Description

Description: French philosopher Victor Cousin (1792-1867) nearly illegibly scrawled this letter to author Charles Coquerel (1797-1851) regarding Coquerel’s recent religious article. Cousin compares Coquerel’s work favorably with that of “Mr. Denison”, perhaps referring to Frederick Denison Maurice (1805-1872), a major English theologian of the 19^th century.

Cousin was the founder of the school of “eclecticism” in French philosophy, which was a mixture of German idealism and Scottish Common Sense Realism. He taught philosophy for many years at the Ecole Normale and became rather famous. Cousin also drafted a bill, presented by Francois Guizot in 1833, that brought about numerous reforms of the French education system.

Coquerel wrote several works on religious subjects, including Essai sur l’histoire generale du christianisme (1828), and Histoire des eglises du desert (1841). He also founded and edited several Protestant publications.

7 1/8” x 9 ¼” stampless cover (integral address panel). Item #A01424

Condition: Mailing fold lines, light soil, remnants of wax seal and a small piece missing from one blank corner of the sheet. Generally good condition with a bold signature.