SKETCH OF DR. JOHN W. DAWSON. 231 



unity is still stronger, so much so that it may seem wrong to class, as 

 we have done, Judaism and Christianity among religions of humanity 

 rather than religions of God. They are, in fact, both at once, and the 

 former at least is primarily a religion of God, and only secondarily a 

 religion of humanity. It is because the worship of humanity in them, 

 rather than the worship of Deity, determines their specific character, 

 because they conceive Deity itself as a transcendent humanity, or as 

 united with humanity ; it is not because Deity plays a less, but be- 

 cause humanity plays a more prominent part in them, tljat I have 

 chosen to name them rather from humanity than from Deity. 



When, therefore, modern systematizers, in endeavoring to organize 

 a religion which should exclude the supernatural, have extracted out 

 of Christianity a religion of humanity, and have rejected as obsolete 

 whatever in it had relation to Deity, they have not been wrong in 

 taking what they have taken, though wrong in leaving w^hat they 

 have left. Deity is found in other religions besides Christianity, and 

 in some religions, e. g., in Islamism, is not a whit less prominent than 

 in Christianity ; what is characteristic of the Christian system is its 

 worship of humanity. How great a mistake, nevertheless, is made 

 when it is supposed that Deity ought to be removed out of our reli- 

 gious systems, or that the rejection of supernaturalism in any way 

 involves the dethronement of Deity or the transference to any other 

 object of the unique devotion due to him, I shall show immediately; 

 but what I have said about those inferior forms of religion which have 

 not God for their object suggests another observation before we pass 

 to consider the religion of God. 







SKETCH OF PRmCIPAL DAWSON. 



JOHN WILLIAM DAWSON was born at Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 

 1820. He received his early academic training in the College of 

 Pictou. Here, in addition to the regular course of study, he investi- 

 gated with great success the natural history of his native province, 

 thus early manifesting a taste for original scientific inquiry. 



Having finished his course at Pictou, he entered the University of 

 Edinburgh. After a winter's study he returned to Nova Scotia, and 

 devoted himself with ardor to geological research. He was the com- 

 panion of Sir Charles Lyell during his tour in Nova Scotia, in 1842. 



In the autumn of 1846 he returned to the University of Edin- 

 burgh, his special objects of study being now practical chemistry and 

 other svtbjocts, of which he had found the necessity in the original 

 work in which he was engaged. 



In 1850 he was appointed Superintendent of Education for Nova 

 Scotia. This oflice he held for three years, and rendered valuable ser- 



