THE 



POPULAR SCIENCE 

 MONTHLY. 



DECEMBER, 1882. 



ME. GOLD WIN SMITH ON " THE DATA OF ETHICS." 



By W. D. LE SUEUE, B. A. 



" Because we must not dream, we need not then despair." 



Matthew Arnold, in Etnpedocles on Etna. 



MUCH instruction has been drawn from the story of Naaman, the 

 Syrian, who, when he went to the prophet Elisha, to be healed 

 of his disease, expected that the man of God would " do some great 

 thing," and was greatly discouraged and offended when he merely 

 recommended him to so through a strenuous course of ablution in the 

 most convenient stream. There is one application, however, of the 

 narrative which we do not remember to have seen made, and yet which 

 is undoubtedly important. The prophet of olden times is represented 

 to-day by the philosopher, who also leads a life of retirement and se- 

 vere contemplation. And just as the contemporaries of the prophet 

 insisted on investing him with magical powers, while they undervalued 

 his real gifts of practical sagacity and spiritual insight, so do the men 

 of to-day demand of the philosopher to " do some great thing," while 

 they scorn the demonstration he offers that the truth has neither to be 

 brought down from heaven nor up from hell, but is very nigh them 

 in their hearts and on their lips. Such errors are to be expected on 

 the part of the multitude ; but there are men who, from their general 

 breadth of view and clearness of perception, might be expected to do 

 justice to a scheme of philosophy just in proportion to its avoidance 

 of extravagant pretensions, just in proportion as its author had visibly 

 aimed at learning from nature rather than imposing upon nature his 

 own preconceptions. Of the class of men to whom we refer, no higher 

 example could be found than Mr. Goldwin Smith : of the kind of phi- 

 losophy to which we refer, no better type could be found than that of 

 Mr. Herbert Spencer. 



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