J 
- 
1884. } 445 (Ruschenberger, 
continue and expand the beneficent influence of his instruc- 
tion and example. 
Though he was baptized in the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
and was occasionally present at its services, he seemed to hold 
views in harmony with the tenets of the Society of Friends, of 
which his mother and her ancestors were members. As long 
as the golden rule. squared and regulated the daily practice of 
his life, the sunday observance of church ceremonies and lis- 
tening to continuously iterated inculcations were insignificant, 
and, to our philosopher, seemingly without profit of any sort. 
The purpose of his life was to learn truths demonstrable to the 
senses, Of the kind of palpable truth, which is patent to the 
expert naturalist who perceives that the Creator is everywhere 
present in all His works, the church rector does not often 
speak; and if he did, could teach him nothing. To one earn- 
estly engaged in the study of God’s visible works, the attrac- 
tions of pulpit teachings are comparatively feeble. To him 
doctrines and dogmas of every kind, though he may compla- 
cently listen to them, are of very small importance, because he 
knows that all doctrines and theories are unstable, and that 
the ascertained facts of the creation are permanent forever. 
He lived and believed as a christian, but without adhesion 
to any sect. 
Dr. Bridges was notably reticent about himself among his 
most intimate friends. He left no letters or papers bearing 
testimony to his merits. A friend who had been intimate with 
him during a third of a century, says, in a letter, September 
10, 1881: “Few men in this world—and I have met many 
who are good and generous—-have ever, in my judgment, with 
such self-sacrificing generosity, bestowed as heartily their 
sympathy and their best efforts to gladden the lives of those 
around them, as our friend Bridges has always done, And the 
quiet, earnest and unflagging way in which he has bestowed 
the best energies and all the small rewards of his life among his 
friends is beautiful to behold. i i e ad 
“Tam quite surprised to hear that he is able and enjoys so 
much exercise as to go twice a day to the cool hall of the 
