ogmas, or
discussing controversies. I do not wish to erect the social table, which
was meant for innocent relaxation, into an arena for theological
combatants. I only wish, as people live so much together, that if, when
out of the multitude of topics which arise in conversation, an unlucky
wight happens to start a serious thought, I could see a cordial
recognition of its importance; I wish I could see a disposition to
pursue it, instead of a chilling silence which obliges him to draw in as
if he had dropped something dangerous to the state, or inimical to the
general cheerfulness, or derogatory to his own understanding. I only
desire that as, without any effort on the part of the speaker, but
merely from the overflowing fullness of a mind habitually occupied with
one leading concern, we easily perceive that one of the company is a
lawyer, another a soldier, a third a physician, I only wish that we
could oftener discover from the same plenitude, so hard to conceal where
it exists, that we were in a company of Christians."

"We must not expect in our day," said Mr. Stanley, "to see revive that
animating picture of the prevalence of religious intercourse given by
the prophet: 'Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to
another.' And yet one can not but regret that, in select society, men
well informed as we know, well principled as we hope, having one common
portion of being to fill, having one common faith, one common Father,
one common journey to perform, one common termination to that journey,
and one common object in view beyond it, should, when together, be so
unwilling to advert occasionally to those great points which doubtless
often occupy them in secret; that they should on the contrary adopt a
sort of inverted hypocrisy, and wish to appear worse than they really
are; that they should be so backward to give or to gain information, to
lend or to borrow lights, in a matter in which they are all equally
interested: which can not be the case in any other possible subject."

"In all human concerns," said I, "we find that those dispositions,
tastes, and affections which are brought into exercise, flourish, while
others are smothered by concealment."

"It is certain," replied Mr. Stanley, "that knowledge which is never
brought forward is apt to decline. Some feelings require to be excited
in order to know if they exist. In short, topics of every kind which are
kept totally out of sight make a fainter impression