o say, and do not let the turtle-shell of bigotry grow above your
brain. Give everybody a chance and an opportunity; that is all.

I saw the arguments that those gentlemen have used on each other
through all the ages. I saw a little bit of thumbscrew not more than
so long (illustrating), and attached to each end was a screw, and the
inner surface vas trimmed with little protuberances to prevent their
slipping; and when some man doubted--when a man had an idea--then those
that did not have an idea put the thumbscrew upon him who did. He had
doubted something. For instance, they told him, "Christ says you must
love your enemies;" he says, "I do not know about that;" then they
said, "We will show you!" "Do unto others as you would be done by,"
they said is the doctrine. He doubted. "We will show you that it is!"
So they put this screw on; and in the name of universal love and
universal forgiveness--"pray for those who despitefully use you"--they
began screwing these pieces of iron into him--always done in the name
of religion--always. It never was done in the name of reason, never was
done in the name of science--never. No man was ever persecuted in
defense of a truth--never. No man was ever persecuted except in defense
of a lie--never.

This man had fallen out with them about something; he did not
understand it as they did. For instance he said, "I do not believe
there ever was a man whose strength was in his hair." They said: "You
don't? We'll show you!" "I do not believe," he says, "that a fish
ever swallowed a man to save his life." "You don't? Well, we'll show
you!" And so they put this on, and generally the man would recant and
say, "Well, I'll take it back." Well I think I should. Such men are
not worth dying for. The idea of dying for a man that would tear the
flesh of another on account of an honest difference of opinion--such a
man is not worth dying for; he is not worth living for, and if I was in
a position that I could not send a bullet through his brain, I would
recant. I would say: "You write it down and I will sign it--I will
admit that there is one God, or a million--suit yourself; one hell or a
billion; you just write it--only stop this screw. You are not worth
suffering for, you are not worth dying for and I am never going to take
the part of any Lord that won't take my part--you just write it down
and I'll sign it."

But there was now and then a man who would not do that. He said,