UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. 345 



Creator and Father of all mankind. I am, sir, with much 1866. 

 respect, 



Your obedient, humble servant, 



A. DE MOBGAN. 



The reading of this letter at the Council was (I was Reply of 

 told) followed by silence for a minute or two. The 

 minority who could understand its meaning and its motive 

 had already been outvoted. The majority could give no 

 answer, because they were determined not to give the 

 only one it called for, a return to principle. The secretary 

 was directed to inform the writer 'that your letter of 

 November 10, addressed to the Chairman of the Council, 

 was read at a session of the Council on Saturday last, and 

 that your resignation of the Professorship of Mathematics 

 from the close of the current session was accepted.' 



The decision and its results gave great dissatisfaction 

 to the friends of religious liberty outside the College. The 

 newspapers, which represented different phases of thought, 

 expressed the variety of opinions held on the subject. By 

 those of the earnest and Liberal school the movement was 

 strongly condemned ; among other things it was said that 

 all real Liberals must ask whether it is wise to support a 

 College which, unsectarian in name, can yet be guilty of 

 such religious and philosophical bigotry. Here I may 

 remark upon the expression c real Liberals.' Every one 

 who has watched the progress of thought, especially during 

 the last half-century, must have seen that its tendency, 

 both in philosophy and in religion, is to the denial, or 

 what amounts to a denial, of God. I am not now attempt- 

 ing to condemn this tendency, but its prevalence has had 

 the effect of confusing formerly well-defined distinctions. 

 The ' Liberal ' has frequently gone from liberality to un- 

 belief ; and in the case of University College many pro- 

 fessed Liberals took the part of intolerance because they 

 preferred atheism to theism. The self-styled religious 

 party said that it was now clear that the profession of 



