them away from the church, but I believe it would have been fortunate
for you if you had not mentioned this subject; because you, according
to the confession of your own men, have driven more people from the
churches than any religious body having a similar numerical strength.
You tell people to use their reason, and after you have drawn them
out of the orthodox churches by that bait, they see that they must go
further than your position to satisfy what you call reason, and they
find large numbers among you ready to lead them to that logical
conclusion. It seems that the advocates of your liberal faith have
always believed that they were on the verge of accomplishing great
victories by drawing the multitudes to them; but as with the victim
of tuberculosis, who imagines he is getting better all the
time, it is always expectancy and never realization. If it is
prejudice that prevents the spread of your belief, then it ought to
grow most in New England, where it has largely worn away prejudice.
But the facts seem to be that there it is growing the least
comparatively; while out West, where it is a novelty and meeting with
opposition, it is making the most progress. A person is almost
tempted to conclude that if it were not for the opposition of some
mistaken people, who do not realize your real error, your progress
would come to an end at once.

I believe, Mr. Liberal, that Mr. Freethinker has the best of you
because he vanquished you according to your own method of inquiry.
But you are more nearly right according to the true method of
inquiry. You see it is the proper method of inquiry that I am
contending for. A person with the wrong method of inquiry in his head
will only be repulsed by poking dogmas at him and nothing can be done
with him until he has discovered the fallacy by following his method
to absurdity, its natural conclusion. After that he may be induced to