Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/817

BUTLER. 727 BUTLER, James Glextworth (1821—). An American clergjiiian of the Presbyterian Church. He was; born in Krooklyn, X. Y... studied at Yale, the Union Theolosieal Seminary, and Y'ale Divinity School, and from 1852 to 1868 was pastor "in West Philadelphia, Pa. From 1868 to 1871 he was secretary to the American and Foreign Christian Union of New York City, and from 1S71 to 1873 was pastor in Brooklyn, X. Y., Eastern District. Subsequent to 1874 he was occupied wholly with literary work, in par- ticular with the preparation of liis commentary, Bible Work (Vol. 1., 1ST8; Vol. VIII., 1893, incomplete). He also published The Fourfold Gospel (ISitO). BUTLER, Jonx ( ? -1794). A Tory leader in the American Kevolution. He was bom in Connecticut, but early became a resident of Tryon County, X. Y. He commanded the Indians in Sir William Johnson's Niagara campaign of 1759, and in the Montreal expedition of 1760; joined the British at the beginning of the Revo- lution, and led many Indian and Tory expedi- tious against the frontier settlements, making himself notorious by his numerous cruelties and atrocities. At the battle of Oriskany (q.v.), in 1777. he commanded a company of Indians and Tories organized by himself, and in 1778 led the force of 1100 which devastated the Wyoming Valley and massacred the inhabitants. (See Wyoming Vallet.) He fought against Sullivan in 1779, when that officer made his fa- mous expedition against the Iroquois in Xew Y'ork, and the following year engaged in Sir John Johnson's raid against the Schoharie and Mohawk settlements. At the close of the war he settled in Canada, where, until his death, he was an agent for Indian atTairs. BUTLER, .Joseph (1692-1752). An English theologian, bom at Wantage, in Berkshire. With a view to the ministry of the Presby- terian Church, he attended a Dissenting acad- emy at Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire. At the age of 22 he gave proof of high meta- physical ability in a letter to Dr. Samuel Clarke, usually appended to that celebrated writer's a priori demonstration, to which it offers some objections. About this time he made up his mind to join the Church of Eng- land, and in March, 1714, entered Oriel College, Oxford. In 1718 he graduated, took orders, and was appointed preacher at the Rolls Chapel, where he preached those remarkable sermons which he published in 1726. The first three, "On Human Xature," constitute very important contributions to moral science. Against hedon- ism (q.v.) he urges that before one can find pleasure in an object one must have a disin- terested desire for the object. Hence, disin- terested benevolence is possible. Indeed, it is one among many impulses of human nature, which is a system of impul.ses, each having its own right. Butler sometimes represents con- science as the supreme regulative principle, con- trolling all the other impulses; sometimes rea- sonable self-love and benevolence are coordinate and harmonious supreme principles; sometimes to self-love is attributed the final word in the (for him impossible) case of a conflict between self-love and benevolence. Just what conscience is for Butler it is hard to ascertain. In 1725 Butler was presented to the rich benefice of BUTLER. Stanhope in the county of Durham, to which he removed in the following year. Here he resided in great retirement till 1733. Thomas Seeker, afterwards archbishop, desired to see him pro- moted to some more important position, and mentioned his name once to Queen Caroline. The Queen thought he had been dead, and asked Archbishop Blackburne if it were not so. "Xo, madam," said the Archbishop, "but he is buried." In 1733 Butler became chaplain to his friend. Lord Chancellor Talbot, and some time afterwards a prebendary of Rochester. In 1736 he published The Analogy of Keligion, yatural and Revealed, to the Constitution and Course of Nature. Although the argument is ingenious, and for a century and a half has been praised in the highest terms, it cannot be said to have any logical value. The leading aim of the Analogy is to show that all the ob- jections to revealed religion are equally ap- plicable to the whole constitution of nature, and that the general analogy between the prin- ciples of divine government, as revealed in the Scriptures, and those manifested in the course of nature, warrants the conclusion that they have one Author. Soon after the publication of this work, Butler was appointed Clerk of the Closet to the Queen, who greatly prized his con- versation. In 1738 he was made Bishop of Bris- tol; in 1740, Dean of Saint Paul's: and in 1750 he was translated to the see of Durham. He lived to make but one visitation of his diocese. His 'charge' on . the occasion, in which he em- phasized the importance of a due maintenance of the externals of religion, subjected him to much censure as betraying a tendency to Roman Catholicism. In character Butler was grave and judicious, meek and generous. His inter- course with his clergy and people was frank and humane, and his episcopal treasures were wisely and munificently distributed. His works, with a Life by Kippis and notes by Halifax, were collected and published at Edinburgh (1804) and reprinted at Oxford (1807): a sumptuous edition, with 'studies.' was published by W. E. Gladstone in 1896. There are good separate editions of the Analogy and of the Three .S'ermons. Consult: Collins, Butler (Lon- don, 1889) ; Lefevre, "Significance of Butler's View of Human Xature," in Philosophical Re- view for 1899. BUTLER, ilATTHEW Calhraith (1836—). An American soldier and politician. He was born in South Carolina, and spent two years at tlie State University. He entered the Con- federate Army as a captain, in 1861, and at- tained the rank of brigadier-general in 1862 and of major-general in 1863. In 1863, at the battle of Brandy Station, he lost his right leg. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1866, was a candidate for Lieutenant-Governor of South Carolina in 1870, and from 1877 to 1889 was a Democratic member of the United States Senate. In 1898 he was appointed major-gen- eral of volunteers for ser-ice in the Spanish- American War, and in tlie same year was a member of the commission appointed to arrange for the evacuation of Cuba by the Spanish forces. BUTLER, XiCHOLAS Murray (1862—). An -Xmericaii educator. Ho was born in Elizabeth, X. J., graduated at Cohinil)ia in 1882, and was