James Augustus Cotter Morison
Encyclopedia
James Augustus Cotter Morison (20 April 1832 - 26 February 1888), English
essayist and historian
, was born in London
.
till his death in 1840, and Cotter Morison thus acquired not only an acquaintance with the French language
, but a profound sympathy with France
and French institutions.
He was educated at Highgate School
and Lincoln College, Oxford
. Here he fell under the influence of Mark Pattison
, to whom his impressionable nature perhaps owed a certain over-fastidiousness that characterized his whole career. He also made the acquaintance of the leading English Positivists
, to whose opinions he became an ardent convert. Yet he retained a strong sympathy with the Roman Catholic religion, and at one time spent several weeks in a Catholic monastery
.
, to whom the work is dedicated, and with whose style it is strongly colored. Meanwhile he had been a regular contributor, first to the Literary Gazette, edited by his friend John Morley, and then to the Saturday Review at its most brilliant epoch.
In 1868, he published a pamphlet entitled Irish Grievances shortly stated. In 1878, he published a volume on Gibbon
in the Men of Letters series, marked by sound judgment and wide reading. This he followed up in 1882 with his Macaulay
in the same series. It exhibits, more clearly perhaps than any other of Morison's works, both his merits and his defects.
Macaulay's bluff and strenuous character, his rhetorical style, his unphilosophical conception of history, were entirely out of harmony with Morison's prepossessions. Yet in his anxiety to do justice to his subject, he steeped himself in Macaulay until his style often recalls that which he is censuring. His brief sketch, Mme de Maintenon: une etude (1885), and some magazine articles, were the only fruits of his labours in French history.
. They had one son, Theodore Morison, a principal from 1899-1905 of the college of Aligarh and member of the Council of India
from 1906; and daughters Helen Cotter, and Margaret.
Morison died in London.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
essayist and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early years
His father, who had made a large fortune as the inventor and proprietor of "Morison's Pills", settled in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
till his death in 1840, and Cotter Morison thus acquired not only an acquaintance with the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, but a profound sympathy with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and French institutions.
He was educated at Highgate School
Highgate School
-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
and Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
. Here he fell under the influence of Mark Pattison
Mark Pattison
Mark Pattison was an English author and a Church of England priest. He served as Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.-Life:...
, to whom his impressionable nature perhaps owed a certain over-fastidiousness that characterized his whole career. He also made the acquaintance of the leading English Positivists
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
, to whose opinions he became an ardent convert. Yet he retained a strong sympathy with the Roman Catholic religion, and at one time spent several weeks in a Catholic monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
.
Career
One other great influence appears in the admirable Life of St Bernard, which he published in 1863, that of his friend CarlyleRobert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
, to whom the work is dedicated, and with whose style it is strongly colored. Meanwhile he had been a regular contributor, first to the Literary Gazette, edited by his friend John Morley, and then to the Saturday Review at its most brilliant epoch.
In 1868, he published a pamphlet entitled Irish Grievances shortly stated. In 1878, he published a volume on Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
in the Men of Letters series, marked by sound judgment and wide reading. This he followed up in 1882 with his Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay PC was a British poet, historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer, and on British history...
in the same series. It exhibits, more clearly perhaps than any other of Morison's works, both his merits and his defects.
Macaulay's bluff and strenuous character, his rhetorical style, his unphilosophical conception of history, were entirely out of harmony with Morison's prepossessions. Yet in his anxiety to do justice to his subject, he steeped himself in Macaulay until his style often recalls that which he is censuring. His brief sketch, Mme de Maintenon: une etude (1885), and some magazine articles, were the only fruits of his labours in French history.
Family
In 1861, Morison married Frances Virtue (d.1878), the daughter of publisher George VirtueGeorge Virtue
George C. Virtue, Esq. was a 19th-century London publisher, well-known for printing engravings. His publishing house was located at 26 Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London, EC.-Pictorial publisher:...
. They had one son, Theodore Morison, a principal from 1899-1905 of the college of Aligarh and member of the Council of India
Council of India
The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India.The original Council of India was established by the Regulating Act of 1773 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor-General at Fort William...
from 1906; and daughters Helen Cotter, and Margaret.
Later life
In later life, he resided for some years in Paris, where his house was a meeting place for eminent men of all shades of opinion. Towards the close of his life, he meditated a work showing the application of positivist principles to conduct. Failing health compelled him to abandon the second or constructive part: the first, which attempts to show the ethical inadequacy of revealed religion and is marked in parts by much bitterness, was published in 1887 under the title of The Service of Man.Morison died in London.