AND LITERARY MAGAZINE: DEVOTED TO THE IMPARTIAL AND DELIBERATE DISCUSSION OF RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY, POLITICS, AND TO THE PROMOTION OF SELF-CULTURE .66 MAGNA, EST VERITAS, ET PRÆVALÉBIT. LONDON: 65, PATERNOSTER ROW. MDCCCLXVI. PREFACE. -OPERATION is not less necessary in the search for and the discovery of than in commercial pursuits, industrial processes, or political movements. roversy is co-operative thought, the mutual culture of reasoning inquiry, vigilance of intellect. That good fellowship and charity do not necessarily themselves in alien company in the arena of controversy, the seventeen years ence and success of this serial, expressly devoted to impartial debate, and ree and open encounter of contending thinkers may be held as fair proof. undreds of debates in this battle-field of thought the armour of the comats has been tested, and seldom indeed have the courtesies or proprieties of athetic intellectuality been traversed or neglected during that lengthy d. The Conductors have endeavoured, so far as in them lay, to do their fairly, justly, and wisely, and they believe that their efforts have been ly beneficial, not only in encouraging self-culture among their readers and in asing the forbearance of thinkers who differ honestly from each other, but in lessening, among those who study these pages, the likelihood of their being sed by sophistry or involved in error, by exercising them to insist on clear ght, adequately argued and properly expressed. Practical training in the tion and confutation of error stimulates, strengthens, and braces the intelal powers, and prepares the mind for the duties of social life, and the share hall intelligent men desire to take in the conduct of the affairs which est them. e Conductors of this serial have, perhaps, the smallest share in making it it is. Not their opinions, but those of their contributors-who are welcomed all classes of its readers-appear in a large proportion of these pages. For whole of what many must regard as the best portion of this volume, the roversial Papers, they are indebted to their subscribers; to whom also much e Essayist, the Inquirer, and other sections of the Magazine-with all the they merit-is due. It is not in self-complacency therefore that the uctors refer to these debates as of high interest, not only for the matters to they relate, but the manner in which they are handled. Though in the nt volume there has been less variety in the topics controverted, they have assured by many diligent readers that the logical acuteness and literary y of these papers bear favourable comparison with those of previous years. may think that a little closer grappling with the arguments included in the s of antagonists might have increased both the power and usefulness of these les, though all must confess that as it is difficult to observe the true mean een ostensive and offensive controversy; if our contributors have erred at all, have erred, on that side which is rare in debate, in gentleness and charity. |