226 RELIGIOUS FEELING 



But charity, and of the highest kind, is by no means 

 uncommon in the dog ; nor is the object of its charity 

 always or necessarily man. 



That in certain cases at least the dog recognises man's 

 higher nature, his supremacy or superiority, not only of a 

 mere physical but also of a psychical kind, there can be no 

 doubt; for we know that it appreciates in man moral 

 goodness and intellectual ability, of certain kinds at least, 

 and in their embodied form. Though, therefore, it sometimes 

 places an unbounded, unquestioning, impregnable, implicit, 

 unhesitating confidence or trust in a master or man who does 

 not deserve it, or while it may look upon man frequently 

 as its mere providence its provider with food, shelter, or 

 protection or as its ruler, regulator, governor, or lawgiver 

 there are certainly cases in which it attaches itself to man 

 in consequence of his amiable qualities, just as it detaches 

 itself from his influence or power where intellectual stupidity 

 on his part exists. In other chapters it is shown how ex- 

 cellent a judge of human character the dog is. Even as a 

 providence as the higher being who gives him his ' daily 

 bread,' who cures him in disease and relieves him if disabled, 

 who is the source 'from whom all blessings flow' all the 

 blessings, that is, of domesticity the dog must recognise 

 in man moral virtues and intellectual ability technical 

 knowledge and the power of applying it as well as mere 

 bodily strength. 



The moral goodness of man, moreover, may be commu- 

 nicated to his dog. The tendency of intimate association or 

 companionship, even without special education, is to assimi- 

 late the character of the dependent to that of its master, to 

 make the dog a reflex of the man, as is shown in the chapters 

 011 ' Education.' So that it may be said, in one sense at 

 least, that the dog is, or may be, made in the image of the 

 being it worships. The character of the man determines 

 very much that of his dog, whether for good or evil a 

 significant fact in relation to man's responsibility for his 

 treatment of lower animals. 



In connection with the dog's worship of man it has also 

 to be noted that it possesses the power of prayer, petition, 



