RELIGION. 305 



He naturally shrank from wounding the sensibilities of 

 others in religious matters, and he was also influenced by the 

 consciousness that a man ought not to publish on a subject 

 to which he has not given special and continuous thought. 

 That he felt this caution to apply to himself in the matter of 

 religion is shown in a letter to Dr. F. E. Abbott, of Cam- 

 bridge, U.S. (Sept. 6, 1871). After explaining that the 

 weakness arising from his bad health prevented him from 

 feeling "equal to deep reflection, on the deepest subject 

 which can fill a man's mind," he goes on to say : " With 

 respect to my former notes to you, I quite forget their 

 contents. I have to write many letters, and 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." 



I may also quote from another letter to Dr. Abbott 

 (Nov. 1 6, 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> 



