justice when he credits me
with earnestness. I am indeed in earnest, as I believe him to be. But it
seems to me that the motives for earnestness are necessarily more
intense in my case than in his; for (to say nothing else), as I read
history, the morality of the coming generations of Englishmen is very
largely dependent on the answers which they give to the questions at
issue between us. As he has withheld his name, he has deprived me of the
pleasure of reciprocating any expression of personal respect. Thus he
has placed me at a great disadvantage. I know nothing of the man, and
can speak only of the book. Of the book I would wish to say that one who
has taken so much pains to regulate his personal belief is so far
entitled to every consideration. And, if this had been all, I should
have entertained and expressed the highest respect for him, however
faulty his processes might appear to me, and however dangerous his
results. But, when I observed that the author, not content with ignoring
the facts and reasonings, went on to impugn the honesty of his
opponents; when I noticed that again and again the arguments on one side
of the question were carefully arrayed, while the arguments on the other
side were altogether omitted; when I perceived that he denied the
authenticity of every work, and questioned the applicability of every
reference, which made against him; when in short I saw that, however
sincere the writer's personal convictions might be, the critical portion
of the work was stamped throughout with the character of an
advocate's _ex parte_ statement, I felt that he had forfeited any claim
to special forbearance. For the rest, I do not wish to be unjust to the
book, and I am sorry if, while attempting to correct an exceedingly
false estimate, I have seemed to any one to be so; but I do not see any
good in paying empty and formal compliments which do not come from the
heart, and I cannot consent to tamper with truths which seem to me of
the highest moment. Still, I should be sorry to think that so much
energetic work had been thrown away. If the publication of this book
shall have had the effect of attracting serious attention to these most
momentous subjects, it will have achieved an important result. But I
would wish to add one caution. No good will ever come from merely
working on the lines of modern theorists. Perhaps the reader will
forgive me if I add a few words of explanation, for I do not wish to be
misunde