cast them all at her beloved feet.  Sir, not alone the past and the present greet you to-night.  The future also greets you with us.  We have here also those who are training themselves to walk in the footsteps of the one most dear to them, who shall carry on, when we have passed away, the work which we shall have dropped from our hands.  But he whom we delight to honour at this hour in truth honours us, in that he allows us to offer him the welcome that it is our glory and our pleasure to give.  He has fought bravely.  The Christian creed had in its beginning more traitors and less true hearts than the creed of to-day.  We are happy to-day not only in the thought of what manner of men we have for leaders, but in the thought of what manner of men we have as soldiers in our army.  Jesus had twelve apostles.  One betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver; a second denied Him.  They all forsook Him and fled.  We can scarcely point to one who has thus deserted our sacred cause.  The traditions of our party tell us of many who went to jail because they claimed for all that right of free speech which is the heritage of all.  One of the most famous members of our body in England, Richard Carlile, turned bookseller to sell books that were prosecuted.  This man became Free-thinker, driven thereto by the bigotry and wickedness of the Churches.  He sold the books of Hone not because he agreed with them, but because Hone was prosecuted.  He saw that the book in whose prosecution freedom was attacked was the book for the freeman to sell; and the story of our guest shows that in all this England and America are one.  Those who gave Milton to the world can yet bring forth men of the same stamp in continents leagues asunder.  Because our friend was loyal and true, prison had to him no dread.  It was far, far less of dishonour to wear the garb of the convict than to wear that of the hypocrite.  The society we represent, like his society in America, pleads for free thought, speaks for free speech, claims for every one, however antagonistic, the right to speak the thought he feels.  It is better that this should be, even though the thought be wrong, for thus the sooner will its error be discovered—­better if the thought be right, for then the sooner does the gladness of a new truth find place in the heart of man.  As the mouthpiece, Sir, of our National Secular Society, and of its thousands of members, I speak to you now:—­

“’ADDRESS.

“‘We seek for Truth.’

“’To D.M.  Bennett.

“’In asking you to accept at the hands of the National Secular Society of England this symbol of cordial sympathy and brotherly welcome, we are but putting into act the motto of our Society.  “We seek for Truth” is our badge, and it is as Truthseeker that we do you homage to-night.  Without free speech no search for Truth is possible; without free speech no discovery of Truth is useful; without free speech progress is checked, and the nations no longer march forward towards the nobler life which the future holds for man.  Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech.  The abuse dies in a day; the denial slays the life of the people and entombs the hope of the race.