In his essay on "Immortality" he says, "Sixty years ago, the books read, the services and prayers heard, the habits of thought of religious persons, were all directed on death.

All were under the shadow of Calvinism and of the Roman Catholic purgatory, and death was dreadful.

The emphasis of all the good books given to young people was on death.

We were all taught that we were born to die; and over that, all the terrors that theology could gather from savage nations were added to increase the gloom, A great change has occurred.

Death is seen as a natural event, and is met with firmness.