230 RELIGIOUS FEELING 



when no attempt is made by them as it sometimes is at 

 psalm-singing, the animals rest quietly and sedately until the 

 completion of the service. It may be, and probably is, the case 

 that they frequently coil themselves comfortably and com- 

 pose themselves to sleep as soon as the service has begun ; 

 but that a similar process is quite as common and much 

 more conspicuous and inexcusable in man, I have no room 

 for doubting, inasmuch as I have over and over again 

 myself seen in country aye, and in city churches in Scot- 

 land people mostly males, be it in fairness explained 

 deliberately composing themselves for a good, sound sleep 

 before the service begins a sleep so natural in one sense 

 as to be not unfrequently accompanied by snoring and to 

 require vigorous nudging or shaking to rouse from it. 



We may be and no doubt will be told that the shep- 

 herd's dog acquires the habit of attending church, and of 

 behaving becomingly therein, by mere imitation of its master. 

 And there can be no denying the important influence of 

 imitation in the acquisition of artificial habits by the dog 

 and other animals. But many incidents, or classes of in- 

 cidents, show that, in this case of church attendance at least, 

 the influence of man and of mere imitation is apt to be 

 overrated is, in fact, really much less than at first sight it 

 appeals to be for church-going dogs do not by any means 

 always or necessarily attend church with their masters. 

 They go sometimes in spite of, and without, their master, 

 feeling that they are incurring his displeasure and a certain 

 punishment in doing so. Knowing, by means which we 

 must not stop here to consider, Sunday from other days of the 

 week, and the proper hours of public worship on Sunday ; 

 quite familiar with the road to church and with the topo- 

 graphy of the church itself; quite aware, further, that it is 

 their master's wish or intention to prevent their going to 

 church on Sundays many astute dogs, determined, for their 

 own reasons, to have their own way, have disappeared on 

 Saturdays, have secreted themselves in order to escape im- 

 prisonment in a kennel or elsewhere, and have made or 

 found their way to and from church quite alone. Southey 

 tells the story of a Methodist's dog ' who regularly went to 



