216 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



standpoint. But, in marked contrast with works 

 of this kind, we find in Mr. Buckle's book sundry 

 commonplace reflections of quite limited value or 

 applicability, such as the statements that scepti- 

 cism is favourable to progress, or that over-legis- 

 lation is detrimental to society. No doubt such 

 commonplaces might be so treated as to acquire 

 the practical value of new contributions to his- 

 tory. But to treat them so requires subtle analy.- 

 sis of the facts generalized, and all that Mr. 

 Buckle did was to collect miscellaneous evidences 

 for the statements in their rough, ready-made 

 form. Of generalizations that go b< gfcLhe sur- 

 face of things, such as Comte's sugges^^L vigh 

 indefensible " Law of the Three Stages,' AC find 

 none in Mr. Buckle. The only attempt at such 

 an analytic theory is the generalization concern- 

 ing the moral and intellectual factors in social 

 progress, wherein Mr. Buckle's looseness and fu- 

 tile vagueness of thought is shown perhaps more 

 forcibly than anywhere else in his writings. It 

 is not of such stuff as this that a science of historic 

 phenomena can be wrought. 



In Mr. Stuart-Glen nie's reminiscences, which 

 seem to be most carefully and honestly reported, 

 these characteristics of Mr. Buckle his warm, 

 impatient temperament and his lack of mental 



