ves the position characteristic of Stewart and his
friends. The group of eminent men who made Edinburgh a philosophical
centre was thoroughly in sympathy with the rationalist movement of the
eighteenth century. The old dogmatic system of belief could be held very
lightly even by the more educated clergy. Hume's position is
significant. He could lay down the most unqualified scepticism in his
writings; but he always regarded his theories as intended for the
enlightened; he had no wish to disturb popular beliefs in theology, and
was a strong Tory in politics. His friends were quite ready to take him
upon that footing. The politeness with which 'Mr. Hume's' speculations
are noticed by men like Stewart and Reid is in characteristic contrast
to the reception generally accorded to more popular sceptics. They were
intellectual curiosities not meant for immediate application. The real
opinion of such men as Adam Smith and Stewart was probably a rather
vague and optimistic theism. In the professor's chair they could talk to
lads intended for the ministry without insulting such old Scottish
prejudice (there was a good deal of it) as survived: and could cover
rationalising opinions under language which perhaps might have a
different meaning for their hearers. The position was necessarily one of
tacit compromise. Stewart considers himself to be an inductive
philosopher appealing frankly to experience and reason; and was in
practice a man of thoroughly liberal and generous feelings. He was
heartily in favour of progress as he understood it. Only he will not
sacrifice common sense; that is to say, the beliefs which are in fact
prevalent and congenial to existing institutions. Common sense, of
course, condemns extremes: and if logic seems to be pushing a man
towards scepticism in philosophy or revolution in practice, he can
always protest by the convenient device of intuitions.

I have gone so far in order to illustrate the nature of the system which
the Utilitarians took to be the antithesis of their own. It may be
finally remarked that at present both sides were equally ignorant of
contemporary developments of German thought. When Stewart became aware
that there was such a thing as Kant's philosophy, he tried to read it in
a Latin version. Parr, I may observe, apparently did not know of this
version, and gave up the task of reading German. Stewart's example was
not encouraging. He had abandoned the 'undertaking in despair' partly
fr