RELIGIOUS NATURE 



ecclesiastical discussions. On the other hand, no one was 

 ever admitted to his intimacy, on shipboard or on land, 

 as a visitor in his family or as a correspondent, without 

 discovering the simplicity, the honesty, and the beauty 

 of his Christian character. He was not only a man with- 

 out guile, he was a man of strong convictions, definite 

 principles, and devout aspirations, ever manifested by 

 that " most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of 

 peace and of all virtues." Striking illustrations might 

 be given of the light which was shed by his steady adher- 

 ence under adverse circumstances to the essentials of 

 Christianity, and by his outspoken words, while his life 

 was devoted to the fearless discovery of nature and the 

 defense of scientific truth. 



With Arnold Guyot's views he was especially in 

 sympathy, and perhaps no better summary of his beliefs 

 could be given than that which is attributed to another 

 devoted and lifelong friend, Asa Gray, the botanist.* 

 Under the trying conditions of prolonged ill-health, which 

 made the end of active work seem near, day after day, 

 for more than thirty years, Dana's patience and submis- 

 sion were invariable. As old age came on, he lost no 

 courage. He cheered his contemporaries by his resolute 

 faith, and he set an example of serenity and faith to all 

 the younger persons who came under his influence. So 

 much for his spiritual nature. 



Now a word respecting his intellectual attitude toward 

 religion. In order that this may be understood, the 

 state of this country during his earlier years, and espe- 

 cially between 1830 and 1860, must be borne in mind. 

 Science had not then established its position in college 

 courses, nor in the confidence of educated religious men, 

 as it did at a later date. Ministers and churches saw its 

 approaches with apprehension. They were alarmed by 



* See the Memorial Sermon of Rev. A. McKenzie, D.D., respecting Pro- 

 fessor Gray, Cambridge, 1888. 



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