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CHAPTER XII. 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



IN the preceding chapters I have not, I trust, so com- 

 pletely failed as to have left upon the reader's mind 

 no image of what manner of man my father was. But the 

 portrait is still a very imperfect one, and must be com- 

 pleted by some touches which it is exceedingly difficult to 

 give with justice. I have hitherto dwelt as slightly as 

 possible upon the religious features of his character, that 

 I might not disturb the thread of a narrative which is 

 mainly intended for the general public. But no portrait 

 of his mind would be recognizable by those who knew 

 Philip Gosse best, which should relegate to a second place 

 .^^his religious convictions and habits of thought. They were 

 •peculiar to himself, they were subject throughout his life 

 to practically no modifications, and they were remarkable 

 for their logical precision and independence. I have never 

 met with a man, of any creed, of any school of religious 

 speculation, who was so invulnerably cased in fully developed 

 conviction upon every side. His faith was an intellectual 

 system of mental armour in which he was clothed, cap-d-pz^, 

 without a joint or an aperture discoverable anywhere. 

 He never avoided argument ; on the contrary, he eagerly 

 accepted every challenge ; and his accuracy of mind, 

 working with extreme precision within a narrow channel, 

 was such that it was not possible to controvert him on his 



