Scientific Essays and Lectures by Charles Kingsley
page 41 of 160 (25%)
page 41 of 160 (25%)
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to be merciful to superstition, as a child of reverence; as a mere
accidental misdirection of one of the noblest and most wholesome faculties of man. This is not the place wherein to argue with either of these parties: and I shall simply say that superstition seems to me altogether a physical affection, as thoroughly material and corporeal as those of eating or sleeping, remembering or dreaming. After this, it will be necessary to define superstition, in order to have some tolerably clear understanding of what we are talking about. I beg leave to define it as--Fear of the unknown. Johnson, who was no dialectician, and, moreover, superstitious enough himself, gives eight different definitions of the word; which is equivalent to confessing his inability to define it at all: "1. Unnecessary fear or scruples in religion; observance of unnecessary and uncommanded rites or practices; religion without morality. "2. False religion; reverence of beings not proper objects of reverence; false worship. " 3. Over nicety; exactness too scrupulous." Eight meanings; which, on the principle that eight eighths, or indeed eight hundred, do not make one whole, may be considered as no definition. His first thought, as often happens, is the best-- "Unnecessary fear." But after that he wanders. The root-meaning of |
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