MAURICE A. CANNEY
The science of Comparative Religion is still so young that information on many matters embraced by it has not found its way as yet into ordinary encyclopaedias; and of special encyclopaedias or dictionaries very few have been published. The great Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, edited by Dr. James Hastings. is a storehouse of learned discussion and information, but its size places it as a household work of reference beyond the reach of many readers. A felt gap is filled very usefully by the handy Dictionary on Non-Classical Mythology, compiled by Marian Edwardes and Lewis Sspence; but, as its title indicates, much of the new material that belongs in a special sense to the domain of religion is excluded necessarily from such a work.
It may seem a bold undertaking to seek, as the present writer has done, to present in a volume of moderate size information about most of the ancient and modern religions, ethnic and historical. His excuse must be that certain cravings of his own impelled him many years ago to set out upon a journey along paths which at that time had not been trodden much, and to read more widely that is perhaps usual; that invitations sisnce 1898 to contribute articles to four volumionous encyclopaedias have formed an A B C habit which he finds it difficult to throw off; and that a work such as he has attempted here is as a metter of fact really needed. In any case,  a work is provided which covers much of the ground claimed by Comparative Religion and is capable of subsequent expansion.