns ,scotus and ,alexander ,hales4 ,what envious mischance put an end to those halcyon days1 and revived the odium theologicum in the years which followed8 ,let us do justice to the authoritative rulers of the ,university2 they have their failings2 but not to them is the revolution to be ascribed4 ,it was nobody's fault among all the guardians of education and trustees of the intellect in that celebrated place4 ,however1 the mischief has been done2 and now the wisest course for the interests of infidelity is to leave it to itself1 and let the fever gradually subside2 treatment would but irritate it4 ,not to interfere with ,theology1 not to raise a little finger against it1 is the only means of superseding it4 ,the more bitter is the hatred which such men bear it1 the less they must show it4 #c4 ,what1 then1 is the line of action which they must pursue8 ,they think1 and rightly think1 that1 in all contests1 the wisest and largest policy is to conduct a positive1 not a negative opposition1 not to prevent but to anticipate1 to obstruct by constructing1 and to exterminate by supplanting4 ,to cast any slight upon ,theology1 whether in its ,protestant or its ,catholic schools1 would be to elicit an inexhaustible stream of polemics1 and a phalanx of dogmatic doctors and confessors4 8,let alone ,camarina1 for 'tis best let alone40 ,the proper procedure1 then1 is1 not to oppose ,theology1 but to rival it4 ,leave its teachers to themselves2 merely aim at the introduction of other studies1 which1 while they have the accidental charm of novelty1 possess a surpassing interest1 richness1 and practical value of their own4 ,get possession of these studies1 and appropriate them1 and monopolize the use of them1 to the exclusion of the votaries of ,religion4 ,take it for granted1 and protest1 for the future1 that ,religion has nothing to do with the studies to which ,i am alluding1 nor those studies with ,religion4 ,exclaim and cry out1 if the ,catholic ,church presumes herself to handle what you mean to use as a weapon against her4 ,the range of the ,experimental ,sciences1 viz41 psychology1 and politics1 and political economy1 and the many departments of physics1 various both in their subject-matter and their method of research2 the great ,sciences which are the characteristics of this era1 and which become the more marvellous1 the more thoroughly they are understood1--astronomy1 magnetism1 chemistry1 geology1 comparative anatomy1 natural history1 ethnology1 languages1 political geography1 antiquities1--these be your indirect but effectual means of overturning ,religion6 ,they do but need to be seen in order to be pursued2 you will put an end1 in the ,schools of learning1 to the long reign of the unseen shadowy world1 by the mere exhibition of the visible4 ,this was impossible heretofore1 for the visible world was so little known itself2 but now1 thanks to the ,new ,philosophy1 sight is able to contest the field with faith4 ,the medieval philosopher had no weapon against ,revelation but ,metaphysics2 ,physical ,science has a better temper1 if not a keener edge1 for the purpose4 ,now here ,i interrupt the course of thought ,i am tracing1 to introduce a caveat1 lest ,i should be thought to cherish any secret disrespect towards the sciences ,i have enumerated1 or apprehension of their legitimate tendencies2 whereas my very object is to protest against a monopoly of them by others4 ,and it is not surely a heavy imputation on them to say that they1 as other divine gifts1 may be used to wrong purposes1 with which they have no natural connection1 and for which they were never intended2 and that1 as in ,greece the element of beauty1 with which the universe is flooded1 and the poetical faculty1 which is its truest interpreter1 were made to minister to sensuality2 as1 in the middle ages1 abstract speculation1 another great instrument of truth1 was often frittered away in sophistical exercises2 so now1 too1 the department of fact1 and the method of research and experiment which is proper to it1 may for the moment eclipse the light of faith in the imagination of the student1 and be degraded into the accidental tool1 hic et nunc1 of infidelity4 ,i am as little hostile to physical science as ,i am to poetry or metaphysics2 but ,i wish for studies of every kind a legitimate application3 nor do ,i grudge them to anti-,catholics1 so that anti-,catholics will not claim to monopolize them1 cry out when we profess them1 or direct them against ,revelation4 ,i wish1 indeed1 ,i could think that these studies were not intended by a certain school of philosophers to bear directly against its authority4 ,there are those who hope1 there are those who are sure1 that in the incessant investigation of facts1 physical1 political1 and moral1 something or other1 or many things1 will sooner or later turn up1 and stubborn facts too1 simply contradictory of revealed declarations4 ,a vision comes before them of some physical or historical proof that mankind is not descended from a common origin1 or that the hopes of the world were never consigned to a wooden ark floating on the waters1 or that the manifestations on ,mount ,sinai were the work of man or nature1 or that the ,hebrew patriarchs or the judges of ,israel are mythical personages1 or that ,st4 ,peter had no connection with ,rome1 or that the doctrine of the ,holy ,trinity or of the ,real ,presence was foreign to primitive belief4 ,an anticipation possesses them that the ultimate truths embodied in mesmerism will certainly solve all the ,gospel miracles2 or that to ,niebuhrize the ,gospels or the ,fathers is a simple expedient for stultifying the whole ,catholic system4 ,they imagine that the eternal1 immutable word of ,god is to quail and come to nought before the penetrating intellect of man4 ,and1 where this feeling exists1 there will be a still stronger motive for letting ,theology alone4 ,that party1 with whom success is but a matter of time1 can afford to wait patiently2 and if an inevitable train is laid for blowing up the fortress1 why need we be anxious that the catastrophe should take place to-day1 rather than to-morrow8 #d4 ,but1 without making too much of their own anticipations on this point1 which may or may not be in part fulfilled1 these men have secure grounds for knowing that the sciences1 as they would pursue them1 will at least be prejudicial to the religious sentiment4 ,any one study1 of whatever kind1 exclusively pursued1 deadens in the mind the interest1 nay1 the perception of any other4 ,thus ,cicero says that ,plato and ,demosthenes1 ,aristotle and ,isocrates1 might have respectively excelled in each other's province1 but that each was absorbed in his own2 his words are emphatic2 8quorum uterque1 suo studio delectatus1 contemsit alterum40 ,specimens of this peculiarity occur every day4 ,you can hardly persuade some men to talk about any thing but their own pursuit2 they refer the whole world to their own centre1 and measure all matters by their own rule1 like the fisherman in the drama1 whose eulogy on his deceased lord was1 that 8he was so fond of fish40 ,the saints illustrate this on the other hand2 ,st4 ,bernard had no eye for architecture2 ,st4 ,basil had no nose for flowers2 ,st4 ,aloysius had no palate for meat and drink2 ,st4 ,paula or ,st4 ,jane ,frances could spurn or could step over her own child2--not that natural faculties were wanting to those great servants of ,god1 but that a higher gift outshone and obscured every lower attribute of man1 as human features may remain in heaven1 yet the beauty of them be killed by the surpassing light of glory4 ,and in like manner it is clear that the tendency of science is to make men indifferentists or sceptics1 merely by being exclusively pursued4 ,the party1 then1 of whom ,i speak1 understanding this well1 would suffer disputations in the theological schools every day in the year1 provided they can manage to keep the students of science at a distance from them4 ,nor is this all2 they trust to the influence of the modern sciences on what may be called the ,imagination4 ,when any thing1 which comes before us1 is very unlike what we commonly experience1 we consider it on that account untrue2 not because it really shocks our reason as improbable1 but because it startles our imagination as strange4 ,now1 ,revelation presents to us a perfectly different aspect of the universe from that presented by the ,sciences4 ,the two informations are like the distinct subjects represented by the lines of the same drawing1 which1 accordingly as they are read on their concave or convex side1 exhibit to us now a group of trees with branches and leaves1 and now human faces hid amid the leaves1 or some majestic figures standing out from the branches4 ,thus is faith opposed to sight3 it is parallel to the contrast afforded by plane astronomy and physical2 plane1 in accordance with our senses1 discourses of the sun's rising and setting1 while physical1 in accordance with our reason1 asserts1 on the contrary1 that the sun is all but stationary1 and that it is the earth that moves4 ,this is what is meant by saying that truth lies in a well2 phenomena are no measure of fact2 prim facie representations1 which we receive from without1 do not reach to the real state of things1 or put them before us simply as they are4 ,while1 then1 ,reason and ,revelation are consistent in fact1 they often are inconsistent in appearance2 and this seeming discordance acts most keenly and alarmingly on the ,imagination1 and may suddenly expose a man to the temptation1 and even hurry him on to the commission1 of definite acts of unbelief1 in which reason itself really does not come into exercise at all4 ,i mean1 let a person devote himself to the studies of the day2 let him be taught by the astronomer that our sun is but one of a million central luminaries1 and our earth but one of ten million globes moving in space2 let him learn from the geologist that on that globe of ours enormous revolutions have been in progress through innumerable ages2 let him be told by the comparative anatomist of the minutely arranged system of organized nature2 by the chemist and physicist1 of the peremptory yet intricate laws to which nature1 organized and inorganic1 is subjected2 by the ethnologist1 of the originals1 and ramifications1 and varieties1 and fortunes of nations2 by the antiquarian1 of old cities disinterred1 and primitive countries laid bare1 with the specific forms of human society once existing2 by the linguist1 of the slow formation and development of languages2 by the psychologist1 the physiologist1 and the economist1 of the subtle1 complicated structure of the breathing1 energetic1 restless world of men2 ,i say1 let him take in and master the vastness of the view thus afforded him of ,nature1 its infinite complexity1 its awful comprehensiveness1 and its diversified yet harmonious colouring2 and then1 when he has for years drank in and fed upon this vision1 let him turn round to peruse the inspired records1 or listen to the authoritative teaching of ,revelation1 the book of ,genesis1 or the warnings and prophecies of the ,gospels1 or the ,symbolum ,quicumque1 or the ,life of ,st4 ,antony or ,st4 ,hilarion1 and he may certainly experience a most distressing revulsion of feeling17#dd7--not that his reason really deduces any thing from his much loved studies contrary to the faith1 but that his imagination is bewildered1 and swims with the sense of the ineffable distance of that faith from the view of things which is familiar to him1 with its strangeness1 and then again its rude simplicity1 as he considers it1 and its apparent poverty contrasted with the exuberant life and reality of his own world4 ,all this1 the school ,i am speaking of understands well2 it comprehends that1 if it can but exclude the professors of ,religion from the lecture-halls of science1 it may safely allow them full play in their own2 for it will be able to rear up infidels1 without speaking a word1 merely by the terrible influence of that faculty against which both ,bacon and ,butler so solemnly warn us4 ,i say1 it leaves the theologian the full and free possession of his own schools1 for it thinks he will have no chance of arresting the opposite teaching or of rivalling the fascination of modern science4 ,knowing little1 and caring less for the depth and largeness of that heavenly ,wisdom1 on which the ,apostle delights to expatiate1 or the variety of those sciences1 dogmatic or ethical1 mystical or hagiological1 historical or exegetical1 which ,revelation has created1 these philosophers know perfectly well that1 in matter of fact1 to beings1 constituted as we are1 sciences which concern this world and this state of existence are worth far more1 are more arresting and attractive1 than those which relate to a system of things which they do not see and cannot master by their natural powers4 ,sciences which deal with tangible facts1 practical results1 evergrowing discoveries1 and perpetual novelties1 which feed curiosity1 sustain attention1 and stimulate expectation1 require1 they consider1 but a fair stage and no favour to distance that ,ancient ,truth1 which never changes and but cautiously advances1 in the race for popularity and power4 ,and therefore they look out for the day when they shall have put down ,religion1 not by shutting its schools1 but by emptying them2 not by disputing its tenets1 but by the superior worth and persuasiveness of their own4 #e4 ,such is the tactic which a new school of philosophers adopt against ,christian ,theology4 ,they have this characteristic1 compared with former schools of infidelity1 viz41 the union of intense hatred with a large toleration of ,theology4 ,they are professedly civil to it1 and run a race with it4 ,they rely1 not on any logical disproof of it1 but on three considerations2 first1 on the effects of studies of whatever kind to indispose the mind towards other studies2 next1 on the special effect of modern sciences upon the imagination1 prejudicial to revealed truth2 and lastly1 on the absorbing interest attached to those sciences from their marvellous results4 ,this line of action will be forced upon these persons by the peculiar character and position of ,religion in ,england4 ,and here ,i have arrived at the limits of my paper before ,i have finished the discussion upon which ,i have entered2 and ,i must be content with having made some suggestions which1 if worth anything1 others may use4 ,lecture ,,vi4 ,university ,preaching4 #a4 ,when ,i obtained from various distinguished persons the acceptable promise that they would give me the advantage of their countenance and assistance by appearing from time to time in the pulpit of our new ,university1 some of them accompanied that promise with the natural request that ,i1 who had asked for it1 should offer them my own views of the mode and form in which the duty would be most satisfactorily accomplished4 ,on the other hand1 it was quite as natural that ,i on my part should be disinclined to take on myself an office which belongs to a higher station and authority in the ,church than my own2 and the more so1 because1 on the definite subject about which the inquiry is made1 ,i should have far less direct aid from the writings of holy men and great divines than ,i could desire4 ,were it indeed my sole business to put into shape the scattered precepts which saints and doctors have delivered upon it1 ,i might have ventured on such a task with comparatively little misgiving4 ,under the shadow of the great teachers of the pastoral office ,i might have been content to speak1 without looking out for any living authority to prompt me4 ,but this unfortunately is not the case2 such venerable guidance does not extend beyond the general principles and rules of preaching1 and these require both expansion and adaptation when they are to be made to bear on compositions addressed in the name of a ,university to ,university men4 ,they define the essence of ,christian preaching1 which is one and the same in all cases2 but not the subject-matter or the method1 which vary according to circumstances4 ,still1 after all1 the points to which they do reach are more1 and more important1 than those which they fall short of4 ,i therefore1 though with a good deal of anxiety1 have attempted to perform a task which seemed naturally to fall to me2 and ,i am thankful to say that1 though ,i must in some measure go beyond the range of the simple direction to which ,i have referred1 the greater part of my remarks will lie within it4 #b4 ,so far is clear at once1 that the preacher's object is the spiritual good of his hearers4 8,finis prdicanti sit10 says ,st4 ,francis de ,sales2 8ut vitam 7justiti7 habeant homines1 et abundantius habeant40 ,and ,st4 ,charles3 8,considerandum1 ad ,dei omnipotentis gloriam1 ad animarumque salutem1 referri omnem concionandi vim ac rationem40 ,moreover1 8,prdicatorem esse ministrum ,dei1 per quem verbum ,dei spirits fonte ducitur ad fidelium animas irrigandas40 ,as a marksman aims at the target and its bull's-eye1 and at nothing else1 so the preacher must have a definite point before him1 which he has to hit4 ,so much is contained for his direction in this simple maxim1 that duly to enter into it and use it is half the battle2 and if he mastered nothing else1 still if he really mastered as much as this1 he would know all that was imperative for the due discharge of his office4 #a4 ,for what is the conduct of men who have one object definitely before them1 and one only8 ,why1 that1 whatever be their skill1 whatever their resources1 greater or less1 to its attainment all their efforts are simply1 spontaneously1 visibly1 directed4 ,this cuts off a number of questions sometimes asked about preaching1 and extinguishes a number of anxieties4 8,sollicita es1 et turbaris10 says our ,lord to ,st4 ,martha2 8erga plurima2 porro unum est necessarium40 ,we ask questions perhaps about diction1 elocution1 rhetorical power2 but does the commander of a besieging force dream of holiday displays1 reviews1 mock engagements1 feats of strength1 or trials of skill1 such as would be graceful and suitable on a parade ground when a foreigner of rank was to be received and fted2 or does he aim at one and one thing only1 viz41 to take the strong place8 ,display dissipates the energy1 which for the object in view needs to be concentrated and condensed4 ,we have no reason to suppose that the ,divine blessing follows the lead of human accomplishments4 ,indeed1 ,st4 ,paul1 writing to the ,corinthians1 who made much of such advantages of nature1 contrasts the persuasive words of human wisdom 8with the showing of the ,spirit10 and tells us that 8the kingdom of ,god is not in speech1 but in power40 ,but1 not to go to the consideration of divine influences1 which is beyond my subject1 the very presence of simple earnestness is even in itself a powerful natural instrument to effect that toward which it is directed4 ,earnestness creates earnestness in others by sympathy2 and the more a preacher loses and is lost to himself1 the more does he gain his brethren4 ,nor is it without some logical force also2 for what is powerful enough to absorb and possess a preacher has at least a prim facie claim of attention on the part of his hearers4 ,on the other hand1 any thing which interferes with this earnestness1 or which argues its absence1 is still more certain to blunt the force of the most cogent argument conveyed in the most eloquent language4 ,hence it is that the great philosopher of antiquity1 in speaking1 in his ,treatise on ,rhetoric1 of the various kinds of persuasives1 which are available in the ,art1 considers the most authoritative of these to be that which is drawn from personal traits of an ethical nature evident in the orator2 for such matters are cognizable by all men1 and the common sense of the world decides that it is safer1 where it is possible1 to commit oneself to the judgment of men of character than to any considerations addressed merely to the feelings or to the reason4 ,on these grounds ,i would go on to lay down a precept1 which ,i trust is not extravagant1 when allowance is made for the preciseness and the point which are unavoidable in all categorical statements upon matters of conduct4 ,it is1 that preachers should neglect everything whatever besides devotion to their one object1 and earnestness in pursuing it1 till they in some good in measure attain to these requisites4 ,talent1 logic1 learning1 words1 manner1 voice1 action1 all are required for the perfection of a preacher2 but 8one thing is necessary10--an intense perception and appreciation of the end for which he preaches1 and that is1 to be the minister of some definite spiritual good to those who hear him4 ,who could wish to be more eloquent1 more powerful1 more successful than the ,teacher of the ,nations8 yet who more earnest1 who more natural1 who more unstudied1 who more self-forgetting than he8 #c4 7#a47 ,and here1 in order to prevent misconception1 two remarks must be made1 which will lead us further into the subject we are engaged upon4 ,the first is1 that1 in what ,i have been saying1 ,i do not mean that a preacher must aim at earnestness1 but that he must aim at his object1 which is to do some spiritual good to his hearers1 and which will at once make him earnest4 ,it is said that1 when a man has to cross an abyss by a narrow plank thrown over it1 it is his wisdom1 not to look at the plank1 along which lies his path1 but to fix his eyes steadily on the point in the opposite precipice at which the plank ends4 ,it is by gazing at the object which he must reach1 and ruling himself by it1 that he secures to himself the power of walking to it straight and steadily4 ,the case is the same in moral matters2 no one will become really earnest by aiming directly at earnestness2 any one may become earnest by meditating on the motives1 and by drinking at the sources1 of earnestness4 ,we may of course work ourselves up into a pretence1 nay1 into a paroxysm1 of earnestness2 as we may chafe our cold hands till they are warm4 ,but when we cease chafing1 we lose the warmth again2 on the contrary1 let the sun come out and strike us with his beams1 and we need no artificial chafing to be warm4 ,the hot words1 then1 and energetic gestures of a preacher1 taken by themselves1 are just as much signs of earnestness as rubbing the hands or flapping the arms together are signs of warmth2 though they are natural where earnestness already exists1 and pleasing as being its spontaneous concomitants4 ,to sit down to compose for the pulpit with a resolution to be eloquent is one impediment to persuasion2 but to be determined to be earnest is absolutely fatal to it4 ,he who has before his mental eye the ,four ,last ,things will have the true earnestness1 the horror or the rapture1 of one who witnesses a conflagration1 or discerns some rich and sublime prospect of natural scenery4 ,his countenance1 his manner1 his voice1 speak for him1 in proportion as his view has been vivid and minute4 ,the great ,english poet has described this sort of eloquence when a calamity had befallen3-- ,yea1 this man's brow1 like to a title page1 ,foretells the nature of a tragic volume4 ,thou tremblest1 and the whiteness in thy cheek ,is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand4 ,it is this earnestness1 in the supernatural order1 which is the eloquence of saints2 and not of saints only1 but of all ,christian preachers1 according to the measure of their faith and love4 ,as the case would be with one who has actually seen what he relates1 the herald of tidings of the invisible world also will be1 from the nature of the case1 whether vehement or calm1 sad or exulting1 always simple1 grave1 emphatic1 and peremptory2 and all this1 not because he has proposed to himself to be so1 but because certain intellectual convictions involve certain external manifestations4 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales is full and clear upon this point4 ,it is necessary1 he says1 8ut ipsemet penitus hauseris1 ut persuasissimam tibi habeas1 doctrinam quam aliis persuasam cupis4 ,artificium summum erit1 nullum habere artificium4 ,inflammata sint verba1 non clamoribus gesticulationibusve immodicis1 sed interiore affectione4 ,de corde plus qum de ore proficiscantur4 ,quantumvis ore dixerimus1 san cor cordi loquitur1 lingua non nisi aures pulsat40 ,st4 ,augustine had said to the same purpose long before3 8,sonus verborum nostrorum aures percutit2 magister intus est40 7#b47 ,my second remark is1 that it is the preacher's duty to aim at imparting to others1 not any fortuitous1 unpremeditated benefit1 but some definite spiritual good4 ,it is here that design and study find their place2 the more exact and precise is the subject which he treats1 the more impressive and practical will he be2 whereas no one will carry off much from a discourse which is on the general subject of virtue1 or vaguely and feebly entertains the question of the desirableness of attaining ,heaven1 or the rashness of incurring eternal ruin4 ,as a distinct image before the mind makes the preacher earnest1 so it will give him something which it is worth while to communicate to others4 ,mere sympathy1 it is true1 is able1 as ,i have said1 to transfer an emotion or sentiment from mind to mind1 but it is not able to fix it there4 ,he must aim at imprinting on the heart what will never leave it1 and this he cannot do unless he employ himself on some definite subject1 which he has to handle and weigh1 and then1 as it were1 to hand over from himself to others4 ,hence it is that the ,saints insist so expressly on the necessity of his addressing himself to the intellect of men1 and of convincing as well as persuading4 8,necesse est ut doceat et moveat10 says ,st4 ,francis2 and ,st4 ,antoninus still more distinctly3 8,debet prdicator clare loqui1 ut instruat intellectum auditoris1 et doceat40 ,hence1 moreover1 in ,st4 ,ignatius's ,exercises1 the act of the intellect precedes that of the affections4 ,father ,lohner seems to me to be giving an instance in point when he tells us of a court-preacher1 who delivered what would be commonly considered eloquent sermons1 and attracted no one2 and next took to simple explanations of the ,mass and similar subjects1 and then found the church thronged4 ,so necessary is it to have something to say1 if we desire any one to listen4 ,nay1 ,i would go the length of recommending a preacher to place a distinct categorical proposition before him1 such as he can write down in a form of words1 and to guide and limit his preparation by it1 and to aim in all he says to bring it out1 and nothing else4 ,this seems to be implied or suggested in ,st4 ,charles's direction3 8,id omnino studebit1 ut quod in concione dicturus est antea bene cognitum habeat40 ,nay1 is it not expressly conveyed in the ,scripture phrase of 8preaching the word08 for what is meant by 8the word0 but a proposition addressed to the intellect8 nor will a preacher's earnestness show itself in anything more unequivocally than in his rejecting1 whatever be the temptation to admit it1 every remark1 however original1 every period1 however eloquent1 which does not in some way or other tend to bring out this one distinct proposition which he has chosen4 ,nothing is so fatal to the effect of a sermon as the habit of preaching on three or four subjects at once4 ,i acknowledge ,i am advancing a step beyond the practice of great ,catholic preachers when ,i add that1 even though we preach on only one at a time1 finishing and dismissing the first before we go to the second1 and the second before we go to the third1 still1 after all1 a practice like this1 though not open to the inconvenience which the confusing of one subject with another involves1 is in matter of fact nothing short of the delivery of three sermons in succession without break between them4 ,summing up1 then1 what ,i have been saying1 ,i observe that1 if ,i have understood the doctrine of ,st4 ,charles1 ,st4 ,francis1 and other saints aright1 definiteness of object is in various ways the one virtue of the preacher2--and this means that he should set out with the intention of conveying to others some spiritual benefit2 that1 with a view to this1 and as the only ordinary way to it1 he should select some distinct fact or scene1 some passage in history1 some truth1 simple or profound1 some doctrine1 some principle1 or some sentiment1 and should study it well and thoroughly1 and first make it his own1 or else have already dwelt on it and mastered it1 so as to be able to use it for the occasion from an habitual understanding of it2 and that then he should employ himself1 as the one business of his discourse1 to bring home to others1 and to leave deep within them1 what he has1 before he began to speak to them1 brought home to himself4 ,what he feels himself1 and feels deeply1 he has to make others feel deeply2 and in proportion as he comprehends this1 he will rise above the temptation of introducing collateral matters1 and will have no taste1 no heart1 for going aside after flowers of oratory1 fine figures1 tuneful periods1 which are worth nothing1 unless they come to him spontaneously1 and are spoken 8out of the abundance of the heart40 ,our ,lord said on one occasion 8,i am come to send fire on the earth1 and what will ,i but that it be kindled80 ,he had one work1 and ,he accomplished it4 8,the words10 ,he says1 8which ,thou gavest ,me1 ,i have given to them1 and they have received them1''' and now ,i come to ,thee40 ,and the ,apostles1 again1 as they had received1 so were they to give4 8,that which we have seen and have heard10 says one of them1 8we declare unto you1 that you may have fellowship with us40 ,if1 then1 a preacher's subject only be some portion of the ,divine message1 however elementary it may be1 however trite1 it will have a dignity such as to possess him1 and a virtue to kindle him1 and an influence to subdue and convert those to whom it goes forth from him1 according to the words of the promise1 8,my word1 which shall go forth from ,my mouth1 shall not return to ,me void1 but it shall do whatsoever ,i please1 and shall prosper in the things for which ,i sent it40 #d4 #b4 ,and now having got as far as this1 we shall see without difficulty what a ,university ,sermon ought to be just so far as it is distinct from other sermons2 for1 if all preaching is directed towards a hearer1 such as is the hearer will be the preaching1 and1 as a ,university auditory differs from other auditories1 so will a sermon addressed to it differ from other sermons4 ,this1 indeed1 is a broad maxim which holy men lay down on the subject of preaching4 ,thus1 ,st4 ,gregory ,theologus1 as quoted by the ,pope his namesake1 says3 8,the self-same exhortation is not suitable for all hearers2 for all have not the same disposition of mind1 and what profits these is hurtful to those40 ,the holy ,pope himself throws the maxim into another form1 still more precise3 8,debet prdicator10 he says1 8perspicere1 ne plus prdicet1 qum ab audiente capi possit40 ,and ,st4 ,charles expounds it1 referring to ,pope ,st4 ,gregory3 8,pro audientium genere locos doctrinarum1 ex quibus concionem conficiat1 non modo distinctos1 sed optim explicatos habebit4 ,atque in hoc quidem multiplici genere concionator videbit1 ne qucumque1 ut ,s4 ,gregorius scit monet1 legerit1 aut scienti comprehenderit1 omnia enunciet atque effundat2 sed delectum habebit1 ita ut documenta alia exponat1 alia tacit relinquat1 prout locus1 ordo1 conditioque auditorum deposcat40 ,and1 by way of obviating the chance of such a rule being considered a human artifice inconsistent with the simplicity of the ,gospel1 he had said shortly before3 8,ad ,dei gloriam1 ad clestis regni propagationem1 et ad animarum salutem1 plurimum interest1 non solum quales sint prdicatores1 sed qu vi1 qu ratione prdicent40 ,it is true1 this is also one of the elementary principles of the ,art of ,rhetoric2 but it is no scandal that a saintly ,bishop should in this matter borrow a maxim from secular1 nay1 from pagan schools4 ,for divine grace does not overpower nor supersede the action of the human mind according to its proper nature2 and if heathen writers have analyzed that nature well1 so far let them be used to the greater glory of the ,author and ,source of all ,truth4 ,aristotle1 then1 in his celebrated treatise on ,rhetoric1 makes the very essence of the ,art lie in the precise recognition of a hearer4 ,it is a relative art1 and in that respect differs from ,logic1 which simply teaches the right use of reason1 whereas ,rhetoric is the art of persuasion1 which implies a person who is to be persuaded4 ,as1 then1 the ,christian ,preacher aims at the ,divine ,glory1 not in any vague and general way1 but definitely by the enunciation of some article or passage of the ,revealed ,word1 so further1 he enunciates it1 not for the instruction of the whole world1 but directly for the sake of those very persons who are before him4 ,he is1 when in the pulpit1 instructing1 enlightening1 informing1 advancing1 sanctifying1 not all nations1 nor all classes1 nor all callings1 but those particular ranks1 professions1 states1 ages1 characters1 which have gathered around him4 ,proof indeed is the same all over the earth2 but he has not only to prove1 but to persuade2--,whom8 ,a hearer1 then1 is included in the very idea of preaching2 and we cannot determine how in detail we ought to preach1 till we know whom we are to address4 ,in all the most important respects1 indeed1 all hearers are the same1 and what is suitable for one audience is suitable for another4 ,all hearers are children of ,adam1 all1 too1 are children of the ,christian adoption and of the ,catholic ,church4 ,the great topics which suit the multitude1 which attract the poor1 which sway the unlearned1 which warn1 arrest1 recall1 the wayward and wandering1 are in place within the precincts of a ,university as elsewhere4 ,a ,studium ,generale is not a cloister1 or noviciate1 or seminary1 or boarding-school2 it is an assemblage of the young1 the inexperienced1 the lay and the secular2 and not even the simplest of religious truths1 or the most elementary article of the ,christian faith1 can be unseasonable from its pulpit4 ,a sermon on the ,divine ,omnipresence1 on the future judgment1 on the satisfaction of ,christ1 on the intercession of saints1 will be not less1 perhaps more1 suitable there than if it were addressed to a parish congregation4 ,let no one suppose that any thing recondite is essential to the idea of a ,university sermon4 ,the most obvious truths are often the most profitable4 ,seldom does an opportunity occur for a subject there which might not under circumstances be treated before any other auditory whatever4 ,nay1 further2 an academical auditory might be well content if it never heard any subject treated at all but what would be suitable to any general congregation4 ,however1 after all1 a ,university has a character of its own2 it has some traits of human nature more prominently developed than others1 and its members are brought together under circumstances which impart to the auditory a peculiar colour and expression1 even where it does not substantially differ from another4 ,it is composed of men1 not women2 of the young rather than the old2 and of persons either highly educated or under education4 ,these are the points which the preacher will bear in mind1 and which will direct him both in his choice of subject1 and in his mode of treating it4 #e4 7#a47 ,and first as to his matter or subject4 ,here ,i would remark upon the circumstance1 that courses of sermons upon theological points1 polemical discussions1 treatises in extenso1 and the like1 are often included in the idea of a ,university ,sermon1 and are considered to be legitimately entitled to occupy the attention of a ,university audience2 the object of such compositions being1 not directly and mainly the edification of the hearers1 but the defence or advantage of ,catholicism at large1 and the gradual formation of a volume suitable for publication4 ,without absolutely discountenancing such important works1 it is not necessary to say more of them than that they rather belong to the divinity school1 and fall under the idea of ,lectures1 than have a claim to be viewed as ,university ,sermons4 ,anyhow1 ,i do not feel called upon to speak of such discourses here4 ,and ,i say the same of panegyrical orations1 discourses on special occasions1 funeral sermons1 and the like4 ,putting such exceptional compositions aside1 ,i will confine myself to the consideration of what may be called ,sermons proper4 ,and here1 ,i repeat1 any general subject will be seasonable in the ,university pulpit which would be seasonable elsewhere2 but1 if we look for subjects especially suitable1 they will be of two kinds4 ,the temptations which ordinarily assail the young and the intellectual are two3 those which are directed against their virtue1 and those which are directed against their faith4 ,all divine gifts are exposed to misuse and perversion2 youth and intellect are both of them goods1 and involve in them certain duties respectively1 and can be used to the glory of the ,giver2 but1 as youth becomes the occasion of excess and sensuality1 so does intellect give accidental opportunity to religious error1 rash speculation1 doubt1 and infidelity4 ,that these are in fact the peculiar evils to which large ,academical ,bodies are liable is shown from the history of ,universities2 and if a preacher would have a subject which has especial significancy in such a place1 he must select one which bears upon one or other of these two classes of sin4 ,i mean1 he would be treating on some such subject with the same sort of appositeness as he would discourse upon almsgiving when addressing the rich1 or on patience1 resignation1 and industry1 when he was addressing the poor1 or on forgiveness of injuries when he was addressing the oppressed or persecuted4 ,to this suggestion ,i append two cautions4 ,first1 ,i need hardly say1 that a preacher should be quite sure that he understands the persons he is addressing before he ventures to aim at what he considers to be their ethical condition2 for1 if he mistakes1 he will probably be doing harm rather than good4 ,i have known consequences to occur very far from edifying1 when strangers have fancied they knew an auditory when they did not1 and have by implication imputed to them habits or motives which were not theirs4 ,better far would it be for a preacher to select one of those more general subjects which are safe than risk what is evidently ambitious1 if it is not successful4 ,my other caution is this3--that1 even when he addresses himself to some special danger or probable deficiency or need of his hearers1 he should do so covertly1 not showing on the surface of his discourse what he is aiming at4 ,i see no advantage in a preacher professing to treat of infidelity1 orthodoxy1 or virtue1 or the pride of reason1 or riot1 or sensual indulgence4 ,to say nothing else1 common-places are but blunt weapons2 whereas it is particular topics that penetrate and reach their mark4 ,such subjects rather are1 for instance1 the improvement of time1 avoiding the occasions of sin1 frequenting the ,sacraments1 divine warnings1 the inspirations of grace1 the mysteries of the ,rosary1 natural virtue1 beauty of the rites of the ,church1 consistency of the ,catholic faith1 relation of ,scripture to the ,church1 the philosophy of tradition1 and any others1 which may touch the heart and conscience1 or may suggest trains of thought to the intellect1 without proclaiming the main reason why they have been chosen4 7#b47 ,next1 as to the mode of treating its subject1 which a ,university discourse requires4 ,it is this respect1 after all1 ,i think1 in which it especially differs from other kinds of preaching4 ,as translations differ from each other1 as expressing the same ideas in different languages1 so in the case of sermons1 each may undertake the same subject1 yet treat it in its own way1 as contemplating its own hearers4 ,this is well exemplified in the speeches of ,st4 ,paul1 as recorded in the book of ,acts4 ,to the ,jews he quotes the ,old ,testament2 on the ,areopagus1 addressing the philosophers of ,athens1 he insists1--not indeed upon any recondite doctrine1 contrariwise1 upon the most elementary1 the being and unity of ,god2--but he treats it with a learning and depth of thought1 which the presence of that celebrated city naturally suggested4 ,and in like manner1 while the most simple subjects are apposite in a ,university pulpit1 they certainly would there require a treatment more exact than is necessary in merely popular exhortations4 ,it is not asking much to demand for academical discourses a more careful study beforehand1 a more accurate conception of the idea which they are to enforce1 a more cautious use of words1 a more anxious consultation of writers of authority1 and somewhat more of philosophical and theological knowledge4 ,but here again1 as before1 ,i would insist on the necessity of such compositions being unpretending4 ,it is not necessary for a preacher to quote the ,holy ,fathers1 or to show erudition1 or to construct an original argument1 or to be ambitious in style and profuse of ornament1 on the ground that the audience is a ,university3 it is only necessary so to keep the character and necessities of his hearers before him as to avoid what may offend them1 or mislead1 or disappoint1 or fail to profit4 #f4 #c4 ,but here a distinct question opens upon us1 on which ,i must say a few words in conclusion1 viz41 whether or not the preacher should preach without book4 ,this is a delicate question to enter upon1 considering that the ,irish practice of preaching without book1 which is in accordance with that of foreign countries1 and1 as it would appear1 with the tradition of the ,church from the first1 is not universally adopted in ,england1 nor1 as ,i believe1 in ,scotland2 and it might seem unreasonable or presumptuous to abridge a liberty at present granted to the preacher4 ,i will simply set down what occurs to me to say on each side of the question4 ,first of all1 looking at the matter on the side of usage1 ,i have always understood that it was the rule in ,catholic countries1 as ,i have just said1 both in this and in former times1 to preach without book2 and1 if the rule be really so1 it carries extreme weight with it4 ,i do not speak as if ,i had consulted a library1 and made my ground sure2 but at first sight it would appear impossible1 even from the number of homilies and commentaries which are assigned to certain ,fathers1 as to ,st4 ,augustine or to ,st4 ,chrysostom1 that they could have delivered them from formally-written compositions4 ,on the other hand1 ,st4 ,leo's sermons certainly are1 in the strict sense of the word1 compositions2 nay1 passages of them are carefully dogmatic2 nay1 further still1 they have sometimes the character of a symbol1 and1 in consequence1 are found repeated in other parts of his works2 and again1 though ,i do not profess to be well read in the works of ,st4 ,chrysostom1 there is generally in such portions of them as are known to those of us who are in ,holy ,orders1 a peculiarity1 an identity of style1 which enables one to recognize the author at a glance1 even in the latin version of the ,breviary1 and which would seem to be quite beyond the mere fidelity of reporters4 ,it would seem1 then1 he must after all have written them2 and if he did write at all1 it is more likely that he wrote with the stimulus of preaching before him1 than that he had time and inducement to correct and enlarge them afterwards from notes1 for what is now called 8publication10 which at that time could hardly be said to exist at all4 ,to this consideration we must add the remarkable fact 7which1 though in classical history1 throws light upon our inquiry7 that1 not to produce other instances1 the greater part of ,cicero's powerful and brilliant orations against ,verres were never delivered at all4 ,nor must it be forgotten that ,cicero specifies memory in his enumeration of the distinct talents necessary for a great orator4 ,and then we have in corroboration the ,french practice of writing sermons and learning them by heart4 ,these remarks1 as far as they go1 lead us to lay great stress on the preparation of a sermon1 as amounting in fact to composition1 even in writing1 and in extenso4 ,now consider ,st4 ,carlo's direction1 as quoted above3 8,id omnino studebit1 ut quod in concione dicturus est1 antea bene cognitum habeat40 ,now a parish priest has neither time nor occasion for any but elementary and ordinary topics2 and any such subject he has habitually made his own1 8cognitum habet10 already2 but when the matter is of a more select and occasional character1 as in the case of a ,university ,sermon1 then the preacher has to study it well and thoroughly1 and master it beforehand4 ,study and meditation being imperative1 can it be denied that one of the most effectual means by which we are able to ascertain our understanding of a subject1 to bring out our thoughts upon it1 to clear our meaning1 to enlarge our views of its relations to other subjects1 and to develop it generally1 is to write down carefully all we have to say about it8 ,people indeed differ in matters of this kind1 but ,i think that writing is a stimulus to the mental faculties1 to the logical talent1 to originality1 to the power of illustration1 to the arrangement of topics1 second to none4 ,till a man begins to put down his thoughts about a subject on paper he will not ascertain what he knows and what he does not know2 and still less will he be able to express what he does know4 ,such a formal preparation of course cannot be required of a parish priest1 burdened1 as he may be1 with other duties1 and preaching on elementary subjects1 and supported by the systematic order and the suggestions of the ,catechism2 but in occasional sermons the case is otherwise4 ,in these it is both possible and generally necessary2 and the fuller the sketch1 and the more clear and continuous the thread of the discourse1 the more the preacher will find himself at home when the time of delivery arrives4 ,i have said 8generally necessary10 for of course there will be exceptional cases1 in which such a mode of preparation does not answer1 whether from some mistake in carrying it out1 or from some special gift superseding it4 ,to many preachers there will be another advantage besides2--such a practice will secure them against venturing upon really extempore matter4 ,the more ardent a man is1 and the greater power he has of affecting his hearers1 so much the more will he need self-control and sustained recollection1 and feel the advantage of committing himself1 as it were1 to the custody of his previous intentions1 instead of yielding to any chance current of thought which rushes upon him in the midst of his preaching4 ,his very gifts may need the counterpoise of more ordinary and homely accessories1 such as the drudgery of composition4 ,it must be borne in mind too1 that1 since a ,university ,sermon will commonly have more pains than ordinary bestowed on it1 it will be considered in the number of those which the author would especially wish to preserve4 ,some record of it then will be natural1 or even is involved in its composition2 and1 while the least elaborate will be as much as a sketch or abstract1 even the most minute1 exact1 and copious assemblage of notes will not be found too long hereafter1 supposing1 as time goes on1 any reason occurs for wishing to commit it to the press4 ,here are various reasons1 which are likely to lead1 or to oblige1 a preacher to have recourse to his pen in preparation for his special office4 ,a further reason might be suggested1 which would be more intimate than any we have given1 going indeed so far as to justify the introduction of a manuscript into the pulpit itself1 if the case supposed fell for certain under the idea of a ,university ,sermon4 ,it may be urged with great cogency that a process of argument1 or a logical analysis and investigation1 cannot at all be conducted with suitable accuracy of wording1 completeness of statement1 or succession of ideas1 if the composition is to be prompted at the moment1 and breathed out1 as it were1 from the intellect together with the very words which are its vehicle4 ,there are indeed a few persons in a generation1 such as ,pitt1 who are able to converse like a book1 and to speak a pamphlet2 but others must be content to write and to read their writing4 ,this is true2 but ,i have already found reason to question whether such delicate and complicated organizations of thought have a right to the name of ,sermons at all4 ,in truth1 a discourse1 which1 from its fineness and precision of ideas1 is too difficult for a preacher to deliver without such extraneous assistance1 is too difficult for a hearer to follow2 and1 if a book be imperative for teaching1 it is imperative for learning4 ,both parties ought to read1 if they are to be on equal terms2--and this remark furnishes me with a principle which has an application wider than the particular case which has suggested it4 ,while1 then1 a preacher will find it becoming and advisable to put into writing any important discourse beforehand1 he will find it equally a point of propriety and expedience not to read it in the pulpit4 ,i am not of course denying his right to use a manuscript1 if he wishes2 but he will do well to conceal it1 as far as he can1 unless1 which is the most effectual concealment1 whatever be its counterbalancing disadvantages1 he prefers1 mainly not verbally1 to get it by heart4 ,to conceal it1 indeed1 in one way or other1 will be his natural impulse2 and this very circumstance seems to show us that to read a sermon needs an apology4 ,for1 why should he commit it to memory1 or conceal his use of it1 unless he felt that it was more natural1 more decorous1 to do without it8 ,and so again1 if he employs a manuscript1 the more he appears to dispense with it1 the more he looks off from it1 and directly addresses his audience1 the more will he be considered to preach2 and1 on the other hand1 the more will he be judged to come short of preaching the more sedulous he is in following his manuscript line after line1 and by the tone of his voice makes it clear that he has got it safely before him4 ,what is this but a popular testimony to the fact that preaching is not reading1 and reading is not preaching8 ,there is1 as ,i have said1 a principle involved in this decision4 ,it is a common answer made by the ,protestant poor to their clergy or other superiors1 when asked why they do not go to church1 that 8they can read their book at home quite as well40 ,it is quite true1 they can read their book at home1 and it is difficult what to rejoin1 and it is a problem1 which has employed before now the more thoughtful of their communion1 to make out what is got by going to public service4 ,the prayers are from a printed book1 the sermon is from a manuscript4 ,the printed prayers they have already2 and1 as to the manuscript sermon1 why should it be in any respects better than the volume of sermons which they have at home8 ,why should not an approved author be as good as one who has not yet submitted himself to criticism8 ,and again1 if it is to be read in the church1 why may not one person read it quite as well as another8 ,good advice is good advice1 all the world over4 ,there is something more1 then1 than composition in a sermon2 there is something personal in preaching2 people are drawn and moved1 not simply by what is said1 but by how it is said1 and who says it4 ,the same things said by one man are not the same as when said by another4 ,the same things when read are not the same as when they are preached4 #g4 ,in this respect the preacher differs from the minister of the sacraments1 that he comes to his hearers1 in some sense or other1 with antecedents4 ,clad in his sacerdotal vestments1 he sinks what is individual in himself altogether1 and is but the representative of ,him from whom he derives his commission4 ,his words1 his tones1 his actions1 his presence1 lose their personality2 one bishop1 one priest1 is like another2 they all chant the same notes1 and observe the same genuflexions1 as they give one peace and one blessing1 as they offer one and the same sacrifice4 ,the ,mass must not be said without a ,missal under the priest's eye2 nor in any language but that in which it has come down to us from the early hierarchs of the ,western ,church4 ,but1 when it is over1 and the celebrant has resigned the vestments proper to it1 then he resumes himself1 and comes to us in the gifts and associations which attach to his person4 ,he knows his sheep1 and they know him2 and it is this direct bearing of the teacher on the taught1 of his mind upon their minds1 and the mutual sympathy which exists between them1 which is his strength and influence when he addresses them4 ,they hang upon his lips as they cannot hang upon the pages of his book4 ,definiteness is the life of preaching4 ,a definite hearer1 not the whole world2 a definite topic1 not the whole evangelical tradition2 and1 in like manner1 a definite speaker4 ,nothing that is anonymous will preach2 nothing that is dead and gone2 nothing even which is of yesterday1 however religious in itself and useful4 ,thought and word are one in the ,eternal ,logos1 and must not be separate in those who are ,his shadows on earth4 ,they must issue fresh and fresh1 as from the preacher's mouth1 so from his breast1 if they are to be 8spirit and life0 to the hearts of his hearers4 ,and what is true of a parish priest applies1 mutatis mutandis1 to a ,university preacher2 who1 even more1 perhaps1 than the ordinary parochus1 comes to his audience with a name and a history1 and excites a personal interest1 and persuades by what he is1 as well as by what he delivers4 ,i am far from forgetting that every one has his own talent1 and that one has not what another has4 ,eloquence is a divine gift1 which to a certain point supersedes rules1 and is to be used1 like other gifts1 to the glory of the ,giver1 and then only to be discountenanced when it forgets its place1 when it throws into the shade and embarrasses the essential functions of the ,christian preacher1 and claims to be cultivated for its own sake instead of being made subordinate and subservient to a higher work and to sacred objects4 ,and how to make eloquence subservient to the evangelical office is not more difficult than how to use learning or intellect for a supernatural end2 but it does not come into consideration here4 ,in the case of particular preachers1 circumstances may constantly arise which render the use of a manuscript the more advisable course2 but ,i have been considering how the case stands in itself1 and attempting to set down what is to be aimed at as best4 ,if religious men once ascertain what is abstractedly desirable1 and acquiesce in it with their hearts1 they will be in the way to get over many difficulties which otherwise will be insurmountable4 ,for myself1 ,i think it no extravagance to say that a very inferior sermon1 delivered without book1 answers the purposes for which all sermons are delivered more perfectly than one of great merit1 if it be written and read4 ,of course1 all men will not speak without book equally well1 just as their voices are not equally clear and loud1 or their manner equally impressive4 ,eloquence1 ,i repeat1 is a gift2 but most men1 unless they have passed the age for learning1 may with practice attain such fluency in expressing their thoughts as will enable them to convey and manifest to their audience that earnestness and devotion to their object1 which is the life of preaching1--which both covers1 in the preacher's own consciousness1 the sense of his own deficiencies1 and makes up for them over and over again in the judgment of his hearers4 ,lecture ,,vii4 ,christianity and ,physical ,science4 ,a ,lecture in the ,school of ,medicine4 #a4 ,now that we have just commenced our second ,academical ,year1 it is natural1 ,gentlemen1 that1 as in ,november last1 when we were entering upon our great undertaking1 ,i offered to you some remarks suggested by the occasion1 so now again ,i should not suffer the first weeks of the ,session to pass away without addressing to you a few words on one of those subjects which are at the moment especially interesting to us4 ,and when ,i apply myself to think what topic ,i shall in consequence submit to your consideration1 ,i seem to be directed what to select by the principle of selection which ,i followed on that former occasion to which ,i have been referring4 ,then7#de7 we were opening the ,schools of ,philosophy and ,letters1 as now we are opening those of ,medicine2 and1 as ,i then attempted some brief investigation of the mutual bearings of ,revelation and ,literature1 so at the present time ,i shall not1 ,i trust1 be unprofitably engaging your attention1 if ,i make one or two parallel reflections on the relations existing between ,revelation and ,physical ,science4 ,this subject1 indeed1 viewed in its just dimensions1 is far too large for an occasion such as this2 still ,i may be able to select some one point out of the many which it offers for discussion1 and1 while elucidating it1 to throw light even on others which at the moment ,i do not formally undertake4 ,i propose1 then1 to discuss the antagonism which is popularly supposed to exist between ,physics and ,theology2 and to show1 first1 that such antagonism does not really exist1 and1 next1 to account for the circumstance that so groundless an imagination should have got abroad4 ,i think ,i am not mistaken in the fact that there exists1 both in the educated and half-educated portions of the community1 something of a surmise or misgiving1 that there really is at bottom a certain contrariety between the declarations of religion and the results of physical inquiry2 a suspicion such1 that1 while it encourages those persons who are not over-religious to anticipate a coming day1 when at length the difference will break out into open conflict1 to the disadvantage of ,revelation1 it leads religious minds1 on the other hand1 who have not had the opportunity of considering accurately the state of the case1 to be jealous of the researches1 and prejudiced against the discoveries1 of ,science4 ,the consequence is1 on the one side1 a certain contempt of ,theology2 on the other1 a disposition to undervalue1 to deny1 to ridicule1 to discourage1 and almost to denounce1 the labours of the physiological1 astronomical1 or geological investigator4 ,i do not suppose that any of those gentlemen who are now honouring me with their presence are exposed to the temptation either of the religious or of the scientific prejudice2 but that is no reason why some notice of it may not have its use even in this place4 ,it may lead us to consider the subject itself more carefully and exactly2 it may assist us in attaining clearer ideas than before how ,physics and ,theology stand relatively to each other4 #b4 ,let us begin with a first approximation to the real state of the case1 or a broad view1 which1 though it may require corrections1 will serve at once to illustrate and to start the subject4 ,we may divide knowledge1 then1 into natural and supernatural4 ,some knowledge1 of course1 is both at once2 for the moment let us put this circumstance aside1 and view these two fields of knowledge in themselves1 and as distinct from each other in idea4 ,by nature is meant1 ,i suppose1 that vast system of things1 taken as a whole1 of which we are cognizant by means of our natural powers4 ,by the supernatural world is meant that still more marvellous and awful universe1 of which the ,creator ,himself is the fulness1 and which becomes known to us1 not through our natural faculties1 but by superadded and direct communication from ,him4 ,these two great circles of knowledge1 as ,i have said1 intersect2 first1 as far as supernatural knowledge includes truths and facts of the natural world1 and secondly1 as far as truths and facts of the natural world are on the other hand data for inferences about the supernatural4 ,still1 allowing this interference to the full1 it will be found1 on the whole1 that the two worlds and the two kinds of knowledge respectively are separated off from each other2 and that1 therefore1 as being separate1 they cannot on the whole contradict each other4 ,that is1 in other words1 a person who has the fullest knowledge of one of these worlds1 may be nevertheless1 on the whole1 as ignorant as the rest of mankind1 as unequal to form a judgment1 of the facts and truths of the other4 ,he who knows all that can possibly be known about physics1 about politics1 about geography1 ethnology1 and ethics1 will have made no approximation whatever to decide the question whether or not there are angels1 and how many are their orders2 and on the other hand1 the most learned of dogmatic and mystical divines1--,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,thomas1--will not on that score know more than a peasant about the laws of motion1 or the wealth of nations4 ,i do not mean that there may not be speculations and guesses on this side and that1 but ,i speak of any conclusion which merits to be called1 ,i will not say knowledge1 but even opinion4 ,if1 then1 ,theology be the philosophy of the supernatural world1 and ,science the philosophy of the natural1 ,theology and ,science1 whether in their respective ideas1 or again in their own actual fields1 on the whole1 are incommunicable1 incapable of collision1 and needing1 at most to be connected1 never to be reconciled4 ,now this broad general view of our subject is found to be so far true in fact1 in spite of such deductions from it that have to be made in detail1 that the recent ,french editors of one of the works of ,st4 ,thomas are able to give it as one of their reasons why that great theologian made an alliance1 not with ,plato1 but with ,aristotle1 because ,aristotle 7they say71 unlike ,plato1 confined himself to human science1 and therefore was secured from coming into collision with divine4 8,not without reason10 they say1 8did ,st4 ,thomas acknowledge ,aristotle as if the ,master of human philosophy2 for1 inasmuch as ,aristotle was not a ,theologian1 he had only treated of logical1 physical1 psychological1 and metaphysical theses1 to the exclusion of those which are concerned about the supernatural relations of man to ,god1 that is1 religion2 which1 on the other hand1 had been the source of the worst errors of other philosophers1 and especially of ,plato40 #c4 ,but if there be so substantial a truth even in this very broad statement concerning the independence of the fields of ,theology and general ,science severally1 and the consequent impossibility of collision between them1 how much more true is that statement1 from the very nature of the case1 when we contrast ,theology1 not with ,science generally1 but definitely with ,physics6 ,in ,physics is comprised that family of sciences which is concerned with the sensible world1 with the phenomena which we see1 hear1 and handle1 or1 in other words1 with matter4 ,it is the philosophy of matter4 ,its basis of operations1 what it starts from1 what it falls back upon1 is the phenomena which meet the senses4 ,those phenomena it ascertains1 catalogues1 compares1 combines1 arranges1 and then uses for determining something beyond themselves1 viz41 the order to which they are subservient1 or what we commonly call the laws of nature4 ,it never travels beyond the examination of cause and effect4 ,its object is to resolve the complexity of phenomena into simple elements and principles2 but when it has reached those first elements1 principles1 and laws1 its mission is at an end2 it keeps within that material system with which it began1 and never ventures beyond the 8flammantia mnia mundi40 ,it may1 indeed1 if it chooses1 feel a doubt of the completeness of its analysis hitherto1 and for that reason endeavour to arrive at more simple laws and fewer principles4 ,it may be dissatisfied with its own combinations1 hypotheses1 systems2 and leave ,ptolemy for ,newton1 the alchemists for ,lavoisier and ,davy2--that is1 it may decide that it has not yet touched the bottom of its own subject2 but still its aim will be to get to the bottom1 and nothing more4 ,with matter it began1 with matter it will end2 it will never trespass into the province of mind4 ,the ,hindoo notion is said to be that the earth stands upon a tortoise2 but the physicist1 as such1 will never ask himself by what influence1 external to the universe1 the universe is sustained2 simply because he is a physicist4 ,if indeed he be a religious man1 he will of course have a very definite view of the subject2 but that view of his is private1 not professional1--the view1 not of a physicist1 but of a religious man2 and this1 not because physical science says any thing different1 but simply because it says nothing at all on the subject1 nor can do so by the very undertaking with which it set out4 ,the question is simply extra artem4 ,the physical philosopher has nothing whatever to do with final causes1 and will get into inextricable confusion1 if he introduces them into his investigations4 ,he has to look in one definite direction1 not in any other4 ,it is said that in some countries1 when a stranger asks his way1 he is at once questioned in turn what place he came from3 something like this would be the unseasonableness of a physicist1 who inquired how the phenomena and laws of the material world primarily came to be1 when his simple task is that of ascertaining what they are4 ,within the limits of those phenomena he may speculate and prove2 he may trace the operation of the laws of matter through periods of time2 he may penetrate into the past1 and anticipate the future2 he may recount the changes which they have effected upon matter1 and the rise1 growth1 and decay of phenomena2 and so in a certain sense he may write the history of the material world1 as far as he can2 still he will always advance from phenomena1 and conclude upon the internal evidence which they supply4 ,he will not come near the questions1 what that ultimate element is1 which we call matter1 how it came to be1 whether it can cease to be1 whether it ever was not1 whether it will ever come to nought1 in what its laws really consist1 whether they can cease to be1 whether they can be suspended1 what causation is1 what time is1 what the relations of time to cause and effect1 and a hundred other questions of a similar character4 ,such is ,physical ,science1 and ,theology1 as is obvious1 is just what such ,science is not4 ,theology begins1 as its name denotes1 not with any sensible facts1 phenomena1 or results1 not with nature at all1 but with the ,author of nature1--with the one invisible1 unapproachable ,cause and ,source of all things4 ,it begins at the other end of knowledge1 and is occupied1 not with the finite1 but the ,infinite4 ,it unfolds and systematizes what ,he ,himself has told us of ,himself2 of ,his nature1 ,his attributes1 ,his will1 and ,his acts4 ,as far as it approaches towards ,physics1 it takes just the counterpart of the questions which occupy the ,physical ,philosopher4 ,he contemplates facts before him2 the ,theologian gives the reasons of those facts4 ,the ,physicist treats of efficient causes2 the ,theologian of final4 ,the ,physicist tells us of laws2 the ,theologian of the ,author1 ,maintainer1 and ,controller of them2 of their scope1 of their suspension1 if so be2 of their beginning and their end4 ,this is how the two schools stand related to each other1 at that point where they approach the nearest2 but for the most part they are absolutely divergent4 ,what ,physical ,science is engaged in ,i have already said2 as to ,theology1 it contemplates the world1 not of matter1 but of mind2 the ,supreme ,intelligence2 souls and their destiny2 conscience and duty2 the past1 present1 and future dealings of the ,creator with the creature4 #d4 ,so far1 then1 as these remarks have gone1 ,theology and ,physics cannot touch each other1 have no intercommunion1 have no ground of difference or agreement1 of jealousy or of sympathy4 ,as well may musical truths be said to interfere with the doctrines of architectural science2 as well may there be a collision between the mechanist and the geologist1 the engineer and the grammarian2 as well might the ,british ,parliament or the ,french nation be jealous of some possible belligerent power upon the surface of the moon1 as ,physics pick a quarrel with ,theology4 ,and it may be well1--before ,i proceed to fill up in detail this outline1 and to explain what has to be explained in this statement1--to corroborate it1 as it stands1 by the remarkable words upon the subject of a writer of the day37#df7-- 8,we often hear it said10 he observes1 writing as a ,protestant 7and here let me assure you1 ,gentlemen1 that though his words have a controversial tone with them1 ,i do not quote them in that aspect1 or as wishing here to urge any thing against ,protestants1 but merely in pursuance of my own point1 that ,revelation and ,physical ,science cannot really come into collision71 8we often hear it said that the world is constantly becoming more and more enlightened1 and that this enlightenment must be favourable to ,protestantism1 and unfavourable to ,catholicism4 ,we wish that we could think so4 ,but we see great reason to doubt whether this is a well-founded expectation4 ,we see that during the last two hundred and fifty years the human mind has been in the highest degree active2 that it has made great advances in every branch of natural philosophy2 that it has produced innumerable inventions tending to promote the convenience of life2 that medicine1 surgery1 chemistry1 engineering1 have been very greatly improved1 that government1 police1 and law have been improved1 though not to so great an extent as the physical sciences4 ,yet we see that1 during these two hundred and fifty years1 ,protestantism has made no conquests worth speaking of4 ,nay1 we believe that1 as far as there has been change1 that change has1 on the whole1 been in favour of the ,church of ,rome4 ,we cannot1 therefore1 feel confident that the progress of knowledge will necessarily be fatal to a system which has1 to say the least1 stood its ground in spite of the immense progress made by the human race in knowledge since the days of ,queen ,elizabeth4 8,indeed1 the argument which we are considering seems to us to be founded on an entire mistake4 ,there are branches of knowledge with respect to which the law of the human mind is progress4 ,in mathematics1 when once a proposition has been demonstrated1 it is never afterwards contested4 ,every fresh story is as solid a basis for a new superstructure as the original foundation was4 ,here1 therefore1 there is a constant addition to the stock of truth4 ,in the inductive sciences1 again1 the law is progress4''' 8,but with theology the case is very different4 ,as respects natural religion 7,revelation being for the present altogether left out of the question71 it is not easy to see that a philosopher of the present day is more favourably situated than ,thales or ,simonides4 ,he has before him just the same evidences of design in the structure of the universe which the early ,greeks had4''' ,as to the other great question1 the question what becomes of man after death1 we do not see that a highly educated ,european1 left to his unassisted reason1 is more likely to be in the right than a ,blackfoot ,indian4 ,not a single one of the many sciences1 in which we surpass the ,blackfoot ,indians1 throws the smallest light on the state of the soul after the animal life is extinct4''' 8,natural ,theology1 then1 is not a progressive science4 ,that knowledge of our origin and of our destiny which we derive from ,revelation is indeed of very different clearness1 and of very different importance4 ,but neither is ,revealed ,religion of the nature of a progressive science4''' ,in divinity there cannot be a progress analogous to that which is constantly taking place in pharmacy1 geology1 and navigation4 ,a ,christian of the fifth century with a ,bible is neither better nor worse situated than a ,christian of the nineteenth century with a ,bible1 candour and natural acuteness being of course supposed equal4 ,it matters not at all that the compass1 printing1 gunpowder1 steam1 gas1 vaccination1 and a thousand other discoveries and inventions1 which were unknown in the fifth century1 are familiar to the nineteenth4 ,none of these discoveries and inventions has the smallest bearing on the question whether man is justified by faith alone1 or whether the invocation of saints is an orthodox practice4''' ,we are confident that the world will never go back to the solar system of ,ptolemy2 nor is our confidence in the least shaken by the circumstance that so great a man as ,bacon rejected the theory of ,galileo with scorn2 for ,bacon had not all the means of arriving at a sound conclusion4''' ,but when we reflect that ,sir ,thomas ,more was ready to die for the doctrine of ,transubstantiation1 we cannot but feel some doubt whether the doctrine of ,transubstantiation may not triumph over all opposition4 ,more was a man of eminent talents4 ,he had all the information on the subject that we have1 or that1 while the world lasts1 any human being will have4''' ,no progress that science has made1 or will make1 can add to what seems to us the overwhelming force of the argument against the ,real ,presence4 ,we are therefore unable to understand why what ,sir ,thomas ,more believed respecting ,transubstantiation may not be believed to the end of time by men equal in abilities and honesty to ,sir ,thomas ,more4 ,but ,sir ,thomas ,more is one of the choice specimens of human wisdom and virtue2 and the doctrine of ,transubstantiation is a kind of proof charge4 ,the faith which stands that test will stand any test4''' 8,the history of ,catholicism strikingly illustrates these observations4 ,during the last seven centuries the public mind of ,europe has made constant progress in every department of secular knowledge2 but in religion we can trace no constant progress4''' ,four times since the authority of the ,church of ,rome was established in ,western ,christendom has the human intellect risen up against her yoke4 ,twice that ,church remained completely victorious4 ,twice she came forth from the conflict bearing the marks of cruel wounds1 but with the principle of life still strong within her4 ,when we reflect on the tremendous assaults she has survived1 we find it difficult to conceive in what way she is to perish40 ,you see1 ,gentlemen1 if you trust the judgment of a sagacious mind1 deeply read in history1 ,catholic ,theology has nothing to fear from the progress of ,physical ,science1 even independently of the divinity of its doctrines4 ,it speaks of things supernatural2 and these1 by the very force of the words1 research into nature cannot touch4 #e4 ,it is true that the author in question1 while saying all this1 and much more to the same purpose1 also makes mention of one exception to his general statement1 though he mentions it in order to put it aside4 ,i1 too1 have to notice the same exception here2 and you will see at once1 ,gentlemen1 as soon as it is named1 how little it interferes really with the broad view which ,i have been drawing out4 ,it is true1 then1 that ,revelation has in one or two instances advanced beyond its chosen territory1 which is the invisible world1 in order to throw light upon the history of the material universe4 ,holy ,scripture1 it is perfectly true1 does declare a few momentous facts1 so few that they may be counted1 of a physical character4 ,it speaks of a process of formation out of chaos which occupied six days2 it speaks of the firmament2 of the sun and moon being created for the sake of the earth2 of the earth being immovable2 of a great deluge2 and of several other similar facts and events4 ,it is true2 nor is there any reason why we should anticipate any difficulty in accepting these statements as they stand1 whenever their meaning and drift are authoritatively determined2 for1 it must be recollected1 their meaning has not yet engaged the formal attention of the ,church1 or received any interpretation which1 as ,catholics1 we are bound to accept1 and in the absence of such definite interpretation1 there is perhaps some presumption in saying that it means this1 and does not mean that4 ,and this being the case1 it is not at all probable that any discoveries ever should be made by physical inquiries incompatible at the same time with one and all of those senses which the letter admits1 and which are still open4 ,as to certain popular interpretations of the texts in question1 ,i shall have something to say of them presently2 here ,i am only concerned with the letter of the ,holy ,scriptures itself1 as far as it bears upon the history of the heavens and the earth2 and ,i say that we may wait in peace and tranquillity till there is some real collision between ,scripture authoritatively interpreted1 and results of science clearly ascertained1 before we consider how we are to deal with a difficulty which we have reasonable grounds for thinking will never really occur4 ,and1 after noticing this exception1 ,i really have made the utmost admission that has to be made about the existence of any common ground upon which ,theology and ,physical ,science may fight a battle4 ,on the whole1 the two studies do most surely occupy distinct fields1 in which each may teach without expecting any interposition from the other4 ,it might indeed have pleased the ,almighty to have superseded physical inquiry by revealing the truths which are its object1 though ,he has not done so3 but whether it had pleased ,him to do so or not1 anyhow ,theology and ,physics would be distinct sciences2 and nothing which the one says of the material world ever can contradict what the other says of the immaterial4 ,here1 then1 is the end of the question2 and here ,i might come to an end also1 were it not incumbent on me to explain how it is that1 though ,theology and ,physics cannot quarrel1 nevertheless1 ,physical ,philosophers and ,theologians have quarrelled in fact1 and quarrel still4 ,to the solution of this difficulty ,i shall devote the remainder of my ,lecture4 #f4 ,i observe1 then1 that the elementary methods of reasoning and inquiring used in ,theology and ,physics are contrary the one to the other2 each of them has a method of its own2 and in this1 ,i think1 has lain the point of controversy between the two schools1 viz41 that neither of them has been quite content to remain on its own homestead1 but that1 whereas each has its own method1 which is the best for its own science1 each has considered it the best for all purposes whatever1 and has at different times thought to impose it upon the other science1 to the disparagement or rejection of that opposite method which legitimately belongs to it4 ,the argumentative method of ,theology is that of a strict science1 such as ,geometry1 or deductive2 the method of ,physics1 at least on starting1 is that of an empirical pursuit1 or inductive4 ,this peculiarity on either side arises from the nature of the case4 ,in ,physics a vast and omnigenous mass of information lies before the inquirer1 all in a confused litter1 and needing arrangement and analysis4 ,in ,theology such varied phenomena are wanting1 and ,revelation presents itself instead4 ,what is known in ,christianity is just that which is revealed1 and nothing more2 certain truths1 communicated directly from above1 are committed to the keeping of the faithful1 and to the very last nothing can really be added to those truths4 ,from the time of the ,apostles to the end of the world no strictly new truth can be added to the theological information which the ,apostles were inspired to deliver4 ,it is possible of course to make numberless deductions from the original doctrines2 but1 as the conclusion is ever in its premisses1 such deductions are not1 strictly speaking1 an addition2 and1 though experience may variously guide and modify those deductions1 still1 on the whole1 ,theology retains the severe character of a science1 advancing syllogistically from premisses to conclusion4 ,the method of ,physics is just the reverse of this3 it has hardly any principles or truths to start with1 externally delivered and already ascertained4 ,it has to commence 99mence with sight and touch2 it has to handle1 weigh1 and measure its own exuberant sylva of phenomena1 and from these to advance to new truths1--truths1 that is1 which are beyond and distinct from the phenomena from which they originate4 ,thus ,physical ,science is experimental1 ,theology traditional2 ,physical ,science is the richer1 ,theology the more exact2 ,physics the bolder1 ,theology the surer2 ,physics progressive1 ,theology1 in comparison1 stationary2 ,theology is loyal to the past1 ,physics has visions of the future4 ,such they are1 ,i repeat1 and such their respective methods of inquiry1 from the nature of the case4 ,but minds habituated to either of these two methods can hardly help extending it beyond its due limits1 unless they are put upon their guard1 and have great command of themselves4 ,it cannot be denied that divines have from time to time been much inclined to give a traditional1 logical shape to sciences which do not admit of any such treatment4 ,nor can it be denied1 on the other hand1 that men of science often show a special irritation at theologians for going by antiquity1 precedent1 authority1 and logic1 and for declining to introduce ,bacon or ,niebuhr into their own school1 or to apply some new experimental and critical process for the improvement of that which has been given once for all from above4 ,hence the mutual jealousy of the two parties2 and ,i shall now attempt to give instances of it4 #g4 ,first1 then1 let me refer to those interpretations of ,scripture1 popular and of long standing1 though not authoritative1 to which ,i have already had occasion to allude4 ,scripture1 we know1 is to be interpreted according to the unanimous consent of the ,fathers2 but1 besides this consent1 which is of authority1 carrying with it the evidence of its truth1 there have ever been in ,christendom a number of floating opinions1 more or less appended to the divine tradition2 opinions which have a certain probability of being more than human1 or of having a basis or admixture of truth1 but which admit of no test1 whence they came1 or how far they are true1 besides the course of events1 and which meanwhile are to be received at least with attention and deference4 ,sometimes they are comments on ,scripture prophecy1 sometimes on other obscurities or mysteries4 ,it was once an opinion1 for instance1 drawn from the sacred text1 that the ,christian ,dispensation was to last a thousand years1 and no more2 the event disproved it4 ,a still more exact and plausible tradition1 derived from ,scripture1 was that which asserted that1 when the ,roman ,empire should fall to pieces1 ,antichrist should appear1 who should be followed at once by the ,second ,coming4 ,various ,fathers thus interpret ,st4 ,paul1 and ,bellarmine receives the interpretation as late as the sixteenth century4 ,the event alone can decide if1 under any aspect of ,christian history1 it is true2 but at present we are at least able to say that it is not true in that broad plain sense in which it was once received4 ,passing from comments on prophetical passages of ,scripture to those on cosmological1 it was1 ,i suppose1 the common belief of ages1 sustained by received interpretations of the sacred text1 that the earth was immovable4 ,hence1 ,i suppose1 it was that the ,irish ,bishop who asserted the existence of the ,antipodes alarmed his contemporaries2 though it is well to observe that1 even in the dark age in which he lived1 the ,holy ,see1 to which reference was made1 did not commit itself to any condemnation of the unusual opinion4 ,the same alarm again occupied the public mind when the ,copernican ,system was first advocated3 nor were the received traditions1 which were the ground of that alarm1 hastily to be rejected2 yet rejected they ultimately have been4 ,if in any quarter these human traditions were enforced1 and1 as it were1 enacted1 to the prejudice and detriment of scientific investigations 7and this was never done by the ,church herself71 this was a case of undue interference on the part of the ,theological schools in the province of ,physics4 ,so much may be said as regards interpretations of ,scripture2 but it is easy to see that other received opinions1 not resting on the sacred volume1 might with less claim and greater inconvenience be put forward to harass the physical inquirer1 to challenge his submission1 and to preclude that process of examination which is proper to his own peculiar pursuit4 ,such are the dictatorial formul against which ,bacon inveighs1 and the effect of which was to change ,physics into a deductive science1 and to oblige the student to assume implicitly1 as first principles1 enunciations and maxims1 which were venerable1 only because no one could tell whence they came1 and authoritative1 only because no one could say what arguments there were in their favour4 ,in proportion as these encroachments were made upon his own field of inquiry would be the indignation of the physical philosopher2 and he would exercise a scepticism which relieved his feelings1 while it approved itself to his reason1 if he was called on ever to keep in mind that light bodies went up1 and heavy bodies fell down1 and other similar maxims1 which had no pretensions to a divine origin1 or to be considered self-evident principles1 or intuitive truths4 ,and in like manner1 if a philosopher with a true genius for physical research found the ,physical ,schools of his day occupied with the discussion of final causes1 and solving difficulties in material nature by means of them2 if he found it decided1 for instance1 that the roots of trees make for the river1 because they need moisture1 or that the axis of the earth lies at a certain angle to the plane of its motion by reason of certain advantages thence accruing to its inhabitants1 ,i should not wonder at his exerting himself for a great reform in the process of inquiry1 preaching the method of ,induction1 and1 if he fancied that theologians were indirectly or in any respect the occasion of the blunder1 getting provoked for a time1 however unreasonably1 with ,theology itself4 ,i wish the experimental school of ,philosophers had gone no further in its opposition to ,theology than indulging in some indignation at it for the fault of its disciples2 but it must be confessed that it has run into excesses on its own side for which the school of high ,deductive ,science has afforded no precedent2 and that1 if it once for a time suffered from the tyranny of the logical method of inquiry1 it has encouraged1 by way of reprisals1 encroachments and usurpations on the province of ,theology far more serious than that unintentional and long obsolete interference with its own province1 on the part of ,theologians1 which has been its excuse4 ,and to these unjustifiable and mischievous intrusions made by the ,experimentalists into the department of ,theology ,i have now1 ,gentlemen1 to call your attention4 #h4 ,you will let me repeat1 then1 what ,i have already said1 that1 taking things as they are1 the very idea of ,revelation is that of a direct interference from above1 for the introduction of truths otherwise unknown2 moreover1 as such a communication implies recipients1 an authoritative depositary of the things revealed will be found practically to be involved in that idea4 ,knowledge1 then1 of these revealed truths1 is gained1 not by any research into facts1 but simply by appealing to the authoritative keepers of them1 as every ,catholic knows1 by learning what is a matter of teaching1 and by dwelling upon1 and drawing out into detail1 the doctrines which are delivered2 according to the text1 8,faith cometh by hearing40 ,i do not prove what1 after all1 does not need proof1 because ,i speak to ,catholics2 ,i am stating what we ,catholics know1 and ever will maintain to be the method proper to ,theology1 as it has ever been recognized4 ,such1 ,i say1 is the theological method1 deductive2 however1 the history of the last three centuries is only one long course of attempts1 on the part of the partisans of the ,baconian ,philosophy1 to get rid of the method proper to ,theology and to make it an experimental science4 ,but1 ,i say1 for an experimental science1 we must have a large collection of phenomena or facts3 where1 then1 are those which are to be adopted as a basis for an inductive theology8 ,three principal stores have been used1 ,gentlemen3 the first1 the text of ,holy ,scripture2 the second1 the events and transactions of ecclesiastical history2 the third1 the phenomena of the visible world4 ,this triple subject-matter1--,scripture1 ,antiquity1 ,nature1--has been taken as a foundation1 on which the inductive method may be exercised for the investigation and ascertainment of that theological truth1 which to a ,catholic is a matter of teaching1 transmission1 and deduction4 ,now let us pause for a moment and make a reflection before going into any detail4 ,truth cannot be contrary to truth2 if these three subject-matters were able1 under the pressure of the inductive method1 to yield respectively theological conclusions in unison and in concord with each other1 and also contrary to the doctrines of ,theology as a deductive science1 then that ,theology would not indeed at once be overthrown 7for still the question would remain for discussion1 which of the two doctrinal systems was the truth1 and which the apparent truth71 but certainly the received deductive theological science would be in an anxious position1 and would be on its trial4 ,again1 truth cannot be contrary to truth2--if1 then1 on the other hand1 these three subject-matters1--,scripture1 ,antiquity1 and ,nature1--worked through three centuries by men of great abilities1 with the method or instrument of ,bacon in their hands1 have respectively issued in conclusions contradictory of each other1 nay1 have even issued1 this or that taken by itself1 ,scripture or ,antiquity1 in various systems of doctrine1 so that on the whole1 instead of all three resulting in one set of conclusions1 they have yielded a good score of them2 then and in that case--it does not at once follow that no one of this score of conclusions may happen to be the true one1 and all the rest false2 but at least such a catastrophe will throw a very grave shade of doubt upon them all1 and bears out the antecedent declaration1 or rather prophecy1 of theologians1 before these experimentalists started1 that it was nothing more than a huge mistake to introduce the method of research and of induction into the study of ,theology at all4 ,now ,i think you will allow me to say1 ,gentlemen1 as a matter of historical fact1 that the latter supposition has been actually fulfilled1 and that the former has not4 ,i mean that1 so far from a scientific proof of some one system of doctrine1 and that antagonistic to the old ,theology1 having been constructed by the experimental party1 by a triple convergence1 from the several bases of ,scripture1 ,antiquity1 and ,nature1 on the contrary1 that empirical method1 which has done such wonderful things in physics and other human sciences1 has sustained a most emphatic and eloquent reverse in its usurped territory1--has come to no one conclusion1--has illuminated no definite view1--has brought its glasses to no focus1--has shown not even a tendency towards prospective success2 nay1 further still1 has already confessed its own absolute failure1 and has closed the inquiry itself1 not indeed by giving place to the legitimate method which it dispossessed1 but by announcing that nothing can be known on the subject at all1--that religion is not a science1 and that in religion scepticism is the only true philosophy2 or again1 by a still more remarkable avowal1 that the decision lies between the old ,theology and none at all1 and that1 certain though it be that religious truth is nowhere1 yet that1 if anywhere it is1 it undoubtedly is not in the new empirical schools1 but in that old teaching1 founded on the deductive method1 which was in honour and in possession at the time when ,experiment and ,induction commenced their brilliant career4 ,what a singular break-down of a noble instrument1 when used for the arrogant and tyrannical invasion of a sacred territory6 ,what can be more sacred than ,theology8 ,what can be more noble than the ,baconian method8 ,but the two do not correspond2 they are mismatched4 ,the age has mistaken lock and key4 ,it has broken the key in a lock which does not belong to it2 it has ruined the wards by a key which never will fit into them4 ,let us hope that its present disgust and despair at the result are the preliminaries of a generous and great repentance4 ,i have thought1 ,gentlemen1 that you would allow me to draw this moral in the first place2 and now ,i will say a few words on one specimen of this error in detail4 #i4 ,it seems1 then1 that instead of having recourse to the tradition and teaching of the ,catholic ,church1 it has been the philosophy of the modern school to attempt to determine the doctrines of ,theology by means of ,holy ,scripture1 or of ecclesiastical antiquity1 or of physical phenomena4 ,and the question may arise1 why1 after all1 should not such informations1 scriptural1 historical1 or physical1 be used8 and if used1 why should they not lead to true results8 ,various answers may be given to this question3 ,i shall confine myself to one2 and again1 for the sake of brevity1 ,i shall apply it mainly to one out of the three expedients1 to which the opponents to ,theology have had recourse4 ,passing over1 then1 what might be said respecting what is called ,scriptural ,religion1 and ,historical ,religion1 ,i propose to direct your attention1 in conclusion1 to the real character of ,physical ,religion1 or ,natural ,theology1 as being more closely connected with the main subject of this ,lecture4 ,the school of ,physics1 from its very drift and method of reasoning1 has1 as ,i have said1 nothing to do with ,religion4 ,however1 there is a science which avails itself of the phenomena and laws of the material universe1 as exhibited by that school1 as a means of establishing the existence of ,design in their construction1 and thereby the fact of a ,creator and ,preserver4 ,this science has1 in these modern times1 at least in ,england1 taken the name of ,natural ,theology27#dg7 and1 though absolutely distinct from ,physics1 yet ,physical ,philosophers1 having furnished its most curious and interesting data1 are apt to claim it as their own1 and to pride themselves upon it accordingly4 ,i have no wish to speak lightly of the merits of this so-called ,natural or1 more properly1 ,physical ,theology4 ,there are a great many minds so constituted that1 when they turn their thoughts to the question of the existence of a ,supreme ,being1 they feel a comfort in resting the proof mainly or solely on the ,argument of ,design which the ,universe furnishes4 ,to them this science of ,physical ,theology is of high importance4 ,again1 this science exhibits1 in great prominence and distinctness1 three of the more elementary notions which the human reason attaches to the idea of a ,supreme ,being1 that is1 three of ,his simplest attributes1 ,power1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness4 ,these are great services rendered to faith by ,physical ,theology1 and ,i acknowledge them as such4 ,whether1 however1 ,faith on that account owes any great deal to ,physics or ,physicists1 is another matter4 ,the ,argument from ,design is really in no sense due to the philosophy of ,bacon4 ,the author ,i quoted just now has a striking passage on this point1 of which ,i have already read to you a part4 8,as respects ,natural ,religion10 he says1 8it is not easy to see that the philosopher of the present day is more favourably situated than ,thales or ,simonides4 ,he has before him just the same evidences of design in the structure of the universe which the early ,greeks had4 ,we say1 just the same2 for the discoveries of modern astronomers and anatomists have really added nothing to the force of that argument which a reflecting mind finds in every beast1 bird1 insect1 fish1 leaf1 flower1 and shell4 ,the reasoning by which ,socrates1 in ,xenophon's hearing1 confuted the little atheist1 ,aristodemus1 is exactly the reasoning of ,paley's ,natural ,theology4 ,socrates makes precisely the same use of the statues of ,polycletus and the pictures of ,zeuxis1 which ,paley makes of the watch40 ,physical ,theology1 then1 is pretty much what it was two thousand years ago1 and has not received much help from modern science3 but now1 on the contrary1 ,i think it has received from it a positive disadvantage1--,i mean1 it has been taken out of its place1 has been put too prominently forward1 and thereby has almost been used as an instrument against ,christianity1--as ,i will attempt in a few words to explain4 #aj4 ,i observe1 then1 that there are many investigations in every subject-matter which only lead us a certain way towards truth1 and not the whole way3 either leading us1 for instance1 to a strong probability1 not to a certainty1 or again1 proving only some things out of the whole number which are true4 ,and it is plain that if such investigations as these are taken as the measure of the whole truth1 and are erected into substantive sciences1 instead of being understood to be1 what they really are1 inchoate and subordinate processes1 they will1 accidentally indeed1 but seriously1 mislead us4 #a4 ,let us recur for a moment1 in illustration1 to the instances which ,i have put aside4 ,consider what is called ,scriptural ,religion1 or the ,religion of the ,bible4 ,the fault which the theologian1 over and above the question of private judgment1 will find with a religion logically drawn from ,scripture only1 is1 not that it is not true1 as far as it goes1 but that it is not the whole truth2 that it consists of only some out of the whole circle of theological doctrines1 and that1 even in the case of those which it includes1 it does not always invest them with certainty1 but only with probability4 ,if1 indeed1 the ,religion of the ,bible is made subservient to ,theology1 it is but a specimen of useful induction2 but if it is set up1 as something complete in itself1 against ,theology1 it is turned into a mischievous paralogism4 ,and if such a paralogism has taken place1 and that in consequence of the influence of the ,baconian philosophy1 it shows us what comes of the intrusion of that philosophy into a province with which it had no concern4 #b4 ,and so1 again1 as to ,historical ,religion1 or what is often called ,antiquity4 ,a research into the records of the early ,church no ,catholic can view with jealousy3 truth cannot be contrary to truth2 we are confident that what is there found will1 when maturely weighed1 be nothing else than an illustration and confirmation of our own ,theology4 ,but it is another thing altogether whether the results will go to the full lengths of our ,theology2 they will indeed concur with it1 but only as far as they go4 ,there is no reason why the data for investigation supplied by the extant documents of ,antiquity should be sufficient for all that was included in the ,divine ,revelation delivered by the ,apostles2 and to expect that they will is like expecting that one witness in a trial is to prove the whole case1 and that his testimony actually contradicts it1 unless it does4 ,while1 then1 this research into ecclesiastical history and the writings of the ,fathers keeps its proper place1 as subordinate to the magisterial sovereignty of the ,theological ,tradition and the voice of the ,church1 it deserves the acknowledgments of theologians2 but when it 7so to say7 sets up for itself1 when it professes to fulfil an office for which it was never intended1 when it claims to issue in a true and full teaching1 derived by a scientific process of induction1 then it is but another instance of the encroachment of the ,baconian empirical method in a department not its own4 #c4 ,and now we come to the case of ,physical ,theology1 which is directly before us4 ,i confess1 in spite of whatever may be said in its favour1 ,i have ever viewed it with the greatest suspicion4 ,as one class of thinkers has substituted what is called a ,scriptural ,religion1 and another a ,patristical or ,primitive ,religion1 for the theological teaching of ,catholicism1 so a ,physical ,religion or ,theology is the very gospel of many persons of the ,physical ,school1 and therefore1 true as it may be in itself1 still under the circumstances is a false gospel4 ,half of the truth is a falsehood3--consider1 ,gentlemen1 what this so-called ,theology teaches1 and then say whether what ,i have asserted is extravagant4 ,any one divine attribute of course virtually includes all2 still if a preacher always insisted on the ,divine ,justice1 he would practically be obscuring the ,divine ,mercy1 and if he insisted only on the incommunicableness and distance from the creature of the ,uncreated ,essence1 he would tend to throw into the shade the doctrine of a ,particular ,providence4 ,observe1 then1 ,gentlemen1 that ,physical ,theology teaches three ,divine ,attributes1 ,i may say1 exclusively2 and of these1 most of ,power1 and least of ,goodness4 ,and in the next place1 what1 on the contrary1 are those special ,attributes1 which are the immediate correlatives of religious sentiment8 ,sanctity1 omniscience1 justice1 mercy1 faithfulness4 ,what does ,physical ,theology1 what does the ,argument from ,design1 what do fine disquisitions about final causes1 teach us1 except very indirectly1 faintly1 enigmatically1 of these transcendently important1 these essential portions of the idea of ,religion8 ,religion is more than ,theology2 it is something relative to us2 and it includes our relation towards the ,object of it4 ,what does ,physical ,theology tell us of duty and conscience8 of a particular providence8 and1 coming at length to ,christianity1 what does it teach us even of the four last things1 death1 judgment1 heaven1 and hell1 the mere elements of ,christianity8 ,it cannot tell us anything of ,christianity at all4 ,gentlemen1 let me press this point upon your earnest attention4 ,i say ,physical ,theology cannot1 from the nature of the case1 tell us one word about ,christianity proper2 it cannot be ,christian1 in any true sense1 at all--and from this plain reason1 because it is derived from informations which existed just as they are now1 before man was created1 and ,adam fell4 ,how can that be a real substantive ,theology1 though it takes the name1 which is but an abstraction1 a particular aspect of the whole truth1 and is dumb almost as regards the moral attributes of the ,creator1 and utterly so as regards the evangelical8 ,nay1 more than this2 ,i do not hesitate to say that1 taking men as they are1 this so-called science tends1 if it occupies the mind1 to dispose it against ,christianity4 ,and for this plain reason1 because it speaks only of laws2 and cannot contemplate their suspension1 that is1 miracles1 which are of the essence of the idea of a ,revelation4 ,thus1 the ,god of ,physical ,theology may very easily become a mere idol2 for ,he comes to the inductive mind in the medium of fixed appointments1 so excellent1 so skilful1 so beneficent1 that1 when it has for a long time gazed upon them1 it will think them too beautiful to be broken1 and will at length so contract its notion of ,him as to conclude that ,he never could have the heart 7if ,i may dare use such a term7 to undo or mar ,his own work2 and this conclusion will be the first step towards its degrading its idea of ,god a second time1 and identifying ,him with ,his works4 ,indeed1 a ,being of ,power1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness1 and nothing else1 is not very different from the ,god of the ,pantheist4 ,in thus speaking of the ,theology of the modern ,physical ,school1 ,i have said but a few words on a large subject2 yet1 though few words1 ,i trust they are clear enough not to hazard the risk of being taken in a sense which ,i do not intend4 ,graft the science1 if it is so to be called1 on ,theology proper1 and it will be in its right place1 and will be a religious science4 ,then it will illustrate the awful1 incomprehensible1 adorable ,fertility of the ,divine ,omnipotence2 it will serve to prove the real miraculousness of the ,revelation in its various parts1 by impressing on the mind vividly what are the laws of nature1 and how immutable they are in their own order2 and it will in other ways subserve theological truth4 ,separate it from the supernatural teaching1 and make it stand on its own base1 and 7though of course it is better for the individual philosopher himself71 yet1 as regards his influence on the world and the interests of ,religion1 ,i really doubt whether ,i should not prefer that he should be an ,atheist at once than such a naturalistic1 pantheistic religionist4 ,his profession of ,theology deceives others1 perhaps deceives himself4 ,do not for an instant suppose1 ,gentlemen1 that ,i would identify the great mind of ,bacon with so serious a delusion3 he has expressly warned us against it2 but ,i cannot deny that many of his school have from time to time in this way turned physical research against ,christianity4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but ,i have detained you far longer than ,i had intended2 and now ,i can only thank you for the patience which has enabled you to sustain a discussion which cannot be complete1 upon a subject which1 however momentous1 cannot be popular4 ,lecture ,,viii4 ,christianity ,and ,scientific ,investigation4 ,a ,lecture ,written for the ,school of ,science4 #a4 ,this is a time1 ,gentlemen1 when not only the ,classics1 but much more the ,sciences1 in the largest sense of the word1 are looked upon with anxiety1 not altogether ungrounded1 by religious men2 and1 whereas a ,university such as ours professes to embrace all departments and exercises of the intellect1 and since ,i for my part wish to stand on good terms with all kinds of knowledge1 and have no intention of quarrelling with any1 and would open my heart1 if not my intellect 7for that is beyond me71 to the whole circle of truth1 and would tender at least a recognition and hospitality even to those studies which are strangers to me1 and would speed them on their way1--therefore1 as ,i have already been making overtures of reconciliation1 first between ,polite ,literature and ,religion1 and next between ,physics and ,theology1 so ,i would now say a word by way of deprecating and protesting against the needless antagonism1 which sometimes exists in fact1 between divines and the cultivators of the ,sciences generally4 #b4 ,here ,i am led at once to expatiate on the grandeur of an ,institution which is comprehensive enough to admit the discussion of a subject such as this4 ,among the objects of human enterprise1--,i may say it surely without extravagance1 ,gentlemen1--none higher or nobler can be named than that which is contemplated in the erection of a ,university4 ,to set on foot and to maintain in life and vigour a real ,university1 is confessedly1 as soon as the word 8,university0 is understood1 one of those greatest works1 great in their difficulty and their importance1 on which are deservedly expended the rarest intellects and the most varied endowments4 ,for1 first of all1 it professes to teach whatever has to be taught in any whatever department of human knowledge1 and it embraces in its scope the loftiest subjects of human thought1 and the richest fields of human inquiry4 ,nothing is too vast1 nothing too subtle1 nothing too distant1 nothing too minute1 nothing too discursive1 nothing too exact1 to engage its attention4 ,this1 however1 is not the reason why ,i claim for it so sovereign a position2 for1 to bring schools of all knowledge under one name1 and call them a ,university1 may be fairly said to be a mere generalization2 and to proclaim that the prosecution of all kinds of knowledge to their utmost limits demands the fullest reach and range of our intellectual faculties is but a truism4 ,my reason for speaking of a ,university in the terms on which ,i have ventured is1 not that it occupies the whole territory of knowledge merely1 but that it is the very realm2 that it professes much more than to take in and to lodge as in a caravanserai all art and science1 all history and philosophy4 ,in truth1 it professes to assign to each study1 which it receives1 its own proper place and its just boundaries2 to define the rights1 to establish the mutual relations1 and to effect the intercommunion of one and all2 to keep in check the ambitious and encroaching1 and to succour and maintain those which from time to time are succumbing under the more popular or the more fortunately circumstanced2 to keep the peace between them all1 and to convert their mutual differences and contrarieties into the common good4 ,this1 ,gentlemen1 is why ,i say that to erect a ,university is at once so arduous and beneficial an undertaking1 viz41 because it is pledged to admit1 without fear1 without prejudice1 without compromise1 all comers1 if they come in the name of ,truth2 to adjust views1 and experiences1 and habits of mind the most independent and dissimilar2 and to give full play to thought and erudition in their most original forms1 and their most intense expressions1 and in their most ample circuit4 ,thus to draw many things into one1 is its special function2 and it learns to do it1 not by rules reducible to writing1 but by sagacity1 wisdom1 and forbearance1 acting upon a profound insight into the subject-matter of knowledge1 and by a vigilant repression of aggression or bigotry in any quarter4 ,we count it a great thing1 and justly so1 to plan and carry out a wide political organization4 ,to bring under one yoke1 after the manner of old ,rome1 a hundred discordant peoples2 to maintain each of them in its own privileges within its legitimate range of action2 to allow them severally the indulgence of national feelings1 and the stimulus of rival interests2 and yet withal to blend them into one great social establishment1 and to pledge them to the perpetuity of the one imperial power2--this is an achievement which carries with it the unequivocal token of genius in the race which effects it4 8,tu regere imperio populos1 ,romane1 memento40 ,this was the special boast1 as the poet considered it1 of the ,roman2 a boast as high in its own line as that other boast1 proper to the ,greek nation1 of literary pre-eminence1 of exuberance of thought1 and of skill and refinement in expressing it4 ,what an empire is in political history1 such is a ,university in the sphere of philosophy and research4 ,it is1 as ,i have said1 the high protecting power of all knowledge and science1 of fact and principle1 of inquiry and discovery1 of experiment and speculation2 it maps out the territory of the intellect1 and sees that the boundaries of each province are religiously respected1 and that there is neither encroachment nor surrender on any side4 ,it acts as umpire between truth and truth1 and1 taking into account the nature and importance of each1 assigns to all their due order of precedence4 ,it maintains no one department of thought exclusively1 however ample and noble2 and it sacrifices none4 ,it is deferential and loyal1 according to their respective weight1 to the claims of literature1 of physical research1 of history1 of metaphysics1 of theological science4 ,it is impartial towards them all1 and promotes each in its own place and for its own object4 ,it is ancillary certainly1 and of necessity1 to the ,catholic ,church2 but in the same way that one of the ,queen's judges is an officer of the ,queen's1 and nevertheless determines certain legal proceedings between the ,queen and her subjects4 ,it is ministrative to the ,catholic ,church1 first1 because truth of any kind can but minister to truth2 and next1 still more1 because ,nature ever will pay homage to ,grace1 and ,reason cannot but illustrate and defend ,revelation2 and thirdly1 because the ,church has a sovereign authority1 and1 when she speaks ex cathedra1 must be obeyed4 ,but this is the remote end of a ,university2 its immediate end 7with which alone we have here to do7 is to secure the due disposition1 according to one sovereign order1 and the cultivation in that order1 of all the provinces and methods of thought which the human intellect has created4 ,in this point of view1 its several professors are like the ministers of various political powers at one court or conference4 ,they represent their respective sciences1 and attend to the private interests of those sciences respectively2 and1 should dispute arise between those sciences1 they are the persons to talk over and arrange it1 without risk of extravagant pretensions on any side1 of angry collision1 or of popular commotion4 ,a liberal philosophy becomes the habit of minds thus exercised2 a breadth and spaciousness of thought1 in which lines1 seemingly parallel1 may converge at leisure1 and principles1 recognized as incommensurable1 may be safely antagonistic4 #c4 ,and here1 ,gentlemen1 we recognize the special character of the ,philosophy ,i am speaking of1 if ,philosophy it is to be called1 in contrast with the method of a strict science or system4 ,its teaching is not founded on one idea1 or reducible to certain formul4 ,newton might discover the great law of motion in the physical world1 and the key to ten thousand phenomena2 and a similar resolution of complex facts into simple principles may be possible in other departments of nature2 but the great ,universe itself1 moral and material1 sensible and supernatural1 cannot be gauged and meted by even the greatest of human intellects1 and its constituent parts admit indeed of comparison and adjustment1 but not of fusion4 ,this is the point which bears directly on the subject which ,i set before me when ,i began1 and towards which ,i am moving in all ,i have said or shall be saying4 ,i observe1 then1 and ask you1 ,gentlemen1 to bear in mind1 that the philosophy of an imperial intellect1 for such ,i am considering a ,university to be1 is based1 not so much on simplification as on discrimination4 ,its true representative defines1 rather than analyzes4 ,he aims at no complete catalogue1 or interpretation of the subjects of knowledge1 but a following out1 as far as man can1 what in its fulness is mysterious and unfathomable4 ,taking into his charge all sciences1 methods1 collections of facts1 principles1 doctrines1 truths1 which are the reflexions of the universe upon the human intellect1 he admits them all1 he disregards none1 and1 as disregarding none1 he allows none to exceed or encroach4 ,his watchword is1 ,live and let live4 ,he takes things as they are2 he submits to them all1 as far as they go2 he recognizes the insuperable lines of demarcation which run between subject and subject2 he observes how separate truths lie relatively to each other1 where they concur1 where they part company1 and where1 being carried too far1 they cease to be truths at all4 ,it is his office to determine how much can be known in each province of thought2 when we must be contented not to know2 in what direction inquiry is hopeless1 or on the other hand full of promise2 where it gathers into coils insoluble by reason1 where it is absorbed in mysteries1 or runs into the abyss4 ,it will be his care to be familiar with the signs of real and apparent difficulties1 with the methods proper to particular subject-matters1 what in each particular case are the limits of a rational scepticism1 and what the claims of a peremptory faith4 ,if he has one cardinal maxim in his philosophy1 it is1 that truth cannot be contrary to truth2 if he has a second1 it is1 that truth often seems contrary to truth2 and1 if a third1 it is the practical conclusion1 that we must be patient with such appearances1 and not be hasty to pronounce them to be really of a more formidable character4 ,it is the very immensity of the system of things1 the human record of which he has in charge1 which is the reason of this patience and caution2 for that immensity suggests to him that the contrarieties and mysteries1 which meet him in the various sciences1 may be simply the consequences of our necessarily defective comprehension4 ,there is but one thought greater than that of the universe1 and that is the thought of its ,maker4 ,if1 ,gentlemen1 for one single instant1 leaving my proper train of thought1 ,i allude to our knowledge of the ,supreme ,being1 it is in order to deduce from it an illustration bearing upon my subject4 ,he1 though ,one1 is a sort of world of worlds in ,himself1 giving birth in our minds to an indefinite number of distinct truths1 each ineffably more mysterious than any thing that is found in this universe of space and time4 ,any one of ,his attributes1 considered by itself1 is the object of an inexhaustible science3 and the attempt to reconcile any two or three of them together1--love1 power1 justice1 sanctity1 truth1 wisdom1--affords matter for an everlasting controversy4 ,we are able to apprehend and receive each divine attribute in its elementary form1 but still we are not able to accept them in their infinity1 either in themselves or in union with each other4 ,yet we do not deny the first because it cannot be perfectly reconciled with the second1 nor the second because it is in apparent contrariety with the first and the third4 ,the case is the same in its degree with ,his creation material and moral4 ,it is the highest wisdom to accept truth of whatever kind1 wherever it is clearly ascertained to be such1 though there be difficulty in adjusting it with other known truth4 ,instances are easily producible of that extreme contrariety of ideas1 one with another1 which the contemplation of the ,universe forces upon our acceptance1 making it clear to us that there is nothing irrational in submitting to undeniable incompatibilities1 which we call apparent1 only because1 if they were not apparent but real1 they could not co-exist4 ,such1 for instance1 is the contemplation of ,space2 the existence of which we cannot deny1 though its idea is capable1 in no sort of posture1 of seating itself 7if ,i may so speak7 in our minds2--for we find it impossible to say that it comes to a limit anywhere2 and it is incomprehensible to say that it runs out infinitely2 and it seems to be unmeaning if we say that it does not exist till bodies come into it1 and thus is enlarged according to an accident4 ,and so again in the instance of ,time4 ,we cannot place a beginning to it without asking ourselves what was before that beginning2 yet that there should be no beginning at all1 put it as far back as we will1 is simply incomprehensible4 ,here again1 as in the case of ,space1 we never dream of denying the existence of what we have no means of understanding4 ,and1 passing from this high region of thought 7which1 high as it may be1 is the subject even of a child's contemplations71 when we come to consider the mutual action of soul and body1 we are specially perplexed by incompatibilities which we can neither reject nor explain4 ,how it is that the will can act on the muscles1 is a question of which even a child may feel the force1 but which no experimentalist can answer4 ,further1 when we contrast the physical with the social laws under which man finds himself here below1 we must grant that ,physiology and ,social ,science are in collision4 ,man is both a physical and a social being2 yet he cannot at once pursue to the full his physical end and his social end1 his physical duties 7if ,i may so speak7 and his social duties1 but is forced to sacrifice in part one or the other4 ,if we were wild enough to fancy that there were two creators1 one of whom was the author of our animal frames1 the other of society1 then indeed we might understand how it comes to pass that labour of mind and body1 the useful arts1 the duties of a statesman1 government1 and the like1 which are required by the social system1 are so destructive of health1 enjoyment1 and life4 ,that is1 in other words1 we cannot adequately account for existing and undeniable truths except on the hypothesis of what we feel to be an absurdity4 ,and so in ,mathematical ,science1 as has been often insisted on1 the philosopher has patiently to endure the presence of truths1 which are not the less true for being irreconcileable with each other4 ,he is told of the existence of an infinite number of curves1 which are able to divide a space1 into which no straight line1 though it be length without breadth1 can even enter4 ,he is told1 too1 of certain lines1 which approach to each other continually1 with a finite distance between them1 yet never meet2 and these apparent contrarieties he must bear as he best can1 without attempting to deny the existence of the truths which constitute them in the ,science in question4 #d4 ,now1 let me call your attention1 ,gentlemen1 to what ,i would infer from these familiar facts4 ,it is1 to urge you with an argument fortiori3 viz41 that1 as you exercise so much exemplary patience in the case of the inexplicable truths which surround so many departments of knowledge1 human and divine1 viewed in themselves2 as you are not at once indignant1 censorious1 suspicious1 difficult of belief1 on finding that in the secular sciences one truth is incompatible 7according to our human intellect7 with another or inconsistent with itself2 so you should not think it very hard to be told that there exists1 here and there1 not an inextricable difficulty1 not an astounding contrariety1 not 7much less7 a contradiction as to clear facts1 between ,revelation and ,nature2 but a hitch1 an obscurity1 a divergence of tendency1 a temporary antagonism1 a difference of tone1 between the two1--that is1 between ,catholic opinion on the one hand1 and astronomy1 or geology1 or physiology1 or ethnology1 or political economy1 or history1 or antiquities1 on the other4 ,i say that1 as we admit1 because we are ,catholics1 that the ,divine ,unity contains in it attributes1 which1 to our finite minds1 appear in partial contrariety with each other2 as we admit that1 in ,his revealed ,nature are things1 which1 though not opposed to ,reason1 are infinitely strange to the ,imagination2 as in ,his works we can neither reject nor admit the ideas of space1 and of time1 and the necessary properties of lines1 without intellectual distress1 or even torture2 really1 ,gentlemen1 ,i am making no outrageous request1 when1 in the name of a ,university1 ,i ask religious writers1 jurists1 economists1 physiologists1 chemists1 geologists1 and historians1 to go on quietly1 and in a neighbourly way1 in their own respective lines of speculation1 research1 and experiment1 with full faith in the consistency of that multiform truth1 which they share between them1 in a generous confidence that they will be ultimately consistent1 one and all1 in their combined results1 though there may be momentary collisions1 awkward appearances1 and many forebodings and prophecies of contrariety1 and at all times things hard to the ,imagination1 though not1 ,i repeat1 to the ,reason4 ,it surely is not asking them a great deal to beg of them1--since they are forced to admit mysteries in the truths of ,revelation1 taken by themselves1 and in the truths of ,reason1 taken by themselves--to beg of them1 ,i say1 to keep the peace1 to live in good will1 and to exercise equanimity1 if1 when ,nature and ,revelation are compared with each other1 there be1 as ,i have said1 discrepancies1--not in the issue1 but in the reasonings1 the circumstances1 the associations1 the anticipations1 the accidents1 proper to their respective teachings4 ,it is most necessary to insist seriously and energetically on this point1 for the sake of ,protestants1 for they have very strange notions about us4 ,in spite of the testimony of history the other way1 they think that the ,church has no other method of putting down error than the arm of force1 or the prohibition of inquiry4 ,they defy us to set up and carry on a ,school of ,science4 ,for their sake1 then1 ,i am led to enlarge upon the subject here4 ,i say1 then1 he who believes ,revelation with that absolute faith which is the prerogative of a ,catholic1 is not the nervous creature who startles at every sudden sound1 and is fluttered by every strange or novel appearance which meets his eyes4 ,he has no sort of apprehension1 he laughs at the idea1 that any thing can be discovered by any other scientific method1 which can contradict any one of the dogmas of his religion4 ,he knows full well there is no science whatever1 but1 in the course of its extension1 runs the risk of infringing1 without any meaning of offence on its own part1 the path of other sciences and he knows also that1 if there be any one science which1 from its sovereign and unassailable position can calmly bear such unintentional collisions on the part of the children of earth1 it is ,theology4 ,he is sure1 and nothing shall make him doubt1 that1 if anything seems to be proved by astronomer1 or geologist1 or chronologist1 or antiquarian1 or ethnologist1 in contradiction to the dogmas of faith1 that point will eventually turn out1 first1 not to be proved1 or1 secondly1 not contradictory1 or thirdly1 not contradictory to any thing really revealed1 but to something which has been confused with revelation4 ,and if1 at the moment1 it appears to be contradictory1 then he is content to wait1 knowing that error is like other delinquents2 give it rope enough1 and it will be found to have a strong suicidal propensity4 ,i do not mean to say he will not take his part in encouraging1 in helping forward the prospective suicide2 he will not only give the error rope enough1 but show it how to handle and adjust the rope2--he will commit the matter to reason1 reflection1 sober judgment1 common sense2 to ,time1 the great interpreter of so many secrets4 ,instead of being irritated at the momentary triumph of the foes of ,revelation1 if such a feeling of triumph there be1 and of hurrying on a forcible solution of the difficulty1 which may in the event only reduce the inquiry to an inextricable tangle1 he will recollect that1 in the order of ,providence1 our seeming dangers are often our greatest gains2 that in the words of the ,protestant poet1 ,the clouds you so much dread ,are big with mercy1 and shall break ,in blessings on your head4 #e4 ,to one notorious instance indeed it is obvious to allude here4 ,when the ,copernican system first made progress1 what religious man would not have been tempted to uneasiness1 or at least fear of scandal1 from the seeming contradiction which it involved to some authoritative tradition of the ,church and the declaration of ,scripture8 ,it was generally received1 as if the ,apostles had expressly delivered it both orally and in writing1 as a truth of ,revelation1 that the earth was stationary1 and that the sun1 fixed in a solid firmament1 whirled round the earth4 ,after a little time1 however1 and on full consideration1 it was found that the ,church had decided next to nothing on questions such as these1 and that ,physical ,science might range in this sphere of thought almost at will1 without fear of encountering the decisions of ecclesiastical authority4 ,now1 besides the relief which it afforded to ,catholics to find that they were to be spared this addition1 on the side of ,cosmology1 to their many controversies already existing1 there is something of an argument in this very circumstance in behalf of the divinity of their ,religion4 ,for it surely is a very remarkable fact1 considering how widely and how long one certain interpretation of these physical statements in ,scripture had been received by ,catholics1 that the ,church should not have formally acknowledged it4 ,looking at the matter in a human point of view1 it was inevitable that she should have made that opinion her own4 ,but now we find1 on ascertaining where we stand1 in the face of the new sciences of these latter times1 that in spite of the bountiful comments which from the first she has ever been making on the sacred text1 as it is her duty and her right to do1 nevertheless1 she has never been led formally to explain the texts in question1 or to give them an authoritative sense which modern science may question4 ,nor was this escape a mere accident1 but rather the result of a providential superintendence2 as would appear from a passage of history in the dark age itself4 ,when the glorious ,st4 ,boniface1 ,apostle of ,germany1 great in sanctity1 though not in secular knowledge1 complained to the ,holy ,see that ,st4 ,virgilius taught the existence of the ,antipodes1 the ,holy ,see was guided what to do2 it did not indeed side with the ,irish philosopher1 which would have been going out of its place1 but it passed over1 in a matter not revealed1 a philosophical opinion4 ,time went on2 a new state of things1 intellectual and social1 came in2 the ,church was girt with temporal power2 the preachers of ,st4 ,dominic were in the ascendant3 now at length we may ask with curious interest1 did the ,church alter her ancient rule of action1 and proscribe intellectual activity8 ,just the contrary2 this is the very age of ,universities2 it is the classical period of the schoolmen2 it is the splendid and palmary instance of the wise policy and large liberality of the ,church1 as regards philosophical inquiry4 ,if there ever was a time when the intellect went wild1 and had a licentious revel1 it was at the date ,i speak of4 ,when was there ever a more curious1 more meddling1 bolder1 keener1 more penetrating1 more rationalistic exercise of the reason than at that time8 ,what class of questions did that subtle1 metaphysical spirit not scrutinize8 ,what premiss was allowed without examination8 ,what principle was not traced to its first origin1 and exhibited in its most naked shape8 ,what whole was not analyzed8 ,what complex idea was not elaborately traced out1 and1 as it were1 finely painted for the contemplation of the mind1 till it was spread out in all its minutest portions as perfectly and delicately as a frog's foot shows under the intense scrutiny of the microscope8 ,well1 ,i repeat1 here was something which came somewhat nearer to ,theology than physical research comes2 ,aristotle was a somewhat more serious foe then1 beyond all mistake1 than ,bacon has been since4 ,did the ,church take a high hand with philosophy then8 ,no1 not though that philosophy was metaphysical4 ,it was a time when she had temporal power1 and could have exterminated the spirit of inquiry with fire and sword2 but she determined to put it down by argument1 she said3 8,two can play at that1 and my argument is the better40 ,she sent her controversialists into the philosophical arena4 ,it was the ,dominican and ,franciscan doctors1 the greatest of them being ,st4 ,thomas1 who in those medieval ,universities fought the battle of ,revelation with the weapons of heathenism4 ,it was no matter whose the weapon was2 truth was truth all the world over4 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 with the skeleton philosophy of pagan ,greece1 did the ,samson of the schools put to flight his thousand ,philistines4 ,here1 ,gentlemen1 observe the contrast exhibited between the ,church herself1 who has the gift of wisdom1 and even the ablest1 or wisest1 or holiest of her children4 ,as ,st4 ,boniface had been jealous of physical speculations1 so had the early ,fathers shown an extreme aversion to the great heathen philosopher whom ,i just now named1 ,aristotle4 ,i do not know who of them could endure him2 and when there arose those in the middle age who would take his part1 especially since their intentions were of a suspicious character1 a strenuous effort was made to banish him out of ,christendom4 ,the ,church the while had kept silence2 she had as little denounced heathen philosophy in the mass as she had pronounced upon the meaning of certain texts of ,scripture of a cosmological character4 ,from ,tertullian and ,caius to the two ,gregories of ,cappadocia1 from them to ,anastasius ,sinaita1 from him to the school of ,paris1 ,aristotle was a word of offence2 at length ,st4 ,thomas made him a hewer of wood and drawer of water to the ,church4 ,a strong slave he is2 and the ,church herself has given her sanction to the use in ,theology of the ideas and terms of his philosophy4 #f4 ,now1 while this free discussion is1 to say the least1 so safe for ,religion1 or rather so expedient1 it is on the other hand simply necessary for progress in ,science2 and ,i shall now go on to insist on this side of the subject4 ,i say1 then1 that it is a matter of primary importance in the cultivation of those sciences1 in which truth is discoverable by the human intellect1 that the investigator should be free1 independent1 unshackled in his movements2 that he should be allowed and enabled1 without impediment1 to fix his mind intently1 nay1 exclusively1 on his special object1 without the risk of being distracted every other minute in the process and progress of his inquiry1 by charges of temerariousness1 or by warnings against extravagance or scandal4 ,but in thus speaking1 ,i must premise several explanations1 lest ,i be misunderstood4 ,first1 then1 ,gentlemen1 as to the fundamental principles of religion and morals1 and again as to the fundamental principles of ,christianity1 or what are called the dogmas of faith1--as to this double creed1 natural and revealed1--we1 none of us1 should say that it is any shackle at all upon the intellect to maintain these inviolate4 ,indeed1 a ,catholic cannot put off his thought of them2 and they as little impede the movements of his intellect as the laws of physics impede his bodily movements4 ,the habitual apprehension of them has become a second nature with him1 as the laws of optics1 hydrostatics1 dynamics1 are latent conditions which he takes for granted in the use of his corporeal organs4 ,i am not supposing any collision with dogma1 ,i am but speaking of opinions of divines1 or of the multitude1 parallel to those in former times of the sun going round the earth1 or of the last day being close at hand1 or of ,st4 ,dionysius the ,areopagite being the author of the works which bear his name4 ,nor1 secondly1 even as regards such opinions1 am ,i supposing any direct intrusion into the province of religion1 or of a teacher of ,science actually laying down the law in a matter of ,religion2 but of such unintentional collisions as are incidental to a discussion pursued on some subject of his own4 ,it would be a great mistake in such a one to propose his philosophical or historical conclusions as the formal interpretation of the sacred text1 as ,galileo is said to have done1 instead of being content to hold his doctrine of the motion of the earth as a scientific conclusion1 and leaving it to those whom it really concerned to compare it with ,scripture4 ,and1 it must be confessed1 ,gentlemen1 not a few instances occur of this mistake at the present day1 on the part1 not indeed of men of science1 but of religious men1 who1 from a nervous impatience lest ,scripture should for one moment seem inconsistent with the results of some speculation of the hour1 are ever proposing geological or ethnological comments upon it1 which they have to alter or obliterate before the ink is well dry1 from changes in the progressive science1 which they have so officiously brought to its aid4 ,and thirdly1 ,i observe that1 when ,i advocate the independence of philosophical thought1 ,i am not speaking of any formal teaching at all1 but of investigations1 speculations1 and discussions4 ,i am far indeed from allowing1 in any matter which even borders on ,religion1 what an eminent ,protestant divine has advocated on the most sacred subjects1--,i mean 8the liberty of ,prophesying40 ,i have no wish to degrade the professors of ,science1 who ought to be ,prophets of the ,truth1 into mere advertisers of crude fancies or notorious absurdities4 ,i am not pleading that they should at random shower down upon their hearers ingenuities and novelties2 or that they should teach even what has a basis of truth in it1 in a brilliant1 off-hand way1 to a collection of youths1 who may not perhaps hear them for six consecutive lectures1 and who will carry away with them into the country a misty idea of the half-created theories of some ambitious intellect4 ,once more1 as the last sentence suggests1 there must be great care taken to avoid scandal1 or shocking the popular mind1 or unsettling the weak2 the association between truth and error being so strong in particular minds that it is impossible to weed them of the error without rooting up the wheat with it4 ,if1 then1 there is the chance of any current religious opinion being in any way compromised in the course of a scientific investigation1 this would be a reason for conducting it1 not in light ephemeral publications1 which come into the hands of the careless or ignorant1 but in works of a grave and business-like character1 answering to the medieval schools of philosophical disputation1 which1 removed as they were from the region of popular thought and feeling1 have1 by their vigorous restlessness of inquiry1 in spite of their extravagances1 done so much for theological precision4 #g4 ,i am not1 then1 supposing the scientific investigator 7#a7 to be coming into collision with dogma2 nor 7#b7 venturing1 by means of his investigations1 upon any interpretation of ,scripture1 or upon other conclusion in the matter of religion2 nor 7#c7 of his teaching1 even in his own science1 religious parodoxes1 when he should be investigating and proposing2 nor 7#d7 of his recklessly scandalizing the weak2 but1 these explanations being made1 ,i still say that a scientific speculator or inquirer is not bound1 in conducting his researches1 to be every moment adjusting his course by the maxims of the schools or by popular traditions1 or by those of any other science distinct from his own1 or to be ever narrowly watching what those external sciences have to say to him1 or to be determined to be edifying1 or to be ever answering heretics and unbelievers2 being confident1 from the impulse of a generous faith1 that1 however his line of investigation may swerve now and then1 and vary to and fro in its course1 or threaten momentary collision or embarrassment with any other department of knowledge1 theological or not1 yet1 if he lets it alone1 it will be sure to come home1 because truth never can really be contrary to truth1 and because often what at first sight is an 8exceptio10 in the event most emphatically 8probat regulam40 ,this is a point of serious importance to him4 ,unless he is at liberty to investigate on the basis1 and according to the peculiarities1 of his science1 he cannot investigate at all4 ,it is the very law of the human mind in its inquiry after and acquisition of truth to make its advances by a process which consists of many stages1 and is circuitous4 ,there are no short cuts to knowledge2 nor does the road to it always lie in the direction in which it terminates1 nor are we able to see the end on starting4 ,it may often seem to be diverging from a goal into which it will soon run without effort1 if we are but patient and resolute in following it out2 and1 as we are told in ,ethics to gain the mean merely by receding from both extremes1 so in scientific researches error may be said1 without a paradox1 to be in some instances the way to truth1 and the only way4 ,moreover1 it is not often the fortune of any one man to live through an investigation2 the process is one of not only many stages1 but of many minds4 ,what one begins another finishes2 and a true conclusion is at length worked out by the co-operation of independent schools and the perseverance of successive generations4 ,this being the case1 we are obliged1 under circumstances1 to bear for a while with what we feel to be error1 in consideration of the truth in which it is eventually to issue4 ,the analogy of locomotion is most pertinent here4 ,no one can go straight up a mountain2 no sailing vessel makes for its port without tacking4 ,and so1 applying the illustration1 we can indeed1 if we will1 refuse to allow of investigation or research altogether2 but1 if we invite reason to take its place in our schools1 we must let reason have fair and full play4 ,if we reason1 we must submit to the conditions of reason4 ,we cannot use it by halves2 we must use it as proceeding from ,him who has also given us ,revelation2 and to be ever interrupting its processes1 and diverting its attention by objections brought from a higher knowledge1 is parallel to a landsman's dismay at the changes in the course of a vessel on which he has deliberately embarked1 and argues surely some distrust either in the powers of ,reason on the one hand1 or the certainty of ,revealed ,truth on the other4 ,the passenger should not have embarked at all1 if he did not reckon on the chance of a rough sea1 of currents1 of wind and tide1 of rocks and shoals2 and we should act more wisely in discountenancing altogether the exercise of ,reason than in being alarmed and impatient under the suspense1 delay1 and anxiety which1 from the nature of the case1 may be found to attach to it4 ,let us eschew secular history1 and science1 and philosophy for good and all1 if we are not allowed to be sure that ,revelation is so true that the altercations and perplexities of human opinion cannot really or eventually injure its authority4 ,that is no intellectual triumph of any truth of ,religion1 which has not been preceded by a full statement of what can be said against it2 it is but the ego vapulando1 ille verberando1 of the ,comedy4 ,great minds need elbow-room1 not indeed in the domain of faith1 but of thought4 ,and so indeed do lesser minds1 and all minds4 ,there are many persons in the world who are called1 and with a great deal of truth1 geniuses4 ,they had been gifted by nature with some particular faculty or capacity2 and1 while vehemently excited and imperiously ruled by it1 they are blind to everything else4 ,they are enthusiasts in their own line1 and are simply dead to the beauty of any line except their own4 ,accordingly1 they think their own line the only line in the whole world worth pursuing1 and they feel a sort of contempt for such studies as move upon any other line4 ,now1 these men may be1 and often are1 very good ,catholics1 and have not a dream of any thing but affection and deference towards ,catholicity1 nay1 perhaps are zealous in its interests4 ,yet1 if you insist that in their speculations1 researches1 or conclusions in their particular science1 it is not enough that they should submit to the ,church generally1 and acknowledge its dogmas1 but that they must get up all that divines have said or the multitude believed upon religious matters1 you simply crush and stamp out the flame within them1 and they can do nothing at all4 ,this is the case of men of genius3 now one word on the contrary in behalf of master minds1 gifted with a broad philosophical view of things1 and a creative power1 and a versatility capable of accommodating itself to various provinces of thought4 ,these persons perhaps1 like those ,i have already spoken of1 take up some idea and are intent upon it2--some deep1 prolific1 eventful idea1 which grows upon them1 till they develop it into a great system4 ,now1 if any such thinker starts from radically unsound principles1 or aims at directly false conclusions1 if he be a ,hobbes1 or a ,shaftesbury1 or a ,hume1 or a ,bentham1 then1 of course1 there is an end of the whole matter4 ,he is an opponent of ,revealed ,truth1 and he means to be so2--nothing more need be said4 ,but perhaps it is not so2 perhaps his errors are those which are inseparable accidents of his system or of his mind1 and are spontaneously evolved1 not pertinaciously defended4 ,every human system1 every human writer1 is open to just criticism4 ,make him shut up his portfolio2 good6 and then perhaps you lose what1 on the whole and in spite of incidental mistakes1 would have been one of the ablest defences of ,revealed ,truth 7directly or indirectly1 according to his subject7 ever given to the world4 ,this is how ,i should account for a circumstance1 which has sometimes caused surprise1 that so many great ,catholic thinkers have in some points or other incurred the criticism or animadversion of theologians or of ecclesiastical authority4 ,it must be so in the nature of things2 there is indeed an animadversion which implies a condemnation of the author2 but there is another which means not much more than the pi legendum written against passages in the ,fathers4 ,the author may not be to blame2 yet the ecclesiastical authority would be to blame1 if it did not give notice of his imperfections4 ,i do not know what ,catholic would not hold the name of ,malebranche in veneration27#dh7 but he may have accidentally come into collision with theologians1 or made temerarious assertions1 notwithstanding4 ,the practical question is1 whether he had not much better have written as he has written1 than not have written at all4 ,and so fully is the ,holy ,see accustomed to enter into this view of the matter1 that it has allowed of its application1 not only to philosophical1 but even to theological and ecclesiastical authors1 who do not come within the range of these remarks4 ,i believe ,i am right in saying that1 in the case of three great names1 in various departments of learning1 ,cardinal ,noris1 ,bossuet1 and ,muratori17#di7 while not concealing its sense of their having propounded each what might have been said better1 nevertheless it has considered1 that their services to ,religion were on the whole far too important to allow of their being molested by critical observation in detail4 #h4 ,and now1 ,gentlemen1 ,i bring these remarks to a conclusion4 ,what ,i would urge upon every one1 whatever may be his particular line of research1--what ,i would urge upon men of ,science in their thoughts of ,theology1--what ,i would venture to recommend to theologians1 when their attention is drawn to the subject of scientific investigations1--is a great and firm belief in the sovereignty of ,truth4 ,error may flourish for a time1 but ,truth will prevail in the end4 ,the only effect of error ultimately is to promote ,truth4 ,theories1 speculations1 hypotheses1 are started2 perhaps they are to die1 still not before they have suggested ideas better than themselves4 ,these better ideas are taken up in turn by other men1 and1 if they do not yet lead to truth1 nevertheless they lead to what is still nearer to truth than themselves2 and thus knowledge on the whole makes progress4 ,the errors of some minds in scientific investigation are more fruitful than the truths of others4 ,a ,science seems making no progress1 but to abound in failures1 yet imperceptibly all the time it is advancing1 and it is of course a gain to truth even to have learned what is not true1 if nothing more4 ,on the other hand1 it must be of course remembered1 ,gentlemen1 that ,i am supposing all along good faith1 honest intentions1 a loyal ,catholic spirit1 and a deep sense of responsibility4 ,i am supposing1 in the scientific inquirer1 a due fear of giving scandal1 of seeming to countenance views which he does not really countenance1 and of siding with parties from whom he heartily differs4 ,i am supposing that he is fully alive to the existence and the power of the infidelity of the age2 that he keeps in mind the moral weakness and the intellectual confusion of the majority of men2 and that he has no wish at all that any one soul should get harm from certain speculations to-day1 though he may have the satisfaction of being sure that those speculations will1 as far as they are erroneous or misunderstood1 be corrected in the course of the next half-century4 ,lecture ,,ix4 ,discipline ,of ,mind4 ,an ,address ,to ,the ,evening ,classes4 #a4 ,when ,i found that it was in my power to be present here at the commencement of the new ,session1 one of the first thoughts1 ,gentlemen1 which thereupon occurred to me1 was this1 that ,i should in consequence have the great satisfaction of meeting you1 of whom ,i had thought and heard so much1 and the opportunity of addressing you1 as ,rector of the ,university4 ,i can truly say that ,i thought of you before you thought of the ,university2 perhaps ,i may say1 long before2--for it was previously to our commencing that great work1 which is now so fully before the public1 it was when ,i first came over here to make preparations for it1 that ,i had to encounter the serious objection of wise and good men1 who said to me1 8,there is no class of persons in ,ireland who need a ,university20 and again1 8,whom will you get to belong to it8 who will fill its lecture-rooms80 ,this was said to me1 and then1 without denying their knowledge of the state of ,ireland1 or their sagacity1 ,i made answer1 8,we will give lectures in the evening1 we will fill our classes with the young men of ,dublin40 ,and some persons here may recollect that the very first thing ,i did1 when we opened the ,school of ,philosophy and ,letters1 this time four years1 was to institute a system of ,evening ,lectures1 which were suspended after a while1 only because the singularly inclement season which ensued1 and the want of publicity and interest incident to a new undertaking1 made them premature4 ,and it is a satisfaction to me to reflect that the ,statute1 under which you will be able to pass examinations and take degrees1 is one to which ,i specially obtained the consent of the ,academical ,senate1 nearly two years ago1 in addition to our original ,regulations1 and that you will be the first persons to avail yourselves of it4 ,having thus prepared1 as it were1 the ,university for you1 it was with great pleasure that ,i received from a number of you1 ,gentlemen1 last ,may year1 a spontaneous request which showed that my original anticipations were not visionary4 ,you suggested then what we have since acted upon1--acted upon1 not so quickly as both you might hope and we might wish1 because all important commencements have to be maturely considered--still acted on at length according to those anticipations of mine1 to which ,i have referred2 and1 while ,i recur to them as an introduction to what ,i have to say1 ,i might also dwell upon them as a sure presage that other and broader anticipations1 too bold as they may seem now1 will1 if we are but patient1 have their fulfilment in their season4 #b4 ,for ,i should not be honest1 ,gentlemen1 if ,i did not confess that1 much as ,i desire that this ,university should be of service to the young men of ,dublin1 ,i do not desire this benefit to you1 simply for your own sakes4 ,for your own sakes certainly ,i wish it1 but not on your account only4 ,man is not born for himself alone1 as the classical moralist tells us4 ,you are born for ,ireland2 and1 in your advancement1 ,ireland is advanced2--in your advancement in what is good and what is true1 in knowledge1 in learning1 in cultivation of mind1 in enlightened attachment to your religion1 in good name and respectability and social influence1 ,i am contemplating the honour and renown1 the literary and scientific aggrandisement1 the increase of political power1 of the ,island of the ,saints4 ,i go further still4 ,if ,i do homage to the many virtues and gifts of the ,irish people1 and am zealous for their full development1 it is not simply for the sake of themselves1 but because the name of ,ireland ever has been1 and1 ,i believe1 ever will be1 associated with the ,catholic ,faith1 and because1 in doing any service1 however poor it may be1 to ,ireland1 a man is ministering1 in his own place and measure1 to the cause of the ,holy ,roman ,apostolic ,church4 ,gentlemen1 ,i should consider it an impertinence in me thus to be speaking to you of myself1 were it not that1 in recounting to you the feelings with which ,i have witnessed the establishment of these ,evening ,classes1 ,i am in fact addressing to you at the same time words of encouragement and advice1 such words as it becomes a ,rector to use in speaking to those who are submitted to his care4 ,i say1 then1 that1 had ,i been younger than ,i was when the high office which ,i at present hold was first offered to me1 had ,i not had prior duties upon me of affection and devotion to the ,oratory of ,st4 ,philip1 and to my own dear country1 no position whatever1 in the whole range of administrations which are open to the ambition of those who wish to serve ,god in their generation1 and to do some great work before they die1 would have had more attractions for me than that of being at the head of a ,university like this4 ,when ,i became a ,catholic1 one of my first questions was1 8,why have not our ,catholics a ,university80 and ,ireland1 and the metropolis of ,ireland1 was obviously the proper seat of such an institution4 ,ireland is the proper seat of a ,catholic ,university1 on account of its ancient hereditary ,catholicity1 and again of the future which is in store for it4 ,it is impossible1 ,gentlemen1 to doubt that a future is in store for ,ireland1 for more reasons than can here be enumerated4 ,first1 there is the circumstance1 so highly suggestive1 even if there was nothing else to be said1 viz41 that the ,irish have been so miserably ill-treated and misused hitherto2 for1 in the times now opening upon us1 nationalities are waking into life1 and the remotest people can make themselves heard into all the quarters of the earth4 ,the lately invented methods of travel and of intelligence have destroyed geographical obstacles2 and the wrongs of the oppressed1 in spite of oceans or of mountains1 are brought under the public opinion of ,europe1--not before kings and governments alone1 but before the tribunal of the ,european populations1 who are becoming ever more powerful in the determination of political questions4 ,and thus retribution is demanded and exacted for past crimes in proportion to their heinousness and their duration4 ,and in the next place1 it is plain that1 according as intercommunion grows between ,europe and ,america1 it is ,ireland that must grow with it in social and political importance4 ,for ,ireland is the high road by which that intercourse is carried on2 and the traffic between hemispheres must be to her a source of material as well as social benefit1--as of old time1 though on the minute geographical scale of ,greece1 ,corinth1 as being the thoroughfare of commerce by sea and land1 became and was called 8the rich40 ,and then1 again1 we must consider the material resources of ,ireland1 so insufficiently explored1 so poorly developed1--of which it belongs to them rather to speak1 who by profession and attainments are masters of the subject4 ,that this momentous future1 thus foreshadowed1 will be as glorious for ,catholicity as for ,ireland we cannot doubt from the experience of the past2 but1 as ,providence works by means of human agencies1 that natural anticipation has no tendency to diminish the anxiety and earnestness of all zealous ,catholics to do their part in securing its fulfilment4 ,and the wise and diligent cultivation of the intellect is one principal means1 under the ,divine blessing1 of the desired result4 #c4 ,gentlemen1 the seat of this intellectual progress must necessarily be the great towns of ,ireland2 and those great towns have a remarkable and happy characteristic1 as contrasted with the cities of ,catholic ,europe4 ,abroad1 even in ,catholic countries1 if there be in any part of their territory scepticism and insubordination in religion1 cities are the seat of the mischief4 ,even ,rome itself has its insubordinate population1 and its concealed free-thinkers2 even ,belgium1 that nobly ,catholic country1 cannot boast of the religious loyalty of its great towns4 ,such a calamity is unknown to the ,catholicism of ,dublin1 ,cork1 ,belfast1 and the other cities of ,ireland2 for1 to say nothing of higher and more religious causes of the difference1 the very presence of a rival religion is a perpetual incentive to faith and devotion in men who1 from the circumstances of the case1 would be in danger of becoming worse than lax ,catholics1 unless they resolved on being zealous ones4 ,here1 then1 is one remarkable ground of promise in the future of ,ireland1 that that large and important class1 members of which ,i am now addressing1--that the middle classes in its cities1 which will be the depositaries of its increasing political power1 and which elsewhere are opposed in their hearts to the ,catholicism which they profess1--are here so sound in faith1 and so exemplary in devotional exercises1 and in works of piety4 ,and next ,i would observe1 that1 while thus distinguished for religious earnestness1 the ,catholic population is in no respect degenerate from the ancient fame of ,ireland as regards its intellectual endowments4 ,it too often happens that the religiously disposed are in the same degree intellectually deficient2 but the ,irish ever have been1 as their worst enemies must grant1 not only a ,catholic people1 but a people of great natural abilities1 keen-witted1 original1 and subtle4 ,this has been the characteristic of the nation from the very early times1 and was especially prominent in the middle ages4 ,as ,rome was the centre of authority1 so1 ,i may say1 ,ireland was the native home of speculation4 ,in this respect they were as remarkably contrasted to the ,english as they are now1 though1 in those ages1 ,england was as devoted to the ,holy ,see as it is now hostile4 ,the ,englishman was hard-working1 plodding1 bold1 determined1 persevering1 practical1 obedient to law and precedent1 and1 if he cultivated his mind1 he was literary and classical rather than scientific1 for ,literature involves in it the idea of authority and prescription4 ,on the other hand1 in ,ireland1 the intellect seems rather to have taken the line of ,science1 and we have various instances to show how fully this was recognized in those times1 and with what success it was carried out4 8,philosopher10 is in those times almost the name for an ,irish monk4 ,both in ,paris and ,oxford1 the two great schools of medieval thought1 we find the boldest and most subtle of their disputants an ,irishman1--the monk ,john ,scotus ,erigena1 at ,paris1 and ,duns ,scotus1 the ,franciscan friar1 at ,oxford4 ,now1 it is my belief1 ,gentlemen1 that this character of mind remains in you still4 ,i think ,i rightly recognize in the ,irishman now1 as formerly1 the curious1 inquisitive observer1 the acute reasoner1 the subtle speculator4 ,i recognize in you talents which are fearfully mischievous1 when used on the side of error1 but which1 when wielded by ,catholic devotion1 such as ,i am sure will ever be the characteristic of the ,irish disputant1 are of the highest importance to ,catholic interests1 and especially at this day1 when a subtle logic is used against the ,church1 and demands a logic still more subtle on the part of her defenders to expose it4 ,gentlemen1 ,i do not expect those who1 like you1 are employed in your secular callings1 who are not monks or friars1 not priests1 not theologians1 not philosophers1 to come forward as champions of the faith2 but ,i think that incalculable benefit may ensue to the ,catholic cause1 greater almost than that which even singularly gifted theologians or controversialists could effect1 if a body of men in your station of life shall be found in the great towns of ,ireland1 not disputatious1 contentious1 loquacious1 presumptuous 7of course ,i am not advocating inquiry for mere argument's sake71 but gravely and solidly educated in ,catholic knowledge1 intelligent1 acute1 versed in their religion1 sensitive of its beauty and majesty1 alive to the arguments in its behalf1 and aware both of its difficulties and of the mode of treating them4 ,and the first step in attaining this desirable end is that you should submit yourselves to a curriculum of studies1 such as that which brings you with such praiseworthy diligence within these walls evening after evening2 and1 though you may not be giving attention to them with this view1 but from the laudable love of knowledge1 or for the advantages which will accrue to you personally from its pursuit1 yet my own reason for rejoicing in the establishment of your classes is the same as that which led me to take part in the establishment of the ,university itself1 viz41 the wish1 by increasing the intellectual force of ,ireland1 to strengthen the defences1 in a day of great danger1 of the ,christian religion4 #d4 ,gentlemen1 within the last thirty years1 there has been1 as you know1 a great movement in behalf of the extension of knowledge among those classes in society whom you represent4 ,this movement has issued in the establishment of what have been called ,mechanics' ,institutes through the ,united ,kingdom2 and a new species of literature has been brought into existence1 with a view1 among its objects1 of furnishing the members of these institutions with interesting and instructive reading4 ,i never will deny to that literature its due praise4 ,it has been the production of men of the highest ability and the most distinguished station1 who have not grudged1 moreover1 the trouble1 and1 ,i may say in a certain sense1 the condescension1 of presenting themselves before the classes for whose intellectual advancement they were showing so laudable a zeal2 who have not grudged1 in the cause of ,literature1 ,history1 or ,science1 to make a display1 in the lecture room or the public hall1 of that eloquence1 which was1 strictly speaking1 the property1 as ,i may call it1 of ,parliament1 or of the august tribunals of the ,law4 ,nor will ,i deny to the speaking and writing1 to which ,i am referring1 the merit of success1 as well as that of talent and good intention1 so far as this1--that it has provided a fund of innocent amusement and information for the leisure hours of those who might otherwise have been exposed to the temptation of corrupt reading or bad company4 ,so much may be granted1--and must be granted in candour3 but1 when ,i go on to ask myself the question1 what permanent advantage the mind gets by such desultory reading and hearing1 as this literary movement encourages1 then ,i find myself altogether in a new field of thought1 and am obliged to return an answer less favourable than ,i could wish to those who are the advocates of it4 ,we must carefully distinguish1 ,gentlemen1 between the mere diversion of the mind and its real education4 ,supposing1 for instance1 ,i am tempted to go into some society which will do me harm1 and supposing1 instead1 ,i fall asleep in my chair1 and so let the time pass by1 in that case certainly ,i escape the danger1 but it is as if by accident1 and my going to sleep has not had any real effect upon me1 or made me more able to resist the temptation on some future occasion4 ,i wake1 and ,i am what ,i was before4 ,the opportune sleep has but removed the temptation for this once4 ,it has not made me better2 for ,i have not been shielded from temptation by any act of my own1 but ,i was passive under an accident1 for such ,i may call sleep4 ,and so in like manner1 if ,i hear a lecture indolently and passively1 ,i cannot indeed be elsewhere while ,i am here hearing it1--but it produces no positive effect on my mind1--it does not tend to create any power in my breast capable of resisting temptation by its own vigour1 should temptation come a second time4 ,now this is no fault1 ,gentlemen1 of the books or the lectures of the ,mechanics' ,institute4 ,they could not do more than they do1 from their very nature4 ,they do their part1 but their part is not enough4 ,a man may hear a thousand lectures1 and read a thousand volumes1 and be at the end of the process very much where he was1 as regards knowledge4 ,something more than merely admitting it in a negative way into the mind is necessary1 if it is to remain there4 ,it must not be passively received1 but actually and actively entered into1 embraced1 mastered4 ,the mind must go half-way to meet what comes to it from without4 ,this1 then1 is the point in which the institutions ,i am speaking of fail2 here1 on the contrary1 is the advantage of such lectures as you are attending1 ,gentlemen1 in our ,university4 ,you have come1 not merely to be taught1 but to learn4 ,you have come to exert your minds4 ,you have come to make what you hear your own1 by putting out your hand1 as it were1 to grasp it and appropriate it4 ,you do not come merely to hear a lecture1 or to read a book1 but you come for that catechetical instruction1 which consists in a sort of conversation between your lecturer and you4 ,he tells you a thing1 and he asks you to repeat it after him4 ,he questions you1 he examines you1 he will not let you go till he has proof1 not only that you have heard1 but that you know4 #e4 ,gentlemen1 ,i am induced to quote here some remarks of my own1 which ,i put into print on occasion of those ,evening ,lectures1 already referred to1 with which we introduced the first terms of the ,university4 ,the attendance upon them was not large1 and in consequence we discontinued them for a time1 but ,i attempted to explain in print what the object of them had been2 and while what ,i then said is pertinent to the subject ,i am now pursuing1 it will be an evidence too1 in addition to my opening remarks1 of the hold which the idea of these ,evening ,lectures has had upon me4 8,i will venture to give you my thoughts10 ,i then said1 writing to a friend17#ej7 8on the object of the ,evening ,public ,lectures lately delivered in the ,university ,house1 which1 ,i think1 has been misunderstood4 8,i can bear witness1 not only to their remarkable merit as lectures1 but also to the fact that they were very satisfactorily attended4 ,many1 however1 attach a vague or unreasonable idea to the word #8satisfactory1' and maintain that no lectures can be called satisfactory which do not make a great deal of noise in the place1 and they are disappointed otherwise4 ,this is what ,i mean by misconceiving their object2 for such an expectation1 and consequent regret1 arise from confusing the ordinary with the extraordinary object of a lecture1--upon which point we ought to have clear and definite ideas4 8,the ordinary object of lectures is to teach2 but there is an object1 sometimes demanding attention1 and not incongruous1 which1 nevertheless1 cannot be said properly to belong to them1 or to be more than occasional4 ,as there are kinds of eloquence which do not aim at any thing beyond their own exhibition1 and are content with being eloquent1 and with the sensation which eloquence creates2 so in ,schools and ,universities there are seasons1 festive or solemn1 anyhow extraordinary1 when academical acts are not directed towards their proper ends1 so much as intended to amuse1 to astonish1 and to attract1 and thus to have an effect upon public opinion4 ,such are the exhibition days of ,colleges2 such the annual ,commemoration of ,benefactors at one of the ,english ,universities1 when ,doctors put on their gayest gowns1 and ,public ,orators make ,latin ,speeches4 ,such1 too1 are the ,terminal ,lectures1 at which divines of the greatest reputation for intellect and learning have before now poured forth sentences of burning eloquence into the ears of an audience brought together for the very sake of the display4 ,the object of all such ,lectures and ,orations is to excite or to keep up an interest and reverence in the public mind for the ,institutions from which the exhibition proceeds30--,i might have added1 such are the lectures delivered by celebrated persons in ,mechanics' ,institutes4 ,i continue3 8,such we have suitably had in the new ,university2--such were the ,inaugural ,lectures4 ,displays of strength and skill of this kind1 in order to succeed1 should attract attention1 and if they do not attract attention1 they have failed4 ,they do not invite an audience1 but an attendance2 and perhaps it is hardly too much to say that they are intended for seeing rather than for hearing4 8,such celebrations1 however1 from the nature of the case1 must be rare4 ,it is the novelty which brings1 it is the excitement which recompenses1 the assemblage4 ,the academical body which attempts to make such extraordinary acts the normal condition of its proceedings1 is putting itself and its ,professors in a false position4 8,it is1 then1 a simple misconception to suppose that those to whom the government of our ,university is confided have aimed at an object1 which could not be contemplated at all without a confusion or inadvertence1 such as no considerate person will impute to them4 ,public lectures1 delivered with such an object1 could not be successful2 and1 in consequence1 our late lectures have1 ,i cannot doubt 7for it could not be otherwise71 ended unsatisfactorily in the judgment of any zealous person who has assumed for them an office with which their projectors never invested them4 8,what their object really was the very meaning of academical institutions suggests to us4 ,it is1 as ,i said when ,i began1 to teach4 ,lectures are1 properly speaking1 not exhibitions or exercises of art1 but matters of business2 they profess to impart something definite to those who attend them1 and those who attend them profess on their part to receive what the lecturer has to offer4 ,it is a case of contract3--#8,i will speak1 if you will listen4'--#8,i will come here to learn1 if you have any thing worth teaching me4' ,in an oratorical display1 all the effort is on one side2 in a lecture1 it is shared between two parties1 who co-operate towards a common end4 8,there should be ever something1 on the face of the arrangements1 to act as a memento that those who come1 come to gain something1 and not from mere curiosity4 ,and in matters of fact1 such were the persons who did attend1 in the course of last term1 and such as those1 and no others1 will attend4 ,those came who wished to gain information on a subject new to them1 from informants whom they held in consideration1 and regarded as authorities4 ,it was impossible to survey the audience which occupied the lecture-room without seeing that they came on what may be called business4 ,and this is why ,i said1 when ,i began1 that the attendance was satisfactory4 ,that attendance is satisfactory1--not which is numerous1 but--which is steady and persevering4 ,but it is plain1 that to a mere by-stander1 who came merely from general interest or good will to see how things were going on1 and who did not catch the object of advertising the ,lectures1 it would not occur to look into the faces of the audience2 he would think it enough to be counting their heads2 he would do little more than observe whether the staircase and landing were full of loungers1 and whether there was such a noise and bustle that it was impossible to hear a word2 and if he could get in and out of the room without an effort1 if he could sit at his ease1 and actually hear the lecturer1 he would think he had sufficient grounds for considering the attendance unsatisfactory4 8,the stimulating system may easily be overdone1 and does not answer on the long run4 ,a blaze among the stubble1 and then all is dark4 ,i have seen in my time various instances of the way in which ,lectures really gain upon the public2 and ,i must express my opinion that1 even were it the sole object of our great undertaking to make a general impression upon public opinion1 instead of that of doing definite good to definite persons1 ,i should reject that method1 which the ,university indeed itself has not taken1 but which young and ardent minds may have thought the more promising4 ,even did ,i wish merely to get the intellect of all ,dublin into our rooms1 ,i should not dream of doing it all at once1 but at length4 ,i should not rely on sudden1 startling effects1 but on the slow1 silent1 penetrating1 overpowering effects of patience1 steadiness1 routine1 and perseverance4 ,i have known individuals set themselves down in a neighbourhood where they had no advantages1 and in a place which had no pretensions1 and upon a work which had little or nothing of authoritative sanction2 and they have gone on steadily lecturing week after week1 with little encouragement1 but much resolution4 ,for months they were ill attended1 and overlooked in the bustle of the world around them4 ,but there was a secret1 gradual movement going on1 and a specific force of attraction1 and a drifting and accumulation of hearers1 which at length made itself felt1 and could not be mistaken4 ,in this stage of things1 a friend said in conversation to me1 when at the moment ,i knew nothing of the parties3 #8,by-the-bye1 if you are interested in such and such a subject1 go by all means1 and hear such a one4 ,so and so does1 and says there is no one like him4 ,i looked in myself the other night1 and was very much struck4 ,do go1 you can't mistake2 he lectures every ,tuesday night1 or ,wednesday1 or ,thursday1' as it might be4 ,an influence thus gradually acquired endures2 sudden popularity dies away as suddenly40 ,as regards ourselves1 the time is passed now1 ,gentlemen1 for such modesty of expectation1 and such caution in encouragement1 as these last sentences exhibit4 ,the few1 but diligent1 attendants upon the ,professors' lectures1 with whom we began1 have grown into the diligent and zealous many2 and the speedy fulfilment of anticipations1 which then seemed to be hazardous1 surely is a call on us to cherish bolder hopes and to form more extended plans for the years which are to follow4 #f4 ,you will ask me1 perhaps1 after these general remarks1 to suggest to you the particular intellectual benefit which ,i conceive students have a right to require of us1 and which we engage by means of our evening classes to provide for them4 ,and1 in order to this1 you must allow me to make use of an illustration1 which ,i have heretofore employed17#ea7 and which ,i repeat here1 because it is the best that ,i can find to convey what ,i wish to impress upon you4 ,it is an illustration which includes in its application all of us1 teachers as well as taught1 though it applies of course to some more than to others1 and to those especially who come for instruction4 ,i consider1 then1 that the position of our minds1 as far as they are uncultivated1 towards intellectual objects1--,i mean of our minds1 before they have been disciplined and formed by the action of our reason upon them1--is analogous to that of a blind man towards the objects of vision1 at the moment when eyes are for the first time given to him by the skill of the operator4 ,then the multitude of things1 which present themselves to the sight under a multiplicity of shapes and hues1 pour in upon him from the external world all at once1 and are at first nothing else but lines and colours1 without mutual connection1 dependence1 or contrast1 without order or principle1 without drift or meaning1 and like the wrong side of a piece of tapestry or carpet4 ,by degrees1 by the sense of touch1 by reaching out the hands1 by walking into this maze of colours1 by turning round in it1 by accepting the principle of perspective1 by the various slow teaching of experience1 the first information of the sight is corrected1 and what was an unintelligible wilderness becomes a landscape or a scene1 and is understood to consist of space1 and of bodies variously located in space1 with such consequences as thence necessarily follow4 ,the knowledge is at length gained of things or objects1 and of their relation to each other2 and it is a kind of knowledge1 as is plain1 which is forced upon us all from infancy1 as to the blind on their first seeing1 by the testimony of our other senses1 and by the very necessity of supporting life2 so that even the brute animals have been gifted with the faculty of acquiring it4 ,such is the case as regards material objects2 and it is much the same as regards intellectual4 ,i mean that there is a vast host of matters of all kinds1 which address themselves1 not to the eye1 but to our mental sense2 viz41 all those matters of thought which1 in the course of life and the intercourse of society1 are brought before us1 which we hear of in conversation1 which we read of in books2 matters political1 social1 ecclesiastical1 literary1 domestic2 persons1 and their doings or their writings2 events1 and works1 and undertakings1 and laws1 and institutions4 ,these make up a much more subtle and intricate world than that visible universe of which ,i was just now speaking4 ,it is much more difficult in this world than in the material to separate things off from each other1 and to find out how they stand related to each other1 and to learn how to class them1 and where to locate them respectively4 ,still1 it is not less true that1 as the various figures and forms in a landscape have each its own place1 and stand in this or that direction towards each other1 so all the various objects which address the intellect have severally a substance of their own1 and have fixed relations each of them with everything else1--relations which our minds have no power of creating1 but which we are obliged to ascertain before we have a right to boast that we really know any thing about them4 ,yet1 when the mind looks out for the first time into this manifold spiritual world1 it is just as much confused and dazzled and distracted as are the eyes of the blind when they first begin to see2 and it is by a long process1 and with much effort and anxiety1 that we begin hardly and partially to apprehend its various contents and to put each in its proper place4 ,we grow up from boyhood2 our minds open2 we go into the world2 we hear what men say1 or read what they put in print2 and thus a profusion of matters of all kinds is discharged upon us4 ,some sort of an idea we have of most of them1 from hearing what others say2 but it is a very vague idea1 probably a very mistaken idea4 ,young people1 especially1 because they are young1 colour the assemblage of persons and things which they encounter with the freshness and grace of their own springtide1 look for all good from the reflection of their own hopefulness1 and worship what they have created4 ,men of ambition1 again1 look upon the world as a theatre for fame and glory1 and make it that magnificent scene of high enterprise and august recompence which ,pindar or ,cicero has delineated4 ,poets1 too1 after their wont1 put their ideal interpretation upon all things1 material as well as moral1 and substitute the noble for the true4 ,here are various obvious instances1 suggestive of the discipline which is imperative1 if the mind is to grasp things as they are1 and to discriminate substances from shadows4 ,for ,i am not concerned merely with youth1 ambition1 or poetry1 but with our mental condition generally4 ,it is the fault of all of us1 till we have duly practised our minds1 to be unreal in our sentiments and crude in our judgments1 and to be carried off by fancies1 instead of being at the trouble of acquiring sound knowledge4 ,in consequence1 when we hear opinions put forth on any new subject1 we have no principle to guide us in balancing them2 we do not know what to make of them2 we turn them to and fro1 and over1 and back again1 as if to pronounce upon them1 if we could1 but with no means of pronouncing4 ,it is the same when we attempt to speak upon them3 we make some random venture2 or we take up the opinion of some one else1 which strikes our fancy2 or perhaps1 with the vaguest enunciation possible of any opinion at all1 we are satisfied with ourselves if we are merely able to throw off some rounded sentences1 to make some pointed remarks on some other subject1 or to introduce some figure of speech1 or flowers of rhetoric1 which1 instead of being the vehicle1 are the mere substitute of meaning4 ,we wish to take a part in politics1 and then nothing is open to us but to follow some person1 or some party1 and to learn the commonplaces and the watchwords which belong to it4 ,we hear about landed interests1 and mercantile interests1 and trade1 and higher and lower classes1 and their rights1 duties1 and prerogatives2 and we attempt to transmit what we have received2 and soon our minds become loaded and perplexed by the incumbrance of ideas which we have not mastered and cannot use4 ,we have some vague idea1 for instance1 that constitutional government and slavery are inconsistent with each other2 that there is a connection between private judgment and democracy1 between ,christianity and civilization2 we attempt to find arguments in proof1 and our arguments are the most plain demonstration that we simply do not understand the things themselves of which we are professedly treating4 #g4 ,reflect1 ,gentlemen1 how many disputes you must have listened to1 which were interminable1 because neither party understood either his opponent or himself4 ,consider the fortunes of an argument in a debating society1 and the need there so frequently is1 not simply of some clear thinker to disentangle the perplexities of thought1 but of capacity in the combatants to do justice to the clearest explanations which are set before them1--so much so1 that the luminous arbitration only gives rise1 perhaps1 to more hopeless altercation4 8,is a constitutional government better for a population than an absolute rule80 ,what a number of points have to be clearly apprehended before we are in a position to say one word on such a question6 ,what is meant by 8constitution08 by 8constitutional government08 by 8better08 by 8a population08 and by 8absolutism08 ,the ideas represented by these various words ought1 ,i do not say1 to be as perfectly defined and located in the minds of the speakers as objects of sight in a landscape1 but to be sufficiently1 even though incompletely1 apprehended1 before they have a right to speak4 8,how is it that democracy can admit of slavery1 as in ancient ,greece80 8,how can ,catholicism flourish in a republic80 ,now1 a person who knows his ignorance will say1 8,these questions are beyond me20 and he tries to gain a clear notion and a firm hold of them2 and1 if he speaks1 it is as investigating1 not as deciding4 ,on the other hand1 let him never have tried to throw things together1 or to discriminate between them1 or to denote their peculiarities1 in that case he has no hesitation in undertaking any subject1 and perhaps has most to say upon those questions which are most new to him4 ,this is why so many men are one-sided1 narrow-minded1 prejudiced1 crotchety4 ,this is why able men have to change their minds and their line of action in middle age1 and to begin life again1 because they have followed their party1 instead of having secured that faculty of true perception as regards intellectual objects which has accrued to them1 without their knowing how1 as regards the objects of sight4 ,but this defect will never be corrected1--on the contrary1 it will be aggravated1--by those popular institutions to which ,i referred just now4 ,the displays of eloquence1 or the interesting matter contained in their lectures1 the variety of useful or entertaining knowledge contained in their libraries1 though admirable in themselves1 and advantageous to the student at a later stage of his course1 never can serve as a substitute for methodical and laborious teaching4 ,a young man of sharp and active intellect1 who has had no other training1 has little to show for it besides a litter of ideas heaped up into his mind anyhow4 ,he can utter a number of truths or sophisms1 as the case may be1 and one is as good to him as another4 ,he is up with a number of doctrines and a number of facts1 but they are all loose and straggling1 for he has no principles set up in his mind round which to aggregate and locate them4 ,he can say a word or two on half a dozen sciences1 but not a dozen words on any one4 ,he says one thing now1 and another thing presently2 and when he attempts to write down distinctly what he holds upon a point in dispute1 or what he understands by its terms1 he breaks down1 and is surprised at his failure4 ,he sees objections more clearly than truths1 and can ask a thousand questions which the wisest of men cannot answer2 and withal1 he has a very good opinion of himself1 and is well satisfied with his attainments1 and he declares against others1 as opposed to the spread of knowledge altogether1 who do not happen to adopt his ways of furthering it1 or the opinions in which he considers it to result4 ,this is that barren mockery of knowledge which comes of attending on great ,lecturers1 or of mere acquaintance with reviews1 magazines1 newspapers1 and other literature of the day1 which1 however able and valuable in itself1 is not the instrument of intellectual education4 ,if this is all the training a man has1 the chance is that1 when a few years have passed over his head1 and he has talked to the full1 he wearies of talking1 and of the subjects on which he talked4 ,he gives up the pursuit of knowledge1 and forgets what he knew1 whatever it was2 and1 taking things at their best1 his mind is in no very different condition from what it was when he first began to improve it1 as he hoped1 though perhaps he never thought of more than of amusing himself4 ,i say1 8at the best10 for perhaps he will suffer from exhaustion and a distaste of the subjects which once pleased him2 or perhaps he has suffered some real intellectual mischief2 perhaps he has contracted some serious disorder1 he has admitted some taint of scepticism1 which he will never get rid of4 ,and here we see what is meant by the poet's maxim1 8,a little learning is a dangerous thing40 ,not that knowledge1 little or much1 if it be real knowledge1 is dangerous2 but that many a man considers a mere hazy view of many things to be real knowledge1 whereas it does but mislead1 just as a short-sighted man sees only so far as to be led by his uncertain sight over the precipice4 ,such1 then1 being true cultivation of mind1 and such the literary institutions which do not tend to it1 ,i might proceed to show you1 ,gentlemen1 did time admit1 how1 on the other hand1 that kind of instruction of which our ,evening ,classes are a specimen1 is especially suited to effect what they propose4 ,consider1 for instance1 what a discipline in accuracy of thought it is to have to construe a foreign language into your own2 what a still severer and more improving exercise it is to translate from your own into a foreign language4 ,consider1 again1 what a lesson in memory and discrimination it is to get up1 as it is called1 any one chapter of history4 ,consider what a trial of acuteness1 caution1 and exactness1 it is to master1 and still more to prove1 a number of definitions4 ,again1 what an exercise in logic is classification1 what an exercise in logical precision it is to understand and enunciate the proof of any of the more difficult propositions of ,euclid1 or to master any one of the great arguments for ,christianity so thoroughly as to bear examination upon it2 or1 again1 to analyze sufficiently1 yet in as few words as possible1 a speech1 or to draw up a critique upon a poem4 ,and so of any other science1--chemistry1 or comparative anatomy1 or natural history2 it does not matter what it is1 if it be really studied and mastered1 as far as it is taken up4 ,the result is a formation of mind1--that is1 a habit of order and system1 a habit of referring every accession of knowledge to what we already know1 and of adjusting the one with the other2 and1 moreover1 as such a habit implies1 the actual acceptance and use of certain principles as centres of thought1 around which our knowledge grows and is located4 ,where this critical faculty exists1 history is no longer a mere story-book1 or biography a romance2 orators and publications of the day are no longer infallible authorities2 eloquent diction is no longer a substitute for matter1 nor bold statements1 or lively descriptions1 a substitute for proof4 ,this is that faculty of perception in intellectual matters1 which1 as ,i have said so often1 is analogous to the capacity we all have of mastering the multitude of lines and colours which pour in upon our eyes1 and of deciding what every one of them is worth4 #h4 ,but ,i should be transgressing the limits assigned to an address of this nature were ,i to proceed4 ,i have not said any thing1 ,gentlemen1 on the religious duties which become the members of a ,catholic ,university1 because we are directly concerned here with your studies only4 ,it is my consolation to know that so many of you belong to a ,society or ,association1 which the zeal of some excellent priests1 one especially1 has been so instrumental in establishing in your great towns4 ,you do not come to us to have the foundation laid in your breasts of that knowledge which is highest of all3 it has been laid already4 ,you have begun your mental training with faith and devotion2 and then you come to us to add the education of the intellect to the education of the heart4 ,go on as you have begun1 and you will be one of the proudest achievements of our great undertaking4 ,we shall be able to point to you in proof that zeal for knowledge may thrive even under the pressure of secular callings2 that mother-wit does not necessarily make a man idle1 nor inquisitiveness of mind irreverent2 that shrewdness and cleverness are not incompatible with firm faith in the mysteries of ,revelation2 that attainment in ,literature and ,science need not make men conceited1 nor above their station1 nor restless1 nor self-willed4 ,we shall be able to point to you in proof of the power of ,catholicism to make out of the staple of great towns exemplary and enlightened ,christians1 of those classes which1 external to ,ireland1 are the problem and perplexity of patriotic statesmen1 and the natural opponents of the teachers of every kind of religion4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as to myself1 ,i wish ,i could by actual service and hard work of my own respond to your zeal1 as so many of my dear and excellent friends1 the ,professors of the ,university1 have done and do4 ,they have a merit1 they have a claim on you1 ,gentlemen1 in which ,i have no part4 ,if ,i admire the energy and bravery with which you have undertaken the work of self-improvement1 be sure ,i do not forget their public spirit and noble free devotion to the ,university any more than you do4 ,i know ,i should not satisfy you with any praise of this supplement of our academical arrangements which did not include those who give to it its life4 ,it is a very pleasant and encouraging sight to see both parties1 the teachers and the taught1 co-operating with a pure esprit-de-corps thus voluntarily1--they as fully as you can do--for a great object2 and ,i offer up my earnest prayers to the ,author of all good1 that ,he will ever bestow on you all1 on ,professors and on ,students1 as ,i feel sure ,he will bestow1 ,rulers and ,superiors1 who1 by their zeal and diligence in their own place1 shall prove themselves worthy both of your cause and of yourselves4 ,lecture ,x4 ,christianity ,and ,medical ,science4 ,an ,address to the ,students ,of ,medicine4 #a4 ,i have had so few opportunities1 ,gentlemen1 of addressing you1 and our present meeting is of so interesting and pleasing a character1 by reason of the object which occasions it1 that ,i am encouraged to speak freely to you1 though ,i do not know you personally1 on a subject which1 as you may conceive1 is often before my own mind3 ,i mean1 the exact relation in which your noble profession stands towards the ,catholic ,university itself and towards ,catholicism generally4 ,considering my own most responsible office as ,rector1 my vocation as an ecclesiastic1 and then again my years1 which increase my present claim1 and diminish my future chances1 of speaking to you1 ,i need make no apology1 ,i am sure1 for a step1 which will be recommended to you by my good intentions1 even though it deserves no consideration on the score of the reflections and suggestions themselves which ,i shall bring before you4 ,if indeed this ,university1 and its ,faculty of ,medicine inclusively1 were set up for the promotion of any merely secular object1--in the spirit of religious rivalry1 as a measure of party politics1 or as a commercial speculation1--then indeed ,i should be out of place1 not only in addressing you in the tone of advice1 but in being here at all2 for what reason could ,i in that case have had for having now given some of the most valuable years of my life to this ,university1 for having placed it foremost in my thoughts and anxieties1--7,i had well nigh said7 to the prejudice of prior1 dearer1 and more sacred ties1--except that ,i felt that the highest and most special religious interests were bound up in its establishment and in its success8 ,suffer me1 then1 ,gentlemen1 if with these views and feelings ,i conform my observations to the sacred building in which we find ourselves1 and if ,i speak to you for a few minutes as if ,i were rather addressing you authoritatively from the pulpit than in the ,rector's chair4 ,now ,i am going to set before you1 in as few words as ,i can1 what ,i conceive to be the principal duty of the ,medical ,profession towards ,religion1 and some of the difficulties which are found in the observance of that duty3 and in speaking on the subject ,i am conscious how little qualified ,i am to handle it in such a way as will come home to your minds1 from that want of acquaintance with you personally1 to which ,i have alluded1 and from my necessary ignorance of the influences of whatever kind which actually surround you1 and the points of detail which are likely to be your religious embarrassments4 ,i can but lay down principles and maxims1 which you must apply for yourselves1 and which in some respects or cases you may feel have no true application at all4 #b4 ,all professions have their dangers1 all general truths have their fallacies1 all spheres of action have their limits1 and are liable to improper extension or alteration4 ,every professional man has rightly a zeal for his profession1 and he would not do his duty towards it without that zeal4 ,and that zeal soon becomes exclusive1 or rather necessarily involves a sort of exclusiveness4 ,a zealous professional man soon comes to think that his profession is all in all1 and that the world would not go on without it4 ,we have heard1 for instance1 a great deal lately in regard to the war in ,india1 of political views suggesting one plan of campaign1 and military views suggesting another4 ,how hard it must be for the military man to forego his own strategical dispositions1 not on the ground that they are not the best1--not that they are not acknowledged by those who nevertheless put them aside to be the best for the object of military success1--but because military success is not the highest of objects1 and the end of ends1--because it is not the sovereign science1 but must ever be subordinate to political considerations or maxims of government1 which is a higher science with higher objects1--and that therefore his sure success on the field must be relinquished because the interests of the council and the cabinet require the sacrifice1 that the war must yield to the statesman's craft1 the commander-in-chief to the governor-general4 ,yet what the soldier feels is natural1 and what the statesman does is just4 ,this collision1 this desire on the part of every profession to be supreme1--this necessary1 though reluctant1 subordination of the one to the other1--is a process ever going on1 ever acted out before our eyes4 ,the civilian is in rivalry with the soldier1 the soldier with the civilian4 ,the diplomatist1 the lawyer1 the political economist1 the merchant1 each wishes to usurp the powers of the state1 and to mould society upon the principles of his own pursuit4 ,nor do they confine themselves to the mere province of secular matters4 ,they intrude into the province of ,religion4 ,in ,england1 in the reign of ,queen ,elizabeth1 lawyers got hold of religion1 and never have let it go4 ,abroad1 bureaucracy keeps hold of ,religion with a more or less firm grasp4 ,the circles of literature and science have in like manner before now made ,religion a mere province of their universal empire4 ,i remark1 moreover1 that these various usurpations are frequently made in perfectly good faith4 ,there is no intention of encroachment on the part of the encroachers4 ,the commander recommends what with all his heart and soul he thinks best for his country when he presses on ,government a certain plan of campaign4 ,the political economist has the most honest intentions of improving the ,christian system of social duty by his reforms4 ,the statesman may have the best and most loyal dispositions towards the ,holy ,see1 at the time that he is urging changes in ecclesiastical discipline which would be seriously detrimental to the ,church4 ,and now ,i will say how this applies to the ,medical ,profession1 and what is its special danger1 viewed in relation to ,catholicity4 #c4 ,its province is the physical nature of man1 and its object is the preservation of that physical nature in its proper state1 and its restoration when it has lost it4 ,it limits itself1 by its very profession1 to the health of the body2 it ascertains the conditions of that health2 it analyzes the causes of its interruption or failure2 it seeks about for the means of cure4 ,but1 after all1 bodily health is not the only end of man1 and the medical science is not the highest science of which he is the subject4 ,man has a moral and a religious nature1 as well as a physical4 ,he has a mind and a soul2 and the mind and soul have a legitimate sovereignty over the body1 and the sciences relating to them have in consequence the precedence of those sciences which relate to the body4 ,and as the soldier must yield to the statesman1 when they come into collision with each other1 so must the medical man to the priest2 not that the medical man may not be enunciating what is absolutely certain1 in a medical point of view1 as the commander may be perfectly right in what he enunciates strategically1 but that his action is suspended in the given case by the interests and duty of a superior science1 and he retires not confuted but superseded4 ,now this general principle thus stated1 all will admit3 who will deny that health must give way to duty8 ,so far there is no perplexity3 supposing a fever to break out in a certain place1 and the medical practitioner said to a ,sister of ,charity who was visiting the sick there1 8,you will die to a certainty if you remain there10 and her ecclesiastical superiors on the contrary said1 8,you have devoted your life to such services1 and there you must stay20 and supposing she stayed and was taken off2 the medical adviser would be right1 but who would say that the ,religious ,sister was wrong8 ,she did not doubt his word1 but she denied the importance of that word1 compared with the word of her religious superiors4 ,the medical man was right1 yet he could not gain his point4 ,he was right in what he said1 he said what was true1 yet he had to give way4 ,here we are approaching what ,i conceive to be the especial temptation and danger to which the medical profession is exposed3 it is a certain sophism of the intellect1 founded on this maxim1 implied1 but not spoken or even recognized--8,what is true is lawful40 ,not so4 ,observe1 here is the fallacy1--,what is true in one science is dictated to us indeed according to that science1 but not according to another science1 or in another department4 ,what is certain in the military art has force in the military art1 but not in statesmanship2 and if statesmanship be a higher department of action than war1 and enjoins the contrary1 it has no claim on our reception and obedience at all4 ,and so what is true in medical science might in all cases be carried out1 were man a mere animal or brute without a soul2 but since he is a rational1 responsible being1 a thing may be ever so true in medicine1 yet may be unlawful in fact1 in consequence of the higher law of morals and religion having come to some different conclusion4 ,now ,i must be allowed some few words to express1 or rather to suggest1 more fully what ,i mean4 ,the whole universe comes from the good ,god4 ,it is ,his creation2 it is good2 it is all good1 as being the work of the ,good1 though good only in its degree1 and not after ,his ,infinite ,perfection4 ,the physical nature of man is good2 nor can there be any thing sinful in itself in acting according to that nature4 ,every natural appetite or function is lawful1 speaking abstractedly4 ,no natural feeling or act is in itself sinful4 ,there can be no doubt of all this2 and there can be no doubt that science can determine what is natural1 what tends to the preservation of a healthy state of nature1 and what on the contrary is injurious to nature4 ,thus the medical student has a vast field of knowledge spread out before him1 true1 because knowledge1 and innocent1 because true4 ,so much in the abstract--but when we come to fact1 it may easily happen that what is in itself innocent may not be innocent to this or that person1 or in this or that mode or degree4 ,again1 it may easily happen that the impressions made on a man's mind by his own science may be indefinitely more vivid and operative than the enunciations of truths belonging to some other branch of knowledge1 which strike indeed his ear1 but do not come home to him1 are not fixed in his memory1 are not imprinted on his imagination4 ,and in the profession before us1 a medical student may realize far more powerfully and habitually that certain acts are advisable in themselves according to the law of physical nature1 than the fact that they are forbidden according to the law of some higher science1 as theology2 or again1 that they are accidentally wrong1 as being1 though lawful in themselves1 wrong in this or that individual1 or under the circumstances of the case4 ,now to recur to the instance ,i have already given3 it is supposable that that ,sister of ,charity1 who1 for the sake of her soul1 would not obey the law of self-preservation as regards her body1 might cause her medical adviser great irritation and disgust4 ,his own particular profession might have so engrossed his mind1 and the truth of its maxims have so penetrated it1 that he could not understand or admit any other or any higher system4 ,he might in process of time have become simply dead to all religious truths1 because such truths were not present to him1 and those of his own science were ever present4 ,and observe1 his fault would be1 not that of taking error for truth1 for what he relied on was truth--but in not understanding that there were other truths1 and those higher than his own4 ,take another case1 in which there will often in particular circumstances be considerable differences of opinion among really religious men1 but which does not cease on that account to illustrate the point ,i am insisting on4 ,a patient is dying3 the priest wishes to be introduced1 lest he should die without due preparation3 the medical man says that the thought of religion will disturb his mind and imperil his recovery4 ,now in the particular case1 the one party or the other may be right in urging his own view of what ought to be done4 ,i am merely directing attention to the principle involved in it4 ,here are the representatives of two great sciences1 ,religion and ,medicine4 ,each says what is true in his own science1 each will think he has a right to insist on seeing that the truth which he himself is maintaining is carried out in action2 whereas1 one of the two sciences is above the other1 and the end of ,religion is indefinitely higher than the end of ,medicine4 ,and1 however the decision ought to go1 in the particular case1 as to introducing the subject of religion or not1 ,i think the priest ought to have that decision2 just as a ,governor-,general1 not a ,commander-in-,chief1 would have the ultimate decision1 were politics and strategics to come into collision4 ,you will easily understand1 ,gentlemen1 that ,i dare not pursue my subject into those details1 which are of the greater importance for the very reason that they cannot be spoken of4 ,a medical philosopher1 who has so simply fixed his intellect on his own science as to have forgotten the existence of any other1 will view man1 who is the subject of his contemplation1 as a being who has little more to do than to be born1 to grow1 to eat1 to drink1 to walk1 to reproduce his kind1 and to die4 ,he sees him born as other animals are born2 he sees life leave him1 with all those phenomena of annihilation which accompany the death of a brute4 ,he compares his structure1 his organs1 his functions1 with those of other animals1 and his own range of science leads to the discovery of no facts which are sufficient to convince him that there is any difference in kind between the human animal and them4 ,his practice1 then1 is according to his facts and his theory4 ,such a person will think himself free to give advice1 and to insist upon rules1 which are quite insufferable to any religious mind1 and simply antagonistic to faith and morals4 ,it is not1 ,i repeat1 that he says what is untrue1 supposing that man were an animal and nothing else3 but he thinks that whatever is true in his own science is at once lawful in practice--as if there were not a number of rival sciences in the great circle of philosophy1 as if there were not a number of conflicting views and objects in human nature to be taken into account and reconciled1 or as if it were his duty to forget all but his own2 whereas ,there are more things in heaven and earth1 ,horatio1 ,than are dreamt of in your philosophy4 ,i have known in ,england the most detestable advice given to young persons by eminent physicians1 in consequence of this contracted view of man and his destinies4 ,god forbid that ,i should measure the professional habits of ,catholics by the rules of practice of those who were not6 but it is plain that what is actually carried out where religion is not known1 exists as a temptation and a danger in the ,science of ,medicine itself1 where religion is known ever so well4 #d4 ,and now1 having suggested1 as far as ,i dare1 what ,i consider the consequences of that radical sophism to which the medical profession is exposed1 let me go on to say in what way it is corrected by the action of ,catholicism upon it4 ,you will observe1 then1 ,gentlemen1 that those higher sciences of which ,i have spoken1 ,morals and ,religion1 are not represented to the intelligence of the world by intimations and notices strong and obvious1 such as those which are the foundation of ,physical ,science4 ,the physical nature lies before us1 patent to the sight1 ready to the touch1 appealing to the senses in so unequivocal a way that the science which is founded upon it is as real to us as the fact of our personal existence4 ,but the phenomena1 which are the basis of morals and ,religion1 have nothing of this luminous evidence4 ,instead of being obtruded upon our notice1 so that we cannot possibly overlook them1 they are the dictates either of ,conscience or of ,faith4 ,they are faint shadows and tracings1 certain indeed1 but delicate1 fragile1 and almost evanescent1 which the mind recognizes at one time1 not at another1--discerns when it is calm1 loses when it is in agitation4 ,the reflection of sky and mountains in the lake is a proof that sky and mountains are around it1 but the twilight1 or the mist1 or the sudden storm hurries away the beautiful image1 which leaves behind it no memorial of what it was4 ,something like this are the ,moral ,law and the informations of ,faith1 as they present themselves to individual minds4 ,who can deny the existence of ,conscience8 who does not feel the force of its injunctions8 but how dim is the illumination in which it is invested1 and how feeble its influence1 compared with that evidence of sight and touch which is the foundation of ,physical ,science6 ,how easily can we be talked out of our clearest views of duty6 how does this or that moral precept crumble into nothing when we rudely handle it6 how does the fear of sin pass off from us1 as quickly as the glow of modesty dies away from the countenance6 and then we say1 8,it is all superstition40 ,however1 after a time we look round1 and then to our surprise we see1 as before1 the same law of duty1 the same moral precepts1 the same protests against sin1 appearing over against us1 in their old places1 as if they never had been brushed away1 like the divine handwriting upon the wall at the banquet4 ,then perhaps we approach them rudely1 and inspect them irreverently1 and accost them sceptically1 and away they go again1 like so many spectres1--shining in their cold beauty1 but not presenting themselves bodily to us1 for our inspection1 so to say1 of their hands and their feet4 ,and thus these awful1 supernatural1 bright1 majestic1 delicate apparitions1 much as we may in our hearts acknowledge their sovereignty1 are no match as a foundation of ,science for the hard1 palpable1 material facts which make up the province of ,physics4 ,recurring to my original illustration1 it is as if the ,india ,commander-in-,chief1 instead of being under the control of a local seat of government at ,calcutta1 were governed simply from ,london1 or from the moon4 ,in that case1 he would be under a strong temptation to neglect the home government1 which nevertheless in theory he acknowledged4 ,such1 ,i say1 is the natural condition of mankind3--we depend upon a seat of government which is in another world2 we are directed and governed by intimations from above2 we need a local government on earth4 ,that great institution1 then1 the ,catholic ,church1 has been set up by ,divine ,mercy1 as a present1 visible antagonist1 and the only possible antagonist1 to sight and sense4 ,conscience1 reason1 good feeling1 the instincts of our moral nature1 the traditions of ,faith1 the conclusions and deductions of philosophical ,religion1 are no match at all for the stubborn facts 7for they are facts1 though there are other facts besides them71 for the facts1 which are the foundation of physical1 and in particular of medical1 science4 ,gentlemen1 if you feel1 as you must feel1 the whisper of a law of moral truth within you1 and the impulse to believe1 be sure there is nothing whatever on earth which can be the sufficient champion of these sovereign authorities of your soul1 which can vindicate and preserve them to you1 and make you loyal to them1 but the ,catholic ,church4 ,you fear they will go1 you see with dismay that they are going1 under the continual impression created on your mind by the details of the material science to which you have devoted your lives4 ,it is so--,i do not deny it2 except under rare and happy circumstances1 go they will1 unless you have ,catholicism to back you up in keeping faithful to them4 ,the world is a rough antagonist of spiritual truth3 sometimes with mailed hand1 sometimes with pertinacious logic1 sometimes with a storm of irresistible facts1 it presses on against you4 ,what it says is true perhaps as far as it goes1 but it is not the whole truth1 or the most important truth4 ,these more important truths1 which the natural heart admits in their substance1 though it cannot maintain1--the being of a ,god1 the certainty of future retribution1 the claims of the moral law1 the reality of sin1 the hope of supernatural help1--of these the ,church is in matter of fact the undaunted and the only defender4 ,even those who do not look on her as divine must grant as much as this4 ,i do not ask you for more here than to contemplate and recognize her as a fact1--as other things are facts4 ,she has been eighteen hundred years in the world1 and all that time she has been doing battle in the boldest1 most obstinate way in the cause of the human race1 in maintenance of the undeniable but comparatively obscure truths of ,religion4 ,she is always alive1 always on the alert1 when any enemy whatever attacks them4 ,she has brought them through a thousand perils4 ,sometimes preaching1 sometimes pleading1 sometimes arguing1--sometimes exposing her ministers to death1 and sometimes1 though rarely1 inflicting blows herself1--by peremptory deeds1 by patient concessions1--she has fought on and fulfilled her trust4 ,no wonder so many speak against her1 for she deserves it2 she has earned the hatred and obloquy of her opponents by her success in opposing them4 ,those even who speak against her in this day1 own that she was of use in a former day4 ,the historians in fashion with us just now1 much as they may disown her in their own country1 where she is an actual1 present1 unpleasant1 inconvenient monitor1 acknowledge that1 in the middle ages which are gone1 in her were lodged1 by her were saved1 the fortunes and the hopes of the human race4 ,the very characteristics of her discipline1 the very maxims of her policy1 which they reprobate now1 they perceive to have been of service then4 ,they understand1 and candidly avow1 that once she was the patron of the arts1 the home and sanctuary of letters1 the basis of law1 the principle of order and government1 and the saviour of ,christianity itself4 ,they judge clearly enough in the case of others1 though they are slow to see the fact in their own age and country2 and1 while they do not like to be regulated by her1 and kept in order by her1 themselves1 they are very well satisfied that the populations of those former centuries should have been so ruled1 and tamed1 and taught by her resolute and wise teaching4 ,and be sure of this1 that as the generation now alive admits these benefits to have arisen from her presence in a state of society now gone by1 so in turn1 when the interests and passions of this day are passed away1 will future generations ascribe to her a like special beneficial action upon this nineteenth century in which we live4 ,for she is ever the same1--ever young and vigorous1 and ever overcoming new errors with the old weapons4 #e4 ,and now ,i have explained1 ,gentlemen1 why it has been so highly expedient and desirable in a country like this to bring the ,faculty of ,medicine under the shadow of the ,catholic ,church4 ,i say 8in a country like this20 for1 if there be any country which deserves that ,science should not run wild1 like a planet broken loose from its celestial system1 it is a country which can boast of such hereditary faith1 of such a persevering confessorship1 of such an accumulation of good works1 of such a glorious name1 as ,ireland4 ,far be it from this country1 far be it from the counsels of ,divine ,mercy1 that it should grow in knowledge and not grow in religion6 and ,catholicism is the strength of ,religion1 as ,science and ,system are the strength of ,knowledge4 ,aspirations such as these are met1 ,gentlemen1 ,i am well aware1 by a responsive feeling in your own hearts2 but by my putting them into words1 thoughts which already exist within you are brought into livelier exercise1 and sentiments which exist in many breasts hold intercommunion with each other4 ,gentlemen1 it will be your high office to be the links in your generation between ,religion and ,science4 ,return thanks to the ,author of all good that ,he has chosen you for this work4 ,trust the ,church of ,god implicitly1 even when your natural judgment would take a different course from hers1 and would induce you to question her prudence or her correctness4 ,recollect what a hard task she has2 how she is sure to be criticized and spoken against1 whatever she does2--recollect how much she needs your loyal and tender devotion4 ,recollect1 too1 how long is the experience gained in eighteen hundred years1 and what a right she has to claim your assent to principles which have had so extended and so triumphant a trial4 ,thank her that she has kept the faith safe for so many generations1 and do your part in helping her to transmit it to generations after you4 ,for me1 if it has been given me to have any share in so great a work1 ,i shall rejoice with a joy1 not such indeed as ,i should feel were ,i myself a native of this generous land1 but with a joy of my own1 not the less pure1 because ,i have exerted myself for that which concerns others more nearly than myself4 ,i have had no other motive1 as far as ,i know myself1 than to attempt1 according to my strength1 some service to the cause of ,religion1 and to be the servant of those to whom as a nation the whole of ,christendom is so deeply indebted2 and though this ,university1 and the ,faculty of ,medicine which belongs to it1 are as yet only in the commencement of their long career of usefulness1 yet while ,i live1 and 7,i trust7 after life1 it will ever be a theme of thankfulness for my heart and my lips1 that ,i have been allowed to do even a little1 and to witness so much1 of the arduous1 pleasant1 and hopeful toil which has attended on their establishment4 ,,note ,,on ,,page #dgh4 ,i think it worthwhile1 in illustration of what ,i have said above at the page specified1 to append the following passage from ,grandorgus's catalogue of ,muratori's works4 8,sanctissimus ,d4,n4 ,benedictus xiv4 ,pont4 ,max4 ,epistolam sapienti ac roboris plenam dederat ''' ad ,episcopum ,terulensem ,hispani ,inquisitionis ,majorem ,inquisitorem1 qu illum hortabatur1 ut #8,historiam ,pelagianam et dissertationem1 etc41' editas clar memori ,henrico ,cardinali ,norisio1 in ,indicem ,expurgatorium ,hispanum nuper ingestas1 perinde ac si aliquid ,baianismi aut ,jansenismi redolerent1 prout auctor #8,bibliothec ,jansenistic' immerito autumavit1 quamprimum expungendas curaret4 ,eoque nomine ,sapientissimus ,pontifex plura in medium attulit prudentis conomi exempla1 qua semper usum1 supremum ,s4 ,r4 ,congr4 ,indicis ,tribunal1 proscribendis virorum doctissimorum operibus aliquando temperavit4 8,quum autem summus ,pontifex1 ea inter nomina illustria ,tillemontii1 ,bollandistarum1 ,bosoueti ,ep4 ,meld41 et illud recensuerit ,l4 ,a4 ,muratorii1 his ad ,auctorem nostrum delatis1 quam maxim indoluit1 veritus ne in tant operum copi ab se editorum1 aliquid ,fidei aut ,religioni mins consonum sibi excidisset4''' 8,verm clementissimus ,pontifex ne animum desponderet doctus et humilis filius1 pernumaniter ad ipsum rescripsit ''' eumque patern consolatus1 inter alia hc habet3 #8,quanto si era detto nella nostra ,lettera all' ,inquisitore di ,spagna in ordine alle di ,lei ,opere1 non aveva che fare con la materia delle ,feste1 n con verun dogma o disciplina4 ,il contenuto delle ,opere chi qui non piaciuto 7n che ,ella poteva mai lusingarsi che fosse per piacere71 riguarda la ,giurisdizione ,temporale del ,romano ,pontifice n suoi stati1' 0 etc4 7pp4 lx41 lxi74 ,,index4 ,,abelard1 #if1 age of1 #bfc ,accomplishments not education1 #add ,addison1 his ,vision of ,mirza1 #bgi2 his care in writing1 #bhd2 the child of the ,revolution1 #cab1 #cbi schylus1 #beh ,alcuin1 #ag ,aldhelm1 ,st41 #ag ,alexander the ,great1 his delight in ,homer1 #beh2 conquests of1 #bfd ,anaxagoras1 #aaf ,andes1 the1 #acf ,animuccia and ,st4 ,philip ,neri1 #bcg ,apollo ,belvidere1 the1 #bhc ,aquinas1 ,st4 ,thomas1 #acd1 #bfc1 #chd ,arcesilas1 #aja ,architecture1 #ha ,arian argument against our ,lord's ,divinity1 #ie ,ariosto1 #caf ,aristotelic philosophy1 the1 #eb ,aristotle1 xii41 #f1 #ec2 quoted1 #gh1 #aja1 #ajf1 #aji1 #acd1 #bbb1 #bge2 his sketch of the magnanimous man1 #bhj1 #chc1 #dca1 #dfi ,athens1 the fountain of secular knowledge1 #bfd ,augustine1 ,st41 of ,canterbury1 mission of1 #af ,augustine1 ,st41 of ,hippo1 quoted1 #daj ,,bacci',s ,life of ,st4 ,philip ,neri1 quoted1 #bcf ,bacon1 ,friar1 xiii41 #bbj ,baconian philosophy1 the1 #aji ,bacon1 ,lord1 quoted1 #gg1 #ij1 #aag-aai1 #age1 #bba1 #bbe1 #bfc1 #cai1 #dcg ,balaam1 #ff ,beethoven1 #bhf1 #cac ,bentham's ,preuves ,judiciaires1 #if ,berkeley1 ,bishop1 on ,gothic ,architecture1 #ha ,boccaccio1 #caf ,boniface1 ,st41 #bbj ,borromeo1 ,st4 ,carlo1 enjoins the use of some of the ,latin classics1 #bfa2 on preaching1 #djf1 #dab1 #dad1 #dba ,bossuet and ,bishop ,bull1 #g ,brougham1 ,lord1 his ,discourse at ,glasgow1 quoted1 #cj1 #cd-ce ,brutus1 abandoned by philosophy1 #aaf ,burke1 ,edmund1 #agf2 his valediction to the spirit of chivalry1 #bja ,burman1 #adj ,butler1 ,bishop1 his ,analogy1 #fa1 #ajj1 #aeh1 #bbf ,byron1 ,lord1 his versification1 #cbf ,,caietan1 ,st41 #bce ,campbell1 ,thomas1 #cbb1 #cbf ,carneades1 #ajf ,cato the elder1 his opposition to the ,greek philosophy1 #ajf ,catullus1 #cbe ,chinese civilization1 #beb ,christianity and ,letters1 #bdi ,chrysostom1 ,st41 on ,judas1 #hf ,cicero1 quoted1 #gg2 on the pursuit of knowledge1 #ajd1 #aaf1 #bfj2 style of1 #bha1 #bhb1 #cbg2 quoted1 #cii2 his orations against ,verres1 #dba ,civilization and ,christianity1 #bee ,clarendon1 ,lord1 #caa ,colours1 combination of1 #ajj 8,condescension10 two senses of1 #bje ,copleston1 ,dr41 ,bishop of ,llandaff1 #aeg2 quoted1 #afg-afi ,corinthian brass1 #age ,cowper1 quoted1 #aia1 #dfg ,crabbe1 his ,tales of the ,hall1 #aej2 his versification1 #cbf ,craik1 ,dr4 ,g4 ,l41 his ,pursuit of ,knowledge under ,difficulties1 quoted1 #ajc1 #ajd ,,dante1 #caf1 #cbi ,davison1 ,john1 #aeh2 on ,liberal ,education1 #afi-agg ,definiteness1 the life of preaching1 #dbf ,demosthenes1 #bei1 #bhd ,descartes1 #cae ,dumesnil's ,synonymes1 #cfh ,du ,pin's ,ecclesiastical ,history1 #adj ,,edgeworth1 ,mr41 on ,professional ,education1 #aeh1 #agj1 #agf ,edinburgh1 #aed ,edinburgh ,review1 the1 #aec1 #aeg1 #afj1 #cja1 #cbi ,edward ,,ii41 ,king of ,england1 vow at his flight from ,bannockburn1 #aee ,elmsley1 xiv4 ,epicurus1 #dj ,euclid's ,elements1 #bgd1 #cac1 #eja ,euripides1 #beh ,,fenelon1 on the ,gothic style of ,architecture1 #hb ,fontaine1 ,la1 his immoral ,contes1 #cae ,fouqu1 ,lamotte1 his tale of the ,unknown ,patient1 #aai ,fra ,angelico1 #bhg ,franklin1 #cjd ,frederick ,,ii41 #chc1 #chd ,,galen1 #bbb ,gentleman1 the true1 defined1 #bjh ,gerdil1 ,cardinal1 quoted1 xiii41 on the ,emperor ,julian1 #aid2 on ,malebranche1 #dgg ,giannone1 #caf ,gibbon1 on the darkness at the ,passion1 #ie2 his hatred of ,christianity1 #aie1 #aif2 his care in writing1 #bhe2 influence of his style on the literature of the present day1 #cbc2 his tribute to ,hume and ,robertson1 #cbe ,goethe1 #acd ,gothic ,architecture1 #hb ,grammar1 #if1 #ccd ,gregory the ,great1 ,st41 #bfj ,,hardouin1 ,father1 on ,latin literature1 #caj ,health1 #afd ,herodotus1 #bhd1 #cbe1 #cbi ,hobbes1 #caa ,homer1 his address to the ,delian women1 #beg2 his best descriptions1 according to ,sterne1 marred by translation1 #bga ,hooker1 #caa ,horace1 quoted1 #beg1 #beh1 #cbi ,horne ,tooke1 #if ,hume1 #dj1 #eh2 style of1 #cbe ,humility1 #bjf ,huss1 #aee ,,jacob',s courtship1 #bcb ,jeffrey1 ,lord1 #aeg ,jerome1 ,st41 on idolizing the creature1 #hg ,jerusalem1 the fountain-head of religious knowledge1 #bfd ,ignatius1 ,st41 #bce ,job1 religious merry-makings of1 #bcb2 ,book of1 #bhi ,john1 ,king1 #chc ,john of ,salisbury1 #bfb ,johnson1 ,dr41 his method of writing the ,ramblers1 xx42 his vigour and resource of intellect1 xxi42 his definition of the word ,university1 #bj2 his ,rasselas quoted1 #aaf-aag2 style of1 #bhc2 his ,table-talk1 #cac2 his bias towards ,catholicity1 #cai2 his definition of ,grammar1 #ccd ,joseph1 history of1 #bga ,isaac1 feast at his weaning1 #bcb ,isocrates1 #bhb ,julian the ,apostate1 #aid ,justinian1 #bfe ,juvenal1 #cbe ,,keble1 ,john1 #aeh2 his ,latin ,lectures1 #cfi ,knowledge1 its own end1 #ii2 viewed in relation to learning1 #abd2 to professional skill1 #aea2 to religion1 #agi ,,lalanne1 ,abb1 #i ,leo1 ,st41 on the love of gain1 #hg ,literature1 #bfh ,locke1 on ,education1 #aeh-afj1 #afc1 #cai ,logos1 #bgf ,lohner1 ,father1 his story of a court-preacher1 #daa ,longinus1 his admiration of the ,mosaic account of ,creation1 #bga ,lutheran leaven1 spread of the1 #bh ,,macaulay1 ,lord1 his ,essay on ,bacon's philosophy1 #aah1 #bba2 his ,essays quoted1 #cja1 #dce-dch1 #dej ,machiavel1 #caf ,malebranche1 #dgg ,maltby1 ,dr41 bishop of ,durham1 his ,address to the ,deity1 #cc1 #dj ,michael ,angelo1 first attempts of1 #bhc ,milman1 ,dean1 his ,history of the ,jews1 #he ,milton1 on ,education1 #afi2 his ,samson ,agonistes quoted1 #cbc2 his allusions to himself1 #cbi ,modesty1 #bjf ,montaigne's ,essays1 #cae ,more1 ,sir ,thomas1 #dcg ,mosheim's ,ecclesiastical ,history1 #adj ,muratori1 #dgh1 #ebj ,music1 #hj ,,neri1 ,st4 ,philip1 #bcd ,newton1 ,sir ,isaac1 xiii41 #di1 #ec2 on the ,apocalypse1 #cjd2 his marvellous powers1 #cbd ,newtonian philosophy1 the1 #di ,noah's ark1 #gc ,,olympic games1 the1 #ajg ,optics1 #df ,,painting1 #gi ,palestrina1 #bcg ,paley1 #eh1 #ddi ,palladio1 #eg ,pascal1 #cae ,patrick1 ,st41 greatness of his work1 #ae ,periodical criticism1 #ccc ,persian mode of letter-writing1 #bgg ,pindar1 #cbi ,pitt1 ,william1 his opinion of ,butler's ,analogy1 #ajj ,pius ,,iv41 ,pope1 death of1 #bcg ,plato1 on poets1 #aja2 on music1 #aaj ,playfair1 ,professor1 #aeg ,political ,economy1 #hf ,pompey's ,pillar1 #acf ,pope1 ,alex41 quoted1 #aah2 an indifferent ,catholic1 #cah2 has tuned our versification1 #cbc2 quoted1 #cge1 #eja ,porson1 ,richard1 xiv41 #cjd ,pride and self-respect1 #bjg ,private ,judgment1 #ig ,protestant argument against ,transubstantiation1 #ie ,psalter1 the1 #bhi ,pulci1 #caf ,pythagoras1 xiii ,,rabelias1 #cae ,raffaelle1 first attempts of1 #bhc2 #bhg ,rasselas quoted1 #aaf ,recreations not ,education1 #add ,robertson1 style of1 #cbe ,rome1 #bfe ,round ,towers of ,ireland1 the1 #ie ,,sales1 ,st ,francis de1 on preaching1 #djf1 #daj1 #daa ,salmasius1 #adj ,savonarola1 #bce ,scott1 ,sir ,walter1 #cac2 his ,old ,mortality1 #cei ,seneca1 #aaj1 #aaf1 #cbg ,sermons of the seventeenth century1 #adj ,shaftesbury1 ,lord1 his ,characteristics1 #aif-bja1 #bjd ,shakespeare1 quoted1 #aej2 his ,macbeth quoted1 #bhj2 ,hamlet quoted1 #bha2 quoted1 #bhd1 #bhg2 morality of1 #cah2 quoted1 #daj1 #eac ,simon of ,tournay1 narrative of1 #chd ,smith1 ,sydney1 #aeg ,sophocles1 #beh ,southey's ,thalaba1 #cbc2 quoted1 #cbd ,sterne's ,sermons1 quoted1 #bgj-bgb ,stuffing birds not education1 #add ,sylvester ,,ii41 ,pope1 accused of magic1 #bbj ,,tarpeia1 #adj ,taylor1 ,jeremy1 his ,liberty of ,prophesying1 #dgb ,terence and ,menander1 #bei ,tertullian1 #cbg ,thales1 xiii4 ,theology1 a branch of knowledge1 #ai2 definition of1 #fj ,thucydides1 #bei1 #cbe1 #cbi ,titus1 armies of1 #bfe ,,virgil1 his obligations to ,greek poets1 #bei2 wishes his neid burnt1 #bhd2 fixes the character of the hexameter1 #cbe1 #cbi ,voltaire1 #cjc1 #cae ,,utility in ,education1 #afa ,,watson1 ,bishop1 on ,mathematics1 #aja ,wiclif1 #aee ,wren1 ,sir ,christopher1 #eg ,,xavier1 ,st4 ,francis1 #bce ,xenophon quoted1 #ajg1 #beh ,,finis4 ,,footnotes #a ,vid4 ,huber's ,english ,universities1 ,london1 #ahdc1 vol4 ii41 part #a1 pp4 #cba1 etc4 #b ,opere1 t4 iii41 p4 #cec4 #c ,vide ,m4 ,l',abb ,lalanne's recent work4 #d ,cressy4 #e ,in ,roman law it means a ,corporation4 ,vid4 ,keuffel1 de ,scholis4 #f ,hist4 vol4 ii4 p4 #ebi4 ,london1 #ahda4 #g ,mr4 ,brougham's ,glasgow ,discourse4 #h ,arist4 ,ethic4 ,nicom41 iii4 #c4 #i ,introd4 ,lecture on ,pol4 ,econ4 pp4 #aa1 #ab4 #aj ,advancement of ,learning4 #aa ,intr4 ,lect41 p4 #af4 #ab ,vid4 ,abelard1 for instance4 #ac ,pursuit of ,knowledge under ,difficulties4 ,introd4 #ad ,cicer4 ,offic4 init4 #ae 4 ,vid4 ,arist4 ,nic4 ,ethic4 vi4 #af ,aristot4 ,rhet4 i4 #e4 #ag ,it will be seen that on the whole ,i agree with ,lord ,macaulay in his ,essay on ,bacon's ,philosophy4 ,i do not know whether he would agree with me4 #ah ,de ,augment4 iv4 #b1 vid4 ,macaulay's ,essay2 vid4 also 8,in principio operis ad ,deum ,patrem1 ,deum ,verbum1 ,deum ,spiritum1 preces fundimus humillimas et ardentissimas1 ut humani generis rumnarum memores1 et peregrinationis istius vit1 in qu dies paucos et malos terimus1 novis suis eleemosynis1 per manus nostras1 familiam humanam dotare digneatur4 ,atque illud insuper supplices rogamus1 ne humana divinis officiant2 neve ex reseratione viarum senss1 et accensione majore luminis naturalis1 aliquid incredulitatis et noctis1 animis nostris erga divina mysteria oboriatur10 etc4 ,prf4 ,instaur4 ,magn4 #ai ,fouque's ,unknown ,patient4 #bj ,the pages which follow are taken almost verbatim from the author's #adth 7,oxford7 ,university ,sermon1 which1 at the time of writing this ,discourse1 he did not expect ever to reprint4 #ba ,crabbe's ,tales of the ,hall4 ,this ,poem1 let me say1 ,i read on its first publication1 above thirty years ago1 with extreme delight1 and have never lost my love of it2 and on taking it up lately1 found ,i was even more touched by it than heretofore4 ,a work which can please in youth and age1 seems to fulfil 7in logical language7 the accidental definition of a ,classic4 ,a further course of twenty years has past1 and ,i bear the same witness in favour of this ,poem4 #bb ,mr4 ,keble1 ,vicar of ,hursley1 late ,fellow of ,oriel1 and ,professor of ,poetry in the ,university of ,oxford4 #bc ,vid4 ,milton on ,education4 #bd ,i do not consider ,i have said above any thing inconsistent with the following passage from ,cardinal ,gerdil1 though ,i have enlarged on the favourable side of ,julian's character4 8,du gnie1 des connaissances1 de l'habilit dans le mtier de la guerre1 du courage et du dsintressement dans le commandement des armes1 des actions plutt que des qualits estimables1 mais le plus souvent gtes par la vanit qui en tait le principe1 la superstition jointe l'hypocrisie2 un esprit fcond en ressources clair1 mais susceptible de petitesse2 des fautes essentielles dans le gouvernement2 des innocens sacrifis la vengeance2 une haine envenime contre le ,christianisme1 qu'il avait abandonn2 un attachement passionn aux folies de la ,thurgie2 tels taient les traits sous lesquels on nous preignait ,julien40 ,op4 t4 x4 p4 #ed4 #be ,gibbon1 ,hist41 ch4 #bd4 #bf ,vid4 ,hallam's ,literature of ,europe1 ,macaulay's ,essay1 and the ,author's ,oxford ,university ,sermons1 ,,ix4 #bg ,in ,augment41 #e4 #bh ,de ,augm41 #bh4 #bi ,vid4 the ,author's ,parochial ,sermons1 vol4 i4 #be4 #cj ,bacci1 vol4 i41 p4 #aib1 ii41 p4 #ih4 #ca ,now ,,lord ,,emly4 #cb ,vid4 ,huber4 #cc ,vid4 the treatises of ,p4 ,daniel and ,mgr4 ,landriot1 referred to in ,historical ,sketches1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dfj1 note4 #cd ,sterne1 ,sermon xlii4 #ce 8,position of ,catholics in ,england10 pp4 #aja1 #b4 #cf ,august1 #ahed4 #cg ,macaulay's ,essays4 #ch ,hallam4 #ci ,misc4 ,works1 p4 #ee4 #dj ,this was written in ,june1 #ahed1 before the siege began4 #da ,bombarding4 #db ,the ,black ,sea4 #dc ,here again ,mr4 ,brown prophesies4 ,he wrote in ,june1 #ahed4 #dd ,vid4 ,university ,sermons1 vii41 #ad4 #de ,vid4 ,article ,i4 #df ,macaulay's ,essays4 #dg ,i use the word1 not in the sense of 8,naturalis ,theologia10 but1 in the sense in which ,paley uses it in the work which he has so entitled4 #dh ,cardinal ,gerdil speaks of his 8,metaphysique10 as 8brillante la verit1 mais non moins solide0 7p4 #i471 and that 8la liaison qui enchaine toutes les parties du systme philosophique du ,pre ,malebranche1''' pourra servir d'apologie la noble assurance1 avec laquelle il propose ses sentiments40 7p4 #ab1 uvres1 t4 iv47 #di ,muratori's work was not directly theological4 ,vid4 note at the end of the ,volume4 #ej ,university ,gazette1 ,no4 #db1 p4 #dbj4 #ea ,vid4 supr4 p4 #bca4