“One who thinks freely, and as he pleases, upon all subjects, without the shackles and ‘leading strings’ of the Bible, or any other old book—who has the independence and manliness to think for himself.”
“I have long desired to see a free-thinker,” said I, rather coolly.
“Look at me, then, and you will see one,” he replied, rather curtly.
“Will you be kind enough,” I asked, “to tell me what you think, ‘freely,’ upon some subjects of grave importance of which the Bible treats?”
“What subjects?”
“The origin of man, for instance. If you reject revelation, how do you account for the origin of our race?”
“Easy enough;” he replied. “In the same way that I account for the origin of plants and animals by growth and development.”
“You believe, then, in what is called the ‘development theory?’”
“I do, most fully and freely.”
“From what is man a development?” I asked.