1878 THE ECLIPSE OF FAITH 85 



no revelation at all on matters which fall within the 

 domain of scientific research. 



' A similar removal of obstacles must be claimed 

 in the region of historical criticism. There, again, 

 it has become apparent that, whatever turns out true 

 about this or that Old Testament narrative, no 

 question really vital to the Christian religion can be 

 said to be at stake in this field ; while in the region 

 of the New Testament the most sifting criticism has 

 had a result emphatically reassuring. The critical 

 evidence justifies, or more than justifies, the belief of 

 the Church which is expressed in her Creeds.' 



But this has been a hard-won fight for most — 



' Friends, companions, and train 

 The avalanche swept from our side,' * 



and no one felt the strain, the positive agony of soul, 

 in greater degree than did George Romanes. Step 

 by step he abandoned the position he had maintained 

 in his Burney Prize, with no great pauses, rather, as 

 it seems, with startling rapidity, and with sad and with 

 reluctant backward glances he took up a position of 

 agnosticism, for a time almost of materialism. He 

 wrote a book, published in 1876, which was entitled 

 ' A Candid Examination of Theism.' It is almost 

 needless to discuss the work, as it has been dealt 

 with by its author in his posthumous ' Thoughts on 

 Religion.' It is an able piece of work, and is 

 marked throughout by a lofty spirit, a profound sad- 

 ness, and a belief (which years after he criticised 

 sharply) in the exclusive light of the scientific method 

 in the Court of Reason. 



His education had been on strictly scientific 



x ' Rugby Chapel,' M. Arnold. 



