The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-07-16
NUMBER 5O---VOLUME A.
A Talk With a Divinity s.udsn.

The divinity student came down, one
morning, looking rather more serious than
usual. He said little at breakfast-time,
but fingered after the Others, so that I,
who an apt to be long at the table, found
myself alone with him.
When the rest were all gone, he turn
ed his chair round towards mine, and be-
gan.
al am afraid" he said, "you express
yourself little too freely on a most i'm
portant class of subjects. Is there not
danger in introducing discussions or allu-
sions relating to matters of religion into
common discourse ?"
danger to what ?' l asked.
Danger to TRUTH" he replied, after .
slight pause.
81 didn't know Truth was such an in
valid" said "How long is it since she
could only take the air in a close car
Sage, with a gentleman in black coat
on the box? Let me tell you a story,
adapted to young persons, but which wont
hurt older ones.
"There was a very little boy who had
one of those balloons you may have seen,
which are filed with light gas, and are
held by string to keep them from run
ming off in @ronautic voyages on their
own account. This little boy had naugh-
ty brother, who said to him one day,
Brother, pull down your balloon, so that
| can look at it and take hold Of it. Then
the little boy pulled it down. Now the
naughty brother had sharp pin in his
hand, and he thrust it into the balloon,
and all the gas oozed out, so that there
was nothing left but shriveled skin.
Zone evening, the little boys father
called him to the window to see the moon,
which pleased him very much; but pres
emily he said, Father, do not pull the
string and bring down the moon, for my
naughty brother will prick it, and then it
will all shrivel up, and we shall not SEQ
it any more.
"Then his father laughed, and told him
how the moon had been shining good
while, and would shine a good while
longer, and that all we could do was to
keep our windows clean, never letting
the dust get thick on them, and especial
ly to keep our eyes open, but that we
could not pull the moon down with q
string, nor prick it with pin. Mind you
this, too, the moon is no mans private
property, but is seen from a good many
parlor windows.
"Tfutb is tough. 1t will not break
like bubble, at touch nay, you may
kick it about all day, like football, and
it will be round and full at evening. Does
not Mr.. Bryant say, that Truth gets we'll
if she is run over by locomotive, while
Error dies of lockjaw if she scratches her
finger l never heard that mathema-
tician was alarmed for the safety of a
demonstrated proposition. / think, gen.
orally, that fear Of open discussion i'm
plies feebeness of inward conviction, and
great sensitiveness to the expression of
individual opinion is mark Of weak
ness"
81 am not so much afraid for truth"
said the divinity student, "as for the con-
ceptions of truth in the minds Of persons
not accustomed TO judge wisely the opin-
ions uttered before them"
"Would you, then, Danish all illusions
to matters of this nature from the society
of people who come together hsbitually?"
Il would be very careful in introducing
them" said the divinity student.
Eyes, but friends of yours leave pamph-
lets in peoples entries to be picked up by
nervous misers and hysteric housemaids,
full Of doctrines these people do not ap-
prove. Some Of your friends stop little
children in the street, and give them
books, which their parents, who have had
them baptized into the Christian fold and
given them what they consider proper re-
ligious instruction, do not think fit for
them. One would say it was fair enough
to talk about matters thus forced upon
peoples attention"
The divinity student could not deny
that this was what might be called open
ing the subject to the discussion Of intel
ligent people.
1.-The very end and aim of our institu-
ton is just this that we may think what
we like and say what we think"
"Think what we like !" said the divin-
ity student "thipk what we like What !
| against all human and divine authorityF
Against all human versions of its own
or any other authority. At our own peril
always, if we do not Ike the right, but not
at the risk Of being hanged and quartered
for political heresy, or broiled on green
faggots for ecclesiastical treason! Nay,
we have got so far, that the very word
heresy has fallen into comparative disuse
among us."-Dr. Holmes, tn the Atlantic
Monthly.