62 



REV. HERBERT J. R. MAKSTON, M.A.. ON 



other part of human nature, and this authority, validity, or right 

 to rule, is inherent in it, and is a part of human nature itself. One 

 of the characters in Mr. Benson's Dodo is made to exclaim " I am 

 as I am made and I did not make myself," a claim which acquits 

 man of the guilt of indulging the appetites of his sensual nature 

 and makes God responsible for all the evil which the human heart 

 contains. We have here an illustration of the perennial validity 

 and present-day apj^lication of Butler's philosophy. 



Mr. W. HoSTE asked, with reference to the phrase " rage for 

 lucidity,'" ascribed in the lecturer's admirable paper to French writers, 

 whether there is really any opposition between " lucidity " and the 



openness," " love of truth," etc., of Dr. Butler. Anyone who had 

 lived in France would know the phrase, " Tout ce que n'est pas 

 clair, n'est pas iran9ais." Would not Dr. Butler have gained in 

 places by a little more " lucidity " ? It had been said of Eenan 

 that he put more stress on " le bien dire " than on " le vrai dire." 

 Mr. H. suggested " a rage for brilliancy " might be said to characterize 

 French writers. The transparent lucidity of Pascal's Lettres 

 Provinciales made their study a pleasure, where that of the 

 Analogy might remain a duty. 



Lt.-Col. Alves said : I can fully sympathize with the last speaker 

 [Mr. Hoste] in having tried to read works on deep subjects, whose 

 authors would seem to have taken the greatest pains to make them- 

 selves unintelligible. This may have been their misfortune, and 

 not their fault, as it is not always given to one mind both to originate 

 an idea, and also to put it forward clearly and simply. 



I am informed that in France there is a recognized profession, 

 that of vulgarisateur (popularizer)," whose business it is to make 

 simple that which in its original form is abstruse ; and I think 

 that such an office is much needed in England. 



I have heard the obscureness of the style of Bishop Westcott 

 contrasted with the clearness of that of Bishop Lightfoot. 



Comparing Bishop Butler with John Wesley, the latter produced 

 evidence of the power of the Gospel, showing that Christianity 

 was Christ, and Christ Christianity. Most of us can understand 

 evidence ; but I have found that, even amongst Protestants, the 

 great majority are very poor reasoners, and poor also in following 

 a logical argimient ; and evidence is what the world needs. 



