darkness vanishes when a light is brought into a room. Error may
apparently linger because of peculiar circumstances which we are
ignorant of, but as soon as truth has a fair chance of coming
directly in contact with error, the victory is won. I claim,
therefore, that the reason that your explanations are not accepted,
is because they do not explain. Your doctrines offer protection to a
small part of the man, but leave all the rest exposed to the cold and
inclement weather. The uneducated do not accept your doctrines
because they belie their own experiences.

_Mr. Freethinker_--I hope you will pardon me for interrupting you,
Mr. Orthodox. You are getting too hot. I think it will be better for
you to cool off before you continue, and in the meantime I will have
my say. That is the greatest objection I have to you religionists--
you are all fanatics. You get an idea into your head, and then think
that the continuance of the world depends upon you thrusting it into
everybody's face. Of course you are willing to suffer for your
doctrines, and even to die for them if need be, but that is the way
with all fanatics. Your foolish notions give occasion for amusement
to cool-headed free thinkers, who see perfectly well that they are
all the result of self-delusion. I believe in keeping perfectly cool;
in always keeping the head as high above the heart as it is in the
body. I don't believe in attacking a man from behind while he is
engaged by another in front, but, during the time Mr. Orthodox is
cooling off, I wish to show you, Mr. Liberal, wherein I differ from
you. Your great appeal is to reason, and I agree with you entirely
on that point; but I don't arrive at your conclusions. You have been
fixing your eyes on the monstrous outrage of reason in your brother's
position so steadfastly, and yours is so much more in accordance
with reason, that it is not surprising that you should have failed to