BAUTAIN, LOUIS EUGENE MARIE: French philosopher; b. at Paris Feb. 17, 1796; d. at Viroflay near Versailles, Oct. 15, 1867. He became professor of philosophy at Strasburg in 1819. He was a pupil of Cousin and a student of German philosophy, and, his teaching not being acceptable to the church authorities, he was suspended in 1822. He modified his views and took holy orders in 1828, and resumed teaching. In l834 he again fell into difficulty with the Bishop of Strasburg because of his teachings concerning the relation of reason and faith; in 1838 he went to Rome and sought in vain to have his views approved there. In 1840 he submitted, became vicar-general of Paris in 1849, and professor at the Sorbonne in 1853. He held that the human reason cannot prove such facts as the existence of God and the immortality of the soul, and that the truths of religion are communicated purely by divine revelation. His most important works were: Philosophie du Christianisme (2 vols., Strasburg, 1835); Psychologie expérimentale (2 vols., 1839; new ed., with title Esprit humain et ses facultés, Paris, 1859); Philosophie morale (2 vols., Paris, 1842); La morale de l'Évangile compare aux divers systèmes de morale (1855). He had much repute as an orator and published an Étude sur l'art de parler en public (1856; Eng. transl., The Art of Extempore Speaking, London, 1858).