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SECOND CLASS OF OBJECTS FOE THE SUBJECT. 131
fessors of philosophy of this century. I need not therefore
repeat what has already been said there, and shall limit
myself to the following considerations.
Our professors of philosophy have thought fit to do away
with the name which had hitherto been given to that faculty
of thinking and pondering by means of reflection and con
ceptions, which distinguishes man from animals, which
necessitates language while it qualifies us for its use,
with which all human deliberation and all human achieve
ments hang together, and which had therefore always been
viewed in this light and understood in this sense by all
nations and even by all philosophers. In defiance of all
sound taste and custom, our professors decided that this
faculty should henceforth be called Understanding instead of
Reason, and that all that is derived from it should be named
intelligent instead of rational, which, of course, had a strange,
awkward ring about it, like a discordant tone in music.
For in all ages and countries the words understanding,
intellectus, acumen, perspicacia, sagacitas, &c. &c., had been
used to denote the more intuitive faculty described in our
last chapter ; and its results, which differ specifically from
those of Reason here in question, have always been called
intelligent, sagacious, clever, &c. &c. Intelligent and rational
were accordingly always distinguished one from the other,
as manifestations of two entirely and widely different mental
faculties. Our professional philosophers could not, how
ever, take this into account; their policy required the
sacrifice, and in such cases the cry is :
" Move on, truth ;
for we have higher, well-defined i;i:ns in view ! Make way
for us, truth, in majorem Dei gloriam, as thou hast long-
ago learnt to do ! Is it thou who givest fees and pensions ?
Move .on, truth, move on; betake thyself to merit and
"
crouch in the corner ! The fact was, they wanted Reason s
place and name for a faculty of their own creation and
fabrication, or to speak more correctly and honestly, for a