The real searcher after truth will not receive the old because it is old, or reject the new because it is new. He will not believe men because they are dead, or contradict them because they are alive. With him an utterance is worth the truth, the reason it contains, without the slightest regard to the author. He may have been a king or serf--a philosopher or servant,--but the utterance neither gains nor loses in truth or reason. Its value is absolutely independent of the fame or station of the man who gave it to the world. Nothing but falsehood needs the assistance of fame and place, of robes and mitres, of tiaras and crowns. The wise, the really honest and intelligent, are not swayed or governed by numbers--by majorities. They accept what they really believe to be true. They care nothing for the opinions of ancestors, nothing for creeds, assertions and theories, unless they satisfy the reason. In all directions they seek for truth, and when found, accept it with joy--accept it in spite of preconceived opinions--in spite of prejudice and hatred. This is the course pursued by wise and honest men, and no other course is possible for them. In every department of human endeavor men are seeking for the truth--for the facts. The statesman reads the history of the world, gathers the statistics of all nations to the end that his country may avoid the mistakes of the past. The geologist penetrates the rocks in search of facts--climbs mountains, visits the extinct craters, traverses islands and continents that he may know something of the history of the world. He wants the truth. The chemist, with crucible and retort, with countless experiments, is trying to find the qualities of substances--to ravel what nature has woven. The great mechanics dwell in the realm of the real. They seek by natural means to conquer and use the forces of nature. They want the truth--the actual facts. The physicians, the surgeons, rely on observation, experiment and reason. They become acquainted with the human body--with muscle, blood and nerve--with the wonders of the brain. They want nothing but the truth. And so it is with the students of every science. On every hand they look for facts, and it is of the utmost importance that they give to the world the facts they find. Their courage should equal their intelligence. No matter what the dead have said, or the living believe, they should tell what they know. They should have intellectual courage. If it be good for man to find the truth--good for him to be intellectually honest and hospitable, then it is good for others to know the truths thus found. Every man should have the courage to give his honest thought. This makes the finder and publisher of truth a public benefactor.