,transcriber's ,note3 ,minor            
typographical errors have been corrected
  without note4 ,irregularities and     
inconsistencies in the text have  been  
retained as printed4 ,words printed in  
italics are noted with  underscores3    
italics4          ,,james ,,frederick   
,,ferrier      ,,famous ,,scots ,,series
      ,the following ,volumes are now   
ready--        ,,thomas ,,carlyle4 ,by  
,,hector ,c4 ,,macpherson      ,,allan  
,,ramsay4 ,by ,,oliphant ,,smeaton      
,,hugh ,,miller4 ,by ,w4 ,,keith ,,leask
      ,,john ,,knox4 ,by ,a4 ,,taylor   
,,innes      ,,robert ,,burns4 ,by      
,,gabriel ,,setoun      ,,the           
,,balladists4 ,by ,,john ,,geddie       
,,richard ,,cameron4 ,by ,professor     
,,herkless      ,,sir ,,james ,y4       
,,simpson4 ,by ,,eve ,,blantyre         
,,simpson      ,,thomas ,,chalmers4 ,by 
,professor ,w4 ,,garden ,,blaikie       
,,james ,,boswell4 ,by ,w4 ,,keith      
,,leask      ,,tobias ,,smollett4 ,by   
,,oliphant ,,smeaton      ,,fletcher    

,,of ,,saltoun4 ,by ,g4 ,w4 ,t4 ,,omond 
,,the ,,blackwood ,,group4 ,by ,,sir    
,,george ,,douglas      ,,norman        
,,macleod4 ,by ,,john ,,wellwood        
,,sir ,,walter ,,scott4 ,by ,professor  
,,saintsbury      ,,kirkcaldy ,,of      
,,grange4 ,by ,,louis ,a4 ,,barb        
,,robert ,,fergusson4 ,by ,a4 ,b4       
,,grosart      ,,james ,,thomson4 ,by   
,,william ,,bayne      ,,mungo ,,park4  
,by ,t4 ,,banks ,,maclachlan            
,,david ,,hume4 ,by ,professor          
,,calderwood      ,,william ,,dunbar4   
,by ,,oliphant ,,smeaton      ,,sir     
,,william ,,wallace4 ,by ,professor     
,,murison      ,,robert ,,louis         
,,stevenson4 ,by ,,margaret ,,moyes     
,,black      ,,thomas ,,reid4 ,by       
,professor ,,campbell ,,fraser          
,,pollok and ,,aytoun4 ,by ,,rosaline   
,,masson      ,,adam ,,smith4 ,by       
,,hector ,c4 ,,macpherson      ,,andrew 
,,melville4 ,by ,,william ,,morrison    
,,james ,,frederick ,,ferrier4 ,by ,e4  
,s4 ,,haldane          ,,james          

,,frederick ,,ferrier      ,,by    ,e4  
,s4 ,,haldane      ,,famous ,,scots     
,,series    ,,published ,,by ,,oliphant 
,,anderson  ,,ferrier  ,,edinburgh ,,and
 ,,london      ,the designs and         
ornaments of this volume are by ,mr4    
,joseph ,brown1 and  the printing from  
the press of ,morrison  ,gibb ,limited1 
,edinburgh4    #ahii4                   
,,contents                              
,,page    ,,introduction                
#g      ,,chapter ,i    ,,early ,,life  
#aa      ,,chapter ,,ii                 
,,wanderjahre--,,social ,,life ,,in     
,,scotland--,,beginning ,,of  ,,his     
,,literary ,,work                       
#bg      ,,chapter ,,iii    ,,philosophy
 ,,before ,,ferrier',s ,,day            
#da      ,,chapter ,,iv    ',,fierce    
,,warres ,,and ,,faithful ,,loves'      
#ef      ,,chapter ,v    ,,development  
,,of ',,scottish ,,philosophy1 ,,the    
,,old ,,and ,,the  ,,new'--,,ferrier    
,,as ,a ,,correspondent                 
#gb      ,,chapter ,,vi    ,,ferrier',s 

,,system ,,of ,,philosophy--,,his       
,,philosophical ,,works            #hh  
,,chapter ,,vii    ,,the ,,coleridge    
,,plagiarism--,,miscellaneous ,,literary
 ,,work             #ajf      ,,chapter 
,,viii    ,,professorial ,,life         
#abb      ,,chapter ,,ix    ,,life ,,at 
,,st4 ,,andrews                         
#ach      ,,chapter ,x    ,,last ,,days 
#aeb          ,,james ,,frederick       
,,ferrier          ,,introduction       
,mr4 ,oliphant ,smeaton has asked me to 
write a few words of preface to  this   
little book4 ,if ,i try1 it is only     
because ,i am old enough to have  had   
the privilege of knowing some of those  
who were most closely  associated with  
,ferrier4    ,when ,i sat at the feet of
 ,professor ,campbell ,fraser in the    
,metaphysics  classroom at ,edinburgh in
 #ahge1 ,ferrier's writings were being  
much read  by us students4 ,the         
influence of ,sir ,william ,hamilton was
 fast  crumbling in the minds of young  
men who felt rather than saw that much  

lay beyond it4 ,we were still engrossed 
with the controversy1 waged in  books   
which now1 alas6 sell for a tenth of    
their former price1 about  the          
,conditioned and the ,unconditioned4 ,we
 still worked at ,reid1  ,hamilton1 and 
,mansel4 ,but the attacks of ,mill on   
the one side1 and of  ,ferrier and ,dr4 
,stirling on the other1 were slowly but 
surely  withdrawing our interest4       
,ferrier had pointed out a path which   
seemed  to lead us in the direction of  
,germany if we would escape from ,mill1 
and ,stirling was urging us in the same 
sense4 ,it was not merely that  ,ferrier
 had written books4 ,he had died more   
than ten years earlier1 but  his        
personality was still a living          
influence4 ,echoes of his words came  to
 us through ,grant and ,sellar4 ,outside
 the ,university1 men like  ,blackwood  
and ,makgill made us feel what a power  
he had been4 ,but that  was not all for 
at least some of us4 ,mrs4 ,ferrier had 
removed to  ,edinburgh--and ,i endorse  

all that my sister says of her rare     
quality4  ,she lived in a house in      
,torphichen ,street1 which was the      
resort of  those attracted1 not only by 
the memory of her husband1 but by her   
own  great gifts4 ,she was an old lady  
and an invalid4 ,but though she could   
not move from her chair1 paralysis had  
not dimmed her mental powers4  ,she was 
a true daughter of ',christopher        
,north4' ,i doubt whether ,i have  seen 
her rival in quickness1 her superior ,i 
never saw4 ,she could talk  admirably to
 those sitting near her1 and yet follow 
and join in the  conversation of another
 group at the end of the room4 ,she     
could adapt  herself to everyone--to the
 shy and awkward student of eighteen1   
who  like myself was too much in awe of 
her to do more unhelped than answer1    
and to the distinguished men of letters 
who came from every quarter  attracted  
by her reputation for brilliance4 ,the  
words of no one could  be more incisive1
 the words of no one were habitually    

more kind than  hers4 ,she had known    
everybody4 ,she forgot nobody4 ,in those
 days the  relation between ,literature 
and the ,parliament ,house1 if less     
close  than it had been1 was more       
apparent than it is to-day1 and         
distinguished ,scottish judges and      
advocates mingled in the afternoon in   
the drawing-room1 where she sat in a    
great arm-chair1 with such men as       
,sellar and ,stevenson and ,grant and   
,shairp and ,tulloch4 ,but her          
personality was the supreme bond4       
,those days are over1 and with them has 
passed away much of what  stimulated one
 to read in the ,institutes or the      
,philosophical  ,remains4 ,but for the  
historian of ,british philosophy        
,ferrier  continues as a prominent      
figure4 ,he it was who first did1 what  
,stirling  and ,green did again at a    
stage later on--make a serious appeal to
  thoughtful people to follow no longer 
the shallow rivulets down which  the    
teaching of the great ,german thinkers  

had trickled to them1 but to  seek the  
sources4 ,if as a guide to those sources
 we do not look on him  to-day as       
adequate1 we are not the less under a   
deep obligation to him  for having been 
the pioneer of later guides4 ,what      
,ferrier wrote about  forty years ago   
has now become readily accessible1 and  
what has been  got by going there is in 
process of rapid and complete           
assimilation4  ,the opinions which were 
in #ahef regarded by the authorities of 
the ,free  and ,united ,presbyterian    
,churches as disqualifying ,ferrier for 
the  opportunity of influencing the mind
 of the youth of ,edinburgh1 from the   
,chair of ,logic and ,metaphysics in    
succession to ,sir ,william ,hamilton1  
are regarded by the present generation  
of ,presbyterians as the main  reliable 
bulwark against the attacks of          
unbelievers4 ,if one may judge  by the  
essays in the recent volume called ,lux 
,mundi1 the same  phenomenon displays   
itself among the young ,high ,church    

party in  ,england4 ,the ,time-,spirit  
is fond of revenges4    ,but even for   
others than the historians of the       
movement of ,thought the  books of      
,ferrier remain attractive4 ,there is   
about them a certain  atmosphere in     
which everything seems alive and fresh4 
,their author was  no ,dryasdust4 ,he   
was a living human being1 troubled as we
 are troubled1  and interested in the   
things which interest us4 ,he spoke to  
us1 not  from the skies1 but from among 
a crowd of his fellow human beings1 and 
we feel that he was one of ourselves4   
,as such it is good that a  memorial of 
him should be placed where it may easily
 be seen4    ,r4 ,b4 ,,haldane4         
,,chapter ,i    ,,early ,,life      ,it 
may be a truism1 but it is none the less
 a fact1 that it is not  always he of   
whom the world hears most who influences
 most deeply the  thought of the age in 
which he lives4 ,the name of ,james     
,frederick  ,ferrier is little heard of 
beyond the comparatively small circle of

  philosophic thinkers who reverence his
 memory and do their best to keep  it   
green3 to others it is a name of little 
import--one among a  multitude at a time
 when ,scotland had many sons rising up 
to call her  blessed1 and not perhaps   
one of the most notable of these4 ,and  
yet1  could we but estimate the value of
 work accomplished in the higher  sphere
 of thought as we estimate it in the    
other regions of practical  work--an    
impossibility1 of course--we might be   
disposed to modify our  views1 and      
accord our praises in very different    
quarters from those in  which they are  
usually bestowed4    ,james ,ferrier    
wrote no popular books2 he came before  
the public  comparatively little2 he    
made no effort to reconcile religion    
with  philosophy on the one hand1 or to 
propound theories startling in their    
unorthodoxy on the other4 ,and still we 
may claim for him a place--and  an      
honourable place--amongst the other     
,famous ,scots1 for the simple  reason  

that after a long century of wearisome  
reiteration of tiresome                 
platitudes--platitudes which had lost   
their original meaning even to  the     
utterers of them1 and which had become  
misleading to those who  heard and      
thought they understood--,ferrier had   
the courage to strike  out new lines for
 himself1 to look abroad for new        
inspiration1 and to  hand on these      
inspirations to those who could work    
them into a truly  national philosophy4 
,in ,scotland1 where1 in spite of       
politics1 traditions are honoured to a  
degree unknown to most other countries1 
family and family associations  count   
for much2 and in these ,james ,ferrier  
was rich4 ,his father was a  ,writer to 
the ,signet1 ,john ,ferrier by name1    
whose sister was the famous  ,scottish  
novelist1 ,susan ,ferrier1 authoress of 
,the ,inheritance1  ,destiny1 and       
,marriage4 ,susan ,ferrier did for high 
life in ,scotland  what ,gait achieved  
for the humbler ranks of society1 and   

attained to  considerable eminence in   
the line of fiction which she adopted4  
,her  works are still largely read1 have
 recently been republished1 and in      
their day were greatly admired by no    
less an authority than ,sir ,walter     
,scott1 himself a personal friend of the
 authoress4#a ,ferrier's  grandfather1  
,james ,ferrier1 also a ,writer to the  
,signet1 was a man of  great energy of  
character4 ,he acted in a business      
capacity for many  years both to the    
,duke of ,argyle of the time and to     
various branches of  the ,clan          
,campbell3 it was1 indeed1 through the  
influence of the ,duke  that he obtained
 the appointment which he held of       
,principal ,clerk of  ,session4 ,james  
,ferrier1 like his daughter1 was on     
terms of intimate  friendship with ,sir 
,walter ,scott1 with whom he likewise   
was a colleague  in office4 ,scott      
alludes to him in his ,journal as       
',uncle ,adam1' the  name of a character
 in ,miss ,ferrier's ,inheritance1      

drawn1 as she  herself acknowledges1    
from her father4 ,he died in #ahbi1 at  
which time  ,scott writes of him3       
',honest old ,mr4 ,ferrier is dead1 at  
extreme old  age4 ,i confess ,i should  
not like to live so long4 ,he was a man 
with  strong passions and strong        
prejudices1 but with generous and manly 
sentiments at the same time4' ,james    
,ferrier's wife1 ,miss ,coutts1 was     
remarkable for her beauty3 a large      
family was born to her1 the eldest  son 
of whom was ,james ,frederick ,ferrier's
 father4 ,young ,ferrier1 the  subject  
of this sketch1 used frequently to dine 
with his grandfather at  his house in   
,morningside1 where ,susan ,ferrier     
acted in the capacity of  hostess2 and  
it is easy to imagine the bright talk   
which would take  place on these        
occasions1 and the impression which must
 have been made  upon the lad1 both then
 and after he attained to manhood2 for  
,miss  ,ferrier survived until #ahed4   
,in later life1 indeed1 her wit was said

 to  be somewhat caustic1 and she was   
possibly dreaded by her younger  friends
 and relatives as much as she was       
respected2 but this1 to do her  justice1
 was partly owing to infirmities4 ,she  
was at anyrate keenly  interested in the
 fortunes of her nephew1 to whom she was
 in the habit  of alluding as 'the last 
of the metaphysicians'--scarcely1       
perhaps1 a  very happy title for one who
 was somewhat of an iconoclast1 and     
began a  new era rather than concluded  
an old4              #a ,in a ,life of  
,susan ,ferrier1 lately published1 an   
account of the family is given which was
 written by ,miss            ,ferrier1  
for her nephew1 the subject of our      
memoir4    ,james ,frederick ,ferrier's 
mother1 ,margaret ,wilson1 was a sister 
of  ,professor ,john ,wilson--the       
',christopher ,north' of immortal       
memory1  whose daughter he was          
afterwards to marry4 ,margaret ,ferrier 
was a woman  of striking personal       
beauty4 ,her features were perfect in   

their  symmetry1 as is shown in a lovely
 miniature1 painted by ,saunders1 a     
well-known miniature painter of the day1
 now in the possession of  ,professor   
,ferrier's son1 her grandson4 ,many of  
these personal charms  descended to     
,james ,ferrier1 whose well-cut features
 bore considerable  resemblance to his  
mother's4 ,and his close connection with
 the ,wilson  family had the result of  
bringing the young man into association 
with  whatever was best in literature   
and art4 ,while yet a boy1 we are told1 
he sat upon ,sir ,walter's knee2 the    
,ettrick ,shepherd had told him tales   
and recited ,border ballads2 while      
,lockhart took the trouble to draw      
pictures1 as he only could1 to amuse the
 child4    ,in surroundings such as     
these ,james ,frederick ,ferrier was    
born on the  #afth day of ,june #ahjh1  
his birthplace being ,heriot ,row1 in   
the new town  of ,edinburgh--a street   
which has been made historic to us by   
the  recollections of another child who 

lived there long years afterwards1  and 
who left the grey city of his birth to  
die far off in an island in  the        
,pacific4 ,but of ,ferrier's child-life 
we know nothing3 whether he  played at  
'tig' or 'shinty' with the children in  
the adjoining gardens1  or climbed      
,arthur's ,seat1 or tried to scale the  
',cats' ,nick' in the  ,salisbury ,crags
 close by2 or whether he was a grave    
boy1 'holding at'  his lessons1 or      
reading other books that interested him1
 in preference  to his play4 ,ferrier   
did not dwell on these things or talk   
much of his  youth2 or if he did so1 his
 words have been forgotten4 ,what we do 
know are the barest facts3 that his     
second name was given him in            
consideration of his father's friendship
 with ,lord ,frederick ,campbell1  ,lord
 ,clerk ,register of ,scotland2 that his
 first name1 as is usual in  ,scotland  
for an elder son1 was his paternal      
grandfather's2 and that he  was sent to 
live with the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,duncan1 the   

parish minister of  ,ruthwell1 in       
,dumfriesshire1 to receive his early    
education4 ,dr4 ,duncan  of ,ruthwell   
was a man of considerable ability and   
energy of character1  though not famous 
in any special sphere of learning4 ,he  
is well known1  however1 in the south of
 ,scotland as the originator of ,savings
 ,banks  there1 and his works on the    
,seasons bear evidence of an interest in
 the  natural world4 ,at anyrate the    
time passed in ,dumfriesshire would     
appear  to have left pleasant           
recollections2 for when ,ferrier in     
later life  alluded to it1 it was with  
every indication of gratitude for the   
instruction which he received4 ,he kept 
up his friendship with the sons  of his 
instructor as years went on1 and always 
expressed himself as  deeply attached to
 the place where a happy childhood had  
been passed4  ,nor was learning         
apparently neglected1 for ,ferrier began
 his ,latin  studies at ,ruthwell1 and  
there first learned--an unusual lesson  

for so  young a boy--to delight in the  
reading of the ,latin poets1 and of     
,virgil and ,ovid in particular4 ,after 
leaving ,ruthwell1 he attended the      
,high ,school of ,edinburgh1 the great  
,grammar ,school of the metropolis1     
which was1 however1 soon to have a rival
 in another day school set up  in the   
western part of the rapidly growing     
town2 and then he was sent  to school at
 ,greenwich1 where he was placed under  
the care of ,dr4  ,burney1 a nephew of  
the famous ,fanny ,burney1 afterwards   
,madame  d',arblay4 ,from school1 as the
 manner of the time was1 the boy passed 
to  the ,university of ,edinburgh at the
 age of seventeen1--older really than   
was customary in his day1--and here he  
remained for the two sessions  #ahbe-bf 
and #ahbf-bg1 or until he was old enough
 to matriculate at  ,oxford4 ,at        
,edinburgh1 ,ferrier distinguished      
himself in the class of  ,moral         
,philosophy1 and carried off the prize  
of the year for a poem  which was looked

 upon as giving promise of literary     
power afterwards  fulfilled4 ,his       
knowledge of ,latin and ,greek were     
considered good 7the  standard might not
 have been very high71 but in           
mathematics he was  nowhere4 ,at ,oxford
 he was entered in #ahbh as a           
'gentleman-commoner' at  ,magdalen      
,college1 the ,college of his future    
father-in-law1 ,john ,wilson4  ,a       
gentleman-commoner of ,magdalen in the  
earlier half of the century is  not     
suggestive of severe mental exercise1#b 
and from the very little  one can gather
 from tradition--for contemporaries and 
friends have  naturally passed          
away--,james ,ferrier was no exception  
to the common  rule4 ,that he rode is   
very clear2 the ,college was an         
expensive one1  and he was probably     
inclined to be extravagant4 ,tradition  
speaks of  his pelting the deer in      
,magdalen ,park with eggs2 but as to    
further  distinction in more            
intellectual lines1 record does not     

tell4 ,in this  respect he presents a   
contrast to his predecessor at ,oxford1 
and friend  of later days1 ,sir ,william
 ,hamilton1 whose monumental learning   
created  him a reputation while still an
 undergraduate4 ,sir ,roundell ,palmer1 
afterwards ,lord ,selborne1 was a       
contemporary of ,ferrier's at ,oxford2  
,sheriff ,campbell ,smith was at the bar
 of the ,house of ,lords acting as      
,palmer's junior the day after          
,ferrier's death1 and ,sir ,roundell    
told  him that he remembered ,ferrier   
well at ,college2 he described him as   
'careless about ,university work1' but  
as writing clever verses1 several  of   
which he repeated with considerable     
gusto4 ,of other friends the  names     
alone are preserved1 ,william ,edward   
,collins1 afterwards  ,collins-,wood of 
,keithick1 ,perthshire1 who died in     
#ahgg1 and ,j4 ,p4  ,shirley of         
,ettington ,park1 in ,warwickshire2#c   
but what influences were  brought to    
bear upon him by his ,university life1  

or whether his  interest in             
philosophical pursuits were in any way  
aroused during his  time at ,college1 we
 have no means of telling4 ,a later     
friend1 ,henry  ,inglis1 wrote of these 
early days3 ',my friendship with        
,ferrier began  about the time he was   
leaving ,oxford1 or immediately after he
 had left  it--,i should say about #ahcj
 or thereabout4 ,at that ,university ,i 
don't  think he did anything more       
remarkable than contracting a large     
tailor's  bill2 which annoyed him for   
many years afterwards4 ,at that time he 
was  a wonderfully handsome1            
intellectual-looking young man1--a      
tremendous  swell from top to toe1 and  
with his hair hanging down over his     
shoulders4' ,though later on in life    
this last characteristic was not so     
marked1 ,ferrier's photographs show his 
hair still fairly long and  brushed off 
a finely-modelled square forehead1 such 
as is usually  associated with strongly 
developed intellectual faculties4       

#b ,the gentlemen-commoners at          
,magdalen1 as elsewhere1 paid           
higher fees and wore a distinctive      
costume2 at ,magdalen they              
had a common room of their own1 distinct
 from that of the            ,fellows1  
or the ,demies or ,scholars1 and seldom 
read for            honours4 ,in        
,ferrier's days ,magdalen ,college      
admitted no            ordinary         
commoners1 and there were but few       
resident            undergraduates1 many
 of the thirty demies being graduates   
and non-resident4 ,in the year of his   
matriculation there            were only
 ten gentlemen-commoners2 thus1 as far  
as            undergraduates went1 the  
,college was a small one4               
#c ,mr4 ,shirley was ,member of         
,parliament for ,south                  
,warwickshire1 a well-known genealogist1
 and the author of            ,the      
,noble and ,gentle ,men of ,england4    
,it is known that ,ferrier took his     
,bachelor's degree in #ahcb1 and that   

he had by that time managed to acquire a
 very tolerable knowledge of  the       
classics and begun to study philosophy1 
so that his time could not  have been   
entirely idle4 ,for the rest1 he        
probably passed happily  through his    
years at ,college1 as many others have  
done before and after  him1 without     
allowing more weighty cares to dwell    
upon his mind4  ,another friend of after
 days1 the late ,principal ,tulloch1    
after noting  the fact that ,oxford had 
not then developed the philosophic      
spirit  which in recent years has marked
 her schools1 and which had not then    
taken root any more than the ,high      
,church movement which preceded it1     
goes on3 ',it may be doubted1 indeed1   
whether ,oxford exercised any  definite 
intellectual influence on ,professor    
,ferrier4 ,he had imbibed  his love for 
the ,latin poets before he went there1  
and his devotion to  ,greek philosophy  
was an after-growth with which he never 
associated his  ,magdalen studies4 ,to  

one who visited the ,college with him   
many years  afterwards1 and to whom he  
pointed out with admiration its noble   
walks  and trees1 his associations with 
the place seemed to be mainly those of  
amusement4 ,there is reason to think    
that few of those who knew him at       
,magdalen would have afterwards         
recognised him in the laborious student 
at ,st4 ,andrews1 who for weeks together
 would scarcely cross the  threshold of 
his study2 and yet to all who knew him  
well1 there was  nevertheless a clear   
connection between the gay gownsman and 
the  hard-working ,professor4'    ,in   
#ahcb1 ,ferrier became an advocate at   
,edinburgh1 but it does not  appear that
 he had any serious idea of practising  
at the ,bar4 ,this is  the period at    
which we know that the passion for      
metaphysical  speculation laid hold of  
him1--a passion which is unintelligible 
and  inexplicable to those who do not   
share in it1--and as ,ferrier could not 
clearly say in what direction this was  

leading him1 as far as practical  life  
was concerned1 he probably deemed it    
best to attach himself to a  profession 
which left much scope to the adopter of 
it1 to strike out  lines of his own4    
,what led ,ferrier to determine to spend
 some months of  the year #ahcd at      
,heidelberg it would be extremely       
interesting to know4  ,the friend first 
quoted writes3 ',i cannot tell of the   
influences under  which he devoted      
himself to metaphysics4 ,my opinion is  
that there were  none1 but that he was a
 philosopher born4 ,he attached himself 
at once  to the fellowship of ,sir      
,william ,hamilton1 to whom he was      
introduced by  a common friend--,i think
 the late ,mr4 ,ludovic ,colquhoun4 ,i  
know that he  looked on ,sir ,william at
 that time as his master4'    ,probably 
the friendship with ,hamilton simply    
arose from the natural  attraction which
 two sympathetic spirits feel to one    
another4 ,it is  clear that at this time
 ,ferrier's bent was towards            

metaphysics1 and  that1 as ,mr4 ,inglis 
says1 this bent was born with him and   
was only  beginning to find its natural 
outlet2 therefore it would be very      
natural to suppose that acquaintance    
would be sought with one who was  at    
this time in the zenith of his powers1  
and whose writings in the  ,edinburgh   
,review were exciting liveliest         
interest4 ,a casual  acquaintanceship   
between the young man of                
three-and-twenty and the  matured       
philosopher twenty years his senior soon
 ripened into a  friendship1 not perhaps
 common between two men so different in 
age4 ,it  is perhaps more remarkable    
considering the differences in opinion  
on  philosophical questions which soon  
arose between the two2 for it is  just  
as difficult for those whose point of   
view is fundamentally  opposed on       
speculative questions to carry on an    
intercourse concerning  their pursuits  
which shall be both friendly and        
unconstrained1 as for  two political    

opponents to discuss vital questions of 
policy without  any undercurrent of     
self-restraint1 when they start from    
entirely  opposite principles4 ,most    
likely had the two been actually        
contemporaries it might not have been so
 easy1 but as it was1 the  younger man  
started with1 and preserved1 the warmest
 feelings to his  senior2 and even in   
his criticisms he expresses himself in  
the  strongest terms of gratitude3 ',he 
7,hamilton7 has taught those who study  
him to think1 and he must take the      
consequences1 whether they think  in    
unison with himself or not4 ,we         
conceive1 however1 that even those  who 
differ from him most1 would readily own 
that to his instructive  disquisitions  
they were indebted for at least half of 
all they know of  philosophy4' ,and in  
the appendix to the ,institutes1 written
 soon  after ,sir ,william's death1     
,ferrier says3 ',morally and            
intellectually1  ,sir ,william ,hamilton
 was among the greatest of the great4 ,a

 simpler and  a grander nature never    
arose out of darkness into human life2 a
 truer  and a manlier character ,god    
never made4 ,for years together scarcely
 a  day passed in which ,i was not in   
his company for hours1 and never on     
this earth may ,i expect to live such   
happy hours again4 ,i have learned  more
 from him than from all other           
philosophers put together2 more1 both   
as regards what ,i assented to and what 
,i dissented from4' ,it was this  open  
and free discussion of all questions    
that came before  them--discussion in   
which there must have been much         
difference of  opinion freely expressed 
on both sides1 that made these evenings 
spent  in ,manor ,place1 where the      
,hamiltons1 then a recently married     
couple1  had lately settled1 so         
delightful to young ,ferrier4 ,he had   
individuality and originality enough not
 to be carried away by the  arguments   
used by so great an authority and so    
learned a man as his  friend was        

reckoned1 and then as later he          
constantly expressed his  regret that   
powers so great had been devoted to the 
service of a  philosophic system--that  
of ,reid--of which ,ferrier so          
thoroughly  disapproved4 ,but at the    
same time he hardly dared to expect that
 the  labours of a lifetime could be set
 aside at the bidding of a man so  much 
his junior1 and to say the truth it is  
doubtful whether ,hamilton  ever fully  
grasped his opponent's point of view4   
,still1 ,ferrier tells  us that from    
first to last his whole intercourse with
 ,sir ,william  ,hamilton was marked    
with more pleasure and less pain than   
ever attended  his intercourse with any 
human being1 and after ,hamilton was    
gone he  cherished that memory with     
affectionate esteem4 ,a touching account
 is  given in ,sir ,william's life of   
how during that terrible illness which  
so sadly impaired his powers and nearly 
took his life1 ,ferrier might be  seen  
pacing to and fro on the street opposite

 his bedroom window during  the whole   
anxious night1 watching for indications 
of his condition1 yet  unwilling to     
intrude on the attendants1 and unable to
 tear himself from  the spot where his  
friend was possibly passing through the 
last agony4  ,such friendship is        
honourable to both men concerned4       
,perhaps1 then1 it was this intercourse 
with kindred spirits 7for many  such    
were in the habit of gathering at the   
,professor's house7 that  caused        
,ferrier finally to determine to make   
philosophy the pursuit of  his          
life--this combined1 it may be1 with the
 interest in letters which  he could not
 fail to derive from his own immediate  
circle4 ,he was in  constant            
communication with ,susan ,ferrier1 his 
aunt1 who encouraged his  literary bent 
to the utmost of her power4 ,then       
,professor ,wilson1 his  uncle1 though  
of a very different character from his  
own1 attracted him  by his brightness   
and wit--a brightness which he says he  

can hardly  bring before himself1 far   
less communicate to others who had not  
known  him4 ,perhaps1 as the same friend
 quoted before suggests1 the attraction 
was partly due to another source4 ,he   
says3 ',how ,ferrier got on with        
,wilson ,i never could divine2 unless it
 were through the bright eyes of  his   
daughter4 ,wilson and ,ferrier seemed to
 me as opposite as the poles2  the one  
all poetry1 the other all prose4 ,but   
the youth probably yielded  to the      
mature majesty and genius of the man4   
,had they met on equal  terms ,i don't  
think they could have agreed for ten    
minutes4 ,as it was1  they had serious  
differences at times1 which1 however1 ,i
 believe were  all ultimately and       
happily adjusted4'    ,the visits to his
 uncle's home1 and the attractive young 
lady whom he  there met1 must have      
largely contributed to ,ferrier's       
happiness in  these years of mental     
fermentation4 ,such times come in many  
men's lives  when youth is turning into 

manhood1 and powers are wakening up     
within  that seem as though they would  
lead us we know not whither4 ,and so it 
may have been with ,ferrier4 ,but he was
 endowed with considerable  calmness and
 self-command1 combined with a          
confidence in his powers  sufficient to 
carry him through many difficulties that
 might otherwise  have got the better of
 him4 ,wilson's home1 ,elleray1 near the
 ,lake of  ,windermere1 was the centre  
of a circle of brilliant stars4 ,ferrier
  recollected1 while still a lad of     
seventeen years of age1 meeting there   
at one time1 in the summer of #ahbe1    
,scott1 ,wordsworth1 ,lockhart1 and     
,canning1 a conjunction difficult to    
beat4#d ,once more1 we are told1  and on
 a sadder occasion1 he came into        
association with the greatest  ,scottish
 novelist4 ',it was on that gloomy      
voyage when the suffering man  was      
conveyed to ,leith from ,london1 on his 
return from his ill-fated  foreign      
journey4 ,mr4 ,ferrier was also a       

passenger1 and scarcely dared  to look  
on the almost unconscious form of one   
whose genius he so warmly  admired4'    
,the end was then very near4            
#d ,this meeting occurred after the     
,irish tour of ,scott1            ,miss 
,anne ,scott1 and ,lockhart1 when they  
visited ,wilson at            ,elleray4 
,canning was staying at ,storre1 in the 
neighbourhood4    ,professor ,ferrier's 
daughter tells us that long after1 in   
the summer of  #ahef1 the family went to
 visit the ,english ,lakes1 the centre  
of  attraction being ,elleray1 ,mr4     
,ferrier's old home and birthplace4     
',the  very name of ,elleray breathes of
 poetry and romance4 ,our father and    
mother had1 of course1 known it in its  
glorious prime1 when our  grandfather1  
,christopher ,north1 wrestled with      
dalesmen1 strolled in  his slippers with
 ,wordsworth to ,keswick 7a distance of 
seventeen  miles71 and kept his         
ten-oared barge in the long drawing-room
 of  ,elleray4 ,in these days they had  

rich company1 and the names of          
,southey1 ,wordsworth1 ,de ,quincey1 and
 ,coleridge were to them familiar       
household words4 ,the cottage my mother 
was born in still stands1  overshadowed 
by a giant sycamore4'    ,we can easily 
imagine the effect which society such as
 this would have  on a young man's mind4
 ,but more than that1 the friendship    
with the  attractive cousin1 ,margaret  
,wilson1 developed into something       
warmer1  and an engagement was finally  
formed1 which culminated in his marriage
  in #ahcg4 ,not many of ,james         
,ferrier's letters to his cousin during 
the  long engagement have been          
preserved2 the few that are were written
 from  ,germany in #ahcd1 the year in   
which he went to ,heidelberg2 they were 
addressed to ,thirlstane ,house1 near   
,selkirk1 where ,miss ,wilson was       
residing1 and they give a lively account
 of his adventures4    ,the voyage from 
,leith to ,rotterdam1 judging from the  
first letter  written from ,heidelberg1 

and dated ,august #ahcd1 would appear to
 have  begun in inauspicious fashion4   
,ferrier writes3 ',i have just been here
 a  week1 and would have answered your  
letter sooner1 had it not been that  ,i 
wished to make myself tolerably well    
acquainted with the surrounding  scenery
 before writing to you1 and really the  
heat has been so  overwhelming that ,i  
have been impelled to take matters      
leisurely1 and  have not even yet been  
able to get through so much view-hunting
 as ,i  should have wished4 ,what ,i    
have seen ,i will endeavour to describe 
to  you4 ,this place itself is most     
delightful1 and the country about it is 
magnificent4 ,but this1 as a reviewer   
would say1 by way of  anticipation4     
,have patience1 and in the meantime let 
me take events in  their natural order1 
and begin by telling you ,i sailed from 
,leith on  the morning of the second of 
this month1 with no wind at all4 ,we    
drifted on1 ,i know not how1 and toward 
evening were within gunshot of          

,inchkeith2 on the following morning we 
were in sight of the ,bass1 and  in     
sight of the same we continued during   
the whole day4 ,for the next  two or    
three days we went beating up against a 
head-wind1 which forced  us to tack so  
much that whenever we made one mile we  
travelled ten1 a  pleasant mode of      
progressing1 is it not8 ,however1 ,i had
 the whole ship  to myself1 and plenty  
of female society in the person of the  
captain's  lady1 who1 being fond of     
pleasure1 had chosen to diversify her   
monotonous existence at ,leith by taking
 a delightful summer trip to            
,rotterdam1 which confined her to her   
crib during almost the whole of  our    
passage under the pressure of racking   
headaches and roaring  sickness4 ,she   
had a weary time of it1 poor woman1 and 
nothing could do  her any good--neither 
spelding1 cheese1 nor finnan haddies1   
nor bacon1  nor broth1 nor salt beef1   
nor ale1 nor gin1 nor brandy and water1 
nor  ,epsom salts1 though of one or     

other of these she was aye takin' a wee 
bit1 or a little drop4 ,we were nearly a
 week in clearing our own ,firth1  and  
did no good till we got as far as       
,scarborough4 ,at this place ,i had     
serious intentions of getting ashore if 
possible1 and making out the  rest of my
 journey by means that were more to be  
depended on4 ,just in  the nick of time1
 however1 a fair wind sprang up1 and    
from ,scarborough  we had a capital run1
 with little or no interruption1 to the 
end of our  voyage4' ,an account of a   
ten days' voyage which makes us thankful
 to be  in great measure independent of 
the winds at sea6 ,holland1 our         
traveller thinks an intolerable country 
to live in1 and the first  impressions  
of the ,rhine are distinctly            
unfavourable4 ',the river  himself is a 
fine fellow1 certainly1 but the country 
through which he  flows is stale1 flat1 
though ,i believe1 not unprofitable4    
,the banks on  either side are covered  
either with reeds or with a matting of  

rank  shrubbery formed apparently out of
 dirty green worsted1 and the           
continuance of it so palls upon the     
senses that the mind at last  becomes   
unconscious of everything except the    
constant flap-flapping of  the weary    
paddles as they go beating on1 awakening
 the dull echoes of  the sedgy shores4  
,the eye is occasionally relieved by    
patches of naked  sand1 and now and then
 a stone about the size of your fist1   
diversifies  the monotony of the scene4 
,occasionally1 in the distance1 are to  
be  seen funny1 forlorn-looking objects1
 trying evidently to look like  trees1  
but whether they would really turn out  
to be trees on a nearer  inspection is  
what ,i very much doubt4' ,at ,cologne  
he had an amusing  meeting with an      
,englishman1 'whom ,i at once twigged to
 be an ,oxford  man1 and more1 even1 an 
,oxford tutor4 ,there is a stiff twitch 
in the  right shoulder of the tribe1    
answering to a similar one in the       
hip-bone  on the same side1 which there 

is no mistaking4' ,the tutor appears to 
have done valiant service in making     
known the traveller's wants in  ,french 
to waiters1 etc41 though 'he spent      
rather too much of his time  in scheming
 how to abridge the sixpence which1 time
 out of mind1 has  been the perquisite  
of ,boots1 doorkeepers1 etc4' ',but1' he
 adds in  excuse1 'his name was ,bull1  
and therefore1 as the authentic epitome 
of  his countrymen1 he would not fail to
 possess this along with the other      
peculiarities of ,englishmen4' ,from    
,cologne1 ,ferrier went to ,bonn1 where 
he had an introduction to ,dr4 ,welsh1  
and then proceeded up the ,rhine to     
,mayence4 ,he does not form a very high 
estimate of the beauty of the  scenery4 
,he feels 'a want of something2 in fact1
 to my mind1 there is a  want of        
everything which makes earth1 wood1 and 
water something more  than mere water1  
wood1 and earth4 ,we have here a        
constant and endless  variety of        
imposing objects 7imposing is just the  

word for them71 but  there is no variety
 in them1 nothing but one round-backed  
hill after  another1 generally carrying 
their woods1 when they have any1 very   
stiffly1 and when they have none        
presenting to the eye a surface of      
tawdry and squalid patchwork1' thus     
suggesting1 in his view1 a series  of   
children's gardens--an impression often 
left on travellers when  visiting this  
same country4 ,his next letters find him
 settled in the  ,university town of    
,heidelberg4          ,,chapter ,,ii    
,,wanderjahre--,,social ,,life ,,in     
,,scotland--,,beginning ,,of ,,his      
,,literary ,,life      ,in the present  
century in ,germany we have seen a      
period of almost  unparalleled literary 
glory succeeded by a time of great      
commercial  prosperity and national     
enthusiasm4 ,but when ,ferrier visited  
that  country in #ahcd the era of its   
intellectual greatness had hardly passed
  away2 some1 at least1 of its stars    
remained1 and others had very  recently 

ceased to be4 ,goethe had died just two 
years before1 but ,heine  lived till    
many years afterwards2 amongst the      
philosophers1 though ,kant  and ,fichte1
 of course1 were long since gone1       
,schelling was still at  work at        
,munich1 and ,hegel lived at ,berlin    
till ,november of #ahca1 when  he was   
cut off during an epidemic of cholera4  
,most of the great men had  disappeared1
 and yet the memory of their            
achievements still survived1  and the   
impetus they gave to thought could not  
have been lost4 ,the  traditional lines 
of speculation consistently carried out 
since  ,reformation days had survived   
war and national calamity1 and it       
remained to be seen whether the greater 
tests of prosperity and success  would  
be as triumphantly undergone4    ,we can
 imagine ,ferrier's feelings when this  
new world opened up before  him1 a      
,scottish youth1 to whom it was a new1  
untrodden country4 ,it may  be true that
 it was his literary rather than his    

speculative affinities  that first      
attracted him to ,germany4 ,to form in  
literature he always  attached the      
greatest value1 and to the end his      
interest in letters was  only second to 
his attachment to philosophy4 ,german   
poetry was to him  what it was to so    
many of the youth of the country from   
which it  came--the expression of their 
deepest1 and likewise of their freshest 
aspiration4 ,the poetry of other        
countries and other tongues--,english   
and ,latin1 for example--meant much to  
him1 but that of ,germany was  nearest  
to his heart4 ,french learning did not  
attract him2 neither its  literature nor
 its metaphysics and psychological      
method appealed to his  thoughtful1     
analytic mind2 but in ,germany he found 
a nation which had  not as yet resigned 
its interest in things of transcendental
 import in  favour of what pertained to 
mere material welfare4    ,such was the 
,germany into which ,ferrier came in    
#ahcd4 ,he did not1 so  far as we can   

hear1 enter deeply into its social life2
 he visited it as  a traveller1 rather  
than as a student1 and his stay in it   
was brief4  ,considering the shortness  
of his time there1 and the circumstances
 of  his visit1 the impression that it  
made upon him is all the more           
remarkable1 for it was an impression    
that lasted and was evident  throughout 
all his after life4 ,since his day1     
indeed1 it would be  difficult to say   
how many young ,scotsmen have been      
impressed in a  similar way by a few    
months' residence at a ,university town 
in ,germany4  ,for partly owing to      
,ferrier's own efforts1 and perhaps even
 more owing  to the 'boom'--to use a    
vulgarism--brought about by ,carlyle's  
writings1  and by his first making known
 the marvels of ,german literature to   
the  ordinary ,english-speaking public1 
who had never learned the language or   
tried to understand its recent history1 
the old traditional literary  alliance  
between ,scotland and ,france appeared  

for the time being to  have broken down 
in favour of a similar association with 
its rival  country1 ,germany4 ,the work 
of ,goethe was at last appreciated1     
nothing  was now too favourable to say  
about its merits2 philosophy was        
suddenly  discovered to have its home in
 ,germany1 and there alone2 our         
insularity  in keeping to our antiquated
 methods--dryasdust1 we were told1 as   
the  old ones of the schools1 and       
perhaps as edifying--was vigorously     
denounced4 ,theology1 which had hitherto
 found complete support from the        
philosophic system which acted as her   
handmaid1 and was only tolerated  as    
such1 was naturally affected in like    
manner by the change2 and to  her credit
 be it said1 that instead of with       
averted eyes looking  elsewhere1 as     
might easily have been done1 she        
determined to face the  worst1 and      
wisely asked the question whether in her
 department too she  had not something  
she could learn from a sister country   

across the sea4  ,hence a great change  
was brought about in the mental attitude
 of  ,scotland2 but we anticipate4      
,ferrier1 after leaving ,heidelberg1    
paid a short visit to ,leipzig1 and     
then for a few weeks took up his abode  
at ,berlin4 ,from ,leipzig he  writes to
 ,miss ,wilson again3 ',how do you like 
an epistola dated from  this great      
emporium of taste and letters1 this     
culminating point of  ,germanism1 where 
waggons jostle philosophy1 and          
tobacco-impregnated air  is articulated 
into divinest music8 ,it is fair-time1  
and ,i did not  arrive1 as one usually  
does1 a day behind it1 but on the very  
day it  commenced4 ,it will last1 ,i    
believe1 some weeks1 and during that    
time  all business is done on the open  
streets1 which are lined on each side   
with large wooden booths1 and are       
swarming with men and merchandise of    
every description and from every quarter
 of the world4 ,it very much  resembles 
a ,ladies' ,sale in the ,assembly ,rooms

 7what ,i never saw71  only the ladies  
here are frequently ,jews with fierce   
beards1 and have  always a pipe in their
 mouths when not eating or drinking4 ,as
 you walk  along you will find the order
 of the day to be somewhat as follows4  
,you  first come to pipes1 then shawls1 
then nails1 then pipes1 pipes again1    
pipes1 gingerbread1 dolls1 then pipes1  
bridles1 spurs1 pipes1 books1           
warming-pans1 pipes1 china1             
writing-desks1 pipes again1 pipes1      
pipes1  pipes1 nothing but pipes--the   
very pen will write nothing but pipes4  
,pipes1 you see1 decidedly carry it4 ,i 
wonder they don't erect public          
tobacco-smoke works1 lay pipes for it   
along the streets1 and smoke  away--a   
city at a time4 ,private families might 
take it in as we do  gas6'    ,ferrier  
appears to have spent a week at         
,frankfort before reaching his          
destination at ,leipzig4 ,he describes  
his journey there3 ',at ,frankfort ,i   
saw nothing worthy of note except a     

divine statue of ,ariadne riding on  a  
leopard4 ,after lumbering along for two 
nights and two days in a  clumsy        
diligence1 ,i reached ,leipzig two days 
ago4 ,i thought that by the  way ,i     
might perhaps see something worthy of   
mention1 and accordingly  sometimes put 
my head out of the window to look4 ,but 
no--the trees1 for  instance1 had all to
 a man planted their heads in the earth1
 and were  growing with their legs      
upwards1 just as they do with us2 and as
 for  the natives1 they1 on the         
contrary1 had each of them filled a     
flower-pot1 called a skull1 full of     
earth1 put their heads in it1 and  were 
growing downwards1 just as the same     
animal does in our country2  and on     
coming to one's recollection in the     
morning in a ,german  diligence you find
 yourself surrounded by the same drowsy1
 idiotical1  glazed1 stained1 and gummy 
complement of faces which might have    
accompanied you into ,carlisle on an    
autumn morning after a night of  travel 

in ,his ,majesty's mail coach4'         
,berlin impressed ,ferrier by its       
imposing public buildings and general   
aspect of prosperity4 ,it had1 of       
course1 long before reached a position  
of importance under the great           
,frederick's government1 though not the 
importance or the size that it          
afterwards attained4 ,still1 it was the 
centre of attraction for all classes    
throughout ,prussia1 and possessed  a   
cultivated society in which the         
middle-class element was to all         
appearances predominant4 ,ferrier writes
 of the town3 ',of the inside of  the   
buildings and what is to be seen there  
,i have nothing yet to say1  but their  
external aspect is most magnificent4    
,palaces1 churches1  mosque-like        
structures1 spires and domes and towers 
all standing  together1 but with large  
spaces and fine open drives between1 so 
that  all are seen to the greatest      
possible advantage1 conspire to form a  
most glorious city4 ,at this moment a   

fountain which ,i can see from my       
window is playing in the middle of the  
square4 ,a jet d'eau indeed66  ,it may  
do very well for a ,frenchman to call it
 that1 but we must call  it a perfect   
volcano of water4 ,a huge column goes   
hissing up as high as  a steeple1 with  
the speed and force of a rocket1 and    
comes down in  thunder1 and little      
rainbows are flitting about in the      
showery spray4  ,it being ,sunday1 every
 thing and person is gayer than usual4  
,bands are  playing and soldiers are    
parading all through the town2          
everything1  indeed1 is military1 and   
yet little is foppish--a statement which
 to  ,english ears will sound like a    
direct contradiction4'    ,our traveller
 had been given letters to certain      
,berlin ,professors from  young         
,blackie1 afterwards ,professor of      
,greek in ,edinburgh ,university1  who  
had just translated ,goethe's ,faust    
into the ,english tongue4 ',i  went     
about half an hour ago to call upon a   

sort of ,professor here to  whom ,i had 
a letter and a ,faust to present from   
,blackie--found him  ill and confined to
 bed--was admitted1 however1 very well  
received1 and  shall call again when ,i 
think there is a chance of his being    
better4 ,i  have still another          
,professor to call on with a letter and 
book from  ,blackie1 and there my       
acquaintance with the society of ,berlin
 is likely  to terminate4' ,one other   
introduction to ,ferrier on this        
expedition to  ,germany is mentioned in 
a note from his aunt1 ,miss ,susan      
,ferrier1 the  only letter to her nephew
 that has apparently been preserved3    
whether  or not he availed himself of   
the offer1 history does not record4 ,it 
runs as follows3--        ',,edinr41    
#ast ,august4        ',i could not get a
 letter to ,lord ,corehouse's ,german   
sister      7,countess ,purgstall71 as  
it seems she is in bad health1 and not  
fit      to entertain vagabonds2 but ,i 
enclose a very kind one from my         

friend1 ,mrs4 ,erskine1 to the          
ambassadress at ,munich1 and if you     
don't go there you may send it by post1 
as it will be welcome at      any time  
on its own account4'    ,it was1 as has 
been said1 only about three years       
previously to this  visit that ,hegel   
had passed away at ,berlin1 and one     
wonders whether  ,ferrier first began to
 interest himself in his writings at    
this time1  and whether he visited the  
graveyard near the city gate where      
,hegel  lies1 close to his great        
predecessor ,fichte4 ,one would almost  
think  this last was so from the exact  
description given in his short          
biography of ,hegel2 and it is          
significant that on his return he       
brought  with him a medallion and a     
photograph of the great philosopher4    
,this  would seem to indicate that his  
thoughts were already tending in the    
direction of ,hegelian metaphysics1 but 
how far this was so we cannot  tell4    
,certainly the knowledge of the ,german 

language acquired by  ,ferrier during   
this visit to the country proved most   
valuable to him1  and enabled him to    
study its philosophy at a time when     
translations  were practically          
non-existent1 and few had learned to    
read it4 ,that  knowledge must indeed   
have been tolerably complete1 for in    
#ahea1 when  ,sir ,edward ,bulwer       
7afterwards ,lord ,lytton7 was about to 
republish his  translation of           
,schiller's ,ballads1 he corresponded   
with ,ferrier  regarding the accuracy   
and exactness of his work4 ,he          
afterwards1 in the  preface to the      
volume1 acknowledges the great services 
,ferrier had  rendered2 and in          
dedicating the book to him1 speaks of   
the debt of  gratitude he owes to one   
whose 'critical judgment and skill in   
detecting the finer shades of meaning in
 the original' had been so  useful4     
,ferrier likewise has the credit1       
accorded him by ,de ,quincey1 of  having
 corrected several errors in all the    

,english translations of  ,faust then   
extant--errors which were not merely    
literary  inaccuracies1 but which also  
detracted from the vital sense of the   
original4 ,as to ,lord ,lytton1 ,ferrier
 must at this time have been  interested
 in his writings2 for in a letter to    
,miss ,wilson1 he advises  her to read  
,bulwer's ,pilgrims of the ,rhine if she
 wishes for a  description of the       
scenery1 and speaks of the high esteem  
with which he  was regarded by the      
,germans4    ,it was in #ahcg that      
,ferrier married the young lady with    
whom he had so  long corresponded4 ,the 
marriage was in all respects a happy    
one4 ,mrs4  ,ferrier's gifts and graces1
 inherited from her father1 will not    
soon be  forgotten1 either in ,st4      
,andrews where she lived so long1 or in 
,edinburgh1 the later home of her       
widowhood4 ,one whose spirits were less 
gay might have found a husband whose    
interests were so completely in  his    
work--and that a work in which she could

 not share--difficult to  deal with2 but
 she possessed understanding to         
appreciate that work1 as  well as       
humour1 and could accommodate herself to
 the circumstances in  which she found  
herself2 while he1 on his part1 entered 
into the gaiety  on occasion with the   
best4 ,a friend and student of the ,st4 
,andrews'  days writes of ,ferrier3 ',he
 married his cousin ,margaret1          
,professor's  ,wilson's daughter1 and ,i
 don't doubt that a shorthand report of 
their  courtship would have been better 
worth reading than nine hundred and     
ninety-nine out of every thousand       
courtships1 for she had wit as well  as 
beauty1 and he was capable of           
appreciating both4 ,no more charming    
woman have ,i ever seen or heard making 
game of mankind in general1 and  in     
particular of pedants and hypocrites4   
,she would even laugh at her  husband on
 occasion1 but it was dangerous for any 
volunteer to try to  help her in that   
sport4 ,a finer-looking couple ,i have  

never seen4#e              #e ,another  
sister married ,william ,edmondstoune   
,aytoun1 the            poet4 ,it was   
regarding ,professor ,aytoun's proposal 
for ,miss            ,wilson's hand that
 the following story is told4 ,when the 
engagement was being formed1 ,aytoun    
somewhat demurred to                    
interviewing the father of the lady1 and
 she herself            undertook the   
mission4 ,presently she returned with a 
card            pinned upon her breast  
bearing the satisfactory inscription1   
',with the author's compliments'6       
,aytoun1 as is well known1              
was extremely plain1 and it was of his  
bust in the            ,blackwoods'     
saloon1 a recognisable but idealistic   
likeness1            that ,ferrier      
remarked1 ',i should call that the      
pursuit of            beauty under      
difficulties4'    ,during her infancy   
,edinburgh had become ,mrs4 ,ferrier's  
home1 though she  made frequent visits  
to ,westmorland1 of whose dialect she   

had a  complete command4 ,the courtship1
 however1 had been for the most part    
carried on at the picturesque old house 
of ,gorton1 where ',christopher  ,north'
 was temporarily residing1 and which1   
situated as it is  overlooking the      
lovely glen made immortal by the name of
 ,hawthornden1  in view of ,roslin      
,chapel1 and surrounded by old-fashioned
 walks and  gardens1 must have been an  
ideal spot for a romantic couple like   
the  ,ferriers to roam in4 ,another     
friend writes of ,wilson's later home at
  ,elleray3 ',in his hospitable house1  
where the wits of ,blackwood  gathered  
at intervals and visited individually in
 season and out of  season1 his daughter
 saw strange men of genius1 such as few 
young  ladies had the fortune to see1   
and heard talk such as hardly another   
has the fortune to hear4 ,lockhart1 with
 his caricatures and his  incisive      
sarcasm1 was an intimate of the house4  
,the ,ettrick ,shepherd1  with his plaid
 and homely ,doric1 broke in            

occasionally1 as did also ,de  ,quincey1
 generally towards midnight1 when he    
used to sit pouring forth  his          
finely-balanced1 graceful sentences far 
on among the small hours of  the        
morning4 ,there were students1 too1 year
 after year1 many of them  not          
undistinguished1 and some of whom had1  
we doubt not1 ideas of their  own       
regarding the flashing hazel eyes of    
their eloquent ,professor's  eldest     
daughter4' ,but her cousin was her      
choice1 though wealth offered  no       
attraction1 and neither side had reason 
to regret the marriage of  affection4   
,at the time of his marriage ,ferrier   
had been practising at the ,bar1        
probably with no great measure of       
success1 seeing that his heart was  not 
really set upon his work4 ,it was at    
this period that he first began  to     
write1 and his first contribution to    
literature took the form of  certain    
papers contributed to ,blackwood's      
,magazine1 the subject being  the       

',philosophy of ,consciousness4' ,from  
that time onwards ,ferrier  continued to
 write on philosophic or literary topics
 until his death1  and many of these    
writings were first published in the    
famous magazine4    ,before entering1   
however1 on any consideration of        
,ferrier's writings  and of the         
philosophy of the day1 it might be worth
 while to try to  picture to ourselves  
the social conditions and feelings of   
the time1 in  order that we may get some
 idea of the influences which surrounded
 him1  and be assisted in our efforts to
 understand his outlook4    ,in the     
beginning of the nineteenth century     
,scotland had been ground  down by a    
strange tyranny--the tyranny of one man 
as it seemed1 which  man was ,henry     
,dundas1 first ,viscount ,melville1 who 
for many long years  ruled our country  
as few countries have been ruled before4
 ,what this  despotism meant it is      
difficult for us1 a century later1 to   
figure to  ourselves4 ,all offices were 

dependent on his patronage2 it was to   
him  that everyone had to look for      
whatever post1 advancement1 or          
concession  was required4 ,and ,dundas1 
with consummate power and administrative
  ability1 moulded ,scotland to his     
will1 and by his own acts made her  what
 she was before the world4 ,but all the 
while1 though unperceived1 a  new spirit
 was really dawning2 the principles of  
the ,revolution1 in  spite of           
everything1 had spread1 and all         
unobserved the time-spirit  made its    
influence felt below a surface of       
apparent calm4 ,it laid hold  first of  
all of the common people--weavers and   
the like3 it roused  these rough1       
uneducated men to a sense of wrong and  
the resolution to  seek a remedy4 ,not  
much1 however1 was accomplished4 ,some  
futile risings  took place--risings     
pitiable in their inadequacy--of        
hard-working  weavers armed with pikes  
and antiquated muskets4 ,of course1 such
 rebels  were easily suppressed2 the    

leaders were sentenced to execution or  
transportation1 as the case might be2   
but though peace apparently was         
restored and public meetings to oppose  
the ,government were rigorously         
suppressed1 trade and manufactures were 
arising3 ,scotland was not  really dead1
 as she appeared4 ,a new life was       
dawning3 reform was in the  air1 and in 
due time made its presence felt4 ,but   
the memory of these  times of political 
oppression1 when the franchise was the  
privilege of  the few1 and of the few   
who were entirely out of sympathy with  
the most  part of their countrymen or   
their country's wants1 remained with the
  people just as did the ',killing-time'
 of ,covenanting days two centuries     
before4 ,time heals the wounds of a     
country as of an individual1 but the    
operation is slow1 and it is doubtful   
whether either period of history  will  
ever be forgotten4 ,at anyrate1 if they 
are so as this century  closes1 they    
were not in the ,scotland known to      

,ferrier2 they were still  a very       
present memory and one whose influence  
was keenly felt4    ,and along with this
 political struggle yet another struggle
 was taking  place1 no less real though 
not so evident4 ,the religion of the    
country  had been as dead as was the    
politics in the century that was        
gone--dead  in the sleep of ,moderatism 
and indifferentism4 ,but it1 too1 had   
awakened2 the evangelical school arose1 
liberty of church government  was       
claimed1 a liberty which1 when denied   
it1 rent the ,established  ,church in   
twain4    ,in our country it has been   
characteristic that great movements have
  usually begun with those most in touch
 with its inmost life1 the  so-called   
lower orders of its citizens4 ,the      
nobles and the kings have  rather       
followed than taken the lead4 ,in the   
awakening of the present  century this  
at anyrate was the case4 ',society1' so 
called1 remained  conservative in its   
view for long after the people had      

determined to  advance4 ,scott1 it must 
be remembered1 was a retrogressive      
influence4  ,the romanticism of his     
novels lent a charm to days gone by     
which might  or might not be deserved2  
but they also encouraged their readers  
to  imagine a revival of those days of  
chivalry as a possibility even now1     
when men were crying for their rights1  
when they had awakened to a  sense of   
their possessions1 and would take       
nothing in their place4 ,the  real      
chieftains were no more2 they were      
imitation chieftains only who  were     
playing at the game1 and it was a game  
the clansmen would not join  in4 ,few   
exercises could be more strange than    
first to read the account  of ,scottish 
life in one of the immortal novels by   
,scott dealing with  last century1 and  
then to turn to ,miss ,ferrier or ,galt1
 depicting a  period not so very        
different4 ,setting aside all questions 
of genius1  where comparison would be   
absurd1 it would seem as if a beautiful 

enamel had been removed1 and a bare     
reality revealed1 somewhat sordid  in   
comparison4 ,the life was not really    
sordid1--realism as usual had  overshot 
its mark1--but the enamel had been      
somewhat thickly laid1 and  might       
require to be removed1 if truth were to 
be revealed4    ,so in the higher grades
 of ,edinburgh society the enamel of    
gentility  has done its best to         
prejudice us against much true and      
genuine worth4  ,it was characterised by
 a certain conventional                 
unconventionality1 a  certain           
'preciosity' which brought it near      
deserving a still stronger  name1 and it
 maintained its right to formulate the  
canons of criticism  for the kingdom4   
,edinburgh1 it must be recollected1 was 
no 'mean city1'  no ordinary provincial 
town4 ,it was still esteemed a          
metropolis4 ,it had  its aristocracy1   
though mainly of the order of those     
unable to bear the  greater expense of  
,london life4 ,it had no manufactories  

to speak of1 no  mercantile class to    
'vulgarise' it2 it possessed a          
,university1 and the  law courts of the 
nation4 ,but above all it had a literary
 society4 ,in  the beginning of the     
century it had such men as ,henry       
,mackenzie1 ,dugald  ,stewart1 ,john    
,playfair1 ,dr4 ,gregory1 ,dr4 ,thomas  
,brown1 not to speak of  ,scott and     
,jeffrey--a society unrivalled out of   
,london4 ,and in later  days1 when these
 were gone1 others rose to fill their   
places4    ,of course1 in addition to   
the movement of the working people1     
there was  an educated protest against  
,toryism1 and it was made by a party    
who1 to  their credit be it said1 risked
 their prospects of advancement for the 
principles of freedom4 ,in their days   
,toryism1 we must recollect1 meant      
something very different from what it   
might be supposed to signify in  our    
own4 ,it meant an attitude of           
obstruction as regards all change from  
established standards of whatever kind2 

it signified a point of view  which said
 that grievances should be unredressed  
unless it was in its  interest to       
redress them4 ,the new party of         
opposition included in its  numbers     
,whig lawyers like ,gibson ,craig and   
,henry ,erskine1 in earlier  days1 and  
,francis ,jeffrey and ,lord ,cockburn   
later on2 a party of  progress was also 
formed within the ,church1 and the same 
within the  precincts of the            
,university4 ,the movement1 as became a 
movement on the  political side largely 
headed by lawyers1 had no tendency to   
violence2  it was moderate in its       
policy1 and by no means                 
revolutionary--indeed it  may be doubted
 whether there ever was much tendency to
 revolt even  amongst those working men 
who expressed themselves most strongly4 
,the  advance party1 however1 carried   
the day1 and when ,ferrier began to     
write1 ,scotland was in a very different
 state from that of twenty years        
before4 ,the ,reform ,bill had passed1  

and men had the moulding of their       
country's destiny practically placed    
within their hands4 ,in the             
,university1 again1 ,sir ,william       
,hamilton1 a ,whig1 had just been       
appointed to the ,chair of ,logic1 while
 ,moncreiff1 ,chalmers1 and the  rest1  
were prominent in the ,church4 ,the     
traditions of literary  ,edinburgh at   
the beginning of the century had been   
kept up by a circle  amongst whom       
,lockhart1 ,wilson1 and ,de ,quincey may
 be mentioned2 now  ,carlyle1 who had   
left ,edinburgh not long before1 was    
coming into  notice1 and a new era      
seemed to be dawning1 not so glorious as
 the  past1 but more untrammelled and   
more free4    ,how philosophy was       
affected by the change1 and how ,ferrier
 assisted in  its progress1 it is our   
business now to tell2 but we must first 
briefly  sketch the history of ,scottish
 speculation to this date1 in order to  
show the position in which he found it4 
,,chapter ,,iii    ,,philosophy ,,before

 ,,ferrier',s ,,day      ,in attempting 
to give some idea of philosophy as it   
was in ,scotland in  the earlier portion
 of the present century1 we shall have  
to go back  two hundred years or        
thereabout1 in order to find a          
satisfactory basis  from which to start4
 ,for philosophy1 as no one realised    
more than  ,ferrier1 is no arbitrary    
succession of systems following one upon
  another as their propounders might    
decree2 it is a development in the      
truest and highest significance of that 
word4 ,it means the gradual  working out
 of the questions which reason sets to  
be answered2 and  though it seems as if 
we had sometimes to turn our faces      
backwards1 and  to revert to systems of 
bygone days1 we always find1 when we    
look more  closely1 that in our onward  
course we have merely dropped some      
thread  in our web1 the recovery of     
which is requisite in order that it may 
be  duly taken up and woven with the    
rest4    ,at the time of which we write 

the so-called ',scottish ,school' of    
,reid1  ,stewart1 and ,beattie reigned  
supreme in orthodox ,scotland2 it had   
undisputed power in the ,universities1  
and besides this obtained a very        
reputable place in the estimation of    
,europe1 and more especially of         
,france4 ,as it was this school more    
especially that ,ferrier spent much  of 
his time in combating1 it is its history
 and place that we wish  shortly to     
describe4 ,to do so1 however1 it is     
needful to go back to its  real founder1
 ,locke1 in order that its point of view
 may fairly be set  forth4    ,in       
applying his mind to the views of       
,locke1 the ordinary man finds  himself 
arriving at very commonplace and        
well-accustomed conceptions4  ,locke1   
indeed1 may reasonably be said to       
represent the ideas of common1  everyday
 life4 ,the ordinary man does not       
question the reality of  things1 he     
accepts it without asking any questions1
 and bases his  theories--scientific or 

otherwise--upon this implied reality4   
,locke  worked out the theory which had 
been propounded by ,lord ,bacon1 that   
knowledge is obtained by the observation
 of facts which are implicitly  accepted
 as realities2 and what1 it was asked1  
could be more  self-evident and sane8   
,it is easy to conceive a number of     
perceiving  minds upon the one hand1    
ready to take up perceptions of an      
outside  material substance upon the    
other4 ,the mind may be considered as a 
piece of white paper--a tabula rasa1 as 
it was called--on which  external things
 may make what impression they will1 and
 knowledge is  apparently explained at  
once4 ,but though ,locke certainly      
succeeded in  making these terms the    
common coin of ordinary life1           
difficulties crop  up when we come to   
examine them more closely4 ,after all1  
it is evident1  the only knowledge our  
mind can have is a knowledge of its own 
ideas--ideas which are1 of course1      
caused by something which is  outside1  

or at least1 as ,locke would say1 by its
 quality4 ,now1 from  this it would     
appear that these 'ideas' after all come
 between the mind  and the 'thing1'     
whatever it is1 that causes them--that  
is to say1 we  can perhaps maintain that
 we only know our 'ideas1' and not      
things as  in themselves4 ,locke passes 
into elaborate distinctions between     
primary  qualities of things1 of which  
he holds exact representations are      
given1  and secondary qualities1 which  
are not in the same position2 but the   
whole difficulty we meet with is summed 
up in the question whether we  really   
know substance1 or whether it is that we
 can only hope to know  ideas1 and      
'suppose' some substratum of reality    
outside4 ,then another  difficulty is   
that we can hardly really know our      
selves4 ,how can we  know that the self 
exists2 and if1 like ,malebranche1 we   
speak of ,god  revealing substance to   
us1 how do we know about ,god8 ,we      
cannot form any  'general' impressions1 

have any 'general' knowledge2 only a    
sort of  conglomeration of unrelated or 
detached bits of knowledge can possibly 
come home to us4 ,the fact is1 that     
modern philosophy starts with two       
separate and self-existent substances2  
that it does not see how they  can be   
combined1 and that the 'white-paper'    
theory is so abstract that  we can never
 arrive at self-consciousness by its    
means4    ,berkeley followed out the    
logical consequences of ,locke1 though  
perhaps  he hardly knew where these     
would carry him4 ,he acknowledged that  
we  know nothing but ideas--nothing     
outside of our mind4 ,but he adds the   
conception of self1 and by analogy the  
conception of ,god1 who acts as a       
principle of causation4 ,whether there  
is necessary connection in his          
sensations or not1 he does not say4     
,hume followed with criticism1  scathing
 and merciless4 ,he states that all we  
know of is the experience  we have2 and 
by experience he signifies perceptions4 

,ideas to him are  nothing more than    
perceptions1 and whether they are ideas 
simply of the  mind1 or ideas of some   
object1 is to him the same4 ,if we begin
 to  imagine such conceptions as those  
of universality or necessity1 of ,god   
or the self1 beyond a complex of        
successive ideas1 we are going farther  
than experience permits4 ,we cannot     
connect our perceptions with an  object1
 nor can we get beyond what experience  
allows4 ,custom merely  brings about    
certain conclusions which are often     
enough misleading4 ,it  connects effect 
and cause1 really different events3 it  
brings about  ideas of morality very    
often deceptive4 ,we have our custom of 
regarding  things1 another has his--who 
can say which is correct8 ,all we can do
  is1 what seems a hopeless task        
enough--we can try to show how these    
unrelated particulars seem by repetition
 to produce an illusionary  connection  
in our minds4    ,both mind and matter  
appear1 then1 to be wanting1 and        

experience alone  is suggested as the   
means of solving the difficulty in which
 we are  placed--a point in the argument
 which left an opportunity open to ,kant
  to suggest a new development1 to ask  
whether things being found  inadequate  
in producing knowledge1 we might not ask
 if knowledge could  not be more        
successful with things4 ,but it is the  
,scottish lines of  attempted solution  
that we wish to follow out1 and not the 
,german4  ,perhaps they are not so very 
different4    ,philosophy1 as ,reid     
found it1 was in a bad way enough1 as   
far as the  orthodox mind of ,scotland  
was concerned4 ,all justification for   
belief  in ,god1 in immortality1 in all 
that was held sacred in a century of    
much orthodoxy if little zeal1 was gone4
 ,such things might be believed  in by  
those who found any comfort in so       
believing1 but to the educated  man who 
had seriously reflected on them1 they   
were anachronisms4 ,the  very           
desperateness of the case1 however1     

seemed to promise a remedy4  ,men could 
not rest in a state of permanent        
scepticism1 in a world  utterly         
incapable of being rationally explained4
 ,even the propounder of  the theories  
allowed this to be true2 and as for     
others1 they felt that  they were       
rational beings1 and this signified that
 there was system in  the world4    ,a  
champion arose when things were at their
 worst in ,thomas ,reid1 the  founder1  
or at least the chiefest ornament1 of   
the so-called ,scottish  ,school of     
,philosophy4 ,he it was who set himself 
to add the principle of  the coherence  
of the ,universe1 and the consequent    
possibility of  establishing ,faith once
 more in the world4 ,reid1 to begin     
with1 instead  of looking at ,hume's    
results as serious1 regarded them as    
necessarily  absurd4 ,he started a new  
theory of his own1 the theory of        
,immediate  ,perception1 which signified
 that we are able immediately to        
apprehend--not ideas only1 but the      

,truth4 ,and how1 we may ask1 can this  
be done8    ,it had been pointed out    
first of all that sensations as         
understood by  ,locke--that is1 the     
relations so called by ,locke--might be 
separated  from sensation in itself2 in 
fact1 that these first pertained to     
mind4  ,hence we have a dualistic system
 given us to start with1 and the        
question is how the two sides are to be 
connected8 ,what does this  theory of   
,immediate ,perception1 which ,reid puts
 forward as the  solution1 mean8 ,is it 
just a mechanical union of two          
antitheses1 or is  it something more8   
,as to this last1 perhaps the real      
answer would be that it both is1 and  is
 not4 ,that is1 the philosophy of ,reid 
would seem still dualistic in  its      
nature2 it certainly implies the        
mechanical contact of two  confronting  
substances whose independence is        
vigorously maintained1 in  opposition to
 the idealistic system which it         
superseded2 but in  reference to ,reid  

we must recollect that his theory of    
,immediate  ,perception was also        
something more4 ,as regards sensation1  
for example1  he says that we do not    
begin with unrelated sensations1 but    
with  judgment--that is1 we refer our   
sensations to a permanent subject1 ',i4'
  ,sensations 'suggest' the nature of a 
mind and the belief in its  existence4  
,and this signifies that we have the    
power of making  inferences--how we do  
not exactly know1 but we believe it to  
be1 not by  any special reasoning       
process1 but by the 'common-sense'      
innately born  within us4 ,common-sense 
is responsible for a good deal more--for
 the  conceptions of existence and of   
cause1 for instance2 for ,reid          
acknowledges that sensations alone must 
fail to account for ideas such  as those
 of extension1 space1 and motion4 ,this 
standpoint seems indeed  as if it did   
not differ widely from the ,kantian1 but
 at the same time  ,reid appears to     
think that it is not an essential that  

feelings should  be perceptively        
referred to an external object2 the     
first part of the  process of perception
 is carried on without our              
consciousness--the  mental sensation    
merely follows--and sensation simply    
supposes a  sentient being and a certain
 manner in which that being is affected1
  which leaves us much where we were1 as
 far as the subjectivity of our  ideas  
is concerned4 ,he does not hold that all
 sensation is a percept  involving      
extension and much else--involving1     
indeed1 existence4    ,following upon   
,reid1 ,dugald ,stewart obtained a very 
considerable  reputation1 and he was    
living and writing at the time ,ferrier 
was a  young man4 ,his main idea would1 
however1 seem to have been to guard his 
utterances carefully1 and enter upon no 
keen discussions or  contentions3 when a
 bold assertion is made1 it is always   
under shelter  of some good authority4  
,but his rounded phrases gained him     
considerable  admiration1 as such       

writing often does4 ,he carried--perhaps
  inadvertently--,reid's views farther  
than he would probably have held as     
justifiable4 ,he says we are not1       
properly speaking1 conscious of self  or
 the existence of self1 but merely of a 
sensation or some other  quality1 which1
 by a subsequent suggestion of the      
understanding1  leads to a belief in    
that which exercises the quality4 ,this 
is the  doctrine of ,reid put very      
crudely1 and in a manner calculated to  
bring  us back to unrelated sensation in
 earnest4 ,stewart adopted a new        
expression for ,reid's 'common-sense1'  
i4e4 the 'fundamental laws of  belief1' 
which might be less ambiguous1 but never
 took popular hold as  did the first4   
,there were many others belonging to    
this school besides ,reid and  ,stewart1
 whom it would be impossible to speak of
 here4 ,the ,scottish  ,philosophy had  
its work to do1 and no doubt understood 
that work--the  first essential in a    
criticism3 it endeavoured to vindicate  

perception  as against sensational      
idealism1 and it only partially         
succeeded in its  task4 ,but we must be 
careful not to forget that it opened up 
the way  for a more comprehensive and   
satisfactory point of view4 ,it was with
  ,kant that the distinction arose      
between sensation and the forms         
necessary to its perception1 the form of
 space and time1 and so on4 ,as  to this
 part of the theory of knowledge1 ,reid 
and his school were not  clear2 they    
only made an effort to express the fact 
that something was  required to verify  
our knowledge1 but they were far from   
satisfactorily  attaining to their goal4
 ,the very name of 'common-sense' was   
misleading--making people imagine1 as it
 did1 that there was nothing in         
philosophy after all that the man in the
 street could not know by  applying the 
smallest modicum of reflection to the   
subject4 ,philosophy  thus came to be   
considered as superfluous1 and it was   
thought that the  sooner we got rid of  

it and were content to observe the      
mandates of our  hearts1 the better for 
all concerned4    ,what1 then1 was the  
work which ,ferrier placed before       
himself when he  commenced to write upon
 and teach philosophy8 ,he was          
thoroughly and  entirely dissatisfied   
with the old point of view1 the point of
 view of  the 'common-sense' school of  
metaphysicians1 to begin with4          
,sometimes  it seems as though we could 
not judge a system altogether from the  
best  exponent of it1 although          
theoretically we are always bound to    
turn to  him4 ,in a national philosophy1
 at least1 we want something that will  
wear1 that will bear to be put in       
ordinary language1 something which  can 
be understood of the people1 which can  
be assimilated with the  popular        
religion and politics--in fact1 which   
can really be lived as  well as thought2
 and it is only after many years of use 
that we can  really tell whether these  
conditions have been fulfilled4 ,for    

this  reason we are in some measure     
justified in taking the popular estimate
  of a system1 and in considering its   
practical results as well as the  value 
of its theory4 ,now1 the commonly       
accepted view of the  eighteenth-century
 philosophers in ,scotland is that there
 is nothing  very wonderful about the   
subject--like the ,bourgeois            
,gentilhomme of  ,molire1 we are shown  
that we have been philosophising all our
 lives1  only we never knew it4         
',common-sense'--an attribute with which
 we all  believe we are in some small   
measure endowed--explains everything if 
we  simply exercise it1 and that is open
 to us all3 there has been much  talk1  
it would seem1 about nothing2 secrets   
hidden to wise men are  revealed to     
babes1 and we have but to keep our minds
 open in order to  receive them4    ,we 
are all acquainted with this talk in    
speculative regions of  knowledge1 but  
we most of us also know how disastrous  
it is to any true  advancement in such  

directions4 ,what happens now is just   
what happened  in the eighteenth        
century4 ,men relapse into a            
self-satisfied indolence  of mind3 in   
religion they are content with believing
 in a sort of  general divine           
,beneficence which will somehow make    
matters straight1  however crooked they 
may seem to be2 and in philosophy they  
are guided  by their instincts1 which   
teach them that what they wish to       
believe is  true4    ,now1 all this is  
what ,ferrier and the modern movement1  
largely  influenced by ,german modes of 
thought1 wish to protest against with   
all  their might4 ,the scepticism of    
,hume and ,gibbon was logical1 if       
utterly  impossible as a working creed  
and necessarily ending in absurdity2 but
  this irrational kind of optimism was  
altogether repugnant to those who       
demanded a reasonable explanation of    
themselves and of their place in        
nature4 ,the question had become summed 
up in one of superlative  importance1   

namely1 the distinction that existed    
between the natural  and supernatural   
sides of our existence4 ,the            
materialistic school had  practically   
done away with the latter in its        
entirety1 had said that  nature is      
capable of being explained by mechanical
 means1 and that  these must necessarily
 suffice for us4 ,but the orthodox      
section adopted  other lines2 it        
accepted all the ordinarily received    
ideas of ,god1  immortality1 and the    
like1 but it maintained the existence of
 an  ,absolute which can only be        
inferred1 but not presented to the mind1
  and1 strangest of all1 declared that  
the 'last and highest consecration  of  
all true religion must be an altar ,to  
the unknown and unknowable  ,god4'#f    
,this so-called 'pious' philosophy      
declares that ',to think  that ,god is1 
as we can think ,him to be1 is          
blasphemy1' and ',a ,god  understood    
would be no ,god at all4' ,the ,german  
philosophy saw that if  once we are to  

renounce our reason1 or trust to it only
 within a  certain sphere1 all hope for 
us is lost1 as far as withstanding the  
attack of outside enemies is concerned4 
,we are liable to sceptical  attacks    
from every side1 and all we can maintain
 against them is a  personal conviction 
which is not proof4 ,how1 then1 was the 
difficulty  met8              #f        
,philosophy of the ,unconditioned 7,sir 
,william            ,hamilton71 p4 #ae4 
,kant1 as we have said1 made an         
important development upon the position 
of ,hume4 ,hume had arrived at the point
 of declaring the particular mind  and  
matter equally incompetent to afford an 
ultimate explanation of  things1 and he 
suggested experience in their place4    
,this is the first  note of the new     
philosophy3 experience1 not a process of
 the  interaction of two separate       
things1 mind on the one hand1 matter on 
the  other1 but something comprehending 
both4 ,this1 however1 was scarcely      
realised either by ,hume or ,kant1      

though the latter came very near the    
formulation of it4 ,kant saw1 at least1 
that things could not produce           
knowledge1 and he therefore changed his 
front and suggested starting  with the  
knowledge that was before regarded as   
result--a change in  point of view that 
caused a revolution in thought similar  
to that  caused in our ideas of the     
natural world by the introduction of the
  system of ,copernicus4 ,still1 while  
following out his ,copernican theory1   
,kant did not go far enough4 ,his       
methods were still somewhat             
psychological in nature4 ,he still      
regarded thought as something which  can
 be separated from the thinker2 he still
 maintained the existence of  things in 
themselves independent and outside of   
thought4 ,he gives us a  'theory' of    
knowledge1 when what we want to reach is
 knowledge itself1  and not a subjective
 conception of it4    ,here it is that  
the ,absolute ,idealism comes in--the   
,idealism most  associated with the name

 of ,hegel4 ,hegel takes experience1    
knowledge1  or thought1 in another and  
much more comprehensive fashion than did
 his  predecessors4 ,knowledge1 in fact1
 is all-comprehending2 it embraces  both
 sides in itself1 and explains them as  
'moments1' i4e4  complementary factors  
in the one ,reality4 ,to make this      
clearer3 we have  been all along taking 
knowledge as a dualistic process1 as    
having two  sides involved in it1 a     
subject and an object4 ,now1 ,hegel says
 our  mistake is this3 we cannot make a 
separation of such a kind except by a   
process of abstraction3 the one really  
implies the other1 and could not        
possibly exist without it4 ,we may in   
our ordinary pursuits do so1  without   
doubt2 we may concentrate our attention 
on one side or the  other1 as the case  
may be2 we may look at the world as if  
it could be  explained by mechanical    
means1 as1 indeed1 to a certain point it
 can4  ,but1 ,hegel says1 these         
explanations are not sufficient2 they   

can easily  be shown to be untrue1 when 
driven far enough3 the world is         
something  larger2 it has the ideal side
 as well as the real1 and1 as we are    
placed1 they are both necessarily there1
 and must both be recognised1  if we are
 to attain to true conceptions4         
,without saying that ,ferrier wholly    
assimilated the modern ,german          
view1--for of course he did not1--he was
 clearly largely influenced by  it1 more
 largely perhaps than he was even       
himself aware4 ,it  particularly met the
 present difficulties with which he was 
confronted4  ,the negative attitude was 
felt to be impossible1 and the other1   
the  ,belief which then1 as now1 was so 
strongly advocated1 the ,belief which   
meant a more or less blind acceptance of
 a spiritual power beyond our  own1 the 
,belief in the ,god we cannot know and  
glory in not being able  so to know1 he 
felt to be an equal impossibility4      
,ferrier1 and many  others1 asked the   
question1 ,are these alternatives       

exhaustive8 ,can we  not have a rational
 explanation of the world and of        
ourselves8 ,can we  not1 that is1 attain
 to freedom8 ,the new point of view     
seemed in some  measure to meet the     
difficulty1 and therefore it was looked 
to with  hope and anticipation even     
although its bearing was not at first   
entirely comprehended4 ,ferrier was one 
of those who perceived the  momentous   
consequences which such a change of     
front would cause1 and he  set himself  
to work it out as best he could4 ,in an 
interesting paper  which he writes on   
',the ,philosophy of ,common-,sense1'   
with special  reference to ,sir ,william
 ,hamilton's edition of the works of    
,dr4 ,reid1  we see in what way his     
opinions had developed4    ,the point   
which ,ferrier made the real crux of the
 whole question of  philosophy was the  
distinction which exists between the    
ordinary  psychological doctrine of     
perception and the metaphysical4 ,the   
former  drew a distinction between the  

perceiving mind and matter1 and based   
its reasonings on the assumed           
modification of our minds brought about 
by matter regarded as self-existent1    
i4e4 existent in itself and  without    
regard to any perceiving mind4 ,now1    
,ferrier points out that  this system of
 'representationalism1' of              
representative ideas1  necessarily leads
 to scepticism2 for who can tell us     
more1 than that we  have certain        
ideas--that is1 how can it be known that
 the real matter  supposed to cause them
 has any part at all in the process8    
,scepticism1  as we saw before1 has the 
way opened up for it1 and it doubts the 
existence of matter1 seeing that it has 
been given no reasonable  grounds for   
belief in it1 while ,idealism boldly    
denies its  instrumentality and         
existence4 ,what then1 he asks1 of ,dr4 
,reid and his  ,school of               
,common-,sense8 ,reid cannot say that   
matter is known in  consciousness1 but  
what he does say is that something      

innately born  within us forces us to   
believe in its existence4 ,but then1 as 
,ferrier  pertinently points out1       
scepticism and idealism do not merely   
doubt and  deny the existence of a      
self-existent matter as an object of    
consciousness1 but also because it is no
 object of belief4 ,and what has  ,reid 
to show for his beliefs8 ,nothing but   
his word4 ,we must all1  ,ferrier says1 
be sceptics or idealists2 we are all    
forced on to deny  that matter in any   
form exists1 for it is only             
self-existent matter  that we recognise 
as psychologists4 ,stewart tries to     
reinstate it by an  appeal to 'direct   
observation1' an appeal which1 ,ferrier 
truly says1 is  manifestly absurd2      
reasoning is useless1 and we must1 it   
would appear1  allow any efforts we     
might make towards rectifying our       
position to be  recognised as futile4   
,but now1 ,ferrier says1 the            
metaphysical solution of the problem    
comes  in4 ,we are in an impasse1 it    

would appear2 the analysis of the given 
fact is found impossible4 ,but the      
failure of psychology opens up the  way 
to metaphysic4 ',the turning-round of   
thought from psychology to  metaphysic  
is the true interpretation of the       
,platonic conversion of the  soul from  
ignorance to knowledge1 from mere       
opinion to certainty and  satisfaction2 
in other words1 from a discipline in    
which the thinking  is only apparent1 to
 a discipline in which the thinking is  
real4'  ',the difference is as great    
between the science of the human mind   
and  metaphysic1 as it is between the   
,ptolemaic and the ,copernican          
astronomy1 and it is very much of the   
same kind4' ,it is not that  metaphysic 
proposes to do more than psychology2 it 
aims at nothing  but what it can fully  
overtake1 and does not propose to carry 
a man  farther than his tether extends1 
or the surroundings in which he finds   
himself4 ,metaphysic in the hands of all
 true astronomers of thought1  from     

,plato to ,hegel1 if it accomplishes    
more1 attempts less4    ,metaphysic1    
,ferrier says1 demands the whole given  
fact1 and that fact  is summed up in    
this3 ',we apprehend the perception of  
an object1' and  nothing short of this  
suffices--that is1 not the perception of
 matter1  but our apprehension of that  
perception1 or what we before called    
knowledge1 ultimate knowledge in its    
widest sense4 ,and this given fact  is  
unlike the mere perception of matter1   
for it is capable of analysis  and is   
not simply subjective and egoistic4     
,psychology recognises  perception on   
the one hand 7subjective71 and matter on
 the other  7objective71 but metaphysic 
says the distinction ought to be drawn  
between 'our apprehension' and 'the     
perception-of-matter1' the latter  being
 one fact and indivisible1 and on no    
account to be taken as two  separate    
facts or thoughts4 ,the whole point is1 
that by no possible  means can the      
perception-of-matter be divided into two

 facts or  existences1 as was done by   
psychology4 ,and ,ferrier goes on to    
point out  that this is not a subjective
 idealism1 it is not a condition of the 
human soul alone1 but it 'dwells apart1 
a mighty and independent  system1 a city
 fitted up and upheld by the living     
,god4' ,and in  authenticating this last
 belief ,ferrier calls in internal      
convictions1  'common-sense1' to assist 
the evidence of speculative reason1     
where1  had he followed more upon the   
lines of the great ,german ,idealists1  
he  might have done without it4    ,now1
 ,ferrier continues1 we are safe against
 the cavils of scepticism2  the         
metaphysical theory of perception steers
 clear of all the  perplexities of      
representationalism2 for it gives us in 
perception one  only object1 the        
perception of matter2 the objectivity of
 this datum  keeps us clear from        
subjective idealism4    ,from the       
perception of matter1 a fact in which   
man merely participates1  ,ferrier      

infers a ,divine mind1 of which         
perceptions are the property3  they are 
states of the everlasting intellect4    
,the exercise of the  senses is the     
condition upon which we are permitted to
 apprehend or  participate in the       
objective perception of material things4
 ,this1  shortly1 is the position from  
which he starts4          ,,chapter ,,iv
    ',,fierce ,,warres ,,and ,,faithful 
,,loves'      ',if ,ferrier's life      
should be written hereafter1' said one1 
who knew and  valued him1 just after his
 death1#g 'let his biographer take for  
its  motto these five words from the    
,faery ,queen which the biographer of   
the ,napiers has so happily chosen4'    
,ferrier's life was not1 what it        
perhaps seems1 looking back on its      
comparatively uneventful course1        
consistently calm and placid1--a life   
such as is commonly supposed to  befit  
those who soar into lofty speculative   
heights1 and find the  'difficult air'  
in which they dwell suited to their     

contemplative  temperaments4 ,ferrier   
was intrepid and daring in his          
reasoning2 a sort  of free lance1 ,dr4  
,skelton says he was considered in      
orthodox  philosophical circles2 a ,high
 ,tory in politics1 yet one who did not 
hesitate to probe to the bottom the     
questions which came before him1  even  
though the task meant changing the whole
 attitude of mind from  which he        
started4 ,and once sure of his point1   
,ferrier never hesitated  openly to     
declare it4 ,what he hated most of all  
was 'laborious dulness  and consecrated 
feebleness'2 commonplace orthodoxy was  
repugnant to him  in the extreme1 and   
possibly few things gave him more       
sincere pleasure  than violently to     
combat it4 ,the fighting instinct is    
proper to most  men who have 'stuff' in 
them1 and ,ferrier in spite of his      
slight and  delicately made frame was   
manly to the core4 ,but1 as the same    
writer  says1 'though combative over his
 books and theories1 his nature was     

singularly pure1 affectionate1 and      
tolerant4 ,he loved his friends even    
better than he hated his foes4 ,his     
prejudices were invincible2 but1  apart 
from his prejudices1 his mind was open  
and receptive--prepared to  welcome     
truth from whatever quarter it came4'   
,such a keen1 eager nature  was sure to 
be in the fray if battle had to be      
fought1 and we think  none the worse of 
him for that4 ,battles of intellect are 
not less keen  than battles of physical 
strength1 and much more daring and      
subtlety  may be called into play in the
 fighting of them2 and ,ferrier1        
refined1  sensitive1 fastidious1 as he  
was1 had his battles to fight1 and      
fought  them with an eagerness and zeal 
almost too great for the object he had  
in view4              #g ,the late ,sir 
,john ,skelton1 ,k4,c4,b4    ,after his 
marriage in #ahcg1 ,ferrier devoted his 
attention almost  entirely to the       
philosophy he loved so well4 ,he did not
 succeed--did  not perhaps try to       

succeed--at the ,bar1 to which he had   
been called4  ,many qualities are       
required by a successful advocate       
besides the subtle  mind and acute      
reasoning powers which ,ferrier         
undoubtedly possessed3  possibly--we    
might almost say probably--these could  
have been  cultivated had he made the   
effort4 ,he had1 to begin with1 a fair  
junior  counsel's practice1 owing to his
 family connections1 and this might     
have been easily developed2 his         
ambition1 however1 did not soar in the  
direction of the law courts1 and he did 
not give that whole-hearted  devotion to
 the subject which is requisite if      
success is to follow the  efforts of the
 novice4 ,but if he was not attracted by
 the work at the  ,parliament ,house1 he
 was attracted elsewhere2 and to his    
first  mistress1 ,philosophy1 none could
 be more faithful4 ,in other lines1 it  
is true1 he read much and deeply3       
literature in its widest sense          
attracted him as it would attract any   

educated man4 ,poetry1 above all1  he   
loved1 in spite of the tale sometimes   
told against him1 that he  gravely      
proposed turning ,in ,memoriam into     
prose in order to ascertain  logically  
'whether its merits were sustained by   
reason as well as by  rhyme'--a         
proposition which is said greatly to    
have entertained its  author1 when      
related to him by a mutual friend4      
,works of imagination he  delighted     
in--all spheres of literature appealed  
to him2 he had the  sense of form which 
is denied to many of his craft2 he wrote
 in a style  at once brilliant and      
clear1 and carelessness on this score in
 some of  the writings of his countrymen
 irritated him1 as those sensitive to   
such things are irritated4 ,he has often
 been spoken of as a living  protest    
against the materialism of the age1     
working away in the quiet1  regardless  
of the busy throng1 without its         
ambitions and its cares4  ,sometimes1 of
 course1 he temporarily deserted the    

work he loved the  best for regions less
 remote2 sometimes he consented to      
lecture on  purely literary topics1 and 
often he wrote biographies for a        
dictionary1 or articles or reviews for  
,blackwood's ,edinburgh  ,magazine4 ,as 
it was to this serial that ,ferrier made
 his most  important contributions1 both
 philosophic and literary1 for the next 
fifteen years1 and as it was in its     
pages that the development of his       
system may be traced1 a few words about 
its history may not be out of  place1   
although it is a history with which we  
have every reason to be  familiar now4  
,about #ahaf the ,edinburgh ,review     
reigned supreme in literature4 ,what    
was most strange1 however1 was that the 
,conservative party1 so strong  in      
politics1 had no literary organ of their
 own--and this at a time  when the line 
of demarcation between the rival sides  
in politics was so  fixed that no virtue
 could be recognised in an opponent or  
in an  opponent's views1 even though    

they were held regarding matters quite  
remote from politics4 ,the ,whig party1 
though in a minority politically  and   
socially1 represented a minority of     
tremendous power1 and possessed  latent 
capabilities which soon broke forth into
 action4 ,at this time1  for instance1  
they had literary ability of a          
singularly marked  description2 they    
were not bound down by traditions as    
were their  opponents1 and were         
consequently much more free to strike   
out lines of  their own1 always of      
course under the guidance of that       
past-master in  criticism1 ,francis     
,jeffrey4 ,although his words were      
received as  oracular by his friends1   
this dictatorship in matters of literary
 taste  was naturally extremely         
distasteful to those who differed from  
him1  especially as the influence it    
exerted was not a local or national     
influence alone1 but one which affected 
the opinion of the whole ,united        
,kingdom4 ,for a time1 no doubt1 the    

party was so strong that the matter  was
 not taken as serious1 but it soon      
became evident that a strenuous  effort 
must be made if affairs were to be      
placed on a better footing1  and if a   
protest were to be raised against the   
cynical criticism in  which the         
,reviewers indulged4 ,consequently1 in  
,april #ahag1 a literary  periodical    
called the ,edinburgh ,monthly ,magazine
 was started by two  gentlemen of some  
experience in literary matters1 with the
 assistance  of ,mr4 ,william           
,blackwood1 an enterprising ,edinburgh  
publisher1 whose  reputation had grown  
of recent years to considerable         
dimensions4 ,this  magazine was not a   
great success3 the editors and publisher
 did not  agree1 and finally ,mr4       
,blackwood purchased the formers' share 
in it1  took over the magazine himself1 
and1 to make matters clear1 gave it his 
name2 thus in ,october of the same year 
the first number of ,blackwood's        
,edinburgh ,magazine appeared4 ,from a  

quiet and unobtrusive ',miscellany'  the
 magazine developed into a strongly     
partisan periodical1 with a  brilliant  
array of young contributors1 determined 
to oppose the  ,edinburgh ,review rgime 
with all its might1 and not afraid to   
speak  its mind respecting the literary 
gods of the day4 ,every month some one  
came under the lash2 ,coleridge1 ,leigh 
,hunt1 and many others were dealt  with 
in terms unmeasured in their severity1  
and in the very first  number appeared  
the famous ',chaldee ,manuscript' which 
made the hair of  ,edinburgh society    
stand on end with horror4 ,in spite of  
the immoderate  expression of its       
opinions1 the magazine flourished--it   
was fresh and  novel1 and much genius   
was enlisted in writing for its pages4  
,the  editor's identity was always      
matter for conjecture2 but though the   
contributors included a number of       
distinguished men1 such as ,mackenzie1  
,de ,quincey1 ,hogg1 ,fraser ,tytler1   
and ,jameson1 there were two names      

which were always associated with the   
periodical--those of ,john ,gibson      
,lockhart and ,ferrier's uncle and      
father-in-law1 ,john ,wilson4 ,the      
latter  in particular was often held to 
be the real editor whom everyone was so 
anxious to discover1 but this belief has
 been emphatically denied4  ,although   
the management might appear to be in the
 control of a  triumvirate1 ,blackwood  
himself kept the supreme power in his   
hands1  whatever he might at times find 
it politic to lead outsiders to infer4  
,when ,ferrier began to write for it in 
#ahch1 ,blackwood's ,magazine was  not  
of course the same fiery publication of 
twenty years before2 nor  were          
,ferrier's articles for the most part of
 a nature such as to appeal  strongly to
 an excitable and partisan public4      
,things had changed much  since #ahag3  
the ,reform ,bill had passed2 the       
politics of the country  were very      
different2 the ,toryism of ,ferrier and 
his friends was quite  unlike the       

,toryism of the early part of the       
century3 it more resembled  the         
,conservatism or ,traditionalism of a   
yet later date1 which objected  to      
violent changes only owing to their     
violence1 and by no means to  reform1 if
 gradually carried out4 ,this policy was
 reflected in ,maga's  pages1 to which  
,ferrier would naturally turn when he   
wished to reach  the public ear1 both   
from family association and hereditary  
politics4  ,his first contribution was  
certainly not light in character2 nor   
did it  resemble the 'bright1 racy'     
articles which are supposed to be the   
requisite for modern serial             
publications4 ,the subject was ',an     
,introduction to the ,philosophy of     
,consciousness1' and it consisted of a  
series of papers contributed during two 
successive years 7#ahch and  #ahci71    
which really embodied the result of the 
work in which ,ferrier  had during the  
past few years been engaged1 and        
signified a complete  divergence from   

the accepted manner of regarding        
consciousness1 and a  protest against   
the 'faith-philosophy' which it became  
,ferrier's  special mission to combat4  
,perhaps it is only in ,scotland that a 
public  could be found sufficiently     
interested in speculative questions to  
make  them the subject of interest to a 
fairly wide and general circle1 such  as
 would be likely to peruse the pages of 
a monthly magazine like  ,blackwood's4  
,but of this interesting contribution to
 metaphysical  speculation1 in which    
,ferrier commenced his philosophical    
career by  grappling with the deepest   
and most fundamental questions in a     
manner1  as ,hamilton acknowledges1     
hitherto unattempted in the humbler     
speculations of this country1 we shall  
speak later on1 as also of his  further 
contributions to the magazine4    ,in   
the year #ahba1 ,sir ,william ,hamilton 
had been a candidate for the  ,chair of 
,moral ,philosophy along with ,john     
,wilson1 ,ferrier's future              

father-in-law4 ,in spite of ,wilson's   
literary gifts1 there is probably  no   
question that of the two his opponent   
was best qualified to teach  the        
subject1 owing to the greatness of his  
philosophical attainments  and the      
profundity of his learning4 ,but in the 
temper of the time the  merits of the   
candidates could not be calmly weighed  
by the ,town  ,council1 the electing    
body2 and ,hamilton was a ,whig1 and a  
,whig  contributor to that atheistical  
and ,jacobin ,edinburgh ,review1 and was
  therefore on no account to be elected4
 ,the disappointment to ,hamilton  was  
great2 but it was slightly salved by his
 subsequent election--to  their credit  
be it said1 for ,whig principles were   
far from popular  among them--by the    
,faculty of ,advocates to a chair       
rendered vacant in  #ahba by the        
resignation of ,professor ,fraser       
,tytler--the ,chair of ,civil  ,history4
 ,in #ahcf1 however1 ,sir ,william's    
merits at length received  their reward1

 and he became the ,professor of ,logic 
and ,metaphysics4  ,when ,ferrier       
probably felt the need of some more     
lucrative form of  employment1 he       
applied for the ,chair of ,history once 
occupied by  ,hamilton1 and rendered    
vacant by the resignation of ,professor 
,skene2 he  obtained the appointment in 
#ahdb1 and held it for four years       
subsequently4 ,large remuneration it    
certainly did not bring with it1  but   
the duties were comparatively and       
correspondingly light4#h ,indeed1  as   
attendance was not required of students 
studying for the degrees in  ,arts1 or  
for any of the professions1 the         
difficulty was to form a  regular class 
at all4 ,the salary paid to ,sir        
,william was #ajj a year1  and even this
 small sum was apparently only to be    
obtained with  difficulty4 ,the main    
advantage of holding the chair at all   
was the  prospect it held out of        
succeeding later on to some more        
important  office4 ,of ,ferrier's       

class-work at this time we know but     
little4 ,the  reading requisite for the 
post was likely to prove useful in later
  days1 and could not have been         
uncongenial2 but probably in a class    
sometimes formed--if tradition speak    
aright--of one solitary student1  the   
work of preparation would not be taken  
very seriously4 ,anyhow1  there was     
plenty of time left to pursue his       
philosophic studies2 and in  #ahdd-de1  
when ,sir ,william ,hamilton came so    
near to death1 ,ferrier acted  as his   
substitute1 and carried on his classes  
with zeal and with  success--a success  
which was warmly acknowledged by the    
,professor4 ,of  course1 though he      
conducted the examinations and other    
class-work1  ,ferrier merely read the   
lectures written by ,hamilton2 else     
there might1  one would fancy1 be found 
to be a lack of continuity between the  
deliverances of the two staunch friends 
but uncompromising opponents4  ,any     
differences of opinion made1 however1 no

 difference in their  friendship4 ,the  
distress of ,ferrier on his friend's    
sudden paralytic  seizure has already   
been described2 to his affectionate     
nature it was  no small thing that one  
for whom he had so deep a regard came so
 very  near death's door4 ,every ,sunday
 while in ,edinburgh1 he spent the      
afternoon in walking with his friend and
 in talking of the subjects  which most 
interested both4              #h ,there 
was a movement amongst the students to  
secure the            chair for ,thomas 
,carlyle1 then coming into fame amongst 
them2 but ,ferrier was chosen by the    
patrons1 the ,faculty of                
,advocates4    ,of these early days     
,professor ,fraser writes3--',my        
personal intercourse  with ,ferrier was 
very infrequent1 but very delightful    
when it did  occur4 ,he was surely the  
most picturesque figure among the       
,scottish  philosophers--easy1 graceful1
 humorous1 eminently subtle1 and with a 
fine literary faculty--qualities not    

conspicuous in most of them4 ,when  ,i  
was a private member of ,sir ,w4        
,hamilton's advanced class in           
metaphysics in #ahch-ci1 and for some   
years after1 ,i was often at ,sir       
,william's house1 and ,ferrier was      
sometimes of the party on these         
occasions4 ,i remember his kindly       
familiarity with us students1 the       
interest and sympathy with which he     
entered into metaphysical  discussion1  
his help and co-operation in a          
metaphysical society which  we were     
endeavouring to organise4 ,his essays on
 the ,philosophy of  ,consciousness were
 then being issued in ,blackwood1 and   
were felt to  open questions strange at 
a time when speculation was almost dead 
in  ,scotland--,reid at a discount1     
,brown found empty1 and ,hamilton1 with 
,kant1 only struggling into ascendency4 
',in these days1 if ,i remember right1  
,ferrier lived in ,carlton ,street1     
,stockbridge--an advocate whose interest
 was all in letters and  philosophy1 a  

student of simple habits1 fond of       
,german1 not a  conspicuous talker1 of  
easy polished manners and fond of a     
joke1 with a  scientific interest in all
 sorts of facts and their meanings1 and 
perhaps a disposition to paradox4 ,i    
remember the interest he took in        
phenomena of mesmeric sleep1 as it was  
called4 ,an eminent student was         
sometimes induced for experiment to     
submit himself to mesmeric  influence at
 these now far-off evening gatherings at
 ,sir ,william's4 ,to  ,ferrier the     
phenomena suggested curious speculation1
 but ,i think  without scientific       
result4' ,the subject was one on which  
,ferrier  afterwards wrote in           
,blackwood1 and it was a subject which  
always had  the deepest interest for    
him4 ,it1 however1 as he believed1 cost 
him the  friendship of ,professor       
,cairns1 a frequent subject at these    
informal  sances1 and one whom ,ferrier 
rashly twitted for what he evidently    
regarded as a weakness1 his easily      

accomplished subjection to the          
application of mesmeric power4    ,in   
#ahde the ,chair of ,moral ,philosophy  
in the ,university of ,st4 ,andrews1    
then occupied by ,dr4 ,cook1 and once   
held by ,dr4 ,chalmers1 became vacant   
by the former's death1 and ,ferrier     
entered as a candidate4 ,highly         
recommended as he was by ,hamilton and  
others1 ,ferrier was the  successful    
applicant1 and ,st4 ,andrews became his 
home for nineteen  years thereafter1 or 
until his death in #ahfd4    ,such is a 
bald statement of the facts of what     
would seem a singularly  uneventful     
life4 ,life divided between the study1  
library1 and  classroom1 there was      
little room for incident outside the    
ordinary  incidents of domestic and     
academic routine4 ,yet ,ferrier never   
sank into  the conventionality which    
life in a small ,university town might  
induce4  ,his interests were always     
fresh2 he was constantly engaged in     
writing  and rewriting his lectures1    

which1 unlike some of his calling1 he   
was  not content to read and re-read    
from year to year unaltered4 ,his       
thoughts were constantly on his subject 
and on his students1 planning  how best 
to communicate to them the knowledge    
that he was endeavouring  to convey--a  
life which came as near the ideal of    
philosophic devotion  as is perhaps     
possible in this nineteenth century of  
turmoil and  unrest4 ,still1 gentleman  
and man of culture as he was1 ,ferrier  
had a  fighting side as well1 and that  
side was once or twice aroused in all   
the vehemence of its native strength4   
,twice ,ferrier made application for a  
philosophical chair in the town of  his 
birth and boyhood4 ,in #aheb1 when his  
father-in-law1 ,john ,wilson1  retired1 
he became a candidate for the           
professorship of ,moral  ,philosophy in 
the ,university of ,edinburgh2 and then 
again1 in #ahef1 he  offered himself as 
a successor to ,sir ,william ,hamilton  
as ,professor of  ,logic and            

,metaphysics4 ,on neither occasion was  
he successful1 and on  both occasions he
 suffered much from calumnious          
statements respecting  his ',german' and
 unorthodox views--a kind of calumny    
which is more than  likely to arise and 
carry weight when the judges are men of 
honourable  character but of little     
education1 men to whom a shibboleth is  
everything and real progress in learning
 nothing4 ,on the first occasion  there 
were several candidates who submitted   
their applications1 but on  ,professor  
,m',cosh's retiring from the combat1 the
 two who were 'in the  running' were    
,professor ,ferrier of ,st4 ,andrews and
 ,professor ,macdougall  of the ,free   
,church ,college in ,edinburgh4 ,it is  
curious1 as instancing  the strange     
change which had come over the politics 
of ,scotland since  the ,reform ,act had
 passed1 that the very influences that  
told in favour  of ,john ,wilson in     
applying for a professorship in #ahba   
should thirty  years later tell as      

strongly against his son-in-law4 ,in    
#aheb1 nine  years after the            
,disruption1 so greatly had matters     
altered1 that the  ,free ,church liberal
 party carried all before it in the     
,corporation4 ,and  although the liberal
 journals of the earlier date were never
 tired of  maintaining liberty of       
thought and action1 yet when            
circumstances  changed1 the liberty     
appeared in a somewhat different light2 
and the  qualification of being a ,whig 
was added to a considerable number of   
appointments both in the ,church and in 
the ,state4 ,professor ,macdougall1     
,ferrier's opponent1 had held his       
professorship in the ,free ,church      
,college1 lately established for the    
teaching of theology and  preparation of
 candidates for the ministry4 ,on the   
establishment of the  ,college1 the     
subject of ,moral ,philosophy was       
considered to be one which  should be   
taught elsewhere than in an ',erastian' 
,university1 and  accordingly it was    

thought necessary to institute the chair
 occupied by  ,professor ,macdougall4   
,in the first instance the class was    
eminently  successful in point of       
numbers1 and the corresponding class in 
the  ,university proportionately        
suffered2 but as time went on the       
attendance  in the ,free ,church class  
dwindled1 and it was considered that    
this  chair need not be continued1 but  
that students might be permitted to     
attend at the ,university4 ,when        
,professor ,macdougall now offered      
himself  as candidate for the           
,university chair1 there was of course  
an immediate  outcry of a 'job4'        
,rightly or wrongly it was said1 ',let  
the ,free ,church  have a ,professor of 
her own body and opinions if she will1  
but why  force him upon the ,established
 ,church as well2 are her country and   
ministers to be indoctrinated with      
,voluntary principles8' ,there might    
not have been much force in the argument
 had the status of the two  candidates  

been the same1 but it was evident to all
 unprejudiced  observers that this was  
far from being the case4 ,and it could  
hardly be  pleaded in justification of  
the ,council's action that they formed  
their  judgment upon the testimonials   
laid before them2 for ,ferrier's far    
exceeded his rival's in weight1 if not  
in strength of expression1 and  included
 in their number communications from    
such men as ,sir ,william  ,hamilton1   
,de ,quincey1 ,bulwer1 ,alison1 and     
,lockhart--men the most  distinguished  
of the age4 ,de ,quincey's opinion of   
,ferrier is worth  quoting4 ,he says    
that he regards him as 'the             
metaphysician of greatest  promise among
 his contemporaries either in ,england  
or in ,scotland1' and  the testimonial  
which at this time he accorded ,ferrier 
is as remarkable  a document as is often
 produced on such occasions1 when       
commonplace  would usually appear to be 
the object aimed at4 ,it is several     
pages in  length1 and goes fully into   

the question not only of what ,ferrier  
was1  but also of what a candidate ought
 to be4 ,de ,quincey speaks warmly of   
,ferrier's services in respect of the   
,english rendering of ,faust  before    
alluded to1 and points out the benefit  
there is in having had an  education    
which has run along two separate        
paths--paths differing from  one another
 in nature1 doubtless1 but integrating  
likewise--the one  being that resulting 
from his intercourse with ,wilson and   
his literary  coterie1 the other that of
 the course of study he had pursued on  
,german  lines4 ,he sums up ,ferrier's  
philosophic qualities by saying1 ',out  
of  ,germany1 and comparing him with the
 men of his own generation1 such at     
least as ,i had any means of estimating1
 ,mr4 ,ferrier was the only man  who    
exhibited much of true metaphysical     
subtlety1 as contrasted with  mere      
dialectical acuteness4' ,for this       
testimonial1 we may incidentally        
mention1 ,ferrier writes a most         

interesting letter of thanks1 which is  
published in his ,remains4 ,as a return 
for the kindness done him1 he  'sets    
forth a slight chart of the speculative 
latitudes' he had  reached1 and which he
 'expects to navigate without being     
wrecked'--really an admirably clear     
epitome in so short a space of the      
argument of the ,institutes4    ,but to 
come back to the contest3 in spite of   
testimonials1 the fact  remained that   
,ferrier had studied ,german philosophy1
 and might have  imbibed some ,german   
infidelity1 while his opponent made no  
professions  of being acquainted either 
with the ,german philosophy or language1
  besides having the advantage of being 
a ,liberal and ,free ,churchman2 and  he
 was consequently appointed to the      
chair4 ,of course1 there was an  outcry4
 ,the election was put forward as an    
argument against the  abolition of      
,tests1 though in this case ,ferrier1 as
 an ,episcopalian1  might be said to be 
a ,dissenter equally with his opponent4 

,it was  argued that the election should
 be set aside unless the necessary      
subscription were made before the       
,presbytery of the bounds4 ,for a       
century back such tests had not been    
exacted as far as the ,moral            
,philosophy chair was concerned1 nor    
would they probably have been so  had   
,ferrier himself been nominated4 ,but   
though the ,presbytery concerned  was in
 this case prepared to go all lengths1  
it appeared that it was  not in its     
members that the initiative was vested1 
the practice being  to take the oath    
before the ,lord ,provost or other      
authorised  magistrate4 ,consequently1  
indignant at discovering their          
impotence1 the  members of the body     
retaliated by declaring that they would 
divert past  the new ,professor's class 
the students who should afterwards come 
within their jurisdiction1 and thus1 by 
their foolish action1 they  probably did
 their best to bring about the result   
they deprecated so  much--the abolition 

of ,tests in their entirety4            
,ecclesiastical feeling ran high at the 
time1 and things were said and  done on 
both sides which were far from being    
wise or prudent4 ,but the  effect on a  
sensitive nature like ,ferrier's is easy
 to imagine4 ,this  was the first blow  
he had met with1 and being the first he 
did not take  it quite so seriously to  
heart4 ,but when it was followed years  
later by  yet another repulse1          
signifying to his view an attitude of   
mind in  orthodox ,scotland opposed to  
any liberty of thought amongst its      
teachers1 ,ferrier felt the day for     
silence was ended1 and1 wisely or       
unwisely1 he published a hot defence of 
his position in a pamphlet  entitled    
,scottish ,philosophy1 the ,old and the 
,new4 ,on this occasion  the question   
had risen above the mere discussion of  
,church and ,tests2  the whole future of
 philosophy in ,scotland was1 he        
believed1 at stake2  it was time1 he    
felt1 that someone should speak out his 

mind1 and who  more suitable than the   
leader of the modern movement and the   
one1 as he  considered it1 who had      
suffered most by his opinions8          
,without having lived through the time  
or seen something of its effects1  it   
would be difficult to realise how narrow
 were the bounds allowed to  speculative
 thought some forty years ago in        
,scotland4 ,since the old  days of      
,moderatism and apathy there had1       
indeed1 been a great revival  of        
interest in such matters as concerned   
,belief4 ,men's convictions were        
intense and sincere2 and what had once  
been a subject of convention and  common
 usage1 had now become the one important
 topic of their lives4 ,so  far the     
change was all for the good2 it promoted
 many important  virtues2 it made men   
serious about serious things2 it made   
them realise  their responsibilities as 
human beings4 ,but as those who lived   
through  it1 or saw the results it      
brought about1 must also know1 it had   

another  side4 ,a certain spiritual     
self-assurance sprang into existence1   
which1  though it was bred of intense   
reality of conviction1 brought with it  
consequences of a specially trying kind 
to those who did not altogether  share  
in it4 ,as so often happens when a new  
light dawns1 men thought  that to them  
at length all truth had been revealed1  
and acted in  accordance with this      
belief4 ,they formulated their          
systems--hide-bound  almost as          
before--and decided in their minds that 
in them they had the  standards for     
judging of their fellows4 ,but ,truth is
 a strange  will-o'-the-wisp after      
all1--when we think we have reached her1
 she has  eluded our grasp1--and so when
 those rose up who said the end of the  
matter was not yet1 a storm of          
indignation fell upon their heads4 ,this
  is what happened with ,ferrier and the
 orthodox ,edinburgh world4 ,there      
might1 it was said by the latter1 be men
 lax enough to listen to  reasonings    

such as his1 and even to agree with     
them1 but for those who  knew the truth 
as it was in its reality1 such pandering
 to  latitudinarian doctrines was       
unpardonable4 ,and as at this time the  
,town  ,council of ,edinburgh was       
seriously inclined 7some of the members1
 in  the second instance1 were the same 
as those who had adjudicated in the     
former contest71 ,ferrier's fate was1 he
 considered1 sealed before the  question
 really came before them4 ,whether the  
matter was quite as  serious as ,ferrier
 thought1 it is perhaps unnecessary to  
say4 ,at  anyrate1 there was a          
considerable element of truth in the    
view he took  of it1 and he was         
justified in much--if not in all--of    
what he said in  his defence4 ,the      
,institutes1 first published in #ahed1  
had just  reached a second edition1 so  
that his views were fairly before the   
world4 ,what caused the tremendous      
outburst of opposition we must take     
another chapter to consider2 and then we

 must try to trace the course  of       
,ferrier's development from the time at 
which he first began to write  on       
philosophic subjects1 and when he openly
 broke with the ,scottish  ,school of   
,philosophy4          ,,chapter ,v      
,,development ,,of ',,scottish          
,,philosophy1 ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,the   
,,new'--,,ferrier ,,as ,a               
,,correspondent      ,it is probably in 
the main a wise rule for defeated       
candidates to keep  silence about the   
cause of their defeat4 ,but every rule  
has its  exception1 and there are times 
in which we honour a man none the less  
because--contrary to the dictates of    
worldly wisdom--he gives voice to  the  
sense of injustice that is rankling in  
his mind4 ,ferrier had been             
disappointed in #aheb in not obtaining  
the ,chair of ,moral ,philosophy for    
which he was a candidate2 but then he   
had not published the work which  has   
made his name famous1 and his claims    
were therefore not what  afterwards they

 became4 ,but when in #ahef1 after the  
,institutes had  been two years before  
the public1 and just after the book had 
reached a  second edition1 another      
defeat followed on the first1 ,ferrier  
ascribed  the result to the opposition  
to1 and misrepresentation of1 his       
system1  and claimed with some degree of
 justice that it was not his merits that
  were taken into account1 but the      
supposed orthodoxy1 or want of          
orthodoxy1 of his views4 ,for this      
reason he issued a ',statement' in      
pamphlet form1 entitled ,scottish       
,philosophy1 the ,old and the ,new1     
dealing with the matter at length4      
,in ,ferrier's view1 a serious crisis   
had been arrived at in the history  of  
the ,university of ,edinburgh1 and one  
which might lead to yet further  evil   
were not something done to place matters
 on a better footing4 ,had  the ,town   
,council1 the electing body1 been       
affected simply by personal  or         
sectarian feelings1 it would not so much

 have mattered2 but when  ,ferrier was  
forced to the conclusion that what they 
did must end in the  curtailment of all 
liberty in regard to philosophical      
opinion1 so far  as the ,university was 
concerned1 he felt the time had come to 
speak4  ,for a quarter of a century he  
had devoted the best part of his life   
and  energies to the study of           
philosophy1 and he held he had a duty to
  discharge to it as one of the public  
instructors of the land4 ,what  cause1  
he asked1 had a body like the ,council  
to say originality was to  be proscribed
 and independence utterly forbidden8    
,through their  liberalism tests had    
been practically abolished3 was another 
test1 far  more exacting than the last1 
to be substituted in their place8 ,a    
candidate for a philosopher's chair need
 not be a believer in ,christ or  a     
member of the ,established ,church2 but 
he must1 it would appear1  believe in   
,dr4 ,reid and the ,hamiltonian system  
of philosophy4    ,the 'common-sense'   

school1 against which ,ferrier's attacks
 were mainly  directed1 too often found 
its satisfaction in commonplace         
statements of  obvious facts1 and we    
cannot wonder that ,ferrier should ask  
why  ,scottish students should be       
required to pay for 'bottled air' while 
the  whole atmosphere is 'floating with 
liquid balm that could be had for       
nothing8'--a question1 indeed1 which    
cannot fail to strike whoever  tries to 
wade through certain tedious            
dissertations of the time1 all          
expressing truths which seem            
incontrovertible in their nature1 but   
all  of which are also inexpressibly    
uninteresting4 ,philosophy to ,ferrier  
is  not the elementary science that it  
would appear from these discourses3     
loose ways of thinking which we         
ordinarily adopt must1 he considers1 be 
rectified and not confirmed4 ,and yet he
 disclaims the accusation that  he has  
conjured with 'the portentous name of   
,hegel1' or derived his  system from    

,german soil4 ,hegel1 he constantly     
confesses1 is frequently  to him        
inexplicable1 and his system is         
,scottish to the core4    ,a warm debt  
of gratitude to ,hamilton1 ,ferrier1 it 
is true1 acknowledges  even while he    
differs from his views--a debt to one   
whose 'soul could  travel on eagles'    
wings1' and from whom he had learned so 
much--whom1  indeed1 he had loved so    
warmly4 ,hamilton had not agreed with   
,ferrier2  he had thought him wrong1 and
 told him so1 and ,ferrier was the last 
to  resent this action1 or think the    
less of him for not recanting at his    
word the conclusions of a lifetime's    
labour4 ,provocation1 the younger  man  
acknowledges1 he had often given him1   
and 'never was such rough  provocation  
retaliated with such gentle spleen4'    
,but what most roused ,ferrier's ire    
was1 not the criticisms of men like     
,hamilton1 but such as were contained in
 a pamphlet published by the  ,rev4 ,mr4
 ,cairns of ,berwick1 afterwards        

,principal ,cairns of the ,united       
,presbyterian ,college--a pamphlet which
 he believed had biassed the  judgment  
of the electors in making their         
decision4 ,we now know that  indirectly 
they had requested ,mr4 ,cairns's       
advice1 and he1 considering  that       
orthodoxy was being seriously threatened
 by ,german rationalistic  views1 had   
formulated his indictment against       
,ferrier in the strongest  possible     
terms4 ,he believed that in ,ferrier's  
writings there was an  attempt to       
substitute formal demonstration of real 
existence for  'belief1' thereby making 
faith of no effect2 also that he denied 
the  separate existence of the material 
world and the mind1 and that 7and       
probably this is the most serious count 
in the charge7 the  substantiality of   
the mind was subverted1 and consequently
 belief in  personal identity rendered  
impossible4 ,he further said that by    
,ferrier  absolute existence is reduced 
to a mere relation1 and finally1 that   

his  conception of a ,deity is          
inadequate1 and metaphysics and natural 
theology are divorced4    ,we cannot1 of
 course1 deal in detail with ,ferrier's 
energetic  repudiation of the accusation
 brought so specifically against him4   
,the  heat with which he wrote seems    
scarcely justified now that we look back
  on it from the standpoint of more than
 forty years ahead4 ,but we do not      
realise how much such accusations meant 
at the time at which they were          
made--how they affected not a man's     
personal advancement only1 but also  the
 opinion in which he was held by those  
for whose opinion he cared  the most4   
,the greater toleration of the present  
day may mean  corresponding lack of zeal
 or interest1 but surely it also means a
  recognition of the fact that men may  
choose their own methods in the  search 
for truth without thereby endangering   
the object held in view4  ,mr4 ,cairns's
 attack--without intention1 for he was  
an honourable man  and able scholar--was

 unjust4 ,ferrier does not claim to     
prove  existence--he accepts it1 and    
only reasons as to what it is2 as to the
  material world1 he acknowledges not a 
mere material world1 but one  along with
 which intelligence is and must be      
known2 the separate  existence of mind  
he likewise denies only in so far as to 
assert that  mind without thought is    
nonsense4 ,the substantiality of the    
mind he  maintains as the one great     
permanent existence amid all            
fluctuations  and contingencies1 and    
without personal identity1 he tells us1 
there  can be no continued consciousness
 amid the changes of the unfluctuating  
existence called the ',i'--though in    
this regard one feels that  something is
 left to say in criticism1 from the     
orthodox point of view4  ,absolute      
existence is indeed reduced into        
relations1 but into relations  together 
constituting the truth1 if contradictory
 in themselves2 that  is1 a concrete1 as
 distinguished from an abstract truth4  

,as to the  final accusation of the     
insufficiency of ,ferrier's view of the 
,deity1  it is true he states that the  
,deity is not independent of ,his       
creative  powers1 revelation and        
manifestation2 but surely this is a     
worthier  conception than the old one of
 the ,unknown ,god1 which tells us to   
worship we know not what4    ,the pity  
is that in this publication1 and another
 on very similar  lines1#i ,ferrier     
allowed himself to turn from            
philosophical to  personal criticism1   
and to say what he must afterwards have 
regretted4  ,in the second edition of   
his first pamphlet these references were
  modified1 and in any case they must be
 ascribed to the quick temper  with     
which he was naturally endowed1 and     
which led him to express his  feelings  
more strongly than he should1 rather    
than to deliberate  judgment4 ,no one   
was more sensible than he of the danger 
to which he  was subject of allowing    
himself to be carried off his feet in   

the heat  of argument4 ,this is very    
clearly shown by a letter to a friend   
quoted  in the ,remains3 ',one thing ,i 
would recommend1 not to be too sharp in 
your criticism of others4 ,no one has   
committed this fault oftener1 or  is    
more disposed to commit it than myself2 
but ,i am certain that it is  not       
pleasing to the reader1 and after an    
interval it is displeasing to  oneself4 
,in the heat and hurry of writing a     
lecture ,i often hit a  brother         
philosopher as ,i think cleverly enough1
 but on coming to it  coolly next year  
,i very seldom repeat the passage4' ,an 
admission and  acknowledgment which does
 a proud man like ,ferrier credit4      
#i ,a ,letter to the ,lord ,advocate on 
the ,necessity of a            ,change  
in the ,patronage of the ,university of 
,edinburgh4    ,one cannot help         
speculating on the effect of the mass of
 criticism and  counter-criticism 7for  
there were others who took up the       
cudgels on  either side1 once the       

controversy was fairly started7 upon the
  unfortunate ,town ,councillors of     
,edinburgh1 to whom they were directed3 
one would imagine them to wish their    
powers curtailed if they were to        
involve their mastering several         
conflicting theories of existence1 and  
forming a just judgment regarding their 
respective merits4 ,the exercise  of    
patronage is always a difficult and     
thankless task1 but surely in no  case  
could it have been more difficult than  
in this1 and we can hardly  wonder now  
that the electors simply took the advice
 of those they  deemed most worthy to   
bestow it2 certainly the candidate      
finally  selected was one who did       
everything in the occupation of his     
chair to  disarm the criticism then     
brought to bear upon the appointment4   
,in  cooler moments probably none would 
have been readier to admit this than    
was ,ferrier2 but when he wrote he was  
smarting under the sense of  having     
failed to receive a fair consideration  

of his claims1 and he  undoubtedly spoke
 more strongly than the case required4  
,after this controversy was over1       
,ferrier's interest in polemical        
philosophy in great degree waned2 and in
 the quiet of the old  ,university town 
of ,st4 ,andrews--the town which        
provides so rich a fund  of historic    
interest combined with the academic calm
 of ,university  life--,ferrier passed  
the remainder of his days working at his
 favourite  subjects4 ,sometimes these  
were varied by incursions into          
literature1 in  which his interest grew 
ever keener2 and economics1 which was   
one of  the subjects he was bound to    
teach4 ,his life was uneventful2 it was 
varied little by expeditions into the   
outer world1 much as these would  have  
been appreciated by his friends4 ,his   
whole interest was centred in  his work 
and in the ,university in which he      
taught1 and whose well-being  was so    
dear to him4 ,of his letters1 few1      
unfortunately1 have been  preserved2 and

 this is the more unfortunate that he   
had the gift1 now  comparatively so     
rare1 of expressing himself with ease1  
and in bright1  well-chosen language4   
,of his correspondents one only seems to
 have  preserved the letters written to 
him1 ,mr4 ,george ,makgill of ,kemback1 
a  neighbouring laird in ,fife and      
advocate in ,edinburgh1 whose similarity
  in tastes drew him towards the ,st4   
,andrews ,philosophy ,professor4    ,of 
these letters there are some of         
sufficient interest to bear  quotation4 
,one of the first is written in ,october
 #ahea from ,st4  ,andrews1 and plunges 
into the deepest topics without much    
preface4  ,ferrier says3--    ',what is 
the ,beginning of ,philosophy8          
,philosophy must have had the same      
,beginning that all other things have1  
otherwise there would be  something     
peculiar or anomalous or sectarian in   
its origin1 which would  destroy its    
claims to genuineness and catholicity4  
,what1 then1 is the  ,beginning of all  

things and consequently the ,beginning  
of ,philosophy8    ',answer--,,want4    
',want is the ,beginning of ,philosophy 
because it is the ,beginning of all     
things4 ,is the ,beginning of           
,philosophy a bodily want8 ,no4 ,why    
not8  ,because nothing that may be given
 to the ,body has any effect in         
appeasing the want4 ,the ,beginning of  
,philosophy1 then1 must be an           
intellectual want--a ,hunger of the     
,soul4    ',but all wants have their    
objects in which they seek and find     
their  gratification4 ,what then is the 
object of the hunger of the soul8       
',answer--,,knowledge4    ',philosophy  
is a ,hunger of the ,soul after         
,knowledge4 ,what is                    
,knowledge8--reduced through various    
intermediate stages to question1  what  
is the common and essential quality in  
all knowledge--the quality  which makes 
knowledge knowledge8 ,answer approached 
by raising question3  ,what is the      
essential quality in all food--the      

quality which makes food  food8 ,this is
 obviously its physically nutritive     
quality4 ,whatever has  the nutritive   
property is food2 whatever has it not is
 not food1  however like excellent beef 
and mutton it may be4 ,so in regard to  
knowledge1 its common and essential     
quality--the quality in virtue of  which
 knowledge is knowledge--is its         
nutritive quality4 ,whatever  nourishes 
and satisfies the mind is knowledge1 as 
whatever nourishes  and satisfies the   
body is food4 ,the intellectually       
nutritive property  in knowledge is the 
common and essential property in        
knowledge4 ,what is  the nutritive      
quality in knowledge8 ,answer 7without  
beating about the  bush7--,,truth4      
',what is ,,truth8 ,answer--,truth is   
whatever is supported by ,evidence4     
',what is ,,evidence8 ,evidence is      
whatever is supported by ,experience4   
,what is ,,experience8 ,here we stop2 we
 can only divide ,experience into  its  
kinds1 which are two1 ,experience of    

,fact and ,experience of ,pure  ,reason4
 ,observe the manoeuvre in the last line
 by which you knaves of  the            
anti-metaphysical school are outwitted4 
,you oppose ,pure ,reason to            
,experience1 and philosophers generally 
assent to the distinction4  ,this at    
once gives your school the advantage1   
for the world will always  cleave to    
experience in preference to anything    
else1 leaving us  metaphysicians1 who   
are supposed to abandon experience1     
hanging as it  were in baskets in the   
clouds4 ,but ,i do not abandon          
experience as the  ultimate foundation  
of all knowledge2 only ,i maintain that 
there are  two kinds of experience1 both
 of which are equally experience1 the   
experience of ,fact and the experience  
of ,pure ,reason4 ,you are thus         
deprived of your advantage4 ,i am as    
much a man of experience as you  are4'  
,evidently it had been a question with  
,ferrier whether he should use the      
expression ,experience1 so well known to

 us now1 or substitute for it           
,consciousness1 which1 as a matter of   
fact1 he afterwards did3 ',why is  it so
 grievous and fatal an error to confound
 ,experience and  ,consciousness8 ,is   
not a man's experience the whole        
developed contents  of his              
consciousness8 ,i cannot see how this   
can be denied4 ,and  therefore1 before  
you wrote1 ,i was swithering 7and am so 
still7  whether ,i should not make      
consciousness the basis of the whole    
superstructure--the raw material of the 
article which in its finished  state is 
knowledge4 ,after all1 the dispute1 ,i  
suspect1 is mainly  verbal4'    ,there  
are many evidences in these letters that
 ,ferrier was not  neglecting ,german   
,philosophy1 for taking ,experience as  
his basis he  shows how it may be       
divided into ,wesen 7-an sich71 ,seyn   
7fr  sich71 and the ,begriff            
7anundfrsich7 on the lines of ,german   
metaphysics4 ,as to the ',common-,sense'
 ,philosophy1 he expresses himself  in  

no measured terms3 ',i am glad we agree 
in opinion as to the merits  of the     
,common-,sense ,philosophy4 ,considered 
in its details and  accessories1 it     
certainly contains many good things2    
but1 viewed as a  whole and in          
essentialibus1 it is about the greatest 
humbug that ever  was palmed off upon an
 unwary world4 ,as an instance among    
many which  might be adduced1 of the    
ambiguity of the word1 and of the       
vacillation  of the members of this     
school1 it may be remarked that while   
,reid made  the essence of common-sense 
to consist in this1 that its judgments  
are  not conclusions obtained by        
ratiocination 7,works1 ,sir ,w4         
,hamilton's  edition1 p4 #dbe71         
,stewart1 on the contrary1 holds that   
these judgments  are the result of a    
train of reasoning so rapid as to escape
 notice  7,elements1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajc74 
,sir ,w4's one hundred and six witnesses
  are a most conglomerate set1 and a    
little cross-examination would try      

their mettle severely4'    ,the most    
important part of ,ferrier's system was 
his working out of the  ',theory of     
,ignorance1' in which1 indeed1 he might 
congratulate himself  in having in great
 measure broken open new ground4 ,he    
says of it3  ',hurrah1 ,greek3 eurka1 ,i
 have discovered the ,law of            
,ignorance--and  if ,i had a hecatomb of
 kain hens at my command ,i would       
sacrifice them  instanter to the        
propitious patron of metaphysics4 ,look 
you here4 ,the  ,law of ,knowledge is   
this1 that1 in order to know any one    
thing we  must always know two things2  
hoc cum alio--object plus subject--thing
   me4 ,this is the unit of knowledge4  
,analogously1 only inversely1 in  order 
to be ignorant of any one thing we must 
be ignorant of two  things--hujus cum   
alio--object plus subject--thing  me4   
,this is the  unit of ignorance4'       
,apparently1 in spite of full           
explanation of his  newly-discovered    
view1 ,ferrier's correspondent had      

failed to take it  in1 and consequently 
he gently rails at him for 'sticking at 
the  axiom1' and wishes him to help him 
to a name for what he calls the         
',agnoiology' for want of something     
better4 ,he goes on3 ',i take it that   
,i have caught you in my net1 and that  
wallop about as you will ,i shall  land 
you at last4 ,i have now little fear    
that ,i shall succeed in  convincing    
you1 or at anyrate less hardened        
sinners1 that the knowledge  of         
object-subject is a self-contradiction1 
and that therefore  object-subject1 or  
matter per se1 is not a thing of which  
we can with  any sense or propriety be  
said to be ignorant4 ,be this as it may1
 you  must at anyrate recognise in this 
doctrine a very great novelty in        
philosophy4 ,the more incogitable a     
thing becomes1 the more ignorant of  it 
do we become--that is the natural       
supposition4 ,is it not then a  bold and
 original stroke to show that when a    
thing passes into absolute              

incogitability we cease that instant to 
be ignorant of it8 ,i believe  that     
doctrine to be right and true1 but ,i am
 certain that1 obvious as  it is1 it has
 been nowhere anticipated or even hinted
 at in the bygone  career of            
speculation4 ,i claim this as my        
discovery4 ,in the doctrine  of         
,ignorance ,i believe that ,i have      
absolutely no precursor4 ,what think    
you8'    ,mr4 ,makgill had accused      
,ferrier of anthropomorphism in his     
system1 and  he replies as              
follows3--',you cannot charge me with   
anthropomorphism  without being guilty  
of it yourself4 ,don't you see that the 
,beyond  all human thought and knowledge
 is itself a category of human  thought8
 ,there is much navet in the procedure  
of you cautious  gentry who would keep  
scrupulously within the length of your  
tether3  as if the conception of a      
without that tether was not a mode of   
thinking4 ,will you tell me why you and 
,kant and others don't make  existence a

 category of human thought8 ,this has   
always puzzled me4    ',surely the man  
who made extension and time mere forms  
of human  knowledge need have made no   
bones of existence4 ,meanwhile1 as the  
post  is just starting1 ,i beg you to   
consider this1 that the anthropomorphist
  and the anti-anthropomorphists are    
both of necessity anthropomorphists1    
and for my part ,i maintain that the    
anti-man is the bigger  anthropomorphist
 of the two4' ,this criticism of the    
',beyond' and its  unknowableness1 while
 yet it was acknowledged1 is as much to 
the point  in the present day as it was 
in those1 and its statement brings      
forcibly before our minds the truth of  
,goethe's well-known saying3  ',der     
,mensch begreift niemals wie            
anthropomorphisch er ist4'    ,the      
doctrine of ,ignorance1 so essential to 
,ferrier's system1 he found  it hard to 
make clear to others3--',i am astonished
 at your not seeing  the use1 indeed the
 absolute necessity1 of a true doctrine 

of  ignorance4 ,this blindness of yours 
shows me what ,i may expect from the    
public2 and how careful ,i must be1 if  
,i would go down at all1 to render      
myself perfectly clear and explicit4    
,don't you see that a correct  doctrine 
of ignorance is necessary for two       
reasons--first1 on account  of the false
 doctrine of ignorance universally      
prevalent1 one which  has hitherto      
rendered1 and must ever render1 anything
 like a scientific  ontology impossible2
 and1 secondly1 because this correct    
theory of  ignorance follows inevitably 
from my doctrine of knowledge8 ,this1   
which  ,i consider a very strong        
recommendation1 an indispensable        
condition of  the theory of ignorance1  
is the very ground on which you object  
to it4  ,surely you would not have me   
establish a doctrine of ignorance which 
was not consistent with my doctrine of  
knowledge4 ,surely ,i am entitled  to   
deduce all that is logically deducible  
from my principles4 ,your  meaning ,i   

presume is that my doctrine of ignorance
 flows so manifestly  from my doctrine  
of knowledge that it is unnecessary to  
develop and  parade it4 ,there ,i differ
 from you4 ,it flows inevitably1 but ,i 
cannot  think that it flows obviously4  
,else why was it never hit upon until   
now8444 ,don't tell me1 then1 that my   
conclusions that matter per  se1 ,ding  
an sich1 is what it is impossible for us
 to be ignorant of1  just because it is 
absolutely unknowable 7and for no other 
reason74  ,don't tell me that this      
conclusion is so obvious as not to      
require to  be put down in black and    
white1 when we find ,kant and every     
other  philosopher drawing1 but most    
erroneously1 the directly opposite      
conclusion from the same premises4      
,matter per se1 ,ding an sich1 was  of  
all things that of which we were most   
ignorant66 and the ruin of  metaphysics 
was the consequence of their infatuated 
blindness4 ,your  objection1 then1 to my
 doctrine of ignorance1 viz41 that it is

 fixed in  the very fixing of the       
doctrine of knowledge1 and therefore    
does not  require explication or        
elucidation1 ,i cannot regard as a good 
objection4 ,it is true that the one of  
these fixes the other2 but it  requires 
some amount of explanation and          
demonstration to make this  palpable to 
the understandings even of the most     
acute1 and ,i am not  sure that even you
 7yes1 put on your best pair of         
spectacles1 you will  need them7 yet see
 how impossible it is for us to be      
ignorant of matter  per se1 or of       
anything which is absolutely            
unknowable4'    ,this matter of the     
,ding an sich ,ferrier felt to be the   
crucial point  in his system3 ',you talk
 glibly of existence per se1 as maids of
  fifteen do of puppy dogs4 ,this shows 
that1 like a carpet knight1 you  have   
never smelt the real smoke of           
metaphysical battle1 but at most  have  
taken part in the sham fights and       
listened to the shotless popguns  of the

 martinet of ,knigsberg4 ,you will find 
existence per se a  tougher customer    
than you imagine4'    ,as to the        
,institutes1 then on the verge of       
publication1 the author  says3 ',i am   
inclined to follow your advice1 so far1 
in regard to the  title of the work1 and
 to call it the ,theory of ,knowing and 
,being1  leaving out ignorance4 ,but why
 an introduction to metaphysics8 ,if    
this be an introduction to metaphysics1 
pray1 ,mr4 ,pundit1 what and  where are 
metaphysics themselves8 ,no1 sir1 it    
shall be called a  text-book of         
metaphysics1 meaning thereby1 that it is
 a complete body  7and soul7 of         
metaphysics4 ,you are an uncommonly     
modest fellow in so  far as the         
protestations of your friends are       
concerned6'    ,this correspondence     
appears to have continued regularly for 
some years1  and to have dealt almost   
entirely with metaphysical and economic 
subjects--the subjects which were       
constantly in ,ferrier's mind1 as he    

taught them in the ,university and tried
 to work them out in his study4         
,doubtless it was of the greatest use to
 him to be able to write about  them as 
he would1 had opportunity served1 have  
spoken2 and this  opportunity was       
afforded by his friendship with his     
correspondent1  whose interest in       
philosophy was keen1 and whose critical 
faculties  were exceptionally acute1    
although he never accomplished any      
original  work on philosophical lines4  
,of other letters few have been         
preserved4 ,absence from home did not   
make a reason for writing1 for          
,ferrier's journeyings were but few4 ,in
  #ahei1 however1 he made an expedition 
to ,england to see his  newly-married   
daughter1 ,lady ,grant1 start for ,india
 with her husband1  ,sir ,alexander     
,grant1 after his appointment to the    
,chancellorship of the  ,university of  
,bombay4 ,from ,southampton he made his 
way to the scene of  his schooldays at  
,greenwich1 from which place he writes  

to one of the  sons of ,dr4 ,bruce of   
,ruthwell1 with whom he spent a happy   
childhood3  ',one of our ftes was a     
sumptuous fish dinner at ,greenwich4 ,i 
call it  sumptuous1 but in truth the    
fish was utter trash1 the best of them  
not  comparable to ,loch ,fyne herring4 
,whitebait is the greatest humbug of    
the age1 though it may be heresy to say 
so in your neighbourhood4' ,this        
journey was concluded by a visit to     
,oxford and to the ,lake country1  with 
both of which ,ferrier's associations   
were so many and so  agreeable4    ,the 
following is a letter1 dated #bast      
,march #ahfb1 to ,professor             
,lushington1 his friend and             
biographer3--',i have been very remiss  
in not  acknowledging your photograph1  
which came safe1 and is much admired by 
all who have seen it4 ,i must get a book
 for its reception and that of  some    
other worthies1 otherwise my children   
will appropriate it for  their          
collections1 with which the house is    

swarming4444 ,the ego is an  infinite   
and active capacity of never being      
anything in particular4 ,i  will uphold 
that definition against the world4 ,did 
you never feel how  much you revolted   
from being fixed and determined8 ,depend
 upon it1 that  is the true nature of a 
spirit--never to be any determinate     
existence4  ,this is our real           
immutability--for death can get hold    
only of that  which has a determinate   
being4 ,we stand loose from all         
determinations4 ,that is our chance of  
escaping his clutches4    ,this         
expresses ,ferrier's views and hopes for
 an after life3 he looked  forward to an
 immortality in which the particular and
 determinate  should disappear and only 
the absolute element remain--in which   
death  should mean only the rising from 
the individual into a true and          
universal life4 ,it is a matter to which
 he frequently refers1 and  always in   
terms of a very similar nature4 ,we     
shall see how1 when the  end was coming 

near1 his views remained the same1 and  
he was able to  face the inevitable     
without a qualm or shadow of complaint4 
,,chapter ,,vi    ,,ferrier',s ,,system 
,,of ,,philosophy--,,philosophical      
,,writings      ',if one were asked1'   
says ,professor ,fraser1 'for the       
,english writings  which are fitted in  
the most attractive way to absorb a     
reader of  competent intelligence and   
imagination in the final or metaphysical
  question concerning the ,being in     
which we and the world of sensible      
things participate1 ,berkeley's         
,dialogues1 ,hume's ,inquiry into ,human
  ,understanding1 and some of the lately
 published ,philosophical  ,remains of  
,professor ,ferrier are probably those  
which would best  deserve to be         
mentioned4'    ,it has been given to few
 philosophers of modern days to write on
  philosophic questions in a manner at  
once so lucid and so convincing as  that
 of ,ferrier4 ,nor can it in his case be
 said that matter is  sacrificed to     

form1 for the writer does not hesitate  
to 'nail his  colours to the mast1' as  
he himself expresses it1 and to tackle  
questions the most vital in their       
character in a straightforward and      
uncompromising fashion4 ,his earliest   
published writings1 as we have  seen1   
took the form of a series of seven      
articles1 which appeared1  roughly      
speaking1 in alternate months1 between  
,february of #ahch and  ,march of #ahci4
 ,these articles1 entitled ,an          
,introduction to the  ,philosophy of    
,consciousness1 represented the results 
of their author's  work during the years
 which had elapsed since he first began 
to be  really interested in philosophy1 
and to feel that the way of looking at  
it adopted almost universally in        
,scotland was not satisfying to         
himself1 or in any way defensible4      
,the whole point in ,ferrier's view     
turns upon the way in which we look  at 
',mind4' ',the human mind1 to speak it  
profanely1' says ,ferrier1 'is  like the

 goose that laid the golden eggs4 ,the  
metaphysician resembles  the analytic   
poulterer who slew it to get at them in 
a lump1 and found  nothing for his      
pains4444 ,look at thought1 and feeling1
 and passion1  as they glow in the pages
 of ,shakespeare--golden eggs indeed6   
,look at  the same as they stagnate on  
the dissecting-table of ,dr4 ,brown1 and
  marvel at the change4 ,behold how     
shapeless and extinct they have         
become6' ,locke began by saying there   
are no original ideas1 simply           
impressions from without2 ,hume then    
says cause and effect are incapable  of 
explanation1 and the notion which we    
form of them is a nonentity1  seeing    
that we have a series of impressions    
alone to work from2 ,reid  says there is
 a mind and there is an object1 and     
calls in common-sense  to interpret     
between the two4 ,but the mistake all   
through is very  evident3 man looks at  
,nature in a certain way1 interprets her
 by  certain categories1 and then he    

turns his eye upon himself1             
endeavouring thereby to judge of what he
 finds within by methods of a  similar  
kind4 ,and the human mind cannot be so  
'objectised'2 it is  something more than
 the sum of its 'feelings1' 'passions1' 
and 'states  of mind4' ,dr4 ,reid had   
done a service by exploding the old     
doctrine of  'ideas'2 he brought mind   
into contact with immediate things1 but 
much  more is left for us to do2 the    
same office has to be performed for     
'mind'--that is1 mind when we regard it 
as something which connects us  with the
 universe1 or something which can be    
looked at and examined1 as  we might    
look at or examine a thing outside      
ourselves1 and not as that  which is    
necessary to any such examination4 ',is 
it not enough for a man  that he is     
himself8 ,there can be no dispute about 
that4 ,i am2 what  more would ,i have8  
,what more would ,i be8 ,why would ,i be
 mind8 ,i am  myself therefore let it   
perish4'    ,what1 then1 makes a man    

what he is8 ,it is the fact of          
consciousness1  the fact which marks him
 off from all other things with a deep  
line of  separation4 ,it is this and    
this alone1 ,ferrier says1 this 'human  
phenomenon1' and not its objects1       
passions1 or emotions1 which leads us   
into pastures fresh and far separated   
from the dreary round which the  old    
metaphysicians followed4 ,the same      
discovery1 of course1 is always  being  
made1 though to ,ferrier it was new2 we 
are always straying into  devious ways1 
ways that lead us into grey regions of  
abstraction1 and  we always want to be  
called back to the concrete and the     
real1 to the  freshness and the         
brightness of life as it is and lives4  
,ferrier from this time onwards1 from   
his youth until his death1 kept  one    
definite aim in view3 the object of his 
life was to insist with all  his might  
that our interests must be concentrated 
on man as he is as  man1 and not on a   
mere sum-total of passions and          

sensations by which  the human being is 
affected4 ,the consciousness of a state 
of mind is  very different from that    
state of mind itself1 and the two must  
be kept  absolutely distinct4 ',let mind
 have the things which are mind's1 and  
man the things which are man's4' ,we    
should1 ,ferrier says1 fling 'mind'  and
 its lumber overboard1 busy ourselves   
with the man and his facts4  ,man's     
passions and sensations may be referred 
to 'mind' indeed1 but he  cannot lay his
 hands upon the fact of consciousness4  
,that fact cannot  be conceived of as   
vested in the object called the 'human  
mind1' an  object being something really
 or ideally different from ourselves4   
,in  speaking of 'my mind1' mind may be 
what it chooses1 but the  consciousness 
is in the ego2 and mind is really       
destitute of  consciousness1 otherwise  
the ego would necessarily be present in 
it4  ,the dilemma is as follows3        
',unless the philosophers of mind       
attribute  consciousness to mind1 they  

leave out of view the most important    
phenomena of man2 and if they attribute 
consciousness to mind1 they  annihilate 
the object of their research1 in so far 
as the whole extent  of this fact is    
concerned4'    ,since ,ferrier's time   
this point has been worked out very     
fully1 and by  none more successfully   
than by an ,english philosopher1        
,professor ,t4 ,h4  ,green of ,oxford1  
in his ,introduction to the works of    
,hume4 ,but when  ,ferrier wrote1 his   
ideas were new2 in ,england at least he 
was breaking  up ground hitherto        
untouched1 and therefore the debt of    
gratitude we  owe him is not small1     
especially when we consider the forces  
against  which he warred4               
',common-sense1' the solution offered   
for all  philosophic difficulties1 is   
really the problem of philosophy1 and to
  speak of the 'philosophy of           
common-sense' is simply to confuse the  
problem with its solution4              
,common-sense1 or rather what is given  

by its  means1 has simply to be         
construed into intelligible forms3 in   
itself it  makes no attempt to solve the
 difficulties that present themselves1  
and  it is folly to suggest its doing   
so4 ,when a man speaks of my  sensations
 or my states of mind1 he means         
something of which he--as               
consciousness--is independent1 and which
 can be made an object to him4  ,were it
 not so1 of course he could not possibly
 arrive at freedom1 but  would merely be
 the helpless child of destiny2 and1 as 
,ferrier points  out1 were consciousness
 and sensation one1 consciousness would 
not have  the power1 undoubtedly        
possessed by it1 of 'recovering the     
balance'  that it loses on experiencing 
pain or passion2 the return of          
consciousness1 as he puts it1 'lowers   
the temperature' of the sensation  or   
the passion1 and the man regains the    
personality that for the time  had      
almost vanished4 ,a man1 he tells us1   
can hardly even be said to be  the      

'victim' of his mind1 and               
irresponsible--i4e41 man stands aloof   
from the modifications which may visit  
him1 therefore we should study  him as  
he is1 and not merely these 'states of  
mind' common to him and  to animals     
alike4 ,and consciousness must be       
active1 exercising itself  upon those   
states1 and thereby realising human     
freedom4    ,philosophy1 then1 is the   
gospel of freedom as contrasted with the
  bondage of the physical kingdom4 ,but 
we are in subjection at the first1  and 
all our lifetime a constant fight is    
being carried on4 ,philosophy  paints   
its grey in grey1 another great         
philosopher has told us1 only  when the 
freshness and life of youth has gone3   
the reconciliation is in  the ideal1 not
 the actual world4 ,and so with         
,ferrier3 ',the flowers of  thy         
happiness1' says he1 'are withered4     
,they could not last2 they  gilded but  
for a day the opening portals of life4  
,but in their place ,i  will give thee  

freedom's flowers4 ,to act according to 
thy inclination  may be enjoyment2 but  
know that to act against it is liberty1 
and  thou only actest thus because thou 
art really free4' ,great and weighty    
words1 which might be pondered by many  
more than those to whom they  were      
originally addressed4    ,having        
established his fundamental principles1 
,ferrier goes on to trace  the birth of 
self-consciousness in the child--the    
knowledge of itself  as ',i1' which     
means the knowledge of good and         
evil--the moral birth4  ,perception1    
again1 is a synthesis of sensation and  
consciousness--the  realisation of self 
in conjunction with the sensation       
experienced3 it  is1 of course1 peculiar
 to man4 ,things can only take effect on
 'me'  when there is a 'me' to take     
effect upon1 and not at birth1 or before
 ,i  come to consciousness4             
,consciousness is the very essence and  
origin of  the ego2 without             
consciousness no man would be ',i4' ,it 

is our refusal  to be acted on by       
outside impressions that constitutes our
 personality  and perception of them2   
our communication with the universe is  
the  communication of non-communication4
 ,and the ego is not something  which   
comes into the world ready-made2 it is a
 living activity which is  never        
passive1 for were it passive1 it would  
be annihilated2 in  submitting to the   
action of causality its life would be   
gone4 ,our  destiny is to free ourselves
 from the bonds of nature1 from that    
'blessed state of primeval innocence1'  
the blessedness1 after all1 of  bondage4
 ,a man cannot be until he acts1 for his
 ,being arises out of  his actions3     
consciousness being an act1 our proper  
existence is the  consequence of that   
act4 ,his natural condition for others1 
and before  he comes to existence1      
,ferrier says1 is given1 while his      
existence for  himself is made by his   
thinking himself4 ,it is only in the    
latter case  that he can attain to      

,liberty1 instead of remaining bound by 
the bonds  imposed upon him by          
,necessity4 ,the three great moments of 
humanity are3  first1 the natural or    
given man in enslaved ,being2 second1   
the  conscious man in action working    
into freedom against passion2 third1    
the ',i'3 man as free1 that is1 real    
personal ,being4    ,philosophy has thus
 a great future before her4 ,instead of 
being a mere  dead theory as heretofore1
 she becomes renovated into a new life  
when  she gets her proper place2 she is 
separated from her supposed  connection 
with the physical world1 and is         
recognised as consciousness4  ,when this
 is so1 she loses her merely theoretic  
aspect1 and is  identified with the     
living practical interests of mankind4  
,the dead  symbols become living        
realities1 the dead twigs are clothed   
with  verdure4 ',know thyself1 and in   
knowing thyself thou shalt see that this
  self is not thy true self2 but1 in the
 very act of knowing this1 thou  shalt  

at once displace this false self1 and   
establish thy true self in  its room4'  
,and ,ferrier goes on to trace the      
bearings of his theories in  the moral  
and intellectual world4 ,he finds in    
morality something more  than a refined 
self-love2 he finds the dawning will    
endeavouring to  assert itself1 to break
 free from the trammels imposed upon it 
by  nature4 ,freedom1 the great end of  
man1 is contravened by the passive      
conditions of his nature2 these are     
therefore wrong1 and every act of       
resistance tends to the accomplishment  
of the one important end1 which  is to  
procure his liberty4    ,this essay1 or 
series of essays1 gives the keynote to  
,ferrier's thought  and writings1       
therefore it seemed worth while to      
consider its argument  in detail4 ,the  
completeness of the break with the old  
philosophy is  manifest4 ,the           
'scientific' methods applied to every   
region of knowledge  were then in       
universal use1 and no little courage was

 required to  challenge their           
pretensions as they were challenged by  
,ferrier4 ,but in  courage1 as we know1 
,ferrier was never lacking4 ,his mind   
once made up1  he had no fear in making 
his opinions known4 ,he considered that 
the  ,scottish ,philosophy had become   
something very like materialism in the  
hands of ,brown and others1 and he      
believed that the whole point of view   
must be changed if a really spiritual   
philosophy was to take its place4       
,there may be traces of the impetuosity 
of youth in this attack3 much  working  
out was undoubtedly required before it  
could be said that a  system had been   
established4 ,but all the same this     
essay is a brilliant  piece of          
philosophic writing--instinct with life 
and enthusiasm--one  which must have    
made its readers feel that the dry bones
 of a dead  system had wakened into     
life1 and that what they had imagined an
  abstract and dismal science had become
 instinct with living1 practical        

interest--something to be 'lived' as    
well as studied4    ,the ,institutes of 
,metaphysics--the work by which         
,ferrier's name will  descend to        
posterity--is a development of the      
,philosophy of  ,consciousness2 but it  
is more carefully reasoned out and      
systematised--the result of many years  
of thoughtful labour4 ,for  several     
years before the work was published 7in 
#ahed7 the propositions  which are      
contained in it were developed in the   
course of ,ferrier's  regular lectures4 
,the ,institutes1 or ,theory of ,knowing
 and ,being1  commences with a          
definition of philosophy as a 'body of  
reasoned  truth1' and states that though
 there were plenty of dissertations on  
the subject in existence1 there was no  
philosophy itself--no scheme of         
demonstrated truth2 and this1 and not   
simply a 'contribution' to  philosophy  
was what was now required1 and what the 
writer proposed to  give4 ,the divisions
 into which he separates ,philosophy    

are3 first1 the  ,epistemology1 or      
theory of knowledge2 secondly1 the      
,agnoiology1 or  theory of ignorance2   
and thirdly1 the ,ontology1 or theory of
 being4 ,the  fundamental question is1  
',what is the one feature which is      
identical1  invariable1 and essential in
 all the varieties of our knowledge8'   
,the first condition of knowledge is    
that we should know ourselves1 and      
reason gives certainty to this          
proposition which is not capable of     
demonstration1 owing to its being itself
 the starting-point2 the                
counter-proposition1 asserting the      
separate subject and object of          
knowledge1 and the mutual presence of   
the two without intelligence's  being   
necessarily cognisant of itself1        
represents general opinion1 and  the    
ordinary view of popular psychology4    
,knowledge1 then1 ,ferrier goes  on1    
always has the self as an essential part
 of it2 it is                           
knowledge-in-union-with-whatever-it-appr

ehends4 ,the objective part of  the     
object of knowledge1 though             
distinguishable1 is not really          
separable from the subjective or ego2   
both constitute the unit of             
knowledge--an utterance thoroughly      
,hegelian in its character1 however     
,ferrier may disclaim a connection with 
,hegel's system4 ,in space they  may be 
separated1 but not in cognition1 and    
this idealism does not for  one moment  
deny the existence of 'external' things1
 but only says they  can have no meaning
 if out of relation to those which are  
'internal'2  as ,hegel might have put   
it1 they could be known as separable by 
means  of 'abstraction' only4 ,from this
 point we are led on to the next        
statement1 and a most important         
statement it is1 that matter per se  is 
of necessity absolutely unknowable2 or  
to what ,ferrier calls the  ,theory of  
,ignorance4 ,whether or not this theory 
can make good the title  to originality 
which its author claims for it1 there is

 no doubt that  its statement in clear  
language1 such as no one can fail to    
understand1  marks an important era in  
,english speculation4 ,there are1       
,ferrier says1  two sorts of so-called  
ignorance3 one of these is incidental to
 some  minds1 but not to all--an        
ignorance of defect1 he puts it--just as
 we  might be said to be ignorant of a  
language we had never learned4 ,but  the
 other ignorance 7not1 properly         
speaking1 ignorance at all7 is  incident
 to all intelligence by its very nature1
 and is no defect or  imperfection4 ,the
 law of ignorance hence is that 'we can 
be ignorant  only of what can be known1'
 or 'the knowable is alone the          
ignorable4'  ,the bearing of this       
important point is seen at once when we 
turn back  to the theory of knowing4    
,knowledge is something of which the    
subject  cannot shake himself free2 ',i'
 must always1 in whatever ,i apprehend1 
apprehend 'me4' ,we don't apprehend     
'things1' that is1 but what is          

apprehended is 'me-apprehending-things4'
 ,things-plus-me is the only  knowable1 
and consequently the only 'ignorable4'  
,this brings us a great way towards the 
,absolute ,idealism associated  mainly  
with the name of ,hegel--towards the    
,knowledge or ',experience' 7a  word    
which ,ferrier afterwards himself makes 
use of7 which shall cease  to be a      
'theory1' being recognised as           
comprehending within itself all         
,reality--as recognising no distinction 
between object and subject1  excepting  
when they are regarded as two poles both
 equally essential1  and separated only 
when looked at in abstraction4 ,if      
,ferrier's 'theory  of knowledge' did   
not proceed so far1 he at least made the
 discovery  that the subjective idealism
 of ,kant was as unsatisfactory as the  
relativity of ,hamilton1 and as         
certainly tending to agnosticism4       
,kant's  'thing-in-itself' is not that  
of which we are ignorant1 or a hidden   
reality which can be known by faith4 ,it

 is that which cannot possibly  be      
known--and1 in other words1 a           
contradiction or nonsense4 ,now1        
,ferrier says1 we arrive at the true    
,idealism--the triumph of  philosophy4  
,if it is said to reduce all things to  
the phenomena of  consciousness1 it does
 the same to every nothing4 ,what falls 
out of  consciousness becomes           
incogitable2 it lapses1 not into        
nothing1 but  into what is              
contradictory4 ,the material universe   
per se1 and all its  qualities per se1  
are not only absolutely unknowable1 but 
absolutely  unthinkable4 ,we do indeed  
know substance1 but only as object plus 
subject--as matter mecum or in cognition
 as thought together with the  self4    
,it may be true that we cannot claim for
 ,ferrier complete originality in  his  
thinking2 work on very similar lines was
 being carried on  elsewhere4 ,it is not
 difficult to trace throughout his      
writings the  mode of his development4  
,the earlier works are evidently        

influenced by  ,fichte and his school1  
since the personal ego and individual   
freedom  figure as the principal        
conceptions in our knowledge2 and even  
while  the ,scottish school of          
psychologists is being combated1 the    
influence  of ,hamilton is very         
manifest4 ,but as time goes on1         
,ferrier's ideas  become more concrete2 
the theory of consciousness becomes more
 absolute  in its conception2 the human 
or individual element is less           
conspicuous  as the universal element is
 more1 which signifies that gradually he
  approaches closer to the standpoint of
 the later ,german thinkers by a        
careful study of their works1 though for
 the most part it is ,reid and          
,hamilton his criticisms have in view1  
and not the corresponding work of       
,kant4    ,still1 we should say that    
,ferrier's attitude represented another 
phase  in the same struggle against     
abstraction and towards unity in        
knowledge1 rather than being a simple   

outcome of the ,german influence  in    
,scotland4 ,this last assumption he at  
least repudiated with energy1  and      
boldly claimed to have developed and    
completed his system for  himself4 ,he  
claimed to have worked on national      
lines2 to have started  from the        
philosophy of his country as it was     
currently accepted1 and to  have little 
difficulty in proving from itself its   
absolute inadequacy4  ,he felt that in  
his doctrine of the reality of knowledge
 he had found  the means of solving     
problems hitherto dark and obscure1 and 
he used  his instruments bravely1 and on
 the whole successfully4    ,the        
faith-philosophy which professed to know
 reality through the  senses1 when these
 senses were a part of the external     
universe1 or  signified taking for      
granted the matter in dispute1 was      
utterly  repugnant to ,ferrier4 ,the    
,unknowable of ,sir ,william ,hamilton  
was  inconceivable to him1 and he ever  
kept this theory and its errors in  his 

mind1 while developing a system of his  
own4 ,it is better that a  philosophic  
system should grow up thus1 instead of  
coming to us from  without in language  
hard to understand because of foreign   
idioms and  unwonted modes of           
expression4 ,to be of use1 a philosophy 
should speak  the language of the       
people3 until it becomes identified with
 ordinary  ways of thinking1 its        
influence is never really great2 and the
 ,idealism  of ,germany has in this     
country always suffered from being      
intelligible  only to the few4          
,therefore we hold all credit due to    
,ferrier for  consistently refusing to  
adopt the phraseology of a foreign      
country1  and setting himself1 heart and
 soul1 to find expression for his       
thoughts in the language of his birth4  
,ferrier introduces his ,lectures on    
,greek ,philosophy1 the last subject  on
 which he undertook to write1 in a      
manner which reminds us of ,hegel's     
remarkable ,introduction to his ,history

 of ,philosophy2 he begins1 like        
,hegel1 by pointing out that the study  
of philosophy is just the study  of our 
own reason in its development1 but that 
what is worked out in  our minds        
hurriedly and within contracted limits1 
is in philosophy  evolved at leisure1   
and seen in its just proportions3 the   
historian of  philosophy has not merely 
to record the existence of dead systems 
of  thought that are past and gone1 but 
the living products of his own1  full of
 present1 vital interest1 and there is  
nothing arbitrary or  capricious in such
 a history3 all is reasoned thought as  
it manifests  and reveals itself4       
,philosophy1 ,ferrier defines1 by       
calling it the pursuit of ,truth--not   
relative ,truth1 but absolute1 what     
necessarily exists for all minds  alike2
 and man's faculties 7contrary to what  
is generally supposed7 are  competent to
 attain to it1 provided only that they  
have something in  common with all other
 minds1 i4e41 are partakers in a        

universal  intelligence4 ,he works this 
out in his ,introduction in an extremely
  interesting way1 showing1 as he does1 
how in all intelligence there  must be a
 universal1 a unity2 that the very      
essence of religion1 for  example1 rests
 on the unity which constitutes the bond
 between ,god and  man1 and that when   
this is denied1 religion is made        
impossible4 ,what  then1 we may ask1 is 
the ,truth that has to be pursued8      
,it is that which is the real1 the      
object of philosophy--the real which    
exists for all intelligence4 ,the       
historian of philosophy must show that  
philosophy in its history corresponds   
with this definition1 if the  definition
 be a true one4    ,the lectures begin  
with ,thales and the followers of the   
,ionic school1  and ,ferrier points out 
how1 in spite of the material elements  
which are  taken as a basis1 their      
systems are philosophic1 in so far as   
they aim  at the establishment of a     
universal in all things1 and carry with 

them  the belief that this universal is 
the ultimately real2 and this gives     
them an interest which from their       
sensuous forms we could hardly have     
expected to find4 ,but it was           
,heraclitus' doctrine of ,becoming that 
was  most congenial to ,ferrier1 as it  
was to his great predecessor ,hegel4    
,being and ,not-,being1 the unity of    
contraries as essential sides of        
,truth1 in such conceptions as these    
,ferrier believes we come nearer to  the
 truth of the universe than in the      
current views of philosophy1 in  which  
the unity of contrary determinations in 
one subject is regarded  as impossible4 
,apart1 either side is incomprehensible1
 and hence ,mr4  ,mansel and ,sir       
,william ,hamilton argue the impotence  
of human reason2  but if1 as ,ferrier   
believes1 they are shown to be but      
moments or  essential factors in        
conception1 the antagonism will be      
proved  unreal--it will be an antagonism
 proper to the very life and essence of 

reason4    ,possibly in his account of  
the early ,greek philosophers ,ferrier  
may  have done what many historians of  
philosophy have done before him1 he  may
 have read into the systems which he has
 been describing much more  than he was 
entitled so to read4 ,he may1 when he is
 talking of the  ,eleatics of           
,heraclitus1 and even of ,socrates and  
,plato1 have had before  his mind the   
special battle which he had chosen to   
fight--the battle  against              
sensationalism in ,scotland1 against    
materialism in the form in  which he    
found it--rather than fairly to set     
before his readers an  exact and        
accurate account of the teaching of the 
particular  philosopher of whom he      
writes4 ,but has it ever been otherwise 
in any  history of thought that was ever
 written1 excepting perhaps in some     
dryasdust compendium which none         
excepting those weighed down with dread 
of examination questions1 care to       
peruse8 ,thought reads itself from      

itself1 and if it sometimes reads the   
present into the past1 and thinks  to   
see it there1 is there matter for       
surprise1 or is it so very far  wrong8  
,if it tells us something of the secrets
 it itself conceals1 it  is surely      
telling us after all much of those that 
are gone4    ,for ,plato1 ,ferrier      
naturally had a very great affinity2 he 
deals with  him at length1 and evidently
 had made a special and careful study of
  his writings4 ,but the same method is 
applied by him to ,plato as was  before 
applied to the other ,greek             
philosophers4 ',it is not so much by    
reading ,plato as by studying our own   
minds that we can find out what  ideas  
are1 and perceive the significance of   
the theory which expounds  them4 ,it is 
only by verifying in our own            
consciousness the discoveries  of       
antecedent philosophers that we can hope
 rightly to understand their  doctrines 
or appreciate the value and importance  
of their  speculations4' ,and so        

,ferrier proceeds to prove the necessity
 for the  existence of 'ideas'--of      
universals--as the absolute truth and   
groundwork of whatever is4 ,no          
intelligence can be intelligent         
excepting  by their light1 and they are 
the necessary laws or principles on     
which  all ,being and ,knowing are      
dependent4 ',all philosophy1' he says of
  ,plato1 'speculative and practical1   
has been foreshadowed by his  prophetic 
intelligence2 often dimly1 but always so
 attractively as to  whet the curiosity 
and stimulate the ardour of those who   
have chosen  him as a guide4' ,and it   
was as such that ,ferrier marked him out
 and  chose him as his own4 ,with       
,aristotle he had probably less in      
common1  and his treatment both of him  
and of the ,stoics1 ,epicureans1 and    
,neo-,platonists1 with which the history
 ends1 is less sympathetic in its  tone 
and understanding in its style4 ,but    
these lectures as a whole1  though never
 put together for printing as a book1   

must always be of  interest to the      
student of philosophy4    ,a philosophic
 article1 entitled ,berkeley and        
,idealism1 and published  in ,june of   
#ahdb1 was designed to meet the attack  
of ,mr4 ,samuel ,bailey1  who had       
written a ,review of ,berkeley's ,theory
 of ,vision1 criticising  the soundness 
of his views4 ,mr4 ,bailey replied1 and 
,ferrier a year  later published an     
article on that reply4 ,ferrier rightly 
appreciates  the very important place   
which ought to be allowed to ,berkeley  
as a  factor in the development of      
philosophic truth--a place which has    
only  been properly understood in later 
years4 ,he saw the part he had played   
in bringing the real significance of    
,absolute ,idealism into view1 and      
deprecated the representation of his    
system made by ,david ,hume1 or the     
popular idea that ,berkeley denied all  
reality to matter4 ,what he did  deny   
was the reality which is supposed to lie
 beyond experience1 and  his criticism  

in this regard was invaluable as a basis
 for a future  system4 ,in his own      
words1 he did not wish to change things 
into ideas1  but ideas into things3     
matter could not exist independently of 
mind4 ,but yet ,ferrier is perfectly    
aware that ,berkeley did not entirely   
grasp the absolute standpoint that the  
thing is the appearance1 and the        
appearance is the thing4 ,regarded      
merely as a literary production1 this   
article is entitled to rank with the    
classics of philosophic writings  both  
as regards the beauty of its style and  
its logical development4  ,ferrier does 
not often touch directly on questions of
 religion or  theology1 but there is an 
interesting passage in this essay which 
shows  his views regarding the question 
of immortality4 ,he is talking of the   
impossibility of our ever conceiving to 
ourselves the idea of our  annihilation4
 ,such an idea could not be rationally  
articulated4 ,we  appear1 indeed1 to be 
able to realise it1 but we only think we

  think it3 real thought of death in    
this sense would involve our being      
already dead2 but in thought we are and 
must be immortal4 ',we have  nothing to 
wait for2 eternity is even now within   
us1 and time1 with all  its vexing      
troubles1 is no more4'    ,it was       
something absolute and enduring for     
which ,ferrier was ever on  the search4 
,those of his ,introductory ,lectures   
which are preserved bear  out this      
statement1 if nothing else were left to 
do so4 ,philosophy1  thought1 is more   
than systems3 ',as long as man thinks1  
the light must  burn4' ,could he but    
teach the young men who gathered round  
him day by  day to think1 he cared      
little as to what so-called 'system'    
they  adopted4 ,he put his arguments    
clearly before them1 but they were free 
to criticise as they would4 ,and perhaps
 it was because they realised  that the 
,truth was more to him than personal    
fame that their affection  for him was  
so great4 ,he always kept before him1   

too1 that in teaching  any science the  
mental discipline which it involves must
 not be  overlooked4 ,the practical rule
 of disciplining the mind should run    
side  by side with the theoretical      
instruction1 which might soon be        
forgotten2 the great effort of a teacher
 should be in the best and  highest     
sense to educate his students4 ,that is1
 he has not only to  instil their minds 
with multifarious learning1 but to make 
their  thinking systematic4    ,and     
philosophy must1 he tells us1 be made   
interesting if it is to be of  any use3 
we must arrive at a 'philosophic        
consciousness1' and  distinguish        
philosophy from mere opinion4 ,it is    
mind which is the  permanent and        
immutable in all change and mutation2   
even the ,greeks  found the idea of     
permanence in mind while they regarded  
change as the  principle of matter4     
,thus1 when the end of the day had come1
 when the lamp grew dim1 and the  books 
he loved so much must be for the last   

time shut1 ,ferrier's  teaching was not 
so very different from what it was      
nearly thirty years  before4 ,the only  
real change was that the impetuosity of 
youth had  gone2 the man and his system 
had both become matured3 the one more   
tolerant1 more careful in expression1   
more considerate of the feelings  of his
 opponents2 the other more systematic1  
more coordinated1 firmer  in its grasp4 
,there was much to do if the system were
 to be shown to  hold its place in every
 department of life1 as an absolute     
system must3  much that has not even yet
 been accomplished4 ,but for those who  
came in  contact with him1 the man was  
more even than his creed--to them this  
frail form which seemed to be wasting   
away before their eyes1 yet never       
losing the keen interest in work to be  
accomplished1 must have taught a  lesson
 more than systems of philosophy dream  
of4 ,for they could not  fail to learn  
that the eternal can be found in        
history--even in history  of long       

centuries ago1 as in every other sphere 
of knowledge--and that  the search for  
it supports the seeker in his daily     
life1 takes all its  bitterness from    
what is hardest1 from pain1 suffering1  
and even death4          ,,chapter ,,vii
    ,,the ,,coleridge                   
,,plagiarism--,,miscellaneous ,,literary
 ,,work      ,the story of the so-called
 ,coleridge plagiarism is an old one    
now1 but  it is one which roused much   
feeling at the time1 and likewise one on
  which there is considerable division  
of opinion even in the present  day4    
,into this controversy ,ferrier plunged 
by writing a formidable  indictment of  
,coleridge's position in ,blackwood's   
,magazine for ,march  of #ahdj4    ,when
 ,ferrier took up the cudgels the matter
 stood thus4 ,in the earlier  quarter of
 the century ,german ,philosophy was    
coming1 or rather had  already come1    
more or less into vogue in ,england2 and
 as the ,german  language was not       
largely read1 and yet people were       

vaguely interested1  though in what they
 hardly knew1 they welcomed an          
appreciative  interpreter of that       
philosophy1 and an original writer on   
similar  lines1 in one whose reputation 
was esteemed so highly as that of       
,coleridge4 ,coleridge in this matter1  
indeed1 occupied a position which  was  
unique2 for the treasures of ,german    
poetry and prose had not as yet  been   
fully opened up1 and he was held to     
possess the means of doing  this in a   
quite exceptional degree4 ,the works of 
,schiller1 ,goethe1 and  the other poets
 came to the world--and to ,coleridge   
with the rest--as a  sort of revelation4
 ,but the poet in his own mind was      
nothing if not a  philosopher--a kind of
 seer amongst men1 speculating1 somewhat
 vaguely  it might be1 on matters of    
transcendental import--and in ,schelling
 he  thought he had discovered a kindred
 spirit2 in his writings he believed  he
 had found the ,idealism for which he   
had so long been seeking in  ,bhme1     

,fox1 and the other mystics--a creed    
which1 though pantheistic in  its       
essence1 yet fulfilled the condition of 
being both orthodox and  ,trinitarian in
 its form4 ,this1 for many reasons1 was 
a creed presenting  many attractions to 
the younger men of the day1 especially  
when set  forth with a certain literary 
flavour4 ,we have ,carlyle's immortal   
picture of how it influenced ,john      
,sterling and his friends4              
,coleridge's ,biographia ,literaria1 in 
which the principal so-called           
,schelling plagiarisms are contained1   
was published in #ahag1 but it was  not 
for a considerable time after that that 
the plagiarisms were  discovered1 or at 
least taken notice of4 ,the first       
serious indictment  came from no less an
 authority than ,de ,quincey1 whose     
interest in  philosophical matters was  
as great as ,coleridge's1 and who       
published  his views in an appreciative 
but gossipy article in ,tait's ,magazine
  of ,september #ahcd4 ,to commence     

with1 he took up the question of the    
',hymn to ,chamouni'2 but since1 in this
 matter1 ,coleridge afterwards  admitted
 his indebtedness to a ,german poetess1 
,frederica ,brun1 it does  not seem an  
important one4 ,nor1 indeed1 does ,de   
,quincey pretend to take  exception to  
certain expressions in ,coleridge's     
',france' which are  evidently borrowed 
from ,milton1 or to regard them as      
indicating more  than a peculiar        
omission of quotation marks4 ,but the   
really serious  matter1 one for which   
,de ,quincey cannot by any means        
account1 is that  in the ,biographia    
,literaria there occurs a dissertation  
on the  doctrine of ,knowing and ,being 
which is an exact translation from an   
essay written by ,schelling4 ,de        
,quincey cannot indeed explain away the 
mystery1 but he makes the best of it1   
pleading excuses such as we often  hear 
adduced in cases of 'kleptomania' when  
they occur amongst the  well-to-do1 or  
so-called higher classes--e4g41 the     

evident fact that  there was no         
necessity so to steal1 no motive for    
stealing1 even though  the theft had    
evidently been committed4 ,still1 though
 the defence may  be ingenious1 and     
though we may go so far as to           
acknowledge that  ,coleridge had        
sufficient originality of mind to weave 
out theories of  his own without        
borrowing from others1 it must be       
confessed that under  the aggravated    
circumstances the argument falls        
somewhat flat2 and this  was the        
impression made on many minds even at   
the time4 ,the ball once  set rolling1  
the dispute went on1 and the next       
important incident was  an article by   
,julius ,hare in the ,british ,magazine 
of ,january #ahce4  ,this is a hot      
defence of the so-called ',christian'   
philosopher1 who is  said to be         
influencing the best and most promising 
young men of the  day1 as against the   
assault of the ',english                
,opium-,eater'--'that  ill-boding alias 

of evil record4' ,as to ,de ,quincey's  
somewhat unkind  but entertaining       
stories1 there is some reason in ,hare's
 objections1  seeing that they were told
 of one to whom the writer owned himself
  indebted4 ,but when ,hare tackles the 
plagiarisms themselves1 and  endeavours 
to defend them1 his task is harder4     
,coleridge had indeed  stated that his  
ideas were thought out and matured      
before he had seen a  page of           
,schelling2 but at the same time1 in an 
earlier portion of his  work1 he made a 
somewhat ambiguous reference to his     
indebtedness to the  ,german            
philosopher1 and deprecated his being   
accused of intentioned  plagiarism from 
his writings4 ,of course it may be said 
that a thief  does not draw attention to
 the goods from which he has stolen1 but
 yet  even ,hare acknowledges that it is
 hard to understand how half a dozen    
pages 7we now know that it really       
exceeded thirty7 should have been       
bodily transferred from one work to     

another1 and suggests that the most     
probable solution is that ,coleridge had
 a practice of keeping notebooks  for   
his thoughts1 mingled with extracts from
 what he had been reading  at the time1 
and that he thus became confused between
 the two4    ,at this point ,ferrier    
steps in and takes the whole matter     
under  review--a matter which he looked 
upon as serious 7perhaps more serious   
than we should now consider it7 from a  
national as well as an  individual point
 of view4 ,he held that the reputation  
of his country  was at stake1 as well as
 that of a single philosophic thinker1  
and that  neither ,de ,quincey nor ,hare
 had gone into the matter with          
sufficient  care or knowledge1 or       
ascertained how large it really was4 ,it
 was  undoubtedly the case that         
,coleridge's reputation in philosophic  
matters--and in these days that         
reputation was not small--was derived   
from what he had purloined from the     
writings of a ,german youth1 and        

whatever the poet's claim on our regard 
on other scores may be1 it was          
certainly due to ,schelling that the    
debt should be acknowledged4 ,as far  as
 the ,biographia ,literaria is          
concerned1 the facts are plain4         
,coleridge makes certain general        
acknowledgments of indebtedness to      
,schelling to begin with4 ,he           
acknowledges that there may be found in 
his  works an identity of thought or    
phrase with ,schelling's1 and allows him
  to be the founder of the philosophy of
 nature2 but he claims at the  same time
 the honour of making that philosophy   
intelligible to his  fellow-countrymen1 
and even of thinking it out beforehand4 
,having said  so much1 there follow     
pages together--sometimes as many as six
 or eight  on end--which are virtually  
copied verbatim from ,schelling1 though 
with occasional interpolations of the   
so-called author here and there4        
,ferrier has examined the whole matter  
most minutely1 and made a long  list of 

the more flagrant cases of copying3     
thirty-one pages1 he points  out1 are   
faithfully transcribed1 partially or    
wholly1 from ,schelling's  works alone1 
without allowing for what the author    
admits to be  translated in part from a 
'contemporary writer of the ,continent4'
 ,and  ,schelling was not the only      
sufferer1 nor was it only in the region 
of  metaphysics that the thefts were    
made4 ,the substratum of a whole        
chapter of the ,biographia ,literaria   
is1 ,ferrier discovered1 taken  from    
another author named ,maasz1 and        
,coleridge's lecture ',on ,poesy or     
,art' is closely copied and largely     
translated from ,schelling's            
',discourse upon the ,relations in which
 the ,plastic ,arts stand to  ,nature4' 
,this was a blow indeed to those who had
 boasted of the  profundity of          
,coleridge's views on art2 but his      
poetry surely remained  intact4 ,but no1
 ',verses exemplifying the ,homeric     
,metre' are found to                    

be--unacknowledged--a translation from  
,schiller2 and yet worse1 because  less 
likely to be discovered1 the lines      
written ',to a ,cataract' have  the same
 metre1 language1 and thought as certain
 verses by ,count von  ,stolberg1 which 
were shown to ,ferrier by a friend4     
,the whole matter is a very strange one 
and not easy to explain4 ,of  course the
 references to ,schelling's labours in  
similar lines are  there1 and may in a  
sense disarm our criticism4 ,but then1  
unfortunately1 there also are the       
statements that the ideas had been      
matured in ,coleridge's mind before he  
had seen a single line of  ,schelling's 
work1 and he clearly gives us to        
understand that he had  toiled out the  
system for himself1 and that it was the 
'offspring of  his own spirit4' ,it is  
this overmuch protesting that makes us1 
like  ,ferrier1 disposed to take the    
darkest view of the affair3 anything    
that  can be said in ,coleridge's       
defence is found in the manner in which 

it  was taken by the one who had most   
right to feel aggrieved4 ,in the life   
of ,jowett1#aj recently published1 there
 is an interesting account of           
,schelling's views on ,coleridge1 taken 
from a conversation1 notes of  which    
were made by the late ,sir ,alexander   
,grant1 ,ferrier's son-in-law1  when    
still an undergraduate4 ,jowett1 while  
at ,berlin1 had1 it appears1  seen      
,schelling1 and talked to him of the    
plagiarisms4 ,he took the  matter1      
,jowett states1 good-naturedly1 thought 
,coleridge to have been  attacked       
unfairly1 and even went so far as to    
assert that he had  expressed many      
things better than he could have done   
himself--certainly  a very generous     
acknowledgment4 ,probably the most      
charitable  construction we can put on  
,coleridge's act is that which ,jowett  
himself  advances in saying that the    
poet is not to be looked upon or judged 
as  an ordinary man would be1 seeing    
that often enough he hardly could be    

said to have been responsible for his   
actions2 while his egotism1 which  was  
extreme1 may have likewise led him--it  
may be almost  unconsciously--into acts 
of doubtful honesty4 ,but evidently1 in 
spite  of ,ferrier's work1 ,jowett1 and 
possibly even ,schelling himself1 had no
  idea of the extent to which the       
plagiarisms extended4 ,there would1 of  
course1 have been comparatively little  
harm in ,coleridge's action had  he been
 content to borrow materials which he   
was about to work up in  his own way1 or
 to do what his biographer ,gillman says
 is done by the  'bee which flies from  
flower to flower in quest of food1' but 
which  'digests and elaborates' that    
food by its native power4               
,unfortunately1  the more we read       
,coleridge's philosophic writings1 the  
more we feel  constrained to agree with 
,ferrier that the matter is not digested
 as  ,gillman suggests1 but taken       
possession of in its ready-made         
condition4  ,the parts which he adds do 

not assist in throwing light on what    
precedes1 but are evidently padding of a
 somewhat commonplace and  superficial  
kind4 ,we can only say1 like ,jowett1   
that the manner of his  life may have   
injured ,coleridge's moral sense1 and   
that his desire to  pose as a           
philosopher who should yet be a         
so-called ',christian' may  have led him
 to encroach upon the spheres of others1
 instead of keeping  to those in which  
he could hold his own unchallenged4     
#aj ,life of ,benjamin ,jowett1 vol4 i4 
pp4 #ih and #ade4    ,a labour of love  
with ,ferrier1 on very different lines  
than the above1  was to bring out in    
five volumes the works of his           
father-in-law1 ,john  ,wilson1          
',christopher ,north1' including the    
,noctes ,ambrosian1 and his  ,essays and
 ,papers contributed to ,blackwood4     
,this was published in  #ahef1 but must1
 of course1 have meant a considerable   
amount of work to  the editor for some  
time previously4 ,one of the most       

interesting parts  of the work is       
,ferrier's preface to the famous        
',chaldee ,manuscript1' in  vol4 iv4    
,the story of the ',chaldee ,,ms4' is   
now a matter of history1  fully recorded
 in the recently published records of   
the famous house of  ,blackwood4 ,in    
#ahag the ,whigs ruled in matters       
literary1 mainly through  the           
instrumentality of the ,edinburgh       
,review1 then in its heyday of  fame4 ,a
 reaction1 however1 set in1 and the     
change was inaugurated by  the          
publication of the so-called ',chaldee  
,,ms41' a wild extravaganza1  or jeu    
d'esprit1 hitting off the foibles of    
,whiggism1 under the guise  of an       
allegory describing the origin and rise 
of ,blackwood's  ,magazine1 the rival   
which had risen up in opposition to the 
,review1  and the discomfiture of       
another journal carried on under the    
auspices  of ,constable4 ,it was in the 
seventh number of ,blackwood that the   
satire appeared--that is1 the first     

number of ,blackwood's ,edinburgh       
,magazine as distinguished from the     
,edinburgh ,monthly ,magazine1          
published from ,blackwood's office to   
begin with1 but on comparatively  mild  
and inoffensive lines4 ,one may imagine 
the effect of this ,tory  outburst on   
the society of ,edinburgh4 ,all the     
literati of the town  were involved3    
,sir ,walter ,scott himself1 ,mackenzie1
 ,sir ,david ,brewster1  ,sir ,william  
,hamilton1 ,professor ,jamieson1        
,tytler1 ,playfair1 and many  others1   
some of whom emerged but seldom from the
 retirement of private  life4 ,nowadays 
it would be difficult1 if not           
impossible1 to identify  the different  
characters1 were it not for the         
assistance of ,professor  ,ferrier's    
marginal notes2 but in those days they  
were no doubt  recognisable enough4 ,of 
course the magazine went like wildfire2 
but the  ludicrous description in       
semi-biblical language of individuals   
with  absurd allegorical appendages1    

constituted1 as ,ferrier acknowledges1  
an  offence against propriety which     
could not be defended1 even though no   
real malevolence might be signified4    
,whether ,ferrier was justified in      
republishing the ,noctes1 in so far as  
they could be identified with  ,wilson1 
has been disputed2 but1 as the          
publisher1 ,major ,blackwood1  points   
out1 the time was past for anyone to be 
hurt by the  personalities which they   
contained1 and the only harm the        
republication  could inflict was upon   
the ,noctes themselves4 ,the conception 
of the  ',chaldee ,manuscript1' he tells
 us1 was in the first part due to ,hogg2
  and ,wilson and ,lockhart were held   
responsible for the last4 ,there is a   
tradition1 too1 though ,ferrier does not
 mention it1 that ,hamilton was  one of 
the party in ,mr4 ,wilson's house 7#ec  
,queen ,street7 where the skit  was said
 to have been concocted1 and that he    
even contributed to it a  verse4 ,this  
may have been the case1 as ,wilson and  

,lockhart were his  intimate friends2   
but it seems strange to think of so     
thoroughgoing a  ,whig being found mixed
 up in such a plot1 and with such       
companions4    ,though it is easy to    
understand that ,ferrier felt the       
editing of his  father-in-law and       
uncle's work was a duty which it was    
incumbent upon  him to perform1 one     
cannot help surmising that it may have  
been a less  congenial task to him than 
many others4 ,there was little in common
  between the two men1 both             
distinguished in their way1 and         
,wilson's  humour and poetic fancy1     
however bright and vivid1 was not of the
 sort  that would appeal most to        
,ferrier4 ,a few years before his death 
,ferrier  gave up the project he had in 
view of writing ,wilson's life1 partly  
in  despair of setting forth his talents
 as he felt they should be set  forth1  
and partly from the lack of material to 
work from4 ,he says1 in a  letter       
written at the time1 ',it would do no   

good to talk in general  terms of his   
wonderful powers1 of his genius being   
greater 7as in some  sense it was7 than 
that of any of his                      
contemporaries--greater1 too1  than any 
of his publications show4 ,the public   
would require other  evidences of this  
beyond one's mere word--something might 
have been  done had some of us          
,boswellized him judiciously1 but this  
having been  omitted1 ,i do not see how 
it is possible to do him justice4' ,the 
book  was eventually undertaken1 and    
successfully accomplished1 by ,wilson's 
daughter1 ,mrs4 ,gordon4    ,we have    
spoken of ,ferrier's interest in ,german
 literature2 so early as  #ahci he      
published a translation of ,pietro      
d',abano by ,ludwig ,tieck1  one of the 
inner circle of the so-called ,romantic 
,school to which the  ,schlegels and    
,novalis also belonged--the school which
 opposed itself to  the                 
eighteenth-century enlightenment1 making
 its cry the return to  nature1 and     

demanding with ,fichte that a work of   
art should be a 'free  product of the   
inner consciousness4' ,another specimen 
of ,ferrier's  translating powers is    
given in a rendering from               
,deinhardstein's ,bild  der ,dan1 a love
 story in which ,salvator ,rosa figures4
 ,this appeared  in ,blackwood of       
,september #ahda1 and an extract from it
 is published  in the ,remains4    ,but 
one of the earliest and most remarkable 
of ,ferrier's literary  criticisms in   
,blackwood's ,magazine was an anonymous 
article on the  various translations of 
,goethe's ,faust published in #ahdj4 ,we
 have  seen that ,ferrier had made a    
special study of the writings of        
,schiller  and ,goethe1 and that his    
work had been much appreciated both by  
,lytton  and ,de ,quincey4 ,in this     
article the writer takes seven different
  renderings of the drama1 carefully    
analyses them1 points out their         
deficiencies1 and even adventures on the
 difficult task1 for a critic1  of      

himself translating one or two pages4   
,now that ,german is so widely  read in 
,england1 we are all too well aware of  
the insufficiency of any  translation of
 ,faust to regard even the best in any  
other light than  as a makeshift4 ,but  
then things were different1 and it was  
possible  that wrong impressions of the 
original might be conveyed by inadequate
  translations4 ,ferrier's point was    
that ,goethe1 while writing in rhyme    
and in exquisitely poetical language1   
managed at the same time to find  words 
such as might really be used by ordinary
 mortals2 but the  translators1 in      
endeavouring rightly enough to keep to  
the rhyming  form1 entirely fail in     
their endeavour after the same end4 ,he 
considers  that though in prose we may  
deviate from the ordinary proprieties of
  language1 we may not do so in rhyming 
poetry2 for though the poet has  to     
describe the thought and passion of real
 men in the language of real  life1 his 
dialect must at the same time be taken  

out of the category of  ordinary        
discourse because of the use of rhyme2  
and he is therefore  called upon as far 
as possible to remove this bar1 and     
reconcile us to  the peculiarity of his 
style by the simplicity of his language2
  otherwise all illusion will be at an  
end4 ,rhymes brought together by  force 
can succeed in giving us no pleasure2   
the writer should possess  the power of 
mastering his material and compelling it
 to serve his  ends4    ,ferrier's      
speculative instincts naturally led him 
to discuss the  often-discussed motive  
of the play4 ,is it so1 as ,coleridge   
says1 that  the love of knowledge for   
itself could not bring about the evil   
consequences depicted in the character  
of ,faust1 but only the love of         
knowledge for some base purpose8        
,ferrier replies1 ,no1 the love of      
knowledge as an end in itself would     
people the world with ,fausts4 ',such  a
 love of knowledge exercises itself in  
speculation merely1 and not in  action2 

and if the experiences of purely        
speculative men were gathered1  we think
 that most of them would be found to    
confess1 bitterly confess1  that        
indulgence in an abstract reflective    
thinking 7whatever effect it  may have  
ultimately upon their nobler genius1    
supposing them to have  one7 in the     
meantime absolutely kills1 or appears to
 kill1 all the  minor faculties of the  
soul--all the lesser genial powers1 upon
 the  exercise of which the greater part
 of human happiness depends4 ,they      
would own1 not without remorse1 that    
pure speculation--that is1  knowledge   
pursued for itself alone--has often been
 tasted by them to  be1 as ,coleridge   
elsewhere says1 'the bitterest and      
rottenest part of  the core of the fruit
 of the forbidden tree4' ,this seems a  
strange  confession for a thinker       
reputed so abstract as ,ferrier1 but of 
course  the truth of what he says is    
evident4 ,knowledge regarded as an end  
in  itself might have brought ,faust    

into his troubles1 it is true1 and he   
might likewise have found himself ready 
to rush into what he conceives  to be   
the opposite extreme2 but a greater     
philosopher than ,ferrier has  said that
 though 'knowledge brought about the    
,fall1 it also contains  the principle  
of ,redemption1' and we take this to    
signify that we must  look at knowledge 
as a necessary element in the culture   
and education  of an individual or a    
people1 which1 though it carries trouble
 in its  wake1 does not leave us in our 
distress1 but brings along with it the  
principle of healing1 or is the 'healer 
of itself4'    ,soon after the above1   
,ferrier contributes to the same journal
 an  article entitled ',the             
,tittle-,tattle of a ,philosopher1' or  
an account of  the ',journey through    
,life' of ,professor ,krug of ,leipzig4 
,krug appears  to have been a sort of   
,admirable ,crichton amongst            
philosophers1 to whom  no subject came  
amiss1 and who was ready to take his    

part in every sort  of philosophical    
discussion4 ,by ,hegel and the idealist 
school he is  somewhat contemptuously   
referred to as one of that class of     
writers of  whom it is said ',ils se    
sont battus les flancs pour tre de      
grands  hommes4' ,anyhow1 his           
recollections are at least amusing1 if  
not  philosophically edifying4    ,a    
review of the poems of ,coventry        
,patmore a few years later is a very    
different production4 ,it carries us    
back to the old days of  ,blackwood1    
when calm judgment was not so much an   
object as strength  of expression1      
withering criticism1 and biting sarcasm4
 ,ferrier no  doubt believed it would be
 well for literature to turn back to the
 old  days of the knout2 but few1 we    
fancy1 will agree with him1 even if they
  suffer for so differing by permitting 
certain trashy publications to  see the 
light4 ,too often1 unfortunately1 the   
knout1 when it is applied1  arrives on  
shoulders that are innocent4 ,of course 

,ferrier believed that  the worst       
prognostications of a quarter of a      
century before were now  being realised 
by the application not being persevered 
in2 but as to  this particular piece of 
criticism1 whatever our opinion of      
,patmore's  poetic powers may be1 surely
 the writer was unreasonably severe2    
surely  the work does not deserve to be 
dealt with in such unmeasured terms of  
opprobrium4 ,it is refreshing to turn to
 an appreciative1 if also  somewhat     
critical review of the poems of         
,elizabeth ,barrett1 published  in the  
same year1 #ahdd1 part of which has been
 republished in the  ,remains4 ,in this 
article ,ferrier urges once more the    
point on which  he continually          
insists--the adoption of a direct       
simplicity of style3  one which goes    
straight to the point1 or1 as he puts   
it1 which is felt  to 'get through      
business4' ,excepting certain criticism 
on the score of  style and phraseology1 
however1 ,ferrier is all praise of the  

high  degree of poetic merit which the  
writings revealed--merit which he must  
have been amongst the first to discover 
and make known4    ,the last of         
,ferrier's work for the magazine in     
which he had so often  written1 was a   
series of articles on the ,new ,readings
 from ,shakespeare1  published in #ahec4
 ,these articles were in the main a     
criticism of ,mr4  ,payne ,collier's    
',notes and ,emendations' to the ,text  
of ,shakespeare's  ',plays' from early  
,,ms4 corrections which he had          
discovered in a copy of  the folio      
#afcb4 ,ferrier1 who was a thorough     
,shakespeare student1 and  whose        
appreciation of ,shakespeare is often   
spoken of by those who knew  him1 had no
 faith in the authenticity of the new   
readings1 though he  thinks they have a 
certain interest as matter of curiosity4
 ,he goes  through the plays and the    
alterations made in them seriatim1 and  
comes to the conclusion that in most    
cases they have little value4 ,in  fact1

 he proceeds so far as to say that they 
have opened his eyes to 'a  depth of    
purity and correctness in the received  
text of ,shakespeare' of  which he had  
no suspicion--a satisfactory conclusion 
to the ordinary  reader4    ,besides his
 work for ,blackwood1 ,ferrier was in   
the habit of  contributing articles to  
the ,imperial ,dictionary of ,universal 
,biography on the various philosophers4 
,two of these1 the biographies  of      
,schelling and ,hegel1 are printed in   
the ,remains1 but besides these  he     
wrote on ,adam ,smith1 ,swift1          
,schiller1 etc41 and occasionally       
utilised the articles in his lectures4  
,on yet another line ,ferrier wrote a   
pamphlet in #ahdh1 entitled             
,observations on ,church and ,state1    
suggested by the ,duke of ,argyll's     
essay on the ,ecclesiastical ,history of
 ,scotland4 ,this pamphlet aims at      
proving that the ,assembly of the       
,church is really1 as the ,duke argues1 
not merely an ecclesiastical1 but a     

national council1 or1 as ,ferrier  terms
 it1 the 'second and junior of the      
,scottish ,houses of ,parliament4'      
,being therefore amenable to no other   
earthly power1 it was justified in      
opposing the decrees of the ,court of   
,session2 though1 however1 the ,free    
,church ministers were right in         
defending their constitutional          
privileges1 ,ferrier holds that they    
were wrong in doing so as the  ',church'
 in opposition to the ',state1' and that
 this brought upon them  their          
discomfiture4 ,they should not1 in his  
view1 have acknowledged  that the       
,church's property could be forfeit to  
the ,state1 and  consequently should not
 have voluntarily resigned their        
livings4 ,the  pamphlet shows           
considerable interest in the controversy
 raging so  vehemently at the time4     
,in ,st4 ,andrews there was no social   
meeting at which ,ferrier was not a     
welcome guest4 ,when popular lectures1  
then coming into vogue1 were  instituted

 in the town1 ,ferrier was called upon  
to deliver one of the  series1 the      
subject chosen being ',our ,contemporary
 ,poetical  ,literature4' ,he says in a 
letter3 ',i am in perfect agony in quest
 of  something to say about ,our        
,contemporary ,poets in the ,town ,hall 
here  on ,friday4 ,i must pump up       
something1 being committed like an ass  
to  that subject1 but devil a thing will
 come4 ,i wish ,aytoun would come  over 
and plead their cause4' ,however1 in    
spite of fears1 the lecture  appears to 
have been a success3 it was an eloquent 
appeal on behalf of  poetry as an       
invaluable educational factor and agent 
in carrying  forward the work of human  
civilisation1 and an appreciation of the
 work  of ,tennyson1 ,macaulay1 ,aytoun1
 and ,lytton4 ,in the same year1 but a  
few  months later1 ,ferrier was asked to
 deliver the opening address of the     
,edinburgh ,philosophical ,institution4 
,this ,institution has for long been    
the means of bringing celebrities from  

all parts of the country to  lecture    
before an ,edinburgh audience1 and its  
origin and conception was  largely due  
to ,professor ,wilson1 ,ferrier's       
father-in-law1 who was in  the habit of 
opening the session with an introductory
 address4 ,his  health no longer        
permitting this to be done1 the         
directors requested  ,ferrier to take   
his place4 ,the address was on purely   
general topics1  dealing mainly with the
 objects of the ,institution1 then      
somewhat of a  novelty4 ,he concluded3  
',labour is the lot of man4 ,no pleasure
 can  surpass the satisfaction which a  
man feels in the efficient discharge  of
 the active duties of his calling4 ,but 
it is equally true that every           
professional occupation1 from the       
highest to the lowest1 requires to be   
counterpoised and alleviated by pursuits
 of a more liberal order than  itself4  
,without these the best faculties of our
 souls must sink down  into an ignoble  
torpor1 and human intercourse be shorn  

of its highest  enjoyments1 and its     
brightest blessings4' ,this is          
characteristic of  ,ferrier's view of   
life4 ,one-sidedness was his particular 
abhorrence1  and if he could in any     
measure impress its evil upon those     
whose daily  business was apt to engross
 their attention1 to the detriment of   
the  higher spheres of thinking1 he was 
glad at least to make the attempt4      
,,chapter ,,viii    ,,professorial      
,,life      ,the ,st4 ,andrews          
,university has the reputation of being 
given to strife1  and never being       
thoroughly at rest unless it has at     
least one law-plea  in operation before 
the ,court of ,session in ,edinburgh1 or
 an appeal  before the ,house of ,lords 
in ,london4 ,in a small town1 and more  
especially in a small ,university town1 
there is of course unlimited            
opportunity for discussing every matter 
of interest1 and battles are  fought and
 won before our very doors--battles     
often just as interesting  as those of  

the great world outside1 and more       
engrossing because in  them we probably 
play the part of active participators1  
instead of  being simple spectators from
 outside4 ,of this time ,sheriff ,smith1
  however1 writes3 ',never was the      
,university set more social1 and less   
given to strife than in ,ferrier's day4 
,grander feats ,i have often seen       
elsewhere1 but brighter or more         
intellectual talk1 ranging from the     
playful to the profound1 never have ,i  
heard anywhere4' ,in this respect  it   
contrasts with the more self-conscious  
and less natural social  gatherings of  
the neighbouring city of ,edinburgh1    
whose stiffness and  formality was      
unknown to the smaller town4 ,the       
company1 without passing  beyond        
,university bounds1 was excellent4      
,there was ,tulloch at ,st4  ,mary's1   
still a young man at his prime1 and a   
warm friend of ,ferrier's  in spite of  
the traditional decree that ,st4 ,mary's
 dealings with the  other ,college      

should be as few as might be2 there was 
,shairp1  afterwards ,professor of      
,poetry in ,oxford1 and always a        
delightful and  inspiring companion2 in 
the ,chair of ,logic there was          
,professor  ,spalding1 whose ill-health 
alone prevented him from sharing largely
 in  the social life2 and he was        
succeeded by ,professor ,veitch1        
afterwards  of ,glasgow1 whose          
appreciation of ,ferrier was keen1 and  
with whom  ,ferrier had so much         
intercourse of a mutually enjoyable     
sort4 ,then  there was ,professor       
,sellar1 a staunch friend and true1 and 
likewise ,sir  ,david ,brewster1 the    
veteran man of science1 whom ,scotland  
delights to  honour4 ,when ,brewster    
resigned the ,principalship of the      
,united ,college  in #ahei1 ,ferrier was
 pressed to become a candidate for the  
post1 and  ,brewster himself promised   
his support1 and urged ,ferrier's       
claims2 but  there were difficulties in 
the way1 and his place was filled by    

another  follower of science1 ,principal
 ,forbes4    ,ferrier's students are    
now1 of course1 dispersed abroad far and
 wide4  ,one of their number1 ,sheriff  
,campbell ,smith of ,dundee1 writes of  
them  as follows3--',his old students   
are scattered everywhere--through all   
countries1 professions1 and climates4   
,to many of them the world of  faith and
 action has become more narrow and less 
ideal than it seemed  when they sat     
listening to his lofty and eloquent     
speculations in the  little old         
classroom among earnest young faces that
 are no longer  young1 and nearly all   
grown dim to memory2 but to none of them
 can  there be any feeling regarding him
 alien to respect and affection1  while 
to many there will remain the conviction
 that he was for them and  their        
experience the first impersonation of   
living literature1 whose  lectures1 set 
off by his thrilling voice1 slight      
interesting burr1 and  solemn pauses1   
and holding in solution profound        

original thought and  subtle critical   
suggestions1 were a sort of revelation1 
opening up new  worlds1 and shedding a  
flood of new light upon the old familiar
 world  of thought and knowledge in     
which genius alone could see and        
disclose  wonders4' ,and this sometime  
student tells how in passages from the  
standard poets undetected meanings were 
discovered1 and new light was  thrown   
upon the subject of his talk by         
quotations from the classics1  from     
,milton and ,byron as well as from his  
favourite ,horace4 ,his  eloquence1 he  
tells us1 might not be so strong and    
overwhelming as that  of ,chalmers1 but 
it was more fine1 subtle1 and poetical  
in its  affinities1 revealing thought   
more splendid and transcendental4 ',in  
person and manner ,professor ,ferrier   
was the very ideal of a ,professor  and 
a gentleman4 ,nature had made him in the
 body what he strove after  in spirit4  
,his features were cast in the finest   
classic mould1 and were  faultlessly    

perfect1 as was also his tall thin      
person1--from the finely  formed head1  
thickly covered with black hair1 which  
the last ten years  turned into         
iron-grey1 to the noticeably handsome   
foot4444 ,a human  being less under the 
influence of low or selfish motives     
could not be  conceived in this         
mercenary anti-ideal age4 ,if he made   
mistakes1 they  were due to his living  
in an ideal world1 and not to either    
malice or  guile1 both of which were    
entirely foreign to his nature4'#aa ,and
 yet  there was nothing of the ,puritan 
about the ,professor's nature4 ,there   
are celebrations in ,st4 ,andrews in    
commemoration of a certain damsel1      
,kate ,kennedy by name1 which are       
characterised by demonstrations of a    
somewhat noisy order4 ,some of the      
,professors denounced this institution  
and demanded its abolition4 ,but        
,ferrier had too much sense of humour to
  do this2 he did not rebuke the lads   
for the exuberance of their  spirits1   

but by his calm dignity contrived to    
keep them within due  bounds4           
#aa ,writings by the ,way1 by ,john     
,campbell ,smith1 p4 #ceg               
seq4    ,a picture of ,ferrier was      
painted about a year before his death by
 ,sir  ,john ,watson ,gordon1 and it may
 still be seen in the ,university ,hall 
beside the other men of learning who    
have adorned their ,university4 ,it  was
 painted for his friends and former     
students1 but though a fairly  accurate 
likeness1 it is said not to have        
conveyed to others the keen1            
intellectual look so characteristic of  
the face4 ,it was the nameless          
charm--charm of manner and              
personality--that drew ,ferrier's       
students so  forcibly towards him4 ,as  
his colleague1 ,principal ,tulloch1 said
 in a  lecture after his death3 ',there 
was a buoyant and graceful charm in all 
he did--a perfect sympathy1 cordiality1 
and frankness which won the  hearts of  
his students as of all who sought his   

intellectual  companionship4            
,maintaining the dignity of his position
 with easy  indifference1 he could      
descend to the most free and            
affectionate  intercourse2 make his     
students as it were parties with him in 
his  discussions1 and1 while guiding    
them with a master hand1 awaken at the  
same time their own activities of       
thought as fellow-workers with  himself4
 ,there was nothing1 ,i am sure1 more   
valuable in his teaching  than          
this--nothing for which his students    
will longer remember it with  gratitude4
 ,no man could be more free from the    
small vanity of making  disciples4 ,he  
loved speculation too dearly for        
itself--he prized too  highly the sacred
 right of reason1 to wish any man or any
 student  merely to adopt his system or 
repeat his thought4 ,not to manufacture 
thought for others1 but to excite       
thought in others2 to stimulate the     
powers of inquiry1 and brace all the    
higher functions of the intellect1  was 

his great aim4 ,he might be             
comparatively careless1 therefore1 of   
the small process of drilling1 and      
minute labour of correction4 ,these1    
indeed1 he greatly valued in their own  
place4 ,but he felt that his  strength  
lay in a different direction--in the    
intellectual impulse  which his own     
thinking1 in its life1 its zealous and  
clear open  candour1 was capable of     
imparting4'    ,ferrier was not1        
perhaps1 naturally endowed with any     
special capacity  for business1 but the 
business that fell to him as a member of
 the  ,senatus ,academicus was performed
 with the greatest care and zeal4  ,with
 the movement for women's ,university   
education1 which has always  been to the
 front in ,st4 ,andrews1 he was         
sympathetic1 although it was  not a     
matter in which he played any special   
part4 ',no one1' it was  said1 'had     
clearer perceptions or a cooler and     
fairer judgment in any  matter which    
seemed to him of importance4' ,principal

 ,tulloch tells how  on one occasion in 
particular1 where the interests of the  
,university  were at stake1 his clear   
sense and vigilance carried it through  
its  troubles4 ,his loyalty to ,st4     
,andrews at all times was indeed        
unquestioned4 ,it is possible that had  
he made it his endeavour to  devote more
 interest to practical affairs outside  
the ,university  limits1 it might have  
been better for himself4 ,there may1    
perhaps1 be  truth in the saying that   
metaphysics is apt to have an enervating
  effect upon the moral senses1 or at   
least upon the practical  activities1   
and to take from men's usefulness in the
 ordinary affairs  of life2 but one can 
hardly realise ,ferrier other than he   
was1 a  student whose whole interests   
were devoted to the philosophy he had   
espoused1 and who loved to deal with the
 fundamental questions that  remained   
beneath all action and all thought1     
rather than with those  more concrete2  
and the former lay in a region purely   

speculative4 ,such  as he was1 he never 
failed to preserve the most perfect     
order in his  class1 and to do what was 
required of him with praiseworthy       
accuracy  and minute attention to       
details4    ',life in his study1' says  
,principal ,tulloch1 'was ,professor    
,ferrier's  characteristic life4 ,there 
have been1 ,i daresay1 even in our time1
  harder students than he was2 but there
 could scarcely be anyone who was  more 
habitually a student1 who lived more    
amongst books1 and took more  special   
and constant delight in intercourse with
 them4 ,in his very  extensive but      
choice library he knew every book by    
head-mark1 as he  would say1 and could  
lay his hands upon the desired volume at
 once4 ,it  was a great pleasure to him 
to bring to the light from an obscure   
corner some comparatively unknown       
,english speculator of whom the         
,university library knew nothing4'      
,we are often told how he would be found
 seated in his library clad in a  long  

dressing-gown which clung round his tall
 form1 and making him look  even        
taller--a typical philosopher1 though   
perhaps handsomer than many  of his     
craft4 ',my father rarely went from     
home1' writes his daughter1  'and when  
not in the ,college class-room was to be
 found in his snug1  well-stocked1      
ill-bound library1 writing or reading1  
clad in a very  becoming dark blue      
dressing-gown4 ,he was no smoker1 but   
carried with  him a small silver        
snuff-box4'    ,professor ,shairp says  
that now and then he used to go to hear 
him  lecture4 ',i never saw anything    
better than his manner towards his      
students4 ,there was in it ease1 yet    
dignity so respectful both to them  and 
to himself that no one could think of   
presuming with him4 ,yet it  was        
unusually kindly1 and full of a playful 
humour which greatly  attached them to  
him4 ,no one could be farther removed   
from either the  ,don or the            
,disciplinarian4 ,but his look of keen  

intellect and high  breeding1 combined  
with gentleness and feeling for his     
students1  commanded attention more than
 any discipline could have done4 ,in    
matters of ,college discipline1 while he
 was fair and just1 he always  leant to 
the forbearing side4444 ,till his       
illness took a more serious  form1 he   
was to be met at dinner-parties1 to     
which his society always  gave a great  
charm4 ,in general society his          
conversation was full of  humour and    
playful jokes1 and he had a quick yet   
kindly eye to note the  extravagances   
and absurdities of men4' ,and the       
,professor goes on to  narrate how on a 
winter afternoon he would fall to       
talking of ,horace1  an especial        
favourite of his1 and how then he would 
read the racy and  unconventional       
translation he had made up for          
amusement4 ,and afterwards  he would    
talk of ,wordsworth and the feelings he 
awoke in him1 showing  'a richness of   
literary knowledge1 and a delicacy and  

keenness of  appreciation1 of which his 
philosophical writings1 except by their 
fine  style1 give no hint4' ,hegel and  
,plato were the favourite objects of his
  study4 ,of the former he never        
satisfied himself that he had completely
  mastered the conception4 ,but the     
insight that he had got into his        
dialectic and into the doctrine of      
,reality contributed very largely to    
making his philosophy what it was4 ,he  
endeavoured to apply the system  in     
various directions1 and ever continued  
in his efforts to work it out  more     
fully4    ,another former student1 who  
has been quoted before1 writes in his   
,recollections of student life at ,st4  
,andrews3#ab ',ferrier had not          
,spalding's thorough method of teaching4
 ,he had no regular time for  receiving 
and correcting essays2 he had only one  
written examination2  for oral          
examination he had an easy way1 in which
 the questions  suggested the answers2  
yet all these drawbacks were atoned for 

by his  living presence4 ,it was an     
embodiment of literary and philosophical
  enthusiasm1 happily blended with      
sympathy and urbanity4 ,it did the work 
of the most thorough class drill1 for it
 arrested the attention1 opened  the    
mind1 and filled it with love of        
learning and wisdom4 ,intellect and     
humanity seemed to radiate from his     
countenance like light and heat1  and   
illumined and fascinated all on whom    
they fell4444 ,let me recall  him as he 
appeared in the spring of #ahed4 ,the   
eleven-o'clock bell has  rung4 ,all the 
other classes have gone in to lecture4  
,we1 the students  of ,moral            
,philosophy1 are lingering in the       
quadrangle1 for the  ,professor1        
punctual in his unpunctuality1 comes in 
regularly two or  three minutes after   
the hour4 ,through the archway under the
  time-honoured steeple of ,st4         
,salvator's he approaches--a tall       
somewhat  emaciated figure1 with        
intellectual and benevolent countenance4

 ,as he  hurries in we follow and take  
our seats4 ,in a minute he issues gowned
  from his anteroom1 seats himself in   
his chair1 and places his silver        
snuff-box before him4 ,now that he is   
without his hat and in his gown1  he has
 a striking appearance4 ,his head is    
large1 well-developed1 and  covered with
 thick iron-grey hair2 his features are 
regular1 his mouth  is refined and      
sensitive1 his chin is strong1 and his  
eyes as seen  behind his spectacles are 
keenly intelligent and at the same time 
benevolent4 ,he begins by calling up a  
student to be orally examined2  and the 
catechising goes on very much in the    
following style3--              #ab     
,pleasant ,recollections of a ,busy     
,life1 by ,david            ,pryde1     
,,ll4,d41 p4 #ei4                       
',professor4--,well1 ,mr4 ,brown1 answer
 a few questions1 if you please4  ,what 
is the first proposition of the         
lectures8    ',student repeats it4      
',professor4--,quite right1 ,mr4 ,brown4

 ,and1 ,mr4 ,brown1 is this quite  true8
    ',stud4--,yes4    ',prof4--,quite   
right1 ,mr4 ,brown4 ,at least1 so ,i    
think4 ,and1 ,mr4  ,brown1 is it not    
absurd to hold the reverse8             
',stud4--,yes4    ',prof4--,yes1 yes4   
,thank you1 ,mr4 ,brown4 ,that will do4 
',the ,professor then begins his        
lecture4 ,as long as he is stating and  
proving the propositions in his         
metaphysical system1 his tone is simple 
and matter-of-fact4 ,his great aim is to
 make his meaning plain1 and for  that  
purpose he often expresses an important 
idea in various ways1  using synonyms1  
and sometimes reading a sentence twice4 
,but when he  comes to illustrate his   
thoughts1 his manner changes4 ,he lets  
loose his  fancy1 his imagination1 and  
even his humour2 and his whole soul     
comes  into his voice4 ,his burr1       
scarcely distinguishable in his ordinary
  speech1 now becomes strong1 and his   
whole utterance is slow1 intense1  and  
fervid4 ,he is particularly happy in his

 quotations from the poets1  and he has 
a peculiarity in reading them which     
increases the effect4  ,when rolling    
forth a line he sometimes pauses before 
he comes to the  end1 as if to collect  
his strength1 and then utters the last  
word or  words with redoubled emphasis4 
,the effect of his eloquence on the     
students is electrical4 ,they cease to  
take notes2 every head is raised2  every
 face beams with delight2 and at the end
 of a passage their  feelings find vent 
in a thunderstorm of applause4    ',the 
two most remarkable features of his     
lectures were their method and          
clearness4 ,order and light were the    
very elements in which his mind  lived  
and moved4 ,he kept this end in view1   
threw aside the facts that  were        
unnecessary1 arranged the facts that    
were necessary1 and expressed  them with
 a precision about which there could be 
no ambiguity4 ,in fact1  each idea and  
the whole chain of ideas were visible by
 their own light4  ,so perspicuous were 

the words that they might have been     
called  crystallised thoughts4    ',out 
of the classroom ,ferrier was equally   
polite and kind1 especially  to those   
students who showed a love and a        
capacity for philosophy4 ,it  was no    
uncommon thing for him to stop a student
 in the street and  invite him to the   
house to have a talk about the work of  
the class4 ,i  have a distant           
recollection of my first visit to his   
study2 ,i see him  yet1 with his noble1 
benignant countenance1 as he reads and  
discusses  passages in my first essay1  
gravely reasoning with me on the points 
that were reasonable1 passing lightly   
over those that were merely  rhetorical1
 and smiling good-naturedly at those    
that attacked in no  measured language  
his own system4'    ,professor ,ferrier 
was never failing in hospitality to his 
students as  to his other friends4 ,dr4 
,pryde goes on3 ',every year ,ferrier   
invited  the best of his students to    
dinner4 ,at the dinner at which ,i was  

present there were two of his           
fellow-professors1 ,sellar and ,fischer4
 ,it  was a great treat for a youth like
 me4 ,mrs4 ,ferrier was effervescent    
with animal spirits and talk2 ,ferrier  
himself1 looking like a nobleman  in his
 old-fashioned dress-coat with gold     
buttons1 interposed  occasionally with  
his subtle touches of wit and humour4'  
,the ,professor  appears to have been an
 inveterate snuffer4 ,his students used 
to tell  how the silver snuff-box was   
made the medium of explaining the       
,berkeleian system1 and how to their    
minds the system1 fairly clear in       
words1 became a hopeless tangle when the
 assistance of the snuff-box  was       
resorted to4 ,and ,dr4 ,pryde narrates  
how he used to see ,professor  ,spalding
 and ,professor ,ferrier seated side by 
side in the students'  benches1 looking 
on the same book1 listening to their    
young colleague  ,professor ,sellar's   
inspiring lectures1 and at intervals    
exchanging  snuff-boxes4 ,he gives the  

following account of his last visit to  
,ferrier1 when he was on his deathbed1  
but still in his library among  his     
books3 ',he told me that his disease was
 mortal2 but face to face  with death he
 was cheerful and contented1 and had    
bated not one jot of  his interest in   
learning and in public events4 ,he was  
very anxious that  ,i should take lunch 
with ,mrs4 ,ferrier and the rest of the 
family2 and  though he could not join   
us1 he sent into the dining-room a      
special  bottle of wine as a substitute 
for himself4 ,two months afterwards he  
had passed away4'    ,tulloch writes    
after the sad event had occurred3#ac ',i
 have1 of course1  heard the sad news   
from ,st4 ,andrews4 ,what sadness it has
 been to me ,i  cannot tell you4 ,st4   
,andrews never can be the same place    
without  ,ferrier4 ,god knows what is to
 become of the ,university with all     
these  breaks upon its old society2 and 
where can we supply such a place as     
,ferrier's8' ,and his biographer adds3  

',the removal of that delicate and      
clear spirit from a little society in   
which his position was so  important1   
and his innate refinement of mind so    
powerful and beneficial  an influence1  
was a loss almost indescribable1 not    
only to the friends  who loved him1 but 
to the ,university4 ,his great          
reputation was an  honour to the place1 
combining as it did so many associations
 of the  brilliant past with that due to
 the finest intellectual perception and 
the most engaging and attractive        
character4 ,even his little             
whimsicalities and strain of quaint     
humour gave a charm the more2 and  the  
closing of the cheerful house1 the      
centre of wit and brightness to  the    
academical community1 was a loss which  
,st4 ,andrews never failed to  feel1 nor
 the survivors to lament4'              
#ac ,memoir1 p4 #aif1 by ,mrs4          
,oliphant4    ,professor ,ferrier was   
occasionally called upon to make a visit
 to  ,london1 although this did not seem

 to have been by any means a frequent   
occurrence4 ,business he must           
occasionally have had there1 for in     
#ahfa  he was appointed to examine in   
the ,london ,university1 and in #ahfc1  
shortly before his death1 the ,society  
of ,arts offered him an  examinership in
 ,logic and ,mental ,science1 in place  
of the late  ,archbishop of ,york1 which
 he accepted4 ,but of one visit which he
 paid  in #aheh1 with ,principal        
,tulloch as joint delegate from the     
,university  of ,st4 ,andrews1 ,mrs4    
,oliphant gives an amusing account1 in  
her ,memoir  of ,principal ,tulloch4#ad 
,the object of the deputation was to    
watch the  progress of the ,university  
,bill through the ,house of ,commons4   
,this ,bill  was one of the earliest    
efforts after regulating the studies1   
degrees1  etc41 of the ,scottish        
,universities1 and also dealt with an   
increase in  the ,parliamentary grant   
which1 if it passed1 would considerably 
affect  the ,professors' incomes as well

 as the resources of the ,university4   
,the  ,bill1 which was under the charge 
of ,lord ,advocate ,inglis 7afterwards  
,lord ,justice-,general of ,scotland71  
likewise provided that in each          
,university a ,university ,court should 
be established1 as also a  ,university  
,council composed of graduates4 ,ferrier
 and ,tulloch no doubt  did their part  
in the business which they had in hand3 
they visited all  the ,members of       
,parliament who were likely to be       
interested1 as other  ,scottish         
deputations have done before and since1 
and received the same  evasive and      
varying replies4 ,but in the evenings1  
and when they were  free1 they          
entertained themselves in different     
fashion4 ,first of all1  they have      
hardly arrived after their long night's 
journey's travel  before they burst upon
 the 'trim and well-ordered room where  
,mr4 ,john  ,blackwood and his wife were
 seated at breakfast'--this evidently at
  ,ferrier's instigation4 ,then1 having 

settled in ,duke ,street1 ,st4          
,james's1 they are asked1 rather        
inappropriately1 it would seem1 to a    
ball1 where they were 'equally impressed
 by the size of the crinoline  and the  
absence of beauty4' ,next ,cremorne was 
visited1 ,tulloch  declaring that his   
object was to take care of his          
companion4 ',if you  had seen ,ferrier  
as he gazed frae him with the           
half-amused1  half-scowling expression  
he not unfrequently assumes1 looking    
bored1  and yet with a vague            
philosophical interest at the wonderful 
expanse of  gay dresses and fresh       
womanhood around him6' ',he will go     
nowhere  without a cab2 to-day for the  
first time ,i got him into an omnibus in
  search of an ,aberdeen ,professor1 a  
wild and wandering distance which we    
thought we never should reach4' ,the    
theatre was visited1 too2 ,lear was     
being played1 very possibly by ,charles 
,kean4 ,in the ,royal ,academy1         
,frith's ,derby ,day was the attraction 

of the year4 ,but quite remarkable  was 
the interest which ,ferrier--who did not
 appreciate in general  'going to       
church1' and used to say he preferred to
 sit and listen to  the faint sounds of 
the organ from the quiet of his         
room--betrayed in  the eloquence of     
,spurgeon1 then at the height of his    
fame and  attracting enormous           
congregations round him in the ,surrey  
,garden  ,theatre4 ,tulloch wrote to his
 wife3 ',we have just been to hear      
,spurgeon1 and have been both so much   
impressed that ,i write to give you  my 
impressions while they are fresh4 ,as we
 came out we both confessed1  ,there is 
no doubt about that1 and ,i was struck  
with ,ferrier's  remarkable expression1 
,i feel it would do me good to hear the 
like of  that1 it sat so close to       
reality4 ,the sermon is about the most  
real  thing ,i have come in contact with
 for a long time4' ,the building was    
large and airy1 with window-doors from  
which you could walk into the  gardens  

beyond1 and ,ferrier1 ,tulloch writes1  
now and then took a turn  in the fresh  
air outside while the sermon was        
progressing4              #ad ,p4 #abg4 
,after ,london1 ,oxford was visited1 and
 here the friends lived at ,balliol     
with ,mr4 ,jowett1 who had not yet      
become the ,master4 ,ferrier would      
doubtless delight in showing to his     
friend the beauties of the place  with  
which he had so many memories1 but to   
attend eight-o'clock chapel  with       
,tulloch was1 the latter tells us1      
beyond the limits of his zeal4  ,just   
before this1 in #aheg1 another visit was
 paid by ,ferrier to ,oxford  with his  
family1 and this time to visit ,lady    
,grant1 the mother of his  future       
son-in-law4 ,it was at                  
,commemoration-time1 we are told1 and a 
ball was given in honour of the party4  
,on this occasion ,ferrier for the      
first time met ,professor ,jowett1      
besides many other kindred spirits1  and
 he thoroughly enjoyed wandering about  

the old haunts at ,magdalen1  where in  
his youth he had pelted the deer and    
played the part of a  young and         
thoughtless gownsman4    ,a little book 
was published some years ago1 on behoof 
of the ,st4  ,andrews ,students' ,union1
 entitled ,speculum ,universitatis1 in  
which  former students and alumni       
piously record their recollections of   
their ,alma ,mater4 ,some of these      
papers bring before us very vividly  the
 sort of impression which the life left 
upon the lads1 drawn  together from all 
manner of home surroundings1 and equally
 influenced  by the memories of the past
 and the living presence of those who   
were  the means of opening up new tracts
 of knowledge to their view4 ,one of    
them1 already often quoted1 says in a   
paper called ',the ,light of ,long      
,ago'3 ',i always sink into the         
conviction that the ,st4 ,andrews       
,united  ,college was never so well     
worth attending as during the days when 
in  its classrooms ,duncan taught       

,mathematics1 ,spalding taught ,logic1  
and  ,ferrier taught ,metaphysics and   
,moral ,science1 illustrating living    
literature in his literary style1 and in
 the strange tones1 pauses1 and         
inflections of his voice4 ,to the field 
of literature and speculation  ,ferrier 
restored glimpses of the sunshine of    
,paradise4 ,under his  magical spell    
they ceased to look like fields that had
 been cursed with  weeds1 watered with  
sweat and tears1 and levelled and       
planted with  untold labour4 ,every     
utterance of his tended alike to        
disclose the  beauty and penetrate the  
mystery of existence4 ,he was a         
persevering  philosopher1 but he was    
also a poet by a gift of nature4 ,the   
burden of  this most unintelligible     
world did not oppress him1 nor any other
  burden4 ,intellectual action proving  
the riddles of reason was a joy to  him4
 ,he loved philosophy and poetry for    
their own sake1 and he infected  others 
with a kindred1 but not an equal1       

passion4 ,he could jest and  laugh and  
play4 ,if he ever discovered that much  
study is a weariness of  the flesh1 he  
most effectually concealed that         
discovery4'    ,and to conclude1 we have
 the testimony of another former student
 who is  now distinguished in the fields
 of literature1 but who always remains  
faithful to his home of early days4 ,mr4
 ,andrew ,lang says3 ',professor        
,ferrier's lectures on ,moral           
,philosophy were the most interesting   
and  inspiriting that ,i ever listened  
to either at ,oxford or ,st4 ,andrews4  
,i  looked on ,mr4 ,ferrier with a kind 
of mysterious reverence1 as on the  last
 of the golden chain of great           
philosophers4 ,there was1 ,i know not   
what of dignity1 of humour1 and of      
wisdom in his face2 there was an air  of
 the student1 the vanquisher of         
difficulties1 the discoverer of  hidden 
knowledge1 in him that ,i have seen in  
no other4 ,his method at  that time was 
to lecture on the ,history of           

,philosophy1 and his manner  was so     
persuasive that one believed firmly in  
the tenets of each school  he described1
 till he advanced those of the next6    
,thus the whole  historical evolution of
 thought went on in the mind of each of 
his  listeners4'          ,,chapter ,,ix
    ,,life ,,at ,,st4 ,,andrews      ,in
 an old-world town like ,st4 ,andrews   
the stately1 old-world ,moral           
,philosophy ,professor must have seemed 
wonderfully in his place4 ,there  are   
men who1 good-looking in youth1 become  
'ordinary-looking' in later  years1 but 
,ferrier's looks were not of such a     
kind4 ,to the last--of  course he was   
not an old man when he died--he         
preserved the same  distinguished       
appearance that we are told marked him  
out from amongst  his fellows while     
still a youth4 ,the tall figure1 clad in
  old-fashioned1 well-cut coat and white
 duck trousers1 the close-shaven  face1 
and merry twinkle about the eye         
signifying a sense of humour  which     

removed him far from anything which we  
associate with the name of  pedant2 the 
dignity1 when dignity was required1 and 
yet the sympathy  always ready to be    
extended to the student1 however far he 
was from  taking up the point1 if he    
were only trying his best to            
comprehend--all  this made up to those  
who knew him1 the man1 the scholar1 and 
the  high-bred gentleman1 which1 in no  
ordinary or conventional sense1         
,professor ,ferrier was4 ,it is the     
personality which1 when years have      
passed and individual traits have been  
forgotten1 it is so difficult to        
reproduce4 ,the personal attraction1 the
 atmosphere of culture and  chivalry1   
which was always felt to hang about the 
,professor1 has not  been forgotten by  
those who can recall him in the old ,st4
 ,andrews days2  but who can reproduce  
this charm1 or do more than state its   
existence  as a fact8 ,perhaps this sort
 only comes to those whose life is      
mainly  intellectual--who have not much1

 comparatively speaking1 to suffer from 
the rough and tumble to which the       
'practical' man is subjected in the     
course of his career4 ,sometimes it is  
said that those who preach high  maxims 
of philosophy and conduct belie their   
doctrines in their outward  lives2 but  
on the whole1 when we review their      
careers1 this would  wonderfully seldom 
seem to be the case4 ,from ,socrates'   
time onwards we  have had philosophers  
who have taught virtue and practised it 
simultaneously1 and in no case has this 
combination been better  exemplified in 
recent days than in that of ,james      
,frederick ,ferrier1 and  one who       
unsuccessfully contested his chair upon 
his death1 ,thomas ,hill  ,green1       
,professor of ,moral ,philosophy at     
,oxford4 ,it seems as though it  may    
after all be good to speculate on the   
deep things of the earth as  well as to 
do the deeds of righteousness4    ,if   
the saying is true1 that the happiest   
man is he who is without a  history1    

then ,ferrier has every claim to be     
enrolled in the ranks of  those who have
 attained their end4 ,for happiness was 
an end to  ,ferrier3 he had no idea of  
practising virtue in the abstract1 and  
finding a sufficiency in this4 ,he      
believed1 however1 that the happiness   
to be sought for was the happiness of   
realising our highest aims1 and  the aim
 he put before him he very largely      
succeeded in attaining4 ,his  life was  
what most people would consider         
monotonous enough3 few events  outside  
the ordinary occurrences of family and  
,university life broke in  upon its     
tranquil course4 ,unlike the custom of  
some of his colleagues1  summer and     
winter alike were passed by ,ferrier in 
the quaint old  sea-bound town4 ,he     
lived there largely for his work and    
books4 ,not that  he disliked society2  
he took the deepest interest even in his
  dinner-parties1 and whether as a host 
or as a guest1 was equally  delightful  
as a companion or as a talker4 ,but in  

his books he found his  real life2 he   
would take them down to table1 and bed  
he seldom reached  till midnight was    
passed by two hours at least4 ,one who  
knew and cared  for him1 the attractive 
wife of one of his colleagues1 who spent
 ten  sessions at ,st4 ,andrews before  
distinguishing the ,humanity ,chair in  
,edinburgh1 tells how the ,west ,park   
house had something about its           
atmosphere that marked it out as        
unique--something which was due in      
great measure to the cultured father1   
but also to the bright and witty  mother
 and the three beautiful young          
daughters1 who together formed a        
household by itself1 and one which made 
the grey old town a different  place to 
those who lived in it4    ,ferrier1 as  
we have seen1 had many distinguished    
colleagues in the  ,university4 ,besides
 ,professor ,sellar1 who held the ,chair
 of ,greek1  there was the ,principal of
 ,st4 ,mary's 7,principal ,tulloch71    
,professor  ,shairp1 then ,professor of 

,latin1 and later on the ,principal2 the
 ,logic  ,professor1 ,veitch1 ,sir      
,david ,brewster1 ,principal of the     
,united  ,colleges1 and others4 ,but the
 society was unconventional in the      
extreme4 ,the salaries were not large3  
including fees1 the ordinance of  the   
,scottish ,universities ,commission     
appointing the salaries of  ,professors 
in #ahfa1 estimates the salary of the   
professorship of ,moral  ,philosophy at 
,st4 ,andrews at #ddd1 #ahs41 and the   
,principal only  received about #ajj    
more4 ,but there were not those social  
customs and  conventions to maintain    
that succeed in making life on a small  
income  irksome in a larger city4 ,all  
were practically on the same level in   
the  ,university circle1 and ,st4       
,andrews was not invaded by so large an 
army  of golfing visitors then as now1  
though the game of course was played    
with equal keenness and enthusiasm4     
,professor ,ferrier took no part in     
this or other physical amusement3       

possibly it had been better for him  had
 he left his books and study at times to
 do so4 ,the friend spoken of  above    
tells1 however1 of the merry parties who
 walked home after dining  out1 the     
laughing protests which she made against
 the ,professor's rash  statement 7in   
allusion to his theory of               
perception-mecum7 that she  was         
'unredeemed nonsense' without him2 the  
way in which1 when an idea  struck him1 
he would walk to her house with his     
daughter1 regardless of  the lateness of
 the hour1 and throw pebbles at the     
lighted bedroom  windows to gain        
admittance--and of course a hospitable  
supper2 how she1  knowing that a        
tablemaid was wanted in the ,ferrier    
establishment1  dressed up as such and  
interviewed the mistress1 who found her 
highly  satisfactory but curiously      
resembling her friend ,mrs4 ,sellar2 and
 how  when this was told her husband1 he
 exclaimed1 ',why1 of course it's she   
dressed up2 let us pursue her1' which   

was done with good effect6 ,all  these  
tales1 and many others like them1 show  
what the homely1 sociable1  and yet     
cultured life was like--a life such as  
we in this country  seldom have         
experience of3 perhaps that of a ,german
 ,university town may  most resemble it4
 ,in spite of being in many ways a      
recluse1 ,ferrier was  ever a favourite 
with his students1 just because he      
treated them1 not  with familiarity     
indeed1 but as gentlemen like himself4  
,other  ,professors were cheered when   
they appeared in public1 but the loudest
  cheers were always given to ,ferrier4 
,mrs4 ,ferrier's brilliant personality  
many can remember who knew her  during  
her widowhood in ,edinburgh4 ,she had   
inherited many of her  father1          
',christopher ,north's' physical and    
mental gifts1 shown in looks  and wit4  
,a friend of old days writes3 ',she was 
a queen in ,st4 ,andrews1  at once      
admired for her wit1 her eloquence1 her 
personal charms1 and  dreaded for her   

free speech1 her powers of ridicule1 and
 her withering  mimicry4 ,faithful1     
however1 to her friends1 she was beloved
 by them1  and they will lament her now 
as one of the warmest-hearted and most  
highly-gifted of her sex4' ,mrs4        
,ferrier never wrote for                
publication1--she is said to have       
scorned the idea1--but those who knew   
her never can forget the flow of        
eloquence1 the wit and satire mingled1  
the humorous touches and the keen sense 
of fun that characterised her  talk2 for
 she was one of an era of brilliant     
talkers that would seem to  have passed 
away4 ,mrs4 ,ferrier's capacity for     
giving appropriate  nicknames was well  
known3 ,jowett1 afterwards ,master of   
,balliol1 she  christened the 'little   
downy owl4' ,her husband's philosophy   
she  graphically described by saying    
that 'it made you feel as if you were   
sitting up on a cloud with nothing on1 a
 lucifer match in your hand1  but       
nothing to strike it on1'--a description

 appealing vividly to many  who have    
tried to master it6    ,in many ways she
 seemed a link with the past of bright  
memories in  ,scotland1 when these links
 were very nearly severed4 ,five        
children in  all were born to her2 of   
her sons one1 now dead1 inherited many  
of his  father's gifts4 ,her elder      
daughter1 ,lady ,grant1 the wife of ,sir
  ,alexander ,grant1 ,principal of the  
,edinburgh ,university and a            
distinguished classical scholar1        
likewise succeeded to much of her       
mother's grace and charm as well as of  
her father's accomplishments4  ,under   
the initials ',o4 ,j4' she was in the   
habit of contributing  delightful       
humorous sketches to ,blackwood's       
,magazine--the magazine  which her      
father and her grandfather had so often 
contributed to in  their day2 but her   
life was not a long one3 she died in    
#ahie1 eleven  years after her husband1 
and while many possibilities seemed     
still  before her4    ,perhaps we might 

try to picture to ourselves the life in 
which ,ferrier  played so prominent a   
part in the only real ,university town  
of which  ,scotland can boast4 ,for it  
is in ,st4 ,andrews that the traditional
  distinctions between the ,college and 
the ,university are maintained1  that   
there is the solemn stillness which     
befits an ancient seat of  learning1    
that every step brings one in view of   
some monument of ages  that are past and
 gone1 and that we are reminded not only
 of the  learning of our ancestors1 of  
their piety and devotion to the ,college
  they built and endowed1 but of the    
secular history of our country as  well4
 ,in this1 at least1 the little         
,university of the ,north has an        
advantage over her rich and powerful    
rivals1 inasmuch as there is  hardly any
 important event which has taken place  
in ,scottish history  but has left its  
mark upon the place4 ,no wonder the love
 of her  students to the ,alma ,mater is
 proverbial4 ,in ,scotland we have      

little  left to tell us of the medival  
church and life1 so completely has the  
,reformation done its work1 and so      
thoroughly was the land cleared of  its 
'popish images'2 and hence we value what
 little there remains to us  all the    
more4 ,and the ,university of ,st4      
,andrews1 the oldest of our  seats of   
learning1 has come down to us from      
medival days4 ,it was  founded by a     
,catholic bishop in #adaa1 about a      
century after the  dedication of the    
,cathedral1 now1 of course1 a ruin4 ,but
 it is to the  good ,bishop ,kennedy who
 established the ,college of ,st4       
,salvator1 one of  the two ,united      
,colleges of later times1 that we       
ascribe most honour in  reference to the
 old foundation4 ,not only did he build 
the ,college on  the site which was     
afterwards occupied by the classrooms in
 which  ,ferrier and his colleagues     
taught1 but he likewise endowed them    
with  vestments and rich jewels1        
including amongst their numbers a       

beautifully chased silver mace which may
 still be seen4 ,of the old  ,college   
buildings there is but the chapel and   
janitor's house now  existing2 within   
the chapel1 which is modernised and used
 for  ,presbyterian service1 is the     
ancient founder's tomb4 ,the quadrangle1
  after the ,reformation1 fell into     
disrepair1 and the present buildings    
are comparatively of recent date4 ,the  
next ,college founded--that of ,st4     
,leonard--which became early imbued with
 ,reformation principles1 was1 in  the  
eighteenth century1 when its finances   
had become low1 incorporated  with ,st4 
,salvator's1 and when conjoined they    
were in ,ferrier's time1 as  now1 known 
as the ',united ,college4' ,besides the 
,united ,college there  was a third and 
last ,college1 called ,st4 ,mary's4     
,though founded by the  last of the     
,catholic bishops before the            
,reformation1 it was  subsequently      
presided over by the anti-prelatists    
,andrew ,melville and  ,samuel          

,rutherford4 ,st4 ,mary's has always    
been devoted to the study of  theology4 
,but the history of her colleges is not 
all that has to be told of the  ancient 
city4 ,association it has with nearly   
all who have had to do  with the making 
of our history--the good ,queen         
,margaret1 ,beaton1 and1  above all1    
,queen ,mary and her great opponent     
,knox4 ,the ruined ,castle  has many    
tales to tell could stones and trees    
have tongues--stories of  bloodshed1 of 
battle1 of the long siege when ,knox was
 forced to yield  to ,france and be     
carried to the galleys4 ,after the      
murder of ,archbishop  ,sharp1 and the  
revolution of #afhh1 the town once so   
prosperous dwindled  away1 and decayed  
into an unimportant seaport4 ,there is  
curiously  little attractive about its  
situation in many regards4 ,it is out of
 the  way1 difficult of access once upon
 a time1 and even now not on a main     
line of rail1 too near the great cities1
 and yet at the same time too  far off4 

,the coast is dangerous for fishermen1  
and there is no harbour  that can be    
called such4 ,no wonder1 it seems1 that 
the town became  neglected and          
insanitary1 that ,dr4 ,johnson speaks of
 'the silence and  solitude of inactive 
indigence and gloomy depopulation1' and 
left it  with 'mournful images4' ,but if
 ,st4 ,andrews had its drawbacks1 it had
  still more its compensations4 ,it had 
its links--the long stretch of          
sandhills spread far along the coast1   
and bringing crowds of visitors  to the 
town every summer as it comes round2 and
 for the pursuit of  learning the       
remoteness of position has some         
advantages4 ,even at its  worst the     
,university showed signs of its         
recuperative powers4 ,early in  the     
century ,chalmers was assistant to the  
,professor of ,mathematics1 and  then   
occupied the ,chair of ,moral           
,philosophy 7that chair to which        
,ferrier was afterwards appointed71 and 
drew crowds of students round  him4     

,then came a time of innovation4 ,if in 
#ahba ,st4 ,andrews was badly  paved1   
ill-lighted1 and ruinous1 an era of     
reform set in4 ,new  classrooms were    
built1 the once neglected library was   
added to and  rearranged1 and the town  
was put to rights through an energetic  
provost1 ,major1 afterwards ,sir ,hugh1 
,lyon ,playfair4 ,he made 'crooked      
places straight' in more senses than    
one1 swept away the 'middens' that      
polluted the air1 saw to the lighting   
and paving of the streets1 and          
generally brought about the improvements
 which we expect to find in a  modern   
town4 ',on being placed in the civic    
chair1 he had found the  streets        
unpaved1 uneven1 overgrown with weeds1  
and dirty2 the ruins of  the            
time-honoured ,cathedral and ,castle    
used as a quarry for greedy and         
sacrilegious builders1 and the          
,university buildings falling into      
disrepair2 and he had resolved to change
 all this4 ,with persistency  almost    

unexampled1 he had employed all the arts
 of persuasion and  compulsion upon     
those who had the power to remedy these 
abuses4 ,he had  dunned1 he had coaxed1 
he had bantered1 he had bargained1 he   
had  borrowed1 he had begged2 and he had
 been successful4 ,in #ahea the  streets
 were paved and clean1 the fine old     
ruins were declared sacred1  and the    
dilapidated parts of the ,university    
buildings had been replaced  by a new   
edifice4 ,and he--the ,major1 as he was 
called--a little man1  white-haired1    
shaggy-eyebrowed1 blue-eyed1 red-faced1 
with his hat  cocked on the side of his 
head1 and a stout cane in his hand1     
walked  about in triumph1 the uncrowned 
king of the place4'#ae              #ae 
,pleasant ,memories1 by ,david ,pryde1  
,,ll4,d4    ,of this same renovating    
provost1 it is told that one day he     
dropped in  to see the ,moral           
,philosophy ,professor1 who1 however    
deeply engaged with  his books1 was     
always ready to receive his visitors4   

',well1 ,major1 ,i  have just completed 
the great work of my life4 ,in this book
 ,i claim to  make philosophy           
intelligible to the meanest             
understanding4' ,playfair at  once      
requested to hear some of it read aloud4
 ,ferrier reluctantly  started to read  
in his slow1 emphatic way1 till the     
,major became  fidgety2 still he went   
on1 till ,playfair started to his feet4 
',i say1  ,ferrier1 do you mean to say  
this is intelligible to the meanest     
understanding8' ',do you understand it1 
,major8' ',yes1 ,i think ,i do4'        
',then1 ,major1 ,i'm satisfied4'    ,of 
the social life1 ,mrs4 ,oliphant says in
 her ,life of ,principal  ,tulloch3     
',the society1 ,i believe1 was more     
stationary than it has been  since1 and 
more entirely disposed to make of ,st4  
,andrews the  pleasantest and brightest 
of abiding-places4 ,sir ,david ,brewster
 was  still throned in ,st4 ,leonard's4 
,professor ,ferrier1 with his witty and 
brilliant wife--he full of quiet humour1

 she of wildest wit1 a mimic of         
alarming and delightful power1 with     
something of the countenance and  much  
of the genius of her father1 the great  
,christopher ,north of  ,blackwood's    
,magazine--made the brightest centre of 
social mirth and  meetings4 ,west ,park1
 their pleasant home1 at the period     
which ,i record  it1 was ever open1 ever
 sounding with gay voices and merry     
laughter1  with a boundless freedom of  
talk and comment1 and an endless stream 
of  good company4 ,professor ,ferrier   
himself was one of the greatest         
metaphysicians of his time--the first   
certainly in ,scotland2 but this  was   
perhaps less upon the surface than a    
number of humorous ways which  were the 
delight of his friends1 many quaint     
abstractions proper to his  philosophic 
character1 and a happy friendliness and 
gentleness along  with his wit1 which   
gave his society a continual charm4'    
,professor  ,knight1 who now occupies   
,ferrier's place in the professoriate of

 ,st4  ,andrews1 in his ,life of        
,professor ,shairp1 quotes from a paper 
of  reminiscences by ,professor ,sellar3
 ',the centre of all the intellectual   
and social life of the ,university and  
of the town was ,professor  ,ferrier4   
,he inspired in the students a feeling  
of affectionate devotion  as well as    
admiration1 such as ,i have hardly ever 
known inspired by any  teacher2 and to  
many of them his mere presence and      
bearing in the  classroom was a large   
element in a liberal education4 ,by all 
his  colleagues he was esteemed as a man
 of most sterling honour1 a staunch     
friend1 and a most humorous and         
delightful companion4444 ,there         
certainly never was a household known to
 either of us in which the  spirit of   
racy and original humour and fun was so 
exuberant and  spontaneous in every     
member of it1 as that of which the      
,professor and  his wife--the most      
gifted and brilliant1 and most like her 
father of  the three gifted daughters of

 ,christopher ,north--were the heads4   
,our  evenings there generally ended in 
the ,professor's study1 where he was    
always ready to discuss1 either from a  
serious or humorous point of  view 7not 
without congenial accompaniment71 the   
various points of his  system till the  
morning was well advanced4'             
,ferrier's daughter writes of the house 
at ,west ,park3 ',it was an             
old-fashioned1 rough cast or harled     
house standing on the road in  ,market  
,street1 but approached through a small 
green gate and a short  avenue of       
trees--trees that were engraven on the  
heart and memory from  childhood4 ,the  
garden at the back still remains4 ,in   
our time it was a  real old-fashioned   
,scotch garden1 well stocked with       
berries1 pears1  and apples2 quaint     
grass walks ran through it1 and a       
summer-house with  stained-glass windows
 stood in a corner4 ,west ,park was     
built on a site  once occupied by the   
,grey ,friars1 and ,i am not romancing  

when ,i say  that bones and coins were  
known to have been discovered in the    
garden  even in our time4 ,our home was 
socially a very amusing and happy one1  
though my father lived a good deal apart
 from us1 coming down from his  dear old
 library occasionally in the evenings to
 join the family  circle4' ,this family 
circle was occasionally supplemented by 
a ,french  teacher or a ,german1 and for
 one year by a certain ,mrs4 ,huggins1  
an old  ex-actress who originally came  
to give a ,shakespeare reading in ,st4  
,andrews1 and who fell into financial   
difficulties1 and was invited by  the   
hospitable ,mrs4 ,ferrier to make her   
home for a time at ,west ,park4  ,the   
visit was not in all respects a success1
 ,mrs4 ,huggins being  somewhat exacting
 in her requirements and difficult to   
satisfy4 ,so  little part did its master
 take in household matters that it was  
only  by accident1 after reading prayers
 one ,sunday evening1 that he noticed   
her presence4 ,on inquiring who the     

stranger was1 ,mrs4 ,ferrier replied1   
',oh1 that is ,mrs4 ,huggins4' ',then   
what is her avocation8' ',to read       
,shakespeare and draw your              
window-curtains1' said the ever-ready   
,mrs4  ,ferrier6 ,the children of the   
house were brought up to love the stage 
and everyone pertaining to it1 and      
whenever a strolling company came to    
,st4 ,andrews the ,ferriers were the    
first to attend their play4 ,the same   
daughter writes that when children their
 father used to thrill them  with tales 
of ,burke and ,hare1 the murderers and  
resurrectionists whose  doings brought  
about a reign of terror in ,edinburgh   
early in the  century4 ,as a boy1       
,ferrier used to walk out to his        
grandfather's in  ,morningside--then a  
country suburb--in fear and trembling1  
expecting  every moment to meet ,burke1 
the object of his terror4 ,on one       
occasion  he believed that he had done  
so1 and skulked behind a hedge and lay  
down till the scourge of ,edinburgh     

passed by4 ,in #ahbh he witnessed his   
hanging in the ,edinburgh prison4       
,professor ,wilson1 his father-in-law1  
it may be recollected1 spoke out his    
mind about the famous ,dr4 ,knox in  the
 ,noctes as well as in his classroom1   
and it was a well-known fact  that his  
favourite ,newfoundland dog ,bront was  
poisoned by the students  as an act of  
retaliation4    ,murder trials had      
always a fascination for ,ferrier4 ,on  
one occasion he  read aloud to his      
children ,de ,quincey's essay1 ',murder 
as a ,fine ,art1'  which so terrified   
his youngest daughter that she could    
hardly bring  herself to leave her      
father's library for bed4 ,somewhat     
severe to his  sons1 to his daughters   
,ferrier was specially kind and         
indulgent1  helping them with their     
,german studies1 reading ,schiller's    
plays to  them1 and when little children
 telling them old-world fairy tales4 ,a 
present of ,grimm's ,tales1 brought by  
her father after a visit to  ,london1   

was1 she tells us1 a                    
never-to-be-forgotten joy to the        
recipient4    ,the charm of the ,west   
,park house was spoken of by all the    
numerous  young men permitted to        
frequent its hospitable board4 ,there   
was a  wonderful concoction known by the
 name of ',bishop1' against whose       
attraction one who suffered by its      
potency says that novices were  warned1 
more especially in view of a certain    
sunk fence in the  immediate vicinity   
which had afterwards to be avoided4 ,the
 jokes that  passed at these            
entertainments1 which were never dull1  
are past and  gone1--their piquancy     
would be gone even could they be        
reproduced1--but  the impression left on
 the minds of those who shared in them  
is  ineffaceable1 and is as vivid now as
 forty years ago4    ,there was a       
custom1 now almost extinct1 of keeping  
books of so-called  ',confessions1' in  
which the contributors had the rather   
formidable task  of filling up their    

likes or dislikes for the entertainment 
of their  owners4 ,in ,mrs4 ,sellar's   
album ,ferrier made several interesting 
'confessions'--whether we take them au  
grand srieux or only as  playful jests  
with a grain of truth behind4 ,here are 
some of the  questions and their        
answers4                   ,question4   
,answer4        ,your favourite         
character in           ,socrates4       
history4        ,the character you most 
dislike4       ,calvin4        ,your    
favourite kind of literature4    ,the   
,arabian ,nights4        ,your favourite
 author4                ,hegel4         
,your favourite occupation and          
,driving with a handsome                
amusement4                              
woman4        ,those you dislike most4  
,fishing1 walking1 and                  
dancing4        ,your favourite topics  
of              ,humorous and tender4   
conversation4        ,those you dislike 
most4               ,statistical and    
personal4        ,your ambition4        

,to reach the ,truth4        ,your      
ideal4                           ,always
 to pay ready money4        ,your hobby4
                           ,peacemaking4
        ,the virtue you most admire4    
,reasonableness4        ,the vices to   
which you are            ,the world1 the
 flesh1 and        most lenient4        
the devil4    ,these last two answers   
are very characteristic of ,ferrier's   
point of  view in later days4 ,he was   
above all reasonable--no ascetic who    
could  not understand the temptations of
 the world1 but one who enjoyed its     
pleasures1 saw the humorous side of     
life1 appreciated the sthetic1 and  yet 
kept the dictates of reason ever before 
his mind4 ,and his ambition  to reach   
the ,truth                              
',differed from a host      ,of aims    
alike in character and kind1            
,mostly in this--that in itself alone   
,shall its reward be1 not an alien end  
,blending therewith4'    ,thus1 like    
,paracelsus1 he aspired4                

,,chapter ,x    ,,last ,,days      ,it  
used to be said that none can be counted
 happy until they die1 and  certainly   
the manner of a man's death often throws
 light upon his  previous life1 and     
enables us to judge it as we should not 
otherwise  have been able to do4        
,ferrier's death was what his life had  
been3 it  was with calm courage that he 
looked it in the face--the same calm    
courage with which he faced the perhaps 
even greater problems of life  that     
presented themselves4 ,death had no     
terrors to him2 he had lived in  the    
consciousness that it was an essential  
factor in life1 and a factor  which was 
not ever to be overlooked4 ,and he had  
every opportunity1  physically speaking1
 for expecting its approach4 ,in        
,november #ahfa he  had a violent       
seizure of angina pectoris1 after which1
 although he  temporarily recovered1 he 
never completely regained his strength4 
,for  some weeks he was unable to meet  
his students1 and then1 when partially  

recovered1 he arranged to hold the class
 in the dining-room of his  house1 which
 was fitted up specially for the        
purpose4 ,twice in the year  #ahfc was  
he attacked in a similar way2 in ,june  
of that year he went up  to ,london to  
conduct the examination in philosophy of
 the students of  the ,london           
,university2 but in ,october1 when he   
ought to have gone there  once more1 he 
was unable to carry out his intention4  
,on the #cast of  ,october1 ,dr4        
,christison was consulted about his     
state1 and pronounced  his case to be   
past hope of remedy4 ,he opened his     
class on the #aath of  ,november in his 
own house1 but during this month was    
generally confined  to bed4 ,on the #hth
 of ,december he was attacked by        
congestion of the  brain1 and never     
lectured again4 ,his class was conducted
 by ,mr4  ,rhoades1#af then ,warden of  
the recently-founded ,college ,hall1    
who1 as  many others among his          
colleagues would have been ready to do1 

willingly  undertook the melancholy task
 of officiating for so beloved and      
honoured a friend4 ,after this1 all     
severe study and mental exertion was    
forbidden4 ,he became gradually weaker1 
with glimpses now and then of           
transitory improvement4 ,so in unfailing
 courage and resignation1 not  unwilling
 to hope for longer respite1 but always 
prepared to die1 he  placidly1          
reverently1 awaited the close1 tended by
 the watchful care of  his devoted wife 
and children4#ag ,on the #aath day of   
,june #ahfd1 ,ferrier  passed away4 ,he 
is buried in ,edinburgh1 in the old     
churchyard of ,st4  ,cuthbert's1 in the 
heart of the city1 near his father and  
his  grandfather1 and many others whose 
names are famous in the annals of  his  
country4              #af ,afterwards   
,ferrier's son-in-law4              #ag 
,lectures and ,philosophical ,remains1  
,introductory            ,notes1 p4     
xxii4    ,during these three years1 in  
which death had been a question of but a

  short time1 ,ferrier had not ceased to
 be busy and interested in his  work4   
,the dates of his lectures on ,greek    
,philosophy show that he had  not failed
 to carry on the work of bringing them  
into shape1 and though  the wish could  
not be accomplished in its entirety1 it 
speaks much for  his resolution and     
determination that through all his      
bodily weakness  he kept his work in    
hand4 ,of course much had to be forgone4
 ,ferrier was  never what is called     
robust1 and his manner of life was not  
conducive  to physical health1 combining
 as it did late hours with lack of      
physical exercise4 ,but in these later  
years he was unable to walk more  than  
the shortest distance1 the ascent of a  
staircase was an effort to  him1 and    
tendencies to asthma developed which    
must have made his life  often enough a 
physical pain4 ,still1 though it was    
evident that there  could be but one    
ending to the struggle1 ,ferrier gave   
expression to no  complaints1 and though

 he might1 as ,principal ,tulloch says1 
utter a  half-playful1 half-grim        
expression regarding his sufferings1 he 
never  seemed to think there was        
anything strange in them1 anything that 
he  should not bear calmly as a man and 
as a ,christian4 ,nor did he talk of    
change of scene or climate as likely to 
give relief4 ,he 'quietly1  steadily1   
and cheerfully' faced the issue1 be it  
what it might4 ,the  very day before he 
died1 he was1 we are told1 in his       
library1 busy  amongst his books4       
,truly1 it may be said of him as of     
another cut off  while yet in his prime1
 'he died learning4'    ',towards his   
friends during this time1' says his     
biographer1 'all  that was sweetest in  
his disposition seemed to gain strength 
and  expansion from the near shadow of  
death4 ,he spoke of death with  entire  
fearlessness1 and though this was       
nothing new to those who  knew him best1
 it impressed their minds at this time  
more vividly  than ever4 ,the less they 

dared to hope for his life being        
prolonged1  the more their love and     
regard were deepened by his tender      
thoughtfulness for others1 and the      
kindliness which annihilated all        
absorbing concern for himself4 ,in many 
little characteristic touches of        
humour1 frankness1 beneficence1         
beautiful gratitude for any slight help 
or attention1 his truest and best nature
 seemed to come out all the  more       
freely2 he grew as it were more and more
 entirely himself indeed4  ,if ever a   
man was true to philosophy1 or a man's  
philosophy true to  him1 it was so with 
,ferrier during all the time when he    
looked death in  the face and possessed 
his soul in patience4' ,and1 as so often
 happens  when the things of this world 
are regarded sub specie ternitatis1  the
 old animosities1 such as they were1    
faded away4 ,it is told how a  former   
opponent on philosophical questions     
whose criticisms he had  resented1      
called to inquire for him1 and when the 

card was given to  him1 ,ferrier        
exclaimed1 ',that must be a good        
fellow6' ,principal  ,tulloch1 his      
friend and for ten years his colleague1 
was with him  constantly1 and talked    
often to him about his work--the work on
 ,plato  and his philosophy1 that he    
would have liked to accomplish in order 
to  complete his lectures4 ,the summer  
before his death they read together     
some of ,plato's dialogues which he had 
carefully pencilled with his  notes4 ,he
 also took to reading ,virgil1 in which 
occupation his friend  frequently joined
 with him1 and this seemed to relieve   
the languor from  which he suffered4 ,as
 to religion1 which was a subject on    
which he  thought much1 although he did 
not frequently express an opinion1      
,tulloch says3 ',he was unable to feel  
much interest in any of its  popular    
forms1 but he had a most intense        
interest in its great  mysteries1 and a 
thorough reverence for its truths when  
these were not  disfigured by           

superstition and formalism4'            
,immortality1 as we have  seen1 meant to
 him that there is a permanent and      
abiding element beyond  the merely      
particular and individual which must    
pass away1 and so far  it was a reality 
in his mind4 ,god was a real presence in
 the world1 and  not a far away divinity
 in whom men believed but whom they     
could not  know2 but as to the creeds   
and doctrines of the ,church1 they      
seemed far  removed from the ,essential1
 from true ,reality4 ,professor         
7afterwards  ,principal7 ,shairp writes3
 ',in the visits which ,i made to his   
bedroom  from time to time1 when ,i     
found him sometimes on chair or sofa1   
sometimes in bed1 ,i never heard one    
peevish or complaining word escape  him1
 nothing but what was calm and cheerful1
 though to himself as to  others it was 
evident that the outward man was fast   
perishing4 ,the last  time but one that 
,i saw him was on a ,sunday in ,april4  
,he was sitting up  in bed4 ,the        

conversation fell on serious subjects1  
on the craving the  soul feels for some 
strength and support out from and above 
itself1 on  the certainty that all men  
feel that need1 and on the testimony    
left by  those who have tried it most1  
that they had found that need met by    
,him  of whose earthly life the gospel  
histories bear witness4 ,this1 or       
something like this1 was the subject on 
which our conversation turned4  ,he     
paused and dwelt on the thought of the  
soul's hunger4 ,hunger is the  great    
weaver in moral things as in physical4  
,the hunger that is in the  new-born    
child sits weaving the whole bodily     
frame1 bones and sinews1  out of        
nothing4 ,and so ,i suppose in moral and
 spiritual things it is  hunger that    
builds up the being4'    ,professor     
,veitch1 a later colleague at ,st4      
,andrews1 adds3 ',we miss the           
finely-cut decisive face1 the erect     
manly presence1 the measured  meditative
 step1 the friendly greeting4 ,but there

 are men1 and ,ferrier  was one of them1
 for whom1 once known1 there is no real 
past4 ,the  characteristic features and 
qualities of such men become part of our
  conscious life2 memory keeps them     
before us living and influential1 in  a 
higher1 truer present which overshadows 
the actual and visible4' ,and           
,professor ,baynes speaks of him as one 
of the noblest and most  pure-hearted   
men that he had ever known1 combining 'a
 fine ethereal  intelligence with a most
 gallant1 tender1 and courageous        
spirit4'    ,such is the man as he      
presented himself to his friends even   
when the  shadows were darkening and the
 last long journey coming very near3 a  
true man and a good2 one in whose       
footsteps we fain would tread1 one  who 
makes it easier for those who follow him
 to tread them too4 ,his  work was done2
 it might seem unfinished--what work is 
ever complete8  ,but he had taken his   
share in it1 the little bit that any    
individual  man can do1 and had done it 

with all his strength4 ,and what did it 
amount to8 ,was it worth the labour of  
so many years of toil8 ,who is  there   
who can reply8 ,and yet we can see      
something of what has been              
accomplished2 we can see that philosophy
 has been made a more living  thing for 
,scotland1 that a blow has been struck  
against materialistic  creeds1 or       
beliefs which are merely formal and     
without any true  convincing power4 ,it 
may not have been much3 the work was but
 begun1  and it was left to others to   
carry that work on4 ,but in philosophy1 
as  in the rest1 it is the first step   
that costs1 and amid great difficulty   
and considerable opposition ,ferrier    
took that step4 ,he left much           
unexplained2 he dwelt too much in the   
clouds1 and did not try to solve  the   
real difficulties of personal1          
individual life2 he did not show how    
his high-flown theories worked in a     
world of strife and struggle1 of  sin   
and sorrow4 ,he could only be said to   

have struck a keynote1 but  that keynote
 as far as it went was true1 and the    
harmonies may be left  to follow4       
,,famous ,,scots ,,series4    ,some     
,opinions of the ,press on    ,,adam    
,,smith4    ,,by ,,hector ,c4           
,,macpherson4      ,the style is        
pleasant1 and the treatment luminous4   
,the monograph1 as a  whole1 should be  
found attractive and informing4--,globe4
    ,smith's life is briefly and clearly
 told1 and there is a good deal  of     
independent criticism interspersed      
amidst the chapters on the              
philosopher's two principal treatises4  
,mr4 ,macpherson's analysis of  ,smith's
 economic teaching makes excellent      
reading4--,echo4    ,his personal and   
intellectual career1 so far as the      
limits of the  ',famous ,scots' ,series 
permitted1 is clearly and entertainingly
  presented by ,mr4                     
,macpherson4--,morning ,leader4    ,the 
book is of great price4 ,it is complete1
 proportioned1 vivid1  the picture of a 

great man1 and with all its brevity1    
worthy of his  greatness4--,expository  
,times4    ,interesting both as a       
contribution to the literature of       
political  economy1 and as a sketch of  
the career of one of ,scotland's most   
illustrious sons4--,publishers'         
,circular4    ,the monograph is a clear 
and able exposition and criticism of its
  subject4 ,it deserves a prominent     
place in the series it belongs          
to4--,bookman4    ,an interesting and   
lively study of the ,english founder of 
political  economy1 this little book is 
remarkable as a whole-hearted           
vindication  of the ,cobdenic ideas of  
international policy4 ,the author       
considers it  to be ,adam ,smith's chief
 achievement that he has demonstrated   
with  scientific completeness that ,free
 ,trade1 as ,cobden happily expressed   
it1 is the international law of ,god    
,almighty4--,spectator4    ,this little 
book is written with brains and a degree
 of courage which  is in keeping with   

its convictions4 ,it has vision1 too1   
and that counts  for righteousness1 if  
anywhere1 in political                  
economy4--,speaker4    ,a sound and able
 piece of work1 and contains a fair and 
discerning  estimate of ,smith in his   
essential character as the author of the
  doctrine of ,free ,trade1 and         
consequently of the modern science of   
economics4--,glasgow ,herald4    ,the   
writer of this biography deserves to be 
warmly congratulated on  the result of  
his labour4 ,he has written1 to my mind 
at least1 one of  the best of the series
 of ',famous ,scots1' and has enshrined 
the author  of the ',wealth of ,nations'
 in a manner at once attractive1        
interesting1  and                       
instructive4--,northern ,figaro4    ,of 
,adam ,smith the man there are some     
interesting stories in this             
volume4--,academy4    ,this book is one 
warmly to be commended as among the very
 best of a  notable series4--,kilmarnock
 ,standard4    ,the story of ,smith's   

life is plainly but interestingly told1 
with  occasional graphic descriptions of
 the society of his time2 but it  will  
undoubtedly be as an exposition of the  
philosophical questions  involved that  
the book will be most highly            
prized4--,daily ,free  ,press4    ,it is
 a biography with a specific purpose1   
and this purpose is  admirably worked   
out4 ,in some respects1 indeed1 ,mr4    
,macpherson's object  is educational4   
,not content with doing justice to the  
great master of  economic science1 he   
shows what we owe to other workers in   
the same  school of thought4--,leeds    
,mercury4    ,those who have read ,mr4  
,macpherson's ',thomas ,carlyle1' with  
which  this highly interesting series   
was opened1 will turn with pleasure and 
expectancy to the volume just issued4   
,mr4 ,macpherson has given us a  volume 
much above the average of the series    
both in literary merit and              
thoughtfulness4 ,we strongly recommend  
this excellent pen-and-ink  portrait1 of

 the man who gave ,britain the key to   
the wealth of the  world1 of our        
fellow-students4--,student4    ,one of  
the best of an admirable series4--,scots
 ,pictorial4    ,an admirable           
monograph4--,london ,daily ,mail4    ,a 
thoughtful and capably written          
monograph4--,liverpool ,daily ,post4    
,mr4 ,macpherson states the facts most  
admirably1 and he has such a  knowledge 
of the movements and events of the times
 in which ,smith  lived that he is able 
to make an excellent use of them as     
showing how  they influenced such a     
thinker as the author of the ',wealth of
  ,nations1' and how1 in turn1 he was   
able to change the trend of the         
thinking of his age4--,perthshire       
,courier4    ,,mr4 ,,herbert ,,spencer  
says3 ,i have learned much from your    
sketch of  ,adam ,smith's life and work4
 ,it presents the essential facts in a  
lucid  and interesting way4 ,especially 
am ,i glad to see that you have         
insisted upon the individualistic       

character of his teaching4 ,it is  well 
that his authority on the side of       
individualism should be put  forward in 
these days of rampant ,socialism1 when  
the great mass of  legislative measures 
extend public agency and restrict       
private agency2  the advocates of such  
measures being blind to the fact that by
 small  steps they are bringing about a 
state in which the citizen will have    
lost all freedom4