from whence it came and whither it goes.

And thus, my dear Kingsley, you will understand what my position is. I
may be quite wrong, and in that case I know I shall have to pay the
penalty for being wrong. But I can only say with Luther, "Gott helfe
mir, Ich kann nichts anders."

I know right well that 99 out of 100 of my fellows would call me
atheist, infidel, and all the other usual hard names. As our laws stand,
if the lowest thief steals my coat, my evidence (my opinions being
known) would not be received against him. [The law with respect to oaths
was reformed in 1869.]

But I cannot help it. One thing people shall not call me with justice
and that is--a liar. As you say of yourself, I too feel that I lack
courage; but if ever the occasion arises when I am bound to speak, I
will not shame my boy.

I have spoken more openly and distinctly to you than I ever have to any
human being except my wife.

If you can show me that I err in premises or conclusion, I am ready to
give up these as I would any other theories. But at any rate you will do
me the justice to believe that I have not reached my conclusions without
the care befitting the momentous nature of the problems involved.

And I write this the more readily to you, because it is clear to me that
if that great and powerful instrument for good or evil, the Church of
England, is to be saved from being shivered into fragments by the
advancing tide of science--an event I should be very sorry to witness,