His Religious Views. 347 were repudiated as affectation and an innovating upon the established rules and conventionalities of critics and authors of acknowledged authority. However, as his object was not to write smooth sentences and nicely-rounded periods, but to communicate ideas, to convey his meaning to the reader in the most expressive and forcible diction he could make available, he held on his way, undisturbed by criticism, which at last fell silent on the subject. It was soon discovered that no author possesses a more unlimited command over the rich resources of the English tongue, or can wield them with more power and effect. Then the fire and brilliancy of his imagination; his jocose playfulness of humour, even in the gravest subjects; his power of illustrating ordinary topics in new and unexpected lights, take the reader by surprise, enchain his attention, amuse his imagination, and never suffer his interest to flag. His satire is keen, trenchant, and terrible; when he castigates, it is with the club of a Hercules; when in humour to praise, he dips his pen in the colours of the rainbow, and arrays his hero in a garb of celestial radiance, wholly indifferent to the possible suspicion of poetic exaggeration. The influence of Mr. Carlyle's writings on public opinion and the literature of the country has been much greater than is generally understood; not much at all directly, but by its bearing on the minds of those who think and write for the masses, especially the conductors of the public press. The interest which has of late years been called forth among the higher ranks, in the social amelioration of the labouring classes, we have no hesitation in ascribing chiefly to the influence of his writings. His sympathy with the industrious and productive classes is warm and sincere. Their horny hands and sweat-run brows he regards with not less respect than the wounds and scars of a brave soldier who has stood in many a well-fought field; and that, when faithful to their charge, they stand ennobled by the nobility of labour. Mr. Carlyle is an earnestly religious man after his own fashion; a worshipper especially in the great temple of nature-'not with fear, but reverence'-reads there the laws of God, transcendent, everlasting, imperatively demanding obedience from all men; written on the azure of infinitude, in the inner heart of God's creation; certain as life, certain as death!' He would say, with the Psalmist, "The heavens declare the glory of God'-There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.' He would say, with the Apostle, In Him we live and move and have our being.' The Saviour of the world he denominates the most godlike man that ever walked the earth, and still a God.' Christ the Messiah, he considers, at all rates, as the most godlike of heroes, and claiming a godlike worship. And the man who recognises recognises the written laws of God as the eternal laws of the universe,' as proceeding from the Creator of the universe, and who inculcates all the Christian virtues, cannot be called an unchristian man; nay, one would rather say that he has made very hopeful advances towards a valuable and practical kind of Christianity. No one, however, knows better than Mr. Carlyle, that the great unthinking mass of men, who can look with brute unconscious gaze' on all the glories of nature, will never be able to read God's laws on the azure of infinitude, and inner heart of creation.' For their safe and sure guidance, there must be a ' revealed will of God,' a written creed and form of worship. And as appears to us, there is no hope of making the world better, but through the influence of Christianity bearing upon the minds and morals of men; and whatever weakens the obligations of religion, goes to dissolve the bonds of society, and promote the reign of anarchy and social chaos. The world will always be impious and godless enough of its own accord, without a measure of toleration granted. It was said long ago, by an old Roman, 'What will not that man do in the dark who fears only a witness and a judge?'-who fears no invisible pen recording his actions, no future bar of judgment, at which his present conduct must be tried? But besides the restraints which religion imposes upon vice and immorality, and the social duties which it enjoins, there is a joy in believing' the message it conveys, in which the greatest and wisest minds of the human family have rejoiced with confidence and hope. From an orthodox point of view, Mr. Carlyle appears a great, fiery, stormy giant, blazing with meteoric splendour, and purblind by the flashes of his own eloquence, groping about at the foot of Mount Sinai for the broken fragments of the tables of the law; and in their dilapidated and fragmentary state, reading them as he best can, and with loud emphasis calling on heaven and earth to witness, that these are God's divine laws-'the eternal laws of the universe '-' whose body nature is, and God the soul'—that 'the soul of the universe is just-and in the centre of the world-whirlwind, verily now, as in the oldest days, dwells and speaks a God.' When Mr. Carlyle pours forth a torrent of blighting and withering eloquence against the prevailing vices of the age'mammon-worship, scoundrelism, shams, simulacra, and all manner of lies,' in nowise sparing lordly and royal sinners, and professed spiritual teachers unspiritual in their mode of teaching and manner of life, his readers can listen to him with satisfaction and participate in his virtuous indignation. Also few can be blind to the deadening effects of meaningless forms and empty rituals, and the imperative importance of earnest spiritual teaching; but when, in his indignant scorn of all forms and formularies, articles and credos,' The Life of Frederick the Great. 349 credos,' he lays about him like desperate Bentley with his slashing hook, one is forcibly reminded of the farmer, who, in order to destroy the rats which infested his barn, fell upon the plan of setting fire to the building; a plan which succeeded to admiration, in as far as concerned the rats, but he discovered too late he had also destroyed the grain on which himself and family subsisted. There is some reason for apprehension that Mr. Carlyle may burn up the wheat along with the chaff, and so leave no form of spiritual food on which men can find nourishment. The first two volumes of Mr. Carlyle's long-expected work on the life of Frederick the Great of Prussia have at last been issued, and eagerly received by the reading public. The work exhibits all the characteristics of his former writings; the peculiarities of his forcible and original style; his graphic power of resuscitating into vivid actuality, personages and events long neglected or forgotten; an increasing flow of wit and humour investing with interest the humblest characters and most unpromising subjects. At the touch of his magic pen, the ancient knights, burggrafs, markgraves, and kaisers, start into life, in their steel harness and buff jerkins, and speak and act again their parts on the world's stage, with their human sympathies, passions, and ambitions. The work is, indeed, a great historical epic, a kind of narrative prose poem, more interesting than any Waverley Novel, and as much more profitable as truth is preferable to fiction. Much practical wisdom and many sage reflections you meet with in the author's teachings from examples of the past; or he laughs with you at human follies a terrible grim laugh-especially at the foolish vices of lordly and royal delinquents; or he enlists your feelings and sympathies for the woes of suffering humanity. The amount of historical information given in the work, in regard to the condition and progress of the peoples of Germany, is remarkable, considering the length of time over which the narrative extends; reaching as far back as the commencement of the Christian era, or when authentic history begins. The author has given, with considerable fulness of detail, the formation of the different German electorates, the histories of the houses of Hapsburg and Hohenzollern, and the progress of Prussia, from small beginnings to the magnitude of a kingdom. We can only find room for the following extract : HISTORICAL MEANING OF THE REFORMATION. "The Reformation was the great event of that sixteenth century; according as a man did something in that, or did nothing and obstructed doing, has he much claim to memory, or no claim, in this age of ours. The more it becomes apparent that the Reformation was the event then transacting itself, was the thing that Germany and Europe either did or refused to do, the more does the historical significance of men attach itself to the phases of that transaction. Accordingly we notice henceforth that the memorable points of Brandenburg history, what of it sticks naturally to the memory of a reader or student, connect themselves of their Vol. 1.-No. 4. 2 Б Own own accord, almost all, with the history of the Reformation. That has proved to be the law of nature in regard to them, softly establishing itself; and it is ours to follow that law. Brandenburg, not at first unanimously, by no means too inconsiderately, but with overwhelming unanimity when the matter became clear, was lucky enough to adopt the Reformation; and stands by it ever since in its everwidening scope, amid such difficulties as there might be. Brandenburg had felt somehow that it could do no other. And ever onwards through the times even of our little Fritz and farther, if we will understand the word "Reformation," Brandenburg so feels; being at this day, to an honourable degree, incapable of believing incredibilities, of adopting solemn shams, or pretending to live on spiritual moonshine. Which has been of unaccountable advantage to Brandenburg; how could it fail? This was what we must call obeying the audible voice of heaven. To which same" voice," at that time, all that did not give ear-what has become of them since; have they not signally had the penalties to pay? "Penalties:" quarrel not with the old phraseology, good reader; attend rather to the thing it means. The word was heard of old, with a right solemn meaning attached to it, from theological pulpits and such places; and may still be heard there with a half-meaning, or with no meaning, though it has rather become obsolete to modern ears. But the thing should not have fallen obsolete, the thing is a grand and solemn truth, expressive of a silent law of heaven, which continues for ever valid. The most untheological of men may still assert the thing; and invite all men to notice it, as a silent monition and prophecy in this universe; to take it, with more of awe than they are wont, as a correct reading of the will of the Eternal in respect of such matters; and in their modern sphere, to bear the same well in mind. For it is perfectly certain, and may be seen with eyes in any quarter of Europe at this day. Protestant or not Protestant? The question meant everywhere "Is there anything of nobleness in you, O nation, or is there nothing? Are there, in this nation, enough of heroic men to venture forward, and to battle for God's truth versus the devil's falsehood, at the peril of life and more? Men who prefer death, and all else, to living under falsehood-who, once for all, will not live under falsehood; but having drawn the sword against it (the time being come for that rare and important step), throw away the scabbard, and can say, in pious clearness, with their whole soul: 'Come on, then! Life under falsehood is not good for me; and we will try it out now. Let it be to the death between us, then!' Once risen into this divine white-heat of temper, were it only for a season, and not again, the nation is thenceforth considerable through all its remaining history. What immensities of dross and crypto-poisonous matter will it not burn out of itself in that high temperature in the course of a few years! Witness Cromwell and his Puritans-making England habitable even under the Charles-Second terms for a couple of centuries more. Nations are benefited, I believe, for ages, by being thrown once into divine white-heat in this manner. And no nation that has not had such divine paroxysms at any time is apt to come to much. That was now, in this epoch, the English of "adopting Protestantism;" and we need not wonder at the results which it has had, and which the want of it has had. For the want of it is literally the want of loyalty to the Maker of this universe. He who wants that, what else has he, or can he have? If you do not, you man or you nation, love the truth enough, but try to make a chapman-bargain with truth, instead of giving yourself wholly, soul and body and life to her, truth will not live with you, truth will depart from you; and only logic, wit' (for example, London wit), sophistry, virtue, the asthethic arts, and perhaps (for a short while) book-keeping by double entry, will abide with you. You will follow falsity, and think it truth, you unfortunate man or nation. You will right surely, you for one, stumble to the devil; and are every day and hour, little as you imagine it, making progress thither. Austria, Spain, Italy, France, Poland-the offer of the Reformation was made everywhere; and it is curious to see what has become of the nations that would not hear it. In all countries were some that accepted; but in many there were not enough, and the rest, slowly or swiftly, with fatal, difficult industry, contrived to burn them out. Austria was once full of Protestants; but the hide-bound Flemish-Spanish Kaiser element presiding over it obstinately for two centuries, kept saying, "No; we, with our dull, obstinate Cimbyrgis under-lip and lazy eyes, with our ponderous Austrian depth of habituality and indolence of intellect, we prefer steady darkness to uncertain Influence of Cotton on England. 351 uncertain new light!"-and all men may see where Austria now is. Spain still more; poor Spain going about, at this time, making its "pronunciamentos;" all the factious attorneys in its little towns assembling to pronounce virtually this, "The Old is a lie, then ;-good heavens, after we so long tried hard, harder than any nation, to think it a truth!--and if it be not rights of man, Red Republic, and progress of the species, we know not now what to believe or to do; and are as a people stumbling on steep places in the darkness of midnight!" They refused truth when she came; and now truth knows nothing of them. All stars and heavenly lights have become veiled to such men; they must now follow terrestrial ignes fatui, and think them stars. That is the doom passed upon them. Italy, too, had its Protestants; but Italy killed them-managed to extinguish Protestantism. Italy put up silently with practical lies of all kinds, and, shrugging its shoulders, preferred going into dilettantism and the fine arts. The Italians, instead of the sacred service of fact and performance, did music, painting, and the like; till even that has become impossible for them; and no noble nation, sunk from virtue to virtù, ever offered such a spectacle before. He that will prefer dilettantism in this world for his outfit, shall have it; but all the gods will depart from him; and manful veracity, earnestness of purpose, devout depth of soul, shall no more be his. He can, if he like, make himself a soprano, and sing for hire;-and probably that is the real goal for him. But the sharpest-cut example is France; to which we constantly return for illustration. France, with its keen intellect, saw the truth and saw the falsity in those Protestant times; and, with its ardour of generous impulse, was prone enough to adopt the former. France was within a hair's-breadth of becoming actually Protestant. But France saw good to massacre Protestantism, and end it in the night of St. Bartholomew, 1572. The celestial Apparitor of Heaven's Chancery, so we may speak, the Genius of Fact and Veracity, had left his writ of summons; Writ was read ;—and replied to in this manner. The Genius of Fact and Veracity accordingly withdrew; was staved-off, got kept away, for two hundred years. But the Writ of Summons had been served; Heaven's Messenger could not stay away for ever. No; he returned duly; with accounts run up, on compound interest, to the actual hour, in 1792;and then, at last, there had to be a "Protestantism;" and we know of what kind that was! Nations did not so understand it, nor did Brandenburg more than the others; but the question of questions for them at that time, decisive of their history for half a thousand years to come, was, Will you obey the heavenly voice, or will you not?' ART. IV.-1. Publications of the Cotton Supply Association :The Cotton Supply Reporter (August to December, 1858). The Cultivation of the Orleans Staple Cotton, &c., 2nd Edition. Lord Stanley's Speech, 1857, &c. 2. How are Increased Supplies of Cotton to be obtained? By J. B. Smith, Esq., M.P. 1857. 3. Cotton, its Cultivation, Manufacture, and Uses. By H. Ashworth. 1858. 4. Letters from the Slave States. By James Sterling. 5. The London Cotton Plant. 6. How to Abolish Slavery in America, &c. By a Slave-driver. 1858. 7. The British Quarterly Review-The Cotton Dearth. Oct. 1857. 8. The Encyclopædia Britannica- Cotton. IND 2 B2 |