e of such
a writer as Chateaubriand,(868) similar to that of the Romantic literature
of Germany, awakened in France early in the century the conceptions of a
world of spirit, of chivalrous honour, of immortal hope, of divine
Providence; and led mankind to feel that there was something in them
nobler than mere material organism; even a spirit that yearned for the
world invisible. Chateaubriand showed,(869) in answer to the school of
Voltaire, that Christianity was not merely suited to a rude age, but was
the friend of art, of intellect, of improvement. The church as yet
possessed only little influence. Beginning to revive under the fostering
influence of Napoleon, who saw clearly the necessity of cultivating
religion, its moral usefulness was lessened by falling under the suspicion
of opposing the public liberty, when patronised by the government after
the re-establishment of the monarchy.

The nobler conceptions just described, whether they arose from literature
or from religion, gradually penetrated into the minds of thoughtful men;
and, the ground being thus prepared, several rival systems of thought
gradually sprang up in the fifteen years (1815-1830) of the restoration of
the Bourbon dynasty. Accordingly, when the revolution of 1830 gave freedom
to France, there was a universal activity of mind, and free thought
assumed a bolder attitude; sceptical, if compared with the Christian
standard, but embodying deep moral convictions, if compared with the
unbelief of the last century. Among the definite schemes of philosophy,
theoretical or practical, which were proposed for acceptance, the first
which we shall notice was Socialism.(870)

It originated with St. Simon.(871) The stirring events of the great
revolutionary era, together with the social philosophy of Rousseau which
preceded it, had directed attention to the philosophy of social life. St.
Simon had lived through this period, and early in the present century
devoted himself to the study of schemes of social reform; and shortly
before his death in 1825, announced his ideas as a new religion, a new
Christianity. In the ferment which followed the revolution of 1830, the
opinions of this dreamer became suddenly popular, and, enlisting around
them some distinguished minds, forced themselves on the attention of the
public during the two following years; and as the political schemes which
resulted from them have left their mark on the theological literature of
the time,