OF SOCIETY. 499 



Pestalozzi and Humboldt and of the large array of those 

 inspired by them, founded the educational system of 

 their country at a time when a firm belief existed that 

 the fundamental truths and precepts of the Christ- 

 ian religion, as put forward by the great reformers of 

 the sixteenth century, could and would be supported 

 and interpreted by philosophical reasoning that would, 

 at the same time, destroy dogmatic formalism and 

 sceptical unbelief. The somewhat prosaic spirit of 

 the earlier Aufkldrung was deepened and enlivened by 

 its alliance with the classical and romantic spirit. This 

 firm belief which lived in the great educationalists in 

 the German-speaking countries and animated German 

 schools and universities, has been materially shaken since 

 the middle of the century when the outcome of the 

 idealistic movement became doubtful. Similarly, but to 

 a lesser extent, it has become doubtful whether the 

 Positivist movement in France is capable of realising 

 the hopes of Condorcet and Comte. In the absence of 

 a generally accepted reasoned creed, which should supply 

 a moral foundation, education has, in many instances 

 and unawares, drifted into the channels of mere in- 

 struction. The educational problem has been to some 

 extent solved, but only in one direction. 



This is, however, merely an incidental remark which 

 leads us away from the main subject now before us : 

 the philosophical conception of human society and its 

 problems. Having treated of Hegel and of Comte as 

 instituting two original but very different systems, we 

 must note that it took fully fifty years before the com- 

 prehensive problem of human society again attracted 



