Entreat him not to postpone life and his life's usefulness until he
has settled the problems of the universe. Tell him those problems will
never all be settled; that his life will be done before he has begun
to settle them; and ask him what he is doing with his life meantime.
Charge him with wasting his life and his usefulness; and invite him to
deal with the moral and practical difficulties of the world, and leave
the intellectual difficulties as he goes along. To spend time upon
these is proving the less important before the more important; and, as
the French say, "The good is the enemy of the best." It is a good
thing to think; it is a better thing to work--it is a better thing to
do good. And you have him there, you see. He can't get beyond that.
You have to tell him, in fact, that there are two organs of knowledge:
the one reason, the other obedience. And now tell him, as he has tried
the first and found the little in it, just for a moment or two to join
you in trying the second. And when he asks whom he is to obey, you
tell him there is but One, and lead him to the great historical figure
who calls all men to Him: the one perfect life--the one Savior of
mankind--the one Light of the world. Ask him to begin to