60 RELIGION. [ch. hi. 



can reflect but little on what I write ; but I fully believe 

 and hope that I have never written a word, which at the 

 time I did not think ; but I think you will agree with me, 

 that anything which is to be given to the public ought to 

 be maturely weighed and cautiously put. It never occurred 

 to me that you would wish to print any extract from my 

 notes : if it had, I would have kept a copy. I put ' private ' 

 from habit, only as yet partially acquired, from some hasty 

 notes of mine having been printed, which were not in the 

 least degree worth printing,though otherwise unobjectionable. 

 It is simply ridiculous to suppose that my former note to you 

 would be worth sending to me, with any part marked which 

 you desire to print ; but if you like to do so, I will at once 

 say whether I should have any objection. I feel in some 

 degree unwilling to express myself publicly on religious 

 subjects, as I do not feel that I have thought deeply enough 

 to justify any publicity." 



What follows is from another letter to Dr. Abbott (No- 

 vember 16, 1871), in which my father gives more fully his 

 reasons for not feeling competent to write on religious and 

 moral subjects : 



" I can say with entire truth that I feel honoured by 

 your request that I should become a contributor to the 

 Index, and am much obliged for the draft. I fully, also, 

 subscribe to the proposition that it is the duty of every one 

 to spread what he believes to be the truth ; and I honour 

 you for doing so, with so much devotion and zeal. But I 

 cannot comply with your request for the following reasons ; 

 and excuse me for giving them in some detail, as I should 

 be very sorry to appear in your eyes ungracious. My health 

 is very weak : I never pass 24 hours without many hours of 

 discomfort, when I can do nothing whatever. I have thus, 

 also, lost two wdiole consecutive months this season. Owing 

 to this weakness, and my head being often giddy, I am 

 unable to master new subjects requiring much thought, and 

 can deal only with old materials. At no time am I a quick 

 thinker or writer : whatever I have done in science has 

 solely been by long pondering, patience and industry. 



" Now I have never systematically thought much on 

 religion in relation to science, or on morals in relation to 

 society; and without steadily keeping my mind on such 

 subjects for a long period, I am really incapable of writing 

 anything worth sending to the Index" 



He was more than once asked to give his views on re- 



