368 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



furnish an irresistible argument in favour of the as- 

 sociation of dogmatic religion with moral purity and 

 grace. But, as already intimated, our experience is not 

 thus confined. In further illustration of this point, we 

 may compare with Faraday a philosopher of equal 

 magnitude, whose character, including gentleness and 

 strength, candour and simplicity, intellectual power 

 and moral elevation, singularly resembles that of the 

 great Sandemanian, but who has neither shared the 

 theologic views nor the religious emotions which formed 

 so dominant a factor in Faraday's life. I allude to 

 Mr. Charles Darwin, the Abraham of scientific men a 

 searcher as obedient to the command of truth as was 

 the patriarch to the command of God. I cannot there- 

 fore, as so many desire, look upon Faraday's religious 

 belief as the exclusive source of qualities shared so 

 conspicuously by one uninfluenced by that belief. To 

 a deeper virtue belonging to human nature in its 

 purer forms I am disposed to refer the excellence of 

 both. 



Superstition may be defined as constructive religion 

 which has grown incongruous with intelligence. We 

 may admit, with Fichte, ' that superstition has un- 

 questionably constrained its subjects to abandon many 

 pernicious practices and to adopt many useful ones; ' 

 the real loss accompanying its decay at the present day 

 has been thus clearly stated by the same philosopher: 

 ' In so far as these lamentations do not proceed from 

 the priests themselves whose grief at the loss of their 

 dominion over the human mind we can well understand 

 but from the politicians, the whole matter resolves 

 itself into this, that government has thereby become 

 more difficult and expensive. The judge was spared 

 the exercise of his own sagacity and penetration when, 

 by threats of relentless damnation, he could compel the 



