minds from the real question. But I think all the three points which I have named are of importance. I am delighted that you should take up this question. No man ought to meddle with the Universities who does not know them well and love

them well; they are great and noble places, - and I am sure that no man in England has a deeper affection for Oxford than I have,- or more appreciates its inimitable advantages. And therefore I wish it improved and reformed - though this is a therefore which men are exceedingly slow to understand.

CLV. TO CRABBE ROBINSON, ESQ.

(Who had written to him fearing he would not continue in the New University unless more were done in the examinations as to Theology, than could or would be effected.) March 15, 1837.

First, be assured that I will do nothing hastily, that I wish most earnestly well to the London University, and look upon it as so great a possible means of good, that nothing but what will appear to me imperious duty shall empt me to leave it. Neither have I the least thought or wish of conciliating the Tories; on the contrary, I regret nothing so much as the possibility of appearing to agree with them in anything; neither, in fact, can I believe that I ever shall be so far mistaken.

Secondly, I have no wish to have Degrees in Divinity conferred by the London University or to have a Theological Faculty; I am quite content with Degrees in Arts. then let us understand what Arts are.

But

If Arts mean merely logic or grammar, or arithmetic, or natural science, then of course a degree in Arts implies nothing whatever as to a man's moral judgment or prininclude ciples. But open the definition a little farther, poetry or history or moral philosophy, and you encroach unavoidably on the domain of moral education; and moral education cannot be separated from religious education, unless people have the old superstitious notion of religion, either that it relates to rites and ceremonies, or to certain abstract and unpractical truths. But, meaning by Religion what the Gospel teaches one to mean by it, it is nothing more nor less than a system directing and influencing our conduct, principles, and feelings, and professing to do this with sovereign authority, and most efficacious influence. If then I enter on the domain of moral knowledge, I am thereby on

the domain of religious knowledge; and the only question is, what religion am I to follow? If I take no notice of the authority and influences of Christianity, I unavoidably take a view of man's life and principles from which they are excluded, that is, a view which acknowledges some other authority and influence, it may be of some other religion, or of some philosophy, or of mere common opinion or instinct; but, in any case, I have one of the many views of life and conduct, which it was the very purpose of Christ's coming into the world to exclude. And how can any Christian man lend himself to the propagating or sanctioning a system of moral knowledge which assumes that Christ's law is not our rule, nor His promises our motive of action? This, then, is my principle, that moral studies not based on Christianity must be unchristian, and therefore are such as I can take no part in.

On the other hand, I allow as fully as you can do, that the University should include Christians of every denomination without the slightest distinction. The differences between Christian and Christian are not moral differences, except accidentally; and that is what I meant in that passage in the Church Reform Pamphlet which you, in common with many others, have taken in a sense which I should wholly disclaim. An Unitarian, as such, is a Christian; that is, if a man follows Christ's law, and believes His words according to his conscientious sense of their meaning, he is a Christian; and, though I may think he understands Christ's words amiss, yet that is a question of interpretation, and no more; the purpose of his heart and mind is to obey and be guided by Christ, and therefore he is a Christian. But I believe, if I err as to the matter of fact I shall greatly rejoice, that Unitarianism happens to contain many persons who are only Unitarians negatively, as not being Trinitarians; and I question whether these follow Christ with enough of sincerity and obedience to entitle them to be called Christians.

Here un

Then comes the question of practicability. doubtedly I am met at a disadvantage, because the whole tendency of the last century, and of men's minds now, is to shun all notions of comprehension; and as the knot was once cut by persecution, so it is to be cut now by toleration and omission.

But it is an experiment undoubtedly worth trying, whether

F

for the sake of upholding the Christian character of our University, we ought not to venture on ground, new indeed in England, just at present, but which is of the very essence of true Christianity. With all Christians except Roman Catholics the course is plain, namely, to examine every candidate for a degree in one of the Gospels and one of the Epistles out of the Greek Testament. I would ask of every man the previous question, "To what denomination of Christians do you belong?" and according to his answer, I would specially avoid touching on those points, on which I as a Churchman differed from him. I should probably say to him aloud, if the examination were public, "Now I know that you and I differ on such and such points, and therefore I shall not touch on them; but we have a great deal more on which we agree, and therefore I may ask you so and so." With the Roman Catholics there might be a difficulty, because they might possibly object to being examined by heretics, or in the Scriptures; but if so, where would be the difficulty of adding a Catholic to the number of Fellows, on purpose for this object; or where would be the difficulty of requiring from the candidate, being a Catholic, a certificate of proficiency in religious knowledge from his own priest or bishop? What you state about doctrines might be a very good argument against examining in any Articles or Creeds, but would not affect the examination in a book or books of the Scripture; and so again with evidences, I should not care about this; though neither do I see that your reference to Chalmers makes a valid objection; because you will and must have Examiners who differ on fifty points of taste, of politics, and of philosophy; but this signifies nothing, as long as they are sensible men; and, if they are not, the whole thing must break down any way. But the comparative value of external and internal Evidence is not a point which forms the characteristic difference between any one sect and another; it may therefore be noticed without any delicacy, just like any moot point in history; and an Examiner may express his judgment on it, though of course with such reserve and moderation as he may think fit. If you say that all points which have ever been disputed are to be avoided, you reduce your Examiners to such mere ciphers as would deprive them of all weight and dignity. Certainly I shall feel myself as in a certain degree appointed to moderate and form the minds of those who come to me for

academical honors. I ought to express my judgment on many matters as that of a man qualified to instruct them, and as entitled to an authority with them. You will not suppose I mean an infallible authority. If our office be not intended to be this, it will be a great mistake, and indeed a total solecism, as far as regards education. I am perfectly aware of the delicacy of our task as well as of its importance, and I think I would undertake to manage it discreetly; but much must be left to us. Let them choose the best men: they can find, and then let them trust them fully, and turn them out if they do not like them.

CLVI. TO SIR THOMAS S. PASLEY, BART.

Rugby, April 21, 1837.

Our one day's visit to Oxford was very delight. ful, it was full of kindlinesses without anything of a contrary sort; and it made me wish that I could see the place and its residents oftener. I am so thoroughly fond of it, that I can quite trust myself in my earnest desire to see it reformed; indeed, I should care about its reform much less if I did not value it so highly. From Oxford we came back to our work as usual. . . . . . From that time forward we have never been quite alone, and we are expecting other friends in May and June, so that our half-year will, as usual, I suppose, end in a crowd; and then I trust we may meet in something like summer in Westmoreland, and find you established in your house, and enjoying the magnificence of the view and the snugness of that delicious glady field behind, which lives most vividly in my memory.

I have read nothing but books connected with my own business, so I am sadly ignorant of what is doing in the publishing world. Jacob Abbott's last work, "The Way to do Good," will I think please you very much; with some Americanisms, not of language but of mind, it is yet delightful to read a book so good and so sensible; so zealous for what is valuable; so fair about what is indifferent. I have also looked through some of the Duke of Wellington's Dispatches. He is different enough certainly from Abbott, but the work gives one a favorable impression of him morally, I think, as well as intellectually:* there is a frankness and kindliness

His impression of the Duke of Wellington's character was in fact considerably raised by this work, and a volume of the Dispatches was one of the books which most frequently accompanied him when travelling.

about his letters generally which is very attractive, and one admires the activity and comprehensiveness of view which could take in so much and so execute it. You would be interested in Sir E. Codrington's strange attack upon Sir Pulteney Malcolm, and gratified by the strong feeling generally expressed in Sir Pulteney's favor, and in admiration of his character.

I shall like to hear your remarks on the weather. I never remember anything to equal it; but I find from the Gentleman's Magazine that 1799 was very nearly as bad, and from Evelyn's Memoirs that 1658 was rather worse. The wind was northerly for nearly six months, and on the second of June (old style) the season was as cold as winter. It is certainly so at present; and what is remarkable is, that the wind blows equally cold from all points of the compass. connect the constant northwest winds with the Magnetic Pole, and as all phenomena of weather have to do with electricity and volcanic action, I should not be surprised to hear of something extraordinary in the way of earthquakes or eruptions before the end of the year. This is a sad dull letter, my life affords but little variety.

but

CLVII. TO AN OLD PUPIL. (C.)

Rugby, April 5, 1837.

I

I take this opportunity to answer your kind and interesting letter, for which I beg you to accept my best thanks. I can hardly answer it as I could wish, but I did not like to delay writing to you any longer. Your account of yourself and of that unhealthy state of body and mind under which you have been laboring, was very touching to me. I rejoice that you were recovering from it, but still you must not be surprised if God should be pleased to continue your trials for some time longer. It is to me a matter of the deepest thankfulness, that the fears which I at one time had expressed to you about yourself, have been so entirely groundless: we have the comfort of thinking that, with the heart once turned to God, and going on in His faith and fear, nothing can go very wrong with us, although we may have much to suffer and many trials to undergo. I rejoice too that your mind seems to be in a healthier state about the prosecution of your studies. I am quite sure that it is a most solemn duty to cultivate our understandings to the uttermost, for I have seen the evil