We have been requested to publish the following contributed report of Mr Brown's lecture on Wednesday evening briefly noticed m last issue :— ° The lecturer commenced by say m<* that "know thyself "was the advice oi the Grecian teaoher to his disciples. But apart from the Bible what do we know as to our origin and destiny ? The problem of life and death has perplexed men m every aa;e of the world. Aristotle, Soc rates, Plato each attempted solutions <tf tins great puzzle, but each and indeed all philosophers confessed that they did but speculate, for they had no real knowledge as to tfie origin, purpose, nature o{ human life. Scientific theories they all indulged m, interesting no doubt, but as a matter of fact they knew nothing. "Know thyself was a desirable know ledge, but it was a knowledge far beyqnd the cleverest and keenest of trie wisest pf the ancient men. All they could say was this: ♦In the infinitude of time, m the infinitude of matter, m the infinitude of space, an organic cell is formed, exists for a little time, and then disappears That cell is " I." ihis was a gloomy sophism, » but it was the sole, the supreme result of

the labour of the human mind for j centuries. But when we turn to the Scriptures we come to a book that claims to give an answer, certain, infallible, to our anxious questions concerning the j nature and destiny of man. Mr Brown, after further introductory remarks, pro-1 ci»eded to deal with the six. questions he had undertaken io give answers to. Briefly summarised, his conclusions were as follows :-—(1) vVhat am I ? In the bojlc of Job we find the words " Shall a , mortal win be more just than God," and the wordJ' mortal " m relation to mnn | occurs 518 times m the Old Testament. It is certain then if the Scriptures are to be relied on that, I am not an immortal soul caijed m a' mortal body, but I am a mortal man. (2) Where am I ? Under this heading was explained the intimate relationship there is between man and the earth he inhabits. 