THE LATE MR SEDDON AS A "HUMANIST."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13631, 28 June 1906, Page 8

THE LATE MR SEDDON AS A "HUMANIST."

TO TIU r.DITOg. SlP.,—The late Premier's statement that he was a " Humanist," seems to be generally taken in a half doubtful way, as if ho had coined the word, so it may he useful to state that the humanists were tlio introduce™ of what- was known as the New Learning, in Germany, about 400 vears ago. . They instituted, among oilier movements, a brotherhood called "The Brotherhood of Common Life," which founded schools wherein the teaching was advanced—for those timcs-in the respect, that its chief principle was the necessity for tracing every belief, in religious or secular mailers, to its foundation, Tlio Humanists' idea in (caching this was that the outcome would be for the welfare of the human race, by making plain to the masses what God meant in religion and nature. Perhaps the (irst great scholar produced by those new schools was -Erasmus. Ho was soon, however. eclipsed by Luther. Of course, I do not know that the lato Premier adopted the name of "Humanist" because of ils historic German associations. There must have also been English Hitmanisls, but . allowing for different times and eircuinstaneps, ami lite work lie set himself to do, there was 110 incongruity in his taking the name of the famous ancient innovators,—l am, etc., Reader.