His entire works may be
described as reiterating the doctrine that "whatever is is wrong."
He has thrown off every form of religious belief and settled down
into the conviction that the Christian profession of Englishmen is
a sham.... Elect him and you bid God-speed to Pantheism and
spiritualism.
[Footnote: Mr. Wylie states that "twice before his election by his
own University he (Carlyle) had been invited to allow himself to
be nominated for the office of Lord Rector, once by students in
the University of Glasgow and once by those of Aberdeen: but both
of these invitations he had declined." This as regards Glasgow is
incorrect.]
Mr. Carlyle neither possesses the talent nor the distinction, nor
does he occupy the position which entitle a man to such an honour
as the Rectorial Chair. The _Scotch Guardian_ writes: But for the
folly exhibited in bringing forward Mr. Disraeli, scarcely any
party within the College or out of it would have ventured to
nominate a still more obnoxious personage. This is the first
instance we have been able to discover in which the suffrages of
the youth of the University have been sought for a candidate who
denied in his writings that the revealed Word of God is "the way,
the truth, the life." It is impossible to separate Mr. Carlyle
from that obtrusive feature of his works in which the solemn
verities of our holy religion are sneered at as wornout
"biblicalities," "unbelievabilities," and religious profession is
denounced as "dead putrescent cant.
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