274 THE REV. THEODORE WOOD, F.E.S., ON 
him, shows he suffers also; but doubtless the author would say 
that it is not fair to argue from domestic animals. I suppose it 
is true that serious and even fatal wounds do not necessarily entail 
pain. It is said in respect of Charles XII of Sweden, when he 
received his death wound at the battle of Friedrichshall, that so 
far from suffering pain, his first instinct was an endeay our to clasp 
his sword-hilt with his shattered arm. 
The CHaiRMAN.—May I add one remark as to a dog dreading 
punishment and crying out. I was once much struck when grouse 
shooting in the Highlands. With the keeper were two Gordon 
setters, dogs that worked well. The keeper was a strict man, and 
something went wrong. I was a little distance off, heard one of 
the dogs howling, and saw the whip going in the air. I went up 
and said, ‘‘ Why do you beat the dog?” He turned to me and said, 
“T never touched the dog. I was beating the heather by his side ; 
it answers the purpose just as well.” 
Rev. A. K. Cuerritt, M.A.—I should be glad to say a few words 
on the controversial aspect of this question which has hardly yet 
been touched on. The Author pointed out at the beginning of his 
Paper that attacks upon Christianity and theism in general have 
been founded on the supposed cruelty of Nature. Objectors say 
that the Creator cannot be merciful and powerful to have created 
a world in which suffering so much abounds. Mr. Wood’s argu- 
ment took the form of minimising the amount of suffering, which 
he did very successfully, showing that the suffering in Nature is not 
nearly so great as itis often supposed to be. But I doubt whether 
this goes far enough for a controversial argument, for the man who 
started the objection that an all-powerful and merciful God could 
not have created a world in which so much suffering exists, might 
answer that this only affects the question of degree; why should 
God create a world in which suffering exists at all? Therefore, 
to meet the objection fully we require something more than 
diminished suffering; we require to show that the suffering of pain 
in itself is not to be set down purely asanevil. Ithinkit was Hans 
Andersen who wrote a story to show the use that suffering is to 
man, and the extraordinary evils into which he would fall if he had 
not the power of feeling or suffering pain. But we do not need 
fairy tales or stories to illustrate the point, for it seems to me that 
a strong scientific argument can be advanced to show that the suf- 
fering of pain is not really an evil but a good. As the Author 
