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source of evidence. If Hinduism, whose many-sidedness is 
well symbolised by the many-faced images of its gods, shall 
furnish greater attractions to the majority of students, still it 
must not be forgotten that the simple beliefs and rites that we 
have sketched belong to a much earlier stage of religious 
growth, and may, if attentively studied, throw much welcome 
light on the genius of all religion. 
THe CHarrMANn (Mr. W. N. West).—All will desire me to tender the 
thanks of the meeting to Professor Avery for his very able paper, and also to 
Mr. H. Cadman Jones for the admirable way in which he has read it. I 
will now invite those present to take part in the discussion. 
Maj.-General F. T. Harte, R.E.—As I happen to have had an extensive 
acquaintance with one of the aboriginal tribes of India, I have been asked 
to come here and offer a few remarks on this paper. The subject is cer- 
tainly one of great interest; but it seems to me that there are two points 
‘of view from which we may approach it, and that it is important we should, 
in the first place, determine which it is to be, because upon that will neces- 
sarily depend, to a great extent, the conclusions we may arrive at in 
reference to the general subject of the so-called,“ science of religion,” which 
is more or less raised by the author of the paper. I do not wish to enter 
at large into that subject, but will offer a few remarks, which I think 
will enable me to put my own position clearly before you, and in doing 
so state what I have myself seen of the religion of these aborigines. Such 
investigations may follow two opposite courses. We may either dismiss 
altogether the question as to whether there is such a thing as Divine revela- 
tion in the world, and confine our inquiries simply to the investigation of the 
origin and development of the different religions of the world, Christianity 
included. This, perhaps, might be called the strictly scientific method, 
though I do not think it is so; but it would at least yield the advantage that 
we should be able to pursue the inquiry with no more of that senti- 
ment which appears to he deprecated in the paper than we should feel 
if we were engaged in investigating the claims of a number of old bones 
to having belonged to some extinct Saurian ; but at the same time, if we 
pursue this method, the only standard by which we can judge of the relative 
value of the different religions must be such notions as we can evolve from our 
own consciousness, or those derived from natural theology. On the other hand, 
if we have, from careful investigation of the credentials of Christianity, 
arrived at a full conviction that it is a Divine revelation, two or three 
very important consequences follow. First of all, Christianity must be 
set on one side as not coming within the scope of our inquiry; because 
its origin, development, and character are already authoritatively laid 
down in its sacred books. In the next place, we shall have a much 
higher and an authoritative standard to which to bring all the different 
religions we may investigate ; and, lastly, there is this to notice, namely, that 
the whole subject becomes invested with deep and intense interest—infinitely 
