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tion. I think this method of proceeding is peculiarly valuable in the present 
day. It is valuable because it makes a person think for himself. If I have 
to stand up and say even a very few words upon such subjects as are brought 
before us at these meetings, I must bring my thought a little to these sub- 
jects in such a way as really to make some reflections upon them for myself, 
and this, I think, is one of the special advantages ; for the great evil of the 
present day is, that all these subjects, which are of a most complicated 
character, and which involve the deepest interests and the most important 
questions, are thrown before us in the rapid circulation of periodicals, or in 
the free and unrestrained conversation of private life. They are taken up at 
one moment and laid down the next, with just a few words in passing upon 
them, and those words are not really words expressive of thought. Now 
thought is what we want. We do not want people to shut their eyes to all 
these difficulties that have been raised ; we want them to think about 
them, and to think before they speak. In the present day, we get so accus- 
tomed to speaking, that a large number of people are able to speak without 
thinking, and that seems to me to be one of the evils that these quiet meet- 
ings of ours are peculiarly adapted to correct, because every one knows, that 
when he rises at such a meeting, however fluent or eloquent in expression he 
may be, what he says will be carefully examined ; and if it contain nothing 
but mere sound, it will soon be discovered by those who, perhaps, are not 
able to speak so fluently, but who think and work more deeply. I say, then, 
that every time I have attended these meetings, I have gone away with some 
additional knowledge on some subjects of thought, which has been calculated 
to be useful to me afterwards. There is one kind of knowledge which we 
all obtain at these meetings, and that is, a knowledge of the difficulties 
and doubts entertained by other persons, — difficulties and doubts which, per- 
haps, we may never have heard of before. We may have heard of the par- 
ticular subjects, or of the particular doubts, but not of the peculiar manner 
in which' those doubts weigh upon the minds of some persons. It is at such 
meetings as these that people rise and explain their doubts. It may, of 
course, be painful sometimes to hear and to know of the difficulties and com- 
plications which arise to perplex some minds which are just beginning to 
awaken to light ; but we must all be aware of this — that light in general, 
when it is first poured upon us, is at first sight painful to the eye, and the 
consequence is that many people never get further than closing the eyes in 
order to avoid it. It is just that which such a society as this is especially 
intended to correct. We must be ready to welcome all light if it be true 
light, and we must examine it. At first we may be blinded and astonished 
by much of it ; but let us look calmly and quietly upon it, and we shall find 
the blessedness of that light, and that, so far from preventing us from 
seeing the truth, it will really aid us in discerning it. Our great object 
is to welcome all new light, from whatever source it comes, if it be pure 
and true light. If it be false light, we must examine and discover it ; 
not by closing our eyes or putting a screen before it, but by introducing the 
pure, true, and brilliant light which shines so magnificently, and which will 
