[November, 
674 The Duke of Argyll 
The errors of popular beliefs affected Popes and Kaisers 
just as much as they did the lowliest of their subjects ; in- 
deed if they had not, they would not have been Popes or 
Kaisers at all. So persistently, indeed, are popular beliefs 
wrong, even in matters intimately affedting the welfare of 
mankind, whenever it is necessary to take a step or 
two in the process of deduction, that if they were, right 
— as the author thinks— with regard to the Unity of 
Nature, it would be a very extraordinary exception to the 
But besides all this, which may be called probable evi- 
dence, we have abundant positive evidence that the general 
belief of mankind has been, and still is, not in a unity, but 
in a duality of nature and supernatural beings. 
In the same way as the author has stated, some of the 
most recent scientific views as evidences of Unity of Nature, 
let us take a very brief survey of some of the principal 
beliefs with regard to the Universe which have been, and 
many of which are still entertained even by civilised nations 
as evidence rather of a belief inits duality, viz., that this world, 
though only a flat surface a few miles in area, bounded by the 
horizon, was the largest portion of the universe; that the sun, 
moon, and stars were mere appendages quite close to the 
earth, for the benefit of man— the central figure of the uni- 
verse, and on whose account it was all brought into existence 
in a week ; that in this world, which was practically the 
universe, it was the earnest wish of its Maker that there 
should be no pain or death, no sin or misery, but perpetual 
health and life, morality and happiness ; that from the very 
beginning another personage appeared upon the scene with 
views totally antagonistic to those of its Maker, viz., that 
there should be disease and death, sin and misery ; that 
these two powers have been in a perpetual struggle ever 
since, and that so far the evil power has been much the 
more successful of the two ; that, during the struggle, 
miracles — breaks in the uniformity of Nature — are continu- 
ally being performed by both parties, and are looked upon 
very much as are the stratagems of ordinary warfare ; that 
prayers offered up to the beneficent power— in some com- 
munities they are offered up to the evil power, in order to 
propitiate him, the beneficent power being supposed not to 
need them — may at any time alter what would otherwise be 
the course of Nature ; that thus the dead have been restored 
to life, the sick made well, the earth more fruitful ; that 
wind or calm, sunshine or shadow, rain or drought, health 
and prosperity of ourselves and our frienas, or death and 
