Untitled - Electric Scotland

1860-64] "ESSAYS AND RKVIKU S 277
Although the echoes of this particular battle have no\v
for many years been silent, the area of the strife was at the
time so wide, and Bishop Tait s position
in it was so
peculiar and so prominent, that it is necessary to tell the
story at some length.
In February 1860 a volume of theological Essays by
different authors was published under the colourless title
of Essays and Reviews. The character and purpose of the
volume were made clear in its short preface or
ment," which ran as follows :-
"
advertise
"
It will readily be understood that the Authors of the ensuing
Essays are responsible for their respective articles only. They
have written in entire independence of each other, and without
concert or comparison.
"The Volume, it is hoped, will be received as an attempt to
illustrate the advantage derivable to the cause of religious and
moral truth, from a free handling, in a becoming spirit, of
subjects peculiarly liable to suffer by the repetition
of conven
tional language, and from traditional methods of treatment."
The Essays were seven in number. The first was by
Dr. Temple, Head Master of Rugby, its title being The
Education of the World. The seventh was by Professor
Jowett, On tJte Interpretation of Scripture. The other
essayists were Dr. Rowland Williams, Professor Baden
Powell, the Rev. H. B. Wilson, Mr. C. W. Goodwin, and
the Rev. Mark Pattison.
The volume awakened at first no very absorbing interest.
In April a severe but discriminating review appeared in
the Guardian, condemning the book as a whole, but
drawing a marked distinction between the different essay
ists, and specially exonerating Dr. Temple s essay from
having given any just grounds of offence. Other criticisms
which followed in less guarded terms 1 served chiefly to
1
Among these was a long and vigorous article in the Westminster Reviea.\
which attracted great attention at the time. It has been commonly attributed
to the pen of Mr. Frederic Harrison.
LIBRARY ST. MARY S COLLEGE