132 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



evil, irrespective of utilitarian results, has sur- 

 vived, with no keen sense of the need of a 

 dogmatic basis for the belief." 5. " Much re- 

 ligious bias of thought from early education." 6. 

 " I have been the more biased towards religion, in 

 that my father and ma.ternal grandfather lived 

 it and did not prate about it. I am personally 

 only a combination of these two men in this 

 respect ( . . . Please take the sense of what I 

 have written, and not the words)." '7. " Reli- 

 gious bias of thought decided." 8. "Although 

 firmly and thoroughly believing in Christianity, 

 and accepting it as the guide of my life, as far 

 as I can understand it, being also a regular at- 

 tendant of the Church of England, still I cannot 

 admit the right of that or any other Church to 

 teach dogmatically what truths are necessary for 

 my salvation ; and the feelings which ever cause 

 me to resent any interference with the liberty of 

 conscience are quite as strong in me as they were 

 in the breast of my ancestor, when he gave up 

 the land of his birth and property, more than 

 300 years ago." [My correspondent has shown 

 marked instances of independence of character, 



