And I say that many seafaring men have solved the puzzle for
themselves in a very rational and sound way, though they may not be
able to put thoughts into words; and that they do show, by their
daily conduct, that a man may be at once thoroughly scientific and
thoroughly religious. And I say that this Ancient and Honourable
Corporation of the Trinity House is a proof thereof unto this day; a
proof that sound science need not make us neglect sound religion, nor
sound religion make us neglect sound science.
No man ought to say that seamen have neglected science. It is the
fashion among some to talk of sailors as superstitious. They must
know very little about sailors, and must be very blind to broad
facts, who speak thus of them as a class. Many sailors, doubtless,
are superstitious. But I appeal to every master mariner here,
whether the superstitious men are generally the religious and godly
men; whether it is not generally the most reckless and profligate men
of the crew who are most afraid of sailing on a Friday, and who give
way to other silly fancies which I shall not mention in this sacred
place. And I appeal, too, to public experience, whether many, I may
say most, of those to whom seamanship and sea-science owes most, have
not been God-fearing Christian men?
Be sure of this, that if seamen, as a class, had been superstitious,
they would never have done for science what they have done.
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