,,the ,,works ,,of ,,robert ,g4 ,,ingersoll ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll ,the ,hands ,that ,help ,are ,better ,far ,than ,lips ,that ,pray4 ,in ,twelve ,volumes1 ,volume ,,iv4 #aijj ,,the ,,dresden ,,edition ,,contents ,,of ,,volume ,,iv4 ,,why ,i ,,am ,,an ,,agnostic4 7#ahif47 ,i4 ,influence of ,birth in determining ,religious ,belief--,scotch1 ,irish1 ,english1 and ,americans ,inherit their ,faith--,religions of ,nations not ,suddenly ,changed--,people who ,knew--,what they were ,certain ,about--,revivals--,character of ,sermons ,preached--,effect of ,conversion--,a ,vermont ,farmer for whom ,perdition had no ,terrors--,the ,man and his ,dog--,backsliding and ,re-birth--,ministers who were ,sincere--,a ,free ,will ,baptist on the ,rich ,man and ,lazarus--,,ii4 ,the ,orthodox ,god--,the ,two ,dispensations--,the ,infinite ,horror--,,iii4 ,religious ,books--,the ,commentators--,paley's ,watch ,argument--,milton1 ,young1 and ,pollok--,,iv4 ,studying ,astronomy--,geology--,denial and ,evasion by the ,clergy--,v4 ,the ,poems of ,robert ,burns--,byron1 ,shelley1 ,keats1 and ,shakespeare--,,vi4 ,volney1 ,gibbon1 and ,thomas ,paine--,voltaire's ,services to ,liberty--,pagans ,compared with ,patriarchs--,,vii4 ,other ,gods and ,other ,religions--,dogmas1 ,myths1 and ,symbols of ,christianity ,older than our ,era--,,viii4 ,the ,men of ,science1 ,humboldt1 ,darwin1 ,spencer1 ,huxley1 ,haeckel--,,ix4 ,matter and ,force ,indestructible and ,uncreatable--,the ,theory of ,design--,x4 ,god an ,impossible ,being--,the ,panorama of the ,past--,,xi4 ,free from ,sanctified ,mistakes and ,holy ,lies4 ,,the ,,truth4 7#ahig47 ,i4 ,the ,martyrdom of ,man--,how is ,truth to be ,found--,every ,man should be ,mentally ,honest--,he should be ,intellectually ,hospitable--,geologists1 ,chemists1 ,mechanics1 and ,professional ,men are ,seeking for the ,truth--,,ii4 ,those who say that ,slavery is ,better than ,liberty--,promises are not ,evidence--,horace ,greeley and the ,cold ,stove--,,iii4 ,the ,science of ,theology the only ,dishonest ,science--,moses and ,brigham ,young--,minds ,poisoned and ,paralyzed in ,youth--,sunday ,schools and ,theological ,seminaries--,orthodox ,slanderers of ,scientists--,religion has nothing to do with ,charity--,hospitals ,built in ,self-,defence--,what ,good has the ,church ,accomplished8--,of what use are the ,orthodox ,ministers1 and ,what are they doing for the ,good of ,mankind--,the ,harm they are ,doing--,delusions they ,teach--,truths they ,should ,tell about the ,bible--,conclusions--,our ,christs and our ,miracles4 ,,how ,,to ,,reform ,,mankind4 7#ahif47 ,i4 ,there is no ,darkness but ,ignorance--,false ,notions ,concerning ,all ,departments of ,life--,changed ,ideas about ,science1 ,government and ,morals--,,ii4 ,how can we ,reform the ,world8--,intellectual ,light the ,first ,necessity--,avoid ,waste of ,wealth in ,war--,,iii4 ,another ,waste--,vast ,amount of ,money ,spent on the ,church--,,iv4 ,plow can we ,lessen ,crime8--,frightful ,laws for the ,punishment of ,minor ,crimes--,a ,penitentiary should be a ,school--,professional ,criminals should not be ,allowed to ,populate the ,earth--,v4 ,homes for ,all-,make a ,nation of ,householders--,marriage and ,divorce-,,vi4 ,the ,labor ,question--,employers cannot ,govern ,prices--,railroads should ,pay ,pensions--,what has been ,accomplished for the ,improvement of the ,condition of ,labor--,,vii4 ,educate the ,children--,useless ,knowledge--,liberty cannot be ,sacrificed for the ,sake of ,anything--,false worship of ,wealth--,,viii4 ,we must ,work and ,wait4 ,a ,,thanksgiving ,,sermon4 7#ahig47 ,i4 ,our fathers ,ages ,ago--,from ,savagery to ,civilization--,for the ,blessings we enjoy1 ,whom should we ,thank8--,what ,good has the ,church ,done8-,did ,christ add to the ,sum of ,useful ,knowledge--,the ,saints--,what have the ,councils and ,synods ,done8--,what they ,gave us1 and ,what they did ,not--,shall we ,thank them for the ,hell ,here and for the ,hell of the ,future8--,,ii4 ,what ,does ,god ,do8--,the ,infinite ,juggler and his ,puppets--,what the ,puppets have ,done--,shall we ,thank these ,gods8--,shall we ,thank ,nature8--,,iii4 ,men who deserve our ,thanks--,the ,infidels1 ,philanthropists and ,scientists--,the ,discoverers and ,inventors--,magellan--,copernicus--,bru no--,galileo--,kepler1 ,herschel1 ,newton1 and ,la,place--,lyell--,what the ,worldly have ,done--,origin and ,vicissitudes of the ,bible--,the ,septuagint--,investigating the ,phenomena of ,nature--,,iv4 ,we thank the ,good ,men and ,good ,women of the ,past--,the ,poets1 ,dramatists1 and ,artists--,the ,statesmen--,paine1 ,jefferson1 ,ericsson1 ,lincoln4 ,grant--,voltaire1 ,humboldt1 ,darwin4 ,a ,,lay ,,sermon4 7#ahhf47 ,prayer of ,king ,lear--,when ,honesty wears a ,rag and ,rascality a ,robe-,the ,nonsense of ,free ,moral ,agency --,doing ,right is not ,self-denial-,wealth often a ,gilded ,hell--,the ,log ,house--,insanity of ,getting ,more--,great ,wealth the ,mother of ,crime--,separation of ,rich and ,poor--,emulation--,invention of ,machines to ,save ,labor--,production and ,destitution--,the ,remedy a ,division of the ,land--,evils of ,tenement ,houses--,ownership and ,use--,the ,great ,weapon is the ,ballot--,sewing ,women--,strikes and ,boycotts of ,no ,avail--,anarchy1 ,communism1 and ,socialism--,the ,children of the ,rich a ,punishment for ,wealth--,workingmen ,not a ,danger--,the ,criminals a ,necessary ,product--,society's ,right to ,punish--,the ,efficacy of ,kindness--,labor is ,honorable--,mental ,independence4 ,,the ,,foundations ,,of ,,faith4 7#ahie47 ,i4 ,the ,old ,testament--,story of the ,creation--,age of the ,earth and of ,man--,astronomical ,calculations of the ,egyptians--,the ,flood--,the ,firmament a ,fiction--,israelites who went into ,egypt--,battles of the ,jews--,area of ,palestine--,gold ,collected by ,david for the ,temple--,,ii4 ,the ,new ,testament--,discrepancies about the ,birth of ,christ--,herod and the ,wise ,men--,the ,murder of the ,babes of ,bethlehem--,when was ,christ born--,cyrenius and the ,census of the ,world--,genealogy of ,christ according to ,matthew and ,luke--,the ,slaying of ,zacharias--,appearance of the ,saints at the ,crucifixion--,the ,death of ,judas ,iscariot--,did ,christ wish to be ,convicted8--,,iii4 ,jehovah--,,iv4 ,the ,trinity--,the ,incarnation--,was ,christ ,god8--,the ,trinity ,expounded--,let us pray--,v4 ,the ,theological ,christ--,sayings of a ,contradictory ,character--,christ a ,devout ,jew--,an ascetic--,his ,philosophy--,the ,ascension--,the ,best that ,can be ,said about ,christ--,the ,part that is beautiful and ,glorious--,the ,other ,side--,,vi4 ,the ,scheme of ,redemption--,,vii4 ,belief--,eternal ,pain--,no ,hope in ,hell1 ,pity in ,heaven1 or ,mercy in the ,heart of ,god--,,viii4 ,conclusion4 ,,superstition4 7#ahih47 ,i4 ,what is ,superstition8--,popular ,beliefs about the ,significance of ,signs1 ,lucky and ,unlucky ,numbers1 ,days1 ,accidents1 ,jewels1 etc4--,eclipses1 ,earthquakes1 and ,cyclones as ,omens--,signs and ,wonders of the ,heavens--,efficacy of ,bones and ,rags of ,saints--,diseases and ,devils--,,ii4 ,witchcraft--,necromancers--,what is a ,miracle8--,the ,uniformity of ,nature--,,iii4 ,belief in the ,existence of ,good ,spirits or ,angels--,god and the ,devil--,when ,everything was done by the ,supernatural--,,iv4 ,all these ,beliefs now ,rejected by ,men of ,intelligence--,the ,devil's ,success ,made the ,coming of ,christ a ,necessity--,thou shalt not ,suffer a ,witch to ,live--,some ,biblical ,angels--,vanished ,visions--,v4 ,where are ,heaven and ,hell8--,prayers ,never ,answered--,the ,doctrine of ,design--,why ,worship our ,ignorance8--,would ,god ,lead us into ,temptation8--,president ,mc,kinley's ,thanks giving for the ,santiago ,victory--,,vi4 ,what ,harm ,does ,superstition ,do8--,the ,heart ,hardens and the ,brain ,softens--,what ,superstition has ,done and ,taught--,fate of ,spain--,of ,portugal1 ,austria1 ,germany--,,vii4 ,inspired ,books--,mysteries added to by the ,explanations of ,theologians--,the ,inspired ,bible the ,greatest ,curse of ,christendom--,,viii4 ,modifications of ,jehovah--,changing the ,bible--,,ix4 ,centuries of ,darkness--,the ,church ,triumphant--,when ,men began to ,think--,x4 ,possibly these ,superstitions are ,true1 but ,we have no ,evidence--,we ,believe in the ,natural--,science is the ,real ,redeemer4 ,,the ,,devil4 7#ahii47 ,i4 ,if the ,devil should ,die1 would ,god ,make ,another8--,how was the ,idea of a ,devil ,produced--,other ,devils than ,ours--,natural ,origin of these ,monsters--,,ii4 ,the ,atlas of ,christianity is ,the ,devil--,the ,devil of the ,old ,testament--,the ,serpent in ,eden--,personifications of ,evil--,satan and ,job--,satan and ,david--,,iii4 ,take the ,devil from the ,drama of ,christianity and the ,plot is ,gone--,jesus ,tempted by the ,evil ,one--,demoniac ,possession--,mary ,magdalene--,satan and ,judas--,incubi and ,succubi--,the ,apostles believed in ,miracles and ,magic--,the ,pool of ,bethesda--,,iv4 ,the ,evidence of the ,church--,the ,devil was forced to ,father the ,failures of ,god--,belief of the ,fathers of the ,church in ,devils--,exorcism at the ,baptism of an ,infant in the ,sixteenth ,century--,belief in ,devils made the ,universe a ,madhouse presided over by an ,insane ,god--,v4 ,personifications of the ,devil--,the ,orthodox ,ostrich ,thrusts his ,head into the ,sand--,if ,devils are ,personifications so are all the ,other ,characters of the ,bible--,,vi4 ,some ,queries about the ,devil1 his ,place of ,residence1 his ,manner of ,living1 and his ,object in ,life--,interrogatories to the ,clergy--,,vii4 ,the ,man of ,straw the ,master of the ,orthodox ,ministers--,his recent ,accomplishments--,,viii4 ,keep the ,devils out of ,children--,,ix4 ,conclusion4--,declaration of the ,free4 ,,progress4 7#ahfj-fd47 ,the ,prosperity of the ,world depends upon its ,workers--,veneration for the ,ancient--,credulity and ,faith of the ,middle ,ages--,penalty for ,reading the ,scripture in the ,mother ,tongue--,unjust1 ,bloody1 and ,cruel ,laws--,the ,reformers too were ,persecutors--,bigotry of ,luther and ,knox--,persecution of ,castalio--,montaigne against ,torture in ,france--,witchcraft 7chapter on7--,confessed ,wizards--,a ,case before ,sir ,matthew ,hale--,belief in ,lycanthropy--,animals ,tried and ,executed--,animals received as ,witnesses--,the ,corsned or ,morsel of ,execution--,kepler an ,astrologer--,luther's ,encounter with the ,devil--,mathematician ,stoefflers1 ,astronomical ,prediction of a ,flood--,histories ,filled with ,falsehood--,legend about the ,daughter of ,pharaoh invading ,scotland and giving the ,country her name--,a ,story about ,mohammed--,a ,history of the ,britains written by ,archdeacons--,ingenuous ,remark of ,eusebius--,progress in the ,mechanic ,arts--,england at the beginning of the ,eighteenth ,century--,barbarous ,punishments--,queen ,elizabeth's ,order ,concerning ,clergymen and ,servant ,girls--,inventions of ,watt1 ,arkwright1 and ,others--,solomon's ,deprivations--,language 7chapter on7--,belief that the ,hebrew was the original ,tongue--,speculations about the ,language of ,paradise--,geography 7chapter on7--,the ,works of ,cosmas--,printing ,invented--,church's ,opposition to ,books--,the ,inquisition--,the ,reformation--,slavery 7chapter on7--,voltaire's ,remark on ,slavery as a ,contract--,white ,slaves in ,greece1 ,rome1 ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,france--,free minds make ,free ,bodies--,causes of the ,abolition of ,white ,slavery in ,europe--,the ,french ,revolution--,the ,african ,slave ,trade1 its ,beginning and ,end--,liberty ,triumphed 7chapter head7--,abolition of ,chattel ,slavery--,conclusion4 ,,what ,,is ,,religion8 7#ahii47 ,i4 ,belief in ,god and ,sacrifice--,did an ,infinite ,god ,create the ,children of ,men and is he the ,governor of the ,universe8--,,ii4 ,if this ,god ,exists1 how do we ,know he is ,good8--,should both the ,inferior and the ,superior thank ,god for their ,condition8--,,iii4 ,the ,power that ,works for ,righteousness--,what is this ,power8--,the ,accumulated ,experience of the ,world is a ,power ,working for ,good8--,love the ,commencement of the ,higher ,virtues--,,iv4 ,what has our ,religion ,done8--,would ,christians have been ,worse had they ,adopted another ,faith8--,v4 ,how ,can ,mankind be ,reformed ,without ,religion8--,,vi4 ,the ,four ,corner-stones of my ,theory--,,vii4 ,matter and ,force ,eternal--,links in the ,chain of ,evolution--,,viii4 ,reform--,the ,gutter as a ,nursery--,can we ,prevent the ,unfit from ,filling the ,world with their ,children8--,science must make ,woman the ,owner and ,mistress of ,herself--,morality ,born of ,intelligence--,,ix4 ,real ,religion and ,real ,worship4 ,,why ,i ,,am ,,an ,,agnostic4 ,i4 ,,for the most part we inherit our opinions4 ,we are the heirs of habits and mental customs4 ,our beliefs1 like the fashion of our garments1 depend on where we were born4 ,we are moulded and fashioned by our surroundings4 ,environment is a sculptor--a painter4 ,if we had been born in ,constantinople1 the most of us would have said3 ,there is no ,god but ,allah1 and ,mohammed is his prophet4 ,if our parents had lived on the banks of the ,ganges1 we would have been worshipers of ,siva1 longing for the heaven of ,nirvana4 ,as a rule1 children love their parents1 believe what they teach1 and take great pride in saying that the religion of mother is good enough for them4 ,most people love peace4 ,they do not like to differ with their neighbors4 ,they like company4 ,they are social4 ,they enjoy traveling on the highway with the multitude4 ,they hate to walk alone4 ,the ,scotch are ,calvinists because their fathers were4 ,the ,irish are ,catholics because their fathers were4 ,the ,english are ,episcopalians because their fathers were1 and the ,americans are divided in a hundred sects because their fathers were4 ,this is the general rule1 to which there are many exceptions4 ,children sometimes are superior to their parents1 modify their ideas1 change their customs1 and arrive at different conclusions4 ,but this is generally so gradual that the departure is scarcely noticed1 and those who change usually insist that they are still following the fathers4 ,it is claimed by ,christian historians that the religion of a nation was sometimes suddenly changed1 and that millions of ,pagans were made into ,christians by the command of a king4 ,philosophers do not agree with these historians4 ,names have been changed1 altars have been overthrown1 but opinions1 customs and beliefs remained the same4 ,a ,pagan1 beneath the drawn sword of a ,christian1 would probably change his religious views1 and a ,christian1 with a scimitar above his head1 might suddenly become a ,mohammedan1 but as a matter of fact both would remain exactly as they were before--except in speech4 ,belief is not subject to the will4 ,men think as they must4 ,children do not1 and cannot1 believe exactly as they were taught4 ,they are not exactly like their parents4 ,they differ in temperament1 in experience1 in capacity1 in surroundings4 ,and so there is a continual1 though almost imperceptible change4 ,there is development1 conscious and unconscious growth1 and by comparing long periods of time we find that the old has been almost abandoned1 almost lost in the new4 ,men cannot remain stationary4 ,the mind cannot be securely anchored4 ,if we do not advance1 we go backward4 ,if we do not grow1 we decay4 ,if we do not develop1 we shrink and shrivel4 ,like the most of you1 ,i was raised among people who knew--who were certain4 ,they did not reason or investigate4 ,they had no doubts4 ,they knew that they had the truth4 ,in their creed there was no guess--no perhaps4 ,they had a revelation from ,god4 ,they knew the beginning of things4 ,they knew that ,god commenced to create one ,monday morning1 four thousand and four years before ,christ4 ,they knew that in the eternity--back of that morning1 he had done nothing4 ,they knew that it took him six days to make the earth--all plants1 all animals1 all life1 and all the globes that wheel in space4 ,they knew exactly what he did each day and when he rested4 ,they knew the origin1 the cause of evil1 of all crime1 of all disease and death4 ,they not only knew the beginning1 but they knew the end4 ,they knew that life had one path and one road4 ,they knew that the path1 grass-grown and narrow1 filled with thorns and nettles1 infested with vipers1 wet with tears1 stained by bleeding feet1 led to heaven1 and that the road1 broad and smooth1 bordered with fruits and flowers1 filled with laughter and song and all the happiness of human love1 led straight to hell4 ,they knew that ,god was doing his best to make you take the path and that the ,devil used every art to keep you in the road4 ,they knew that there was a perpetual battle waged between the great ,powers of good and evil for the possession of human souls4 ,they knew that many centuries ago ,god had left his throne and had been born a babe into this poor world--that he had suffered death for the sake of man--for the sake of saving a few4 ,they also knew that the human heart was utterly depraved1 so that man by nature was in love with wrong and hated ,god with all his might4 ,at the same time they knew that ,god created man in his own image and was perfectly satisfied with his work4 ,they also knew that he had been thwarted by the ,devil1 who with wiles and lies had deceived the first of human kind4 ,they knew that in consequence of that1 ,god cursed the man and woman2 the man with toil1 the woman with slavery and pain1 and both with death2 and that he cursed the earth itself with briers and thorns1 brambles and thistles4 ,all these blessed things they knew4 ,they knew too all that ,god had done to purify and elevate the race4 ,they knew all about the ,flood--knew that ,god1 with the exception of eight1 drowned all his children--the old and young--the bowed patriarch and the dimpled babe--the young man and the merry maiden--the loving mother and the laughing child--because his mercy endureth forever4 ,they knew too1 that he drowned the beasts and birds--everything that walked or crawled or flew--because his loving kindness is over all his works4 ,they knew that ,god1 for the purpose of civilizing his children1 had devoured some with earthquakes1 destroyed some with storms of fire1 killed some with his lightnings1 millions with famine1 with pestilence1 and sacrificed countless thousands upon the fields of war4 ,they knew that it was necessary to believe these things and to love ,god4 ,they knew that there could be no salvation except by faith1 and through the atoning blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,all who doubted or denied would be lost4 ,to live a moral and honest life--to keep your contracts1 to take care of wife and child--to make a happy home--to be a good citizen1 a patriot1 a just and thoughtful man1 was simply a respectable way of going to hell4 ,god did not reward men for being honest1 generous and brave1 but for the act of faith4 ,without faith1 all the so-called virtues were sins1 and the men who practiced these virtues1 without faith1 deserved to suffer eternal pain4 ,all of these comforting and reasonable things were taught by the ministers in their pulpits--by teachers in ,sunday schools and by parents at home4 ,the children were victims4 ,they were assaulted in the cradle--in their mother's arms4 ,then1 the schoolmaster carried on the war against their natural sense1 and all the books they read were filled with the same impossible truths4 ,the poor children were helpless4 ,the atmosphere they breathed was filled with lies--lies that mingled with their blood4 ,in those days ministers depended on revivals to save souls and reform the world4 ,in the winter1 navigation having closed1 business was mostly suspended4 ,there were no railways and the only means of communication were wagons and boats4 ,generally the roads were so bad that the wagons were laid up with the boats4 ,there were no operas1 no theatres1 no amusement except parties and balls4 ,the parties were regarded as worldly and the balls as wicked4 ,for real and virtuous enjoyment the good people depended on revivals4 ,the sermons were mostly about the pains and agonies of hell1 the joys and ecstasies of heaven1 salvation by faith1 and the efficacy of the atonement4 ,the little churches1 in which the services were held1 were generally small1 badly ventilated1 and exceedingly warm4 ,the emotional sermons1 the sad singing1 the hysterical amens1 the hope of heaven1 the fear of hell1 caused many to lose the little sense they had4 ,they became substantially insane4 ,in this condition they flocked to the mourners bench--asked for the prayers of the faithful--had strange feelings1 prayed and wept and thought they had been born again4 ,then they would tell their experience--how wicked they had been--how evil had been their thoughts1 their desires1 and how good they had suddenly become4 ,they used to tell the story of an old woman who1 in telling her experience1 said3--,before ,i was converted1 before ,i gave my heart to ,god1 ,i used to lie and steal1 but now1 thanks to the grace and blood of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i have quit 'em both1 in a great measure4 ,of course all the people were not exactly of one mind4 ,there were some scoffers1 and now and then some man had sense enough to laugh at the threats of priests and make a jest of hell4 ,some would tell of unbelievers who had lived and died in peace4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i heard them tell of an old farmer in ,vermont4 ,he was dying4 ,the minister was at his bedside--asked him if he was a ,christian --if he was prepared to die4 ,the old man answered that he had made no preparation1 that he was not a ,christian--that he had never done anything but work4 ,the preacher said that he could give him no hope unless he had faith in ,christ1 and that if he had no faith his soul would certainly be lost4 ,the old man was not frightened4 ,he was perfectly calm4 ,in a weak and broken voice he said3 ,mr4 ,preacher1 ,i suppose you noticed my farm4 ,my wife and ,i came here more than fifty years ago4 ,we were just married4 ,it was a forest then and the land was covered with stones4 ,i cut down the trees1 burned the logs1 picked up the stones and laid the walls4 ,my wife spun and wove and worked every moment4 ,we raised and educated our children--denied ourselves4 ,during all these years my wife never had a good dress1 or a decent bonnet4 ,i never had a good suit of clothes4 ,we lived on the plainest food4 ,our hands1 our bodies are deformed by toil4 ,we never had a vacation4 ,we loved each other and the children4 ,that is the only luxury we ever had4 ,now ,i am about to die and you ask me if ,i am prepared4 ,mr4 ,preacher1 ,i have no fear of the future1 no terror of any other world4 ,there may be such a place as hell--but if there is1 you never can make me believe that it's any worse than old ,vermont4 ,so1 they told of a man who compared himself with his dog4 ,my dog1 he said1 just barks and plays--has all he wants to eat4 ,he never works--has no trouble about business4 ,in a little while he dies1 and that is all4 ,i work with all my strength4 ,i have no time to play4 ,i have trouble every day4 ,in a little while ,i will die1 and then ,i go to hell4 ,i wish that ,i had been a dog4 ,well1 while the cold weather lasted1 while the snows fell1 the revival went on1 but when the winter was over1 when the steamboat's whistle was heard1 when business started again1 most of the converts backslid and fell again into their old ways4 ,but the next winter they were on hand1 ready to be born again4 ,they formed a kind of stock company1 playing the same parts every winter and backsliding every spring4 ,the ministers1 who preached at these revivals1 were in earnest4 ,they were zealous and sincere4 ,they were not philosophers4 ,to them science was the name of a vague dread--a dangerous enemy4 ,they did not know much1 but they believed a great deal4 ,to them hell was a burning reality--they could see the smoke and flames4 ,the ,devil was no myth4 ,he was an actual person1 a rival of ,god1 an enemy of mankind4 ,they thought that the important business of this life was to save your soul--that all should resist and scorn the pleasures of sense1 and keep their eyes steadily fixed on the golden gate of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,they were unbalanced1 emotional1 hysterical1 bigoted1 hateful1 loving1 and insane4 ,they really believed the ,bible to be the actual word of ,god--a book without mistake or contradiction4 ,they called its cruelties1 justice--its absurdities1 mysteries--its miracles1 facts1 and the idiotic passages were regarded as profoundly spiritual4 ,they dwelt on the pangs1 the regrets1 the infinite agonies of the lost1 and showed how easily they could be avoided1 and how cheaply heaven could be obtained4 ,they told their hearers to believe1 to have faith1 to give their hearts to ,god1 their sins to ,christ1 who would bear their burdens and make their souls as white as snow4 ,all this the ministers really believed4 ,they were absolutely certain4 ,in their minds the ,devil had tried in vain to sow the seeds of doubt4 ,i heard hundreds of these evangelical sermons--heard hundreds of the most fearful and vivid descriptions of the tortures inflicted in hell1 of the horrible state of the lost4 ,i supposed that what ,i heard was true and yet ,i did not believe it4 ,i said3 ,it is1 and then ,i thought3 ,it cannot be4 ,these sermons made but faint impressions on my mind4 ,i was not convinced4 ,i had no desire to be converted1 did not want a new heart and had no wish to be born again4 ,but ,i heard one sermon that touched my heart1 that left its mark1 like a scar1 on my brain4 ,one ,sunday ,i went with my brother to hear a ,free ,will ,baptist preacher4 ,he was a large man1 dressed like a farmer1 but he was an orator4 ,he could paint a picture with words4 ,he took for his text the parable of the rich man and ,lazarus4 ,he described ,dives1 the rich man--his manner of life1 the excesses in which he indulged1 his extravagance1 his riotous nights1 his purple and fine linen1 his feasts1 his wines1 and his beautiful women4 ,then he described ,lazarus1 his poverty1 his rags and wretchedness1 his poor body eaten by disease1 the crusts and crumbs he devoured1 the dogs that pitied him4 ,he pictured his lonely life1 his friendless death4 ,then1 changing his tone of pity to one of triumph--leaping from tears to the heights of exultation--from defeat to victory--he described the glorious company of angels1 who with white and outspread wings carried the soul of the despised pauper to ,paradise--to the bosom of ,abraham4 ,then1 changing his voice to one of scorn and loathing1 he told of the rich man's death4 ,he was in his palace1 on his costly couch1 the air heavy with perfume1 the room filled with servants and physicians4 ,his gold was worthless then4 ,he could not buy another breath4 ,he died1 and in hell he lifted up his eyes1 being in torment4 ,then1 assuming a dramatic attitude1 putting his right hand to his ear1 he whispered1 ,hark6 ,i hear the rich man's voice4 ,what does he say8 ,hark6 ',father ,abraham6 ,father ,abraham6 ,i pray thee send ,lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my parched tongue1 for ,i am tormented in this flame4' ,oh1 my hearers1 he has been making that request for more than eighteen hundred years4 ,and millions of ages hence that wail will cross the gulf that lies between the saved and lost and still will be heard the cry3 ',father ,abraham6 ,father ,abraham6 ,i pray thee send ,lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my parched tongue1 for ,i am tormented in this flame4' ,for the first time ,i understood the dogma of eternal pain--appreciated the glad tidings of great joy4 ,for the first time my imagination grasped the height and depth of the ,christian horror4 ,then ,i said3 ,it is a lie1 and ,i hate your religion4 ,if it is true1 ,i hate your ,god4 ,from that day ,i have had no fear1 no doubt4 ,for me1 on that day1 the flames of hell were quenched4 ,from that day ,i have passionately hated every orthodox creed4 ,that ,sermon did some good4 ,,ii4 ,,from my childhood ,i had heard read and read the ,bible4 ,morning and evening the sacred volume was opened and prayers were said4 ,the ,bible was my first history1 the ,jews were the first people1 and the events narrated by ,moses and the other inspired writers1 and those predicted by prophets were the all important things4 ,in other books were found the thoughts and dreams of men1 but in the ,bible were the sacred truths of ,god4 ,yet in spite of my surroundings1 of my education1 ,i had no love for ,god4 ,he was so saving of mercy1 so extravagant in murder1 so anxious to kill1 so ready to assassinate1 that ,i hated him with all my heart4 ,at his command1 babes were butchered1 women violated1 and the white hair of trembling age stained with blood4 ,this ,god visited the people with pestilence--filled the houses and covered the streets with the dying and the dead--saw babes starving on the empty breasts of pallid mothers1 heard the sobs1 saw the tears1 the sunken cheeks1 the sightless eyes1 the new made graves1 and remained as pitiless as the pestilence4 ,this ,god withheld the rain--caused the famine--saw the fierce eyes of hunger--the wasted forms1 the white lips1 saw mothers eating babes1 and remained ferocious as famine4 ,it seems to me impossible for a civilized man to love or worship1 or respect the ,god of the ,old ,testament4 ,a really civilized man1 a really civilized woman1 must hold such a ,god in abhorrence and contempt4 ,but in the old days the good people justified ,jehovah in his treatment of the heathen4 ,the wretches who were murdered were idolaters and therefore unfit to live4 ,according to the ,bible1 ,god had never revealed himself to these people and he knew that without a revelation they could not know that he was the true ,god4 ,whose fault was it then that they were heathen8 ,the ,christians said that ,god had the right to destroy them because he created them4 ,what did he create them for8 ,he knew when he made them that they would be food for the sword4 ,he knew that he would have the pleasure of seeing them murdered4 ,as a last answer1 as a final excuse1 the worshipers of ,jehovah said that all these horrible things happened under the old dispensation of unyielding law1 and absolute justice1 but that now under the new dispensation1 all had been changed--the sword of justice had been sheathed and love enthroned4 ,in the ,old ,testament1 they said1 ,god is the judge--but in the ,new1 ,christ is the merciful4 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,new ,testament is infinitely worse than the ,old4 ,in the ,old there is no threat of eternal pain4 ,jehovah had no eternal prison--no everlasting fire4 ,his hatred ended at the grave4 ,his revenge was satisfied when his enemy was dead4 ,in the ,new ,testament1 death is not the end1 but the beginning of punishment that has no end4 ,in the ,new ,testament the malice of ,god is infinite and the hunger of his revenge eternal4 ,the orthodox ,god1 when clothed in human flesh1 told his disciples not to resist evil1 to love their enemies1 and when smitten on one cheek to turn the other1 and yet we are told that this same ,god1 with the same loving lips1 uttered these heartless1 these fiendish words3 ,depart ye cursed into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,these are the words of eternal love4 ,no human being has imagination enough to conceive of this infinite horror4 ,all that the human race has suffered in war and want1 in pestilence and famine1 in fire and flood1--all the pangs and pains of every disease and every death--all this is as nothing compared with the agonies to be endured by one lost soul4 ,this is the consolation of the ,christian religion4 ,this is the justice of ,god--the mercy of ,christ4 ,this frightful dogma1 this infinite lie1 made me the implacable enemy of ,christianity4 ,the truth is that this belief in eternal pain has been the real persecutor4 ,it founded the ,inquisition1 forged the chains1 and furnished the fagots4 ,it has darkened the lives of many millions4 ,it made the cradle as terrible as the coffin4 ,it enslaved nations and shed the blood of countless thousands4 ,it sacrificed the wisest1 the bravest and the best4 ,it subverted the idea of justice1 drove mercy from the heart1 changed men to fiends and banished reason from the brain4 ,like a venomous serpent it crawls and coils and hisses in every orthodox creed4 ,it makes man an eternal victim and ,god an eternal fiend4 ,it is the one infinite horror4 ,every church in which it is taught is a public curse4 ,every preacher who teaches it is an enemy of mankind4 ,below this ,christian dogma1 savagery cannot go4 ,it is the infinite of malice1 hatred1 and revenge4 ,nothing could add to the horror of hell1 except the presence of its creator1 ,god4 ,while ,i have life1 as long as ,i draw breath1 ,i shall deny with all my strength1 and hate with every drop of my blood1 this infinite lie4 ,nothing gives me greater joy than to know that this belief in eternal pain is growing weaker every day--that thousands of ministers are ashamed of it4 ,it gives me joy to know that ,christians are becoming merciful1 so merciful that the fires of hell are burning low--flickering1 choked with ashes1 destined in a few years to die out forever4 ,for centuries ,christendom was a madhouse4 ,popes1 cardinals1 bishops1 priests1 monks and heretics were all insane4 ,only a few--four or five in a century were sound in heart and brain4 ,only a few1 in spite of the roar and din1 in spite of the savage cries1 heard reason's voice4 ,only a few in the wild rage of ignorance1 fear and zeal preserved the perfect calm that wisdom gives4 ,we have advanced4 ,in a few years the ,christians will become--let us hope--humane and sensible enough to deny the dogma that fills the endless years with pain4 ,they ought to know now that this dogma is utterly inconsistent with the wisdom1 the justice1 the goodness of their ,god4 ,they ought to know that their belief in hell1 gives to the ,holy ,ghost--the ,dove--the beak of a vulture1 and fills the mouth of the ,lamb of ,god with the fangs of a viper4 ,,iii4 ,,in my youth ,i read religious books--books about ,god1 about the atonement--about salvation by faith1 and about the other worlds4 ,i became familiar with the commentators--with ,adam ,clark1 who thought that the serpent seduced our mother ,eve1 and was in fact the father of ,cain4 ,he also believed that the animals1 while in the ark1 had their natures' changed to that degree that they devoured straw together and enjoyed each other's society--thus prefiguring the blessed millennium4 ,i read ,scott1 who was such a natural theologian that he really thought the story of ,phaeton--of the wild steeds dashing across the sky--corroborated the story of ,joshua having stopped the sun and moon4 ,so1 ,i read ,henry and ,mac,knight and found that ,god so loved the world that he made up his mind to damn a large majority of the human race4 ,i read ,cruden1 who made the great ,concordance1 and made the miracles as small and probable as he could4 ,i remember that he explained the miracle of feeding the wandering ,jews with quails1 by saying that even at this day immense numbers of quails crossed the ,red ,sea1 and that sometimes when tired1 they settled on ships that sank beneath their weight4 ,the fact that the explanation was as hard to believe as the miracle made no difference to the devout ,cruden4 ,to while away the time ,i read ,calvin's ,institutes1 a book calculated to produce1 in any natural mind1 considerable respect for the ,devil4 ,i read ,paley's ,evidences and found that the evidence of ingenuity in producing the evil1 in contriving the hurtful1 was at least equal to the evidence tending to show the use of intelligence in the creation of what we call good4 ,you know the watch argument was ,paley's greatest effort4 ,a man finds a watch and it is so wonderful that he concludes that it must have had a maker4 ,he finds the maker and he is so much more wonderful than the watch that he says he must have had a maker4 ,then he finds ,god1 the maker of the man1 and he is so much more wonderful than the man that he could not have had a maker4 ,this is what the lawyers call a departure in pleading4 ,according to ,paley there can be no design without a designer--but there can be a designer without a design4 ,the wonder of the watch suggested the watchmaker1 and the wonder of the watchmaker1 suggested the creator1 and the wonder of the creator demonstrated that he was not created--but was uncaused and eternal4 ,we had ,edwards on ,the ,will1 in which the reverend author shows that necessity has no effect on accountability--and that when ,god creates a human being1 and at the same time determines and decrees exactly what that being shall do and be1 the human being is responsible1 and ,god in his justice and mercy has the right to torture the soul of that human being forever4 ,yet ,edwards said that he loved ,god4 ,the fact is that if you believe in an infinite ,god1 and also in eternal punishment1 then you must admit that ,edwards and ,calvin were absolutely right4 ,there is no escape from their conclusions if you admit their premises4 ,they were infinitely cruel1 their premises infinitely absurd1 their ,god infinitely fiendish1 and their logic perfect4 ,and yet ,i have kindness and candor enough to say that ,calvin and ,edwards were both insane4 ,we had plenty of theological literature4 ,there was ,jenkyn on the ,atonement1 who demonstrated the wisdom of ,god in devising a way in which the sufferings of innocence could justify the guilty4 ,he tried to show that children could justly be punished for the sins of their ancestors1 and that men could1 if they had faith1 be justly credited with the virtues of others4 ,nothing could be more devout1 orthodox1 and idiotic4 ,but all of our theology was not in prose4 ,we had ,milton with his celestial militia--with his great and blundering ,god1 his proud and cunning ,devil--his wars between immortals1 and all the sublime absurdities that religion wrought within the blind man's brain4 ,the theology taught by ,milton was dear to the ,puritan heart4 ,it was accepted by ,new ,england1 and it poisoned the souls and ruined the lives of thousands4 ,the genius of ,shakespeare could not make the theology of ,milton poetic4 ,in the literature of the world there is nothing1 outside of the sacred books1 more perfectly absurd4 ,we had ,young's ,night ,thoughts1 and ,i supposed that the author was an exceedingly devout and loving follower of the ,lord4 ,yet ,young had a great desire to be a bishop1 and to accomplish that end he electioneered with the king's mistress4 ,in other words1 he was a fine old hypocrite4 ,in the ,night ,thoughts there is scarcely a genuinely honest1 natural line4 ,it is pretence from beginning to end4 ,he did not write what he felt1 but what he thought he ought to feel4 ,we had ,pollok's ,course of ,time1 with its worm that never dies1 its quenchless flames1 its endless pangs1 its leering devils1 and its gloating ,god4 ,this frightful poem should have been written in a madhouse4 ,in it you find all the cries and groans and shrieks of maniacs1 when they tear and rend each other's flesh4 ,it is as heartless1 as hideous1 as hellish as the thirty-second chapter of ,deuteronomy4 ,we all know the beautiful hymn commencing with the cheerful line3 ,hark from the tombs1 a doleful sound4 ,nothing could have been more appropriate for children4 ,it is well to put a coffin where it can be seen from the cradle4 ,when a mother nurses her child1 an open grave should be at her feet4 ,this would tend to make the babe serious1 reflective1 religious and miserable4 ,god hates laughter and despises mirth4 ,to feel free1 untrammeled1 irresponsible1 joyous1--to forget care and death--to be flooded with sunshine without a fear of night--to forget the past1 to have no thought of the future1 no dream of ,god1 or heaven1 or hell--to be intoxicated with the present--to be conscious only of the clasp and kiss of the one you love--this is the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but we had ,cowper's poems4 ,cowper was sincere4 ,he was the opposite of ,young4 ,he had an observing eye1 a gentle heart and a sense of the artistic4 ,he sympathized with all who suffered--with the imprisoned1 the enslaved1 the outcasts4 ,he loved the beautiful4 ,no wonder that the belief in eternal punishment made this loving soul insane4 ,no wonder that the tidings of great joy quenched ,hope's great star and left his broken heart in the darkness of despair4 ,we had many volumes of orthodox sermons1 filled with wrath and the terrors of the judgment to come--sermons that had been delivered by savage saints4 ,we had the ,book of ,martyrs1 showing that ,christians had for many centuries imitated the ,god they worshiped4 ,we had the history of the ,waldenses--of the ,reformation of the ,church4 ,we had ,pilgrim's ,progress1 ,baxter's ,call and ,butler's ,analogy4 ,to use a ,western phrase or saying1 ,i found that ,bishop ,butler dug up more snakes than he killed--suggested more difficulties than he explained--more doubts than he dispelled4 ,,iv4 ,,among such books my youth was passed4 ,all the seeds of ,christianity--of superstition1 were sown in my mind and cultivated with great diligence and care4 ,all that time ,i knew nothing of any science--nothing about the other side--nothing of the objections that had been urged against the blessed ,scriptures1 or against the perfect ,congregational creed4 ,of course ,i had heard the ministers speak of blasphemers1 of infidel wretches1 of scoffers who laughed at holy things4 ,they did not answer their arguments1 but they tore their characters into shreds and demonstrated by the fury of assertion that they had done the ,devil's work4 ,and yet in spite of all ,i heard--of all ,i read1 ,i could not quite believe4 ,my brain and heart said ,no4 ,for a time ,i left the dreams1 the insanities1 the illusions and delusions1 the nightmares of theology4 ,i studied astronomy1 just a little--,i examined maps of the heavens--learned the names of some of the constellations--of some of the stars--found something of their size and the velocity with which they wheeled in their orbits--obtained a faint conception of astronomical spaces--found that some of the known stars were so far away in the depths of space that their light1 traveling at the rate of nearly two hundred thousand miles a second1 required many years to reach this little world--found that1 compared with the great stars1 our earth was but a grain of sand--an atom--found that the old belief that all the hosts of heaven had been created for the benefit of man1 was infinitely absurd4 ,i compared what was really known about the stars with the account of creation as told in ,genesis4 ,i found that the writer of the inspired book had no knowledge of astronomy--that he was as ignorant as a ,choctaw chief--as an ,eskimo driver of dogs4 ,does any one imagine that the author of ,genesis knew anything about the sun--its size8 that he was acquainted with ,sirius1 the ,north ,star1 with ,capella1 or that he knew anything of the clusters of stars so far away that their light1 now visiting our eyes1 has been traveling for two million years8 ,if he had known these facts would he have said that ,jehovah worked nearly six days to make this world1 and only a part of the afternoon of the fourth day to make the sun and moon and all the stars8 ,yet millions of people insist that the writer of ,genesis was inspired by the ,creator of all worlds4 ,now1 intelligent men1 who are not frightened1 whose brains have not been paralyzed by fear1 know that the sacred story of creation was written by an ignorant savage4 ,the story is inconsistent with all known facts1 and every star shining in the heavens testifies that its author was an uninspired barbarian4 ,i admit that this unknown writer was sincere1 that he wrote what he believed to be true--that he did the best he could4 ,he did not claim to be inspired--did not pretend that the story had been told to him by ,jehovah4 ,he simply stated the facts as he understood them4 ,after ,i had learned a little about the stars ,i concluded that this writer1 this inspired scribe1 had been misled by myth and legend1 and that he knew no more about creation than the average theologian of my day4 ,in other words1 that he knew absolutely nothing4 ,and here1 allow me to say that the ministers who are answering me are turning their guns in the wrong direction4 ,these reverend gentlemen should attack the astronomers4 ,they should malign and vilify ,kepler1 ,copernicus1 ,newton1 ,herschel and ,laplace4 ,these men were the real destroyers of the sacred story4 ,then1 after having disposed of them1 they can wage a war against the stars1 and against ,jehovah himself for having furnished evidence against the truthfulness of his book4 ,then ,i studied geology--not much1 just a little--just enough to find in a general way the principal facts that had been discovered1 and some of the conclusions that had been reached4 ,i learned something of the action of fire--of water--of the formation of islands and continents--of the sedimentary and igneous rocks--of the coal measures--of the chalk cliffs1 something about coral reefs--about the deposits made by rivers1 the effect of volcanoes1 of glaciers1 and of the all surrounding sea--just enough to know that the ,laurentian rocks were millions of ages older than the grass beneath my feet--just enough to feel certain that this world had been pursuing its flight about the sun1 wheeling in light and shade1 for hundreds of millions of years--just enough to know that the inspired writer knew nothing of the history of the earth--nothing of the great forces of nature--of wind and wave and fire--forces that have destroyed and built1 wrecked and wrought through all the countless years4 ,and let me tell the ministers again that they should not waste their time in answering me4 ,they should attack the geologists4 ,they should deny the facts that have been discovered4 ,they should launch their curses at the blaspheming seas1 and dash their heads against the infidel rocks4 ,then ,i studied biology--not much--just enough to know something of animal forms1 enough to know that life existed when the ,laurentian rocks were made--just enough to know that implements of stone1 implements that had been formed by human hands1 had been found mingled with the bones of extinct animals1 bones that had been split with these implements1 and that these animals had ceased to exist hundreds of thousands of years before the manufacture of ,adam and ,eve4 ,then ,i felt sure that the inspired record was false--that many millions of people had been deceived and that all ,i had been taught about the origin of worlds and men was utterly untrue4 ,i felt that ,i knew that the ,old ,testament was the work of ignorant men--that it was a mingling of truth and mistake1 of wisdom and foolishness1 of cruelty and kindness1 of philosophy and absurdity--that it contained some elevated thoughts1 some poetry1---a good deal of the solemn and commonplace1--some hysterical1 some tender1 some wicked prayers1 some insane predictions1 some delusions1 and some chaotic dreams4 ,of course the theologians fought the facts found by the geologists1 the scientists1 and sought to sustain the sacred ,scriptures4 ,they mistook the bones of the mastodon for those of human beings1 and by them proudly proved that there were giants in those days4 ,they accounted for the fossils by saying that ,god had made them to try our faith1 or that the ,devil had imitated the works of the ,creator4 ,they answered the geologists by saying that the days in ,genesis were long periods of time1 and that after all the flood might have been local4 ,they told the astronomers that the sun and moon were not actually1 but only apparently1 stopped4 ,and that the appearance was produced by the reflection and refraction of light4 ,they excused the slavery and polygamy1 the robbery and murder upheld in the ,old ,testament by saying that the people were so degraded that ,jehovah was compelled to pander to their ignorance and prejudice4 ,in every way the clergy sought to evade the facts1 to dodge the truth1 to preserve the creed4 ,at first they flatly denied the facts--then they belittled them--then they harmonized them--then they denied that they had denied them4 ,then they changed the meaning of the inspired book to fit the facts4 ,at first they said that if the facts1 as claimed1 were true1 the ,bible was false and ,christianity itself a superstition4 ,afterward they said the facts1 as claimed1 were true and that they established beyond all doubt the inspiration of the ,bible and the divine origin of orthodox religion4 ,anything they could not dodge1 they swallowed1 and anything they could not swallow1 they dodged4 ,i gave up the ,old ,testament on account of its mistakes1 its absurdities1 its ignorance and its cruelty4 ,i gave up the ,new because it vouched for the truth of the ,old4 ,i gave it up on account of its miracles1 its contradictions1 because ,christ and his disciples believed in the existence of devils--talked and made bargains with them1 expelled them from people and animals4 ,this1 of itself1 is enough4 ,we know1 if we know anything1 that devils do not exist--that ,christ never cast them out1 and that if he pretended to1 he was either ignorant1 dishonest or insane4 ,these stories about devils demonstrate the human1 the ignorant origin of the ,new ,testament4 ,i gave up the ,new ,testament because it rewards credulity1 and curses brave and honest men1 and because it teaches the infinite horror of eternal pain4 ,v4 ,,having spent my youth in reading books about religion--about the new birth--the disobedience of our first parents1 the atonement1 salvation by faith1 the wickedness of pleasure1 the degrading consequences of love1 and the impossibility of getting to heaven by being honest and generous1 and having become somewhat weary of the frayed and raveled thoughts1 you can imagine my surprise1 my delight when ,i read the poems of ,robert ,burns4 ,i was familiar with the writings of the devout and insincere1 the pious and petrified1 the pure and heartless4 ,here was a natural honest man4 ,i knew the works of those who regarded all nature as depraved1 and looked upon love as the legacy and perpetual witness of original sin4 ,here was a man who plucked joy from the mire1 made goddesses of peasant girls1 and enthroned the honest man4 ,one whose sympathy1 with loving arms1 embraced all forms of suffering life1 who hated slavery of every kind1 who was as natural as heaven's blue1 with humor kindly as an autumn day1 with wit as sharp as ,ithuriel's spear1 and scorn that blasted like the simoon's breath4 ,a man who loved this world1 this life1 the things of every day1 and placed above all else the thrilling ecstasies of human love4 ,i read and read again with rapture1 tears and smiles1 feeling that a great heart was throbbing in the lines4 ,the religious1 the lugubrious1 the artificial1 the spiritual poets were forgotten or remained only as the fragments1 the half remembered horrors of monstrous and distorted dreams4 ,i had found at last a natural man1 one who despised his country's cruel creed1 and was brave and sensible enough to say3 ,all religions are auld wives' fables1 but an honest man has nothing to fear1 either in this world or the world to come4 ,one who had the genius to write ,holy ,willie's ,prayer--a poem that crucified ,calvinism and through its bloodless heart thrust the spear of common sense--a poem that made every orthodox creed the food of scorn--of inextinguishable laughter4 ,burns had his faults1 his frailties4 ,he was intensely human4 ,still1 ,i would rather appear at the ,judgment ,seat drunk1 and be able to say that ,i was the author of ,a man's a man for 'a that1 than to be perfectly sober and admit that ,i had lived and died a ,scotch ,presbyterian4 ,i read ,byron--read his ,cain1 in which1 as in ,paradise ,lost1 the ,devil seems to be the better god--read his beautiful1 sublime and bitter lines--read his ,prisoner of ,chillon--his best--a poem that filled my heart with tenderness1 with pity1 and with an eternal hatred of tyranny4 ,i read ,shelley's ,queen ,mab--a poem filled with beauty1 courage1 thought1 sympathy1 tears and scorn1 in which a brave soul tears down the prison walls and floods the cells with light4 ,i read his ,skylark--a winged flame--passionate as blood--tender as tears--pure as light4 ,i read ,keats1 whose name was writ in water--read ,st4 ,agnes ,eve1 a story told with such an artless art that this poor common world is changed to fairy land--the ,grecian ,urn1 that fills the soul with ever eager love1 with all the rapture of imagined song--the ,nightingale--a melody in which there is the memory of morn--a melody that dies away in dusk and tears1 paining the senses with its perfectness4 ,and then ,i read ,shakespeare1 the plays1 the sonnets1 the poems--read all4 ,i beheld a new heaven and a new earth2 ,shakespeare1 who knew the brain and heart of man--the hopes and fears1 the loves and hatreds1 the vices and the virtues of the human race2 whose imagination read the tear-blurred records1 the blood-stained pages of all the past1 and saw falling athwart the outspread scroll the light of hope and love2 ,shakespeare1 who sounded every depth--while on the loftiest peak there fell the shadow of his wings4 ,i compared the ,plays with the inspired books--,romeo and ,juliet with the ,song of ,solomon1 ,lear with ,job1 and the ,sonnets with the ,psalms1 and ,i found that ,jehovah did not understand the art of speech4 ,i compared ,shakespeare's women--his perfect women--with the women of the ,bible4 ,i found that ,jehovah was not a sculptor1 not a painter--not an artist--that he lacked the power that changes clay to flesh--the art1 the plastic touch1 that moulds the perfect form--the breath that gives it free and joyous life--the genius that creates the faultless4 ,the sacred books of all the world are worthless dross and common stones compared with ,shakespeare's glittering gold and gleaming gems4 ,,vi4 ,,up to this time ,i had read nothing against our blessed religion except what ,i had found in ,burns1 ,byron and ,shelley4 ,by some accident ,i read ,volney1 who shows that all religions are1 and have been1 established in the same way--that all had their ,christs1 their apostles1 miracles and sacred books1 and then asked how it is possible to decide which is the true one4 ,a question that is still waiting for an answer4 ,i read ,gibbon1 the greatest of historians1 who marshaled his facts as skillfully as ,caesar did his legions1 and ,i learned that ,christianity is only a name for ,paganism--for the old religion1 shorn of its beauty--that some absurdities had been exchanged for others--that some gods had been killed--a vast multitude of devils created1 and that hell had been enlarged4 ,and then ,i read the ,age of ,reason1 by ,thomas ,paine4 ,let me tell you something about this sublime and slandered man4 ,he came to this country just before the ,revolution4 ,he brought a letter of introduction from ,benjamin ,franklin1 at that time the greatest ,american4 ,in ,philadelphia1 ,paine was employed to write for the ,pennsylvania ,magazine4 ,we know that he wrote at least five articles4 ,the first was against slavery1 the second against duelling1 the third on the treatment of prisoners--showing that the object should be to reform1 not to punish and degrade--the fourth on the rights of woman1 and the fifth in favor of forming societies for the prevention of cruelty to children and animals4 ,from this you see that he suggested the great reforms of our century4 ,the truth is that he labored all his life for the good of his fellow-men1 and did as much to found the ,great ,republic as any man who ever stood beneath our flag4 ,he gave his thoughts about religion--about the blessed ,scriptures1 about the superstitions of his time4 ,he was perfectly sincere and what he said was kind and fair4 ,the ,age of ,reason filled with hatred the hearts of those who loved their enemies1 and the occupant of every orthodox pulpit became1 and still is1 a passionate maligner of ,thomas ,paine4 ,no one has answered--no one will answer1 his argument against the dogma of inspiration--his objections to the ,bible4 ,he did not rise above all the superstitions of his day4 ,while he hated ,jehovah1 he praised the ,god of ,nature1 the creator and preserver of all4 ,in this he was wrong1 because1 as ,watson said in his ,reply to ,paine1 the ,god of ,nature is as heartless1 as cruel as the ,god of the ,bible4 ,but ,paine was one of the pioneers--one of the ,titans1 one of the heroes1 who gladly gave his life1 his every thought and act1 to free and civilize mankind4 ,i read ,voltaire--,voltaire1 the greatest man of his century1 and who did more for liberty of thought and speech than any other being1 human or divine4 ,voltaire1 who tore the mask from hypocrisy and found behind the painted smile the fangs of hate4 ,voltaire1 who attacked the savagery of the law1 the cruel decisions of venal courts1 and rescued victims from the wheel and rack4 ,voltaire1 who waged war against the tyranny of thrones1 the greed and heartlessness of power4 ,voltaire1 who filled the flesh of priests with the barbed and poisoned arrows of his wit and made the pious jugglers1 who cursed him in public1 laugh at themselves in private4 ,voltaire1 who sided with the oppressed1 rescued the unfortunate1 championed the obscure and weak1 civilized judges1 repealed laws and abolished torture in his native land4 ,in every direction this tireless man fought the absurd1 the miraculous1 the supernatural1 the idiotic1 the unjust4 ,he had no reverence for the ancient4 ,he was not awed by pageantry and pomp1 by crowned ,crime or mitered ,pretence4 ,beneath the crown he saw the criminal1 under the miter1 the hypocrite4 ,to the bar of his conscience1 his reason1 he summoned the barbarism and the barbarians of his time4 ,he pronounced judgment against them all1 and that judgment has been affirmed by the intelligent world4 ,voltaire lighted a torch and gave to others the sacred flame4 ,the light still shines and will as long as man loves liberty and seeks for truth4 ,i read ,zeno1 the man who said1 centuries before our ,christ was born1 that man could not own his fellow-man4 ,no matter whether you claim a slave by purchase or capture1 the title is bad4 ,they who claim to own their fellow-men1 look down into the pit and forget the justice that should rule the world4 ,i became acquainted with ,epicurus1 who taught the religion of usefulness1 of temperance1 of courage and wisdom1 and who said3 ,why should ,i fear death8 ,if ,i am1 death is not4 ,if death is1 ,i am not4 ,why should ,i fear that which cannot exist when ,i do8 ,i read about ,socrates1 who when on trial for his life1 said1 among other things1 to his judges1 these wondrous words3 ,i have not sought during my life to amass wealth and to adorn my body1 but ,i have sought to adorn my soul with the jewels of wisdom1 patience1 and above all with a love of liberty4 ,so1 ,i read about ,diogenes1 the philosopher who hated the superfluous--the enemy of waste and greed1 and who one day entered the temple1 reverently approached the altar1 crushed a louse between the nails of his thumbs1 and solemnly said3 ,the sacrifice of ,diogenes to all the gods4 ,this parodied the worship of the world--satirized all creeds1 and in one act put the essence of religion4 ,diogenes must have know of this inspired passage--,without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins4 ,i compared ,zeno1 ,epicurus and ,socrates1 three heathen wretches who had never heard of the ,old ,testament or the ,ten ,commandments1 with ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob1 three favorites of ,jehovah1 and ,i was depraved enough to think that the ,pagans were superior to the ,patriarchs--and to ,jehovah himself4 ,,vii4 ,,my attention was turned to other religions1 to the sacred books1 the creeds and ceremonies of other lands--of ,india1 ,egypt1 ,assyria1 ,persia1 of the dead and dying nations4 ,i concluded that all religions had the same foundation--a belief in the supernatural--a power above nature that man could influence by worship--by sacrifice and prayer4 ,i found that all religions rested on a mistaken conception of nature--that the religion of a people was the science of that people1 that is to say1 their explanation of the world--of life and death--of origin and destiny4 ,i concluded that all religions had substantially the same origin1 and that in fact there has never been but one religion in the world4 ,the twigs and leaves may differ1 but the trunk is the same4 ,the poor ,african that pours out his heart to his deity of stone is on an exact religious level with the robed priest who supplicates his ,god4 ,the same mistake1 the same superstition1 bends the knees and shuts the eyes of both4 ,both ask for supernatural aid1 and neither has the slightest thought of the absolute uniformity of nature4 ,it seems probable to me that the first organized ceremonial religion was the worship of the sun4 ,the sun was the ,sky ,father1 the ,all ,seeing1 the source of life--the fireside of the world4 ,the sun was regarded as a god who fought the darkness1 the power of evil1 the enemy of man4 ,there have been many sun-gods1 and they seem to have been the chief deities in the ancient religions4 ,they have been worshiped in many lands--by many nations that have passed to death and dust4 ,apollo was a sun-god and he fought and conquered the serpent of night4 ,baldur was a sun-god4 ,he was in love with the ,dawn--a maiden4 ,chrishna was a sun-god4 ,at his birth the ,ganges was thrilled from its source to the sea1 and all the trees1 the dead as well as the living1 burst into leaf and bud and flower4 ,hercules was a sun-god and so was ,samson1 whose strength was in his hair--that is to say1 in his beams4 ,he was shorn of his strength by ,delilah1 the shadow--the darkness4 ,osiris1 ,bacchus1 and ,mithra1 ,hermes1 ,buddha1 and ,quetzalcoatl1 ,prometheus1 ,zoroaster1 and ,perseus1 ,cadom1 ,lao-tsze1 ,fo-hi1 ,horus and ,rameses1 were all sun-gods4 ,all of these gods had gods for fathers and their mothers were virgins4 ,the births of nearly all were announced by stars1 celebrated by celestial music1 and voices declared that a blessing had come to the poor world4 ,all of these gods were born in humble places--in caves1 under trees1 in common inns1 and tyrants sought to kill them all when they were babes4 ,all of these sun-gods were born at the winter solstice--on ,christmas4 ,nearly all were worshiped by wise men4 ,all of them fasted for forty days--all of them taught in parables--all of them wrought miracles--all met with a violent death1 and all rose from the dead4 ,the history of these gods is the exact history of our ,christ4 ,this is not a coincidence--an accident4 ,christ was a sun-god4 ,christ was a new name for an old biography--a survival--the last of the sun-gods4 ,christ was not a man1 but a myth--not a life1 but a legend4 ,i found that we had not only borrowed our ,christ--but that all our sacraments1 symbols and ceremonies were legacies that we received from the buried past4 ,there is nothing original in ,christianity4 ,the cross was a symbol thousands of years before our era4 ,it was a symbol of life1 of immortality--of the god ,agni1 and it was chiseled upon tombs many ages before a line of our ,bible was written4 ,baptism is far older than ,christianity--than ,judaism4 ,the ,hindus1 ,egyptians1 ,greeks and ,romans had ,holy ,water long before a ,catholic lived4 ,the eucharist was borrowed from the ,pagans4 ,ceres was the goddess of the fields--,bacchus of the vine4 ,at the harvest festival they made cakes of wheat and said3 ,this is the flesh of the goddess4 ,they drank wine and cried3 ,this is the blood of our god4 ,the ,egyptians had a ,trinity4 ,they worshiped ,osiris1 ,isis and ,horus1 thousands of years before the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost were known4 ,the ,tree of ,life grew in ,india1 in ,china1 and among the ,aztecs1 long before the ,garden of ,eden was planted4 ,long before our ,bible was known1 other nations had their sacred books4 ,the dogmas of the ,fall of ,man1 the ,atonement and ,salvation by ,faith1 are far older than our religion4 ,in our blessed gospel1--in our divine scheme1--there is nothing new--nothing original4 ,all old--all borrowed1 pieced and patched4 ,then ,i concluded that all religions had been naturally produced1 and that all were variations1 modifications of one1--then ,i felt that ,i knew that all were the work of man4 ,,viii4 ,,the theologians had always insisted that their ,god was the creator of all living things--that the forms1 parts1 functions1 colors and varieties of animals were the expressions of his fancy1 taste and wisdom--that he made them all precisely as they are to-day--that he invented fins and legs and wings--that he furnished them with the weapons of attack1 the shields of defence--that he formed them with reference to food and climate1 taking into consideration all facts affecting life4 ,they insisted that man was a special creation1 not related in any way to the animals below him4 ,they also asserted that all the forms of vegetation1 from mosses to forests1 were just the same to-day as the moment they were made4 ,men of genius1 who were for the most part free from religious prejudice1 were examining these things--were looking for facts4 ,they were examining the fossils of animals and plants--studying the forms of animals--their bones and muscles--the effect of climate and food--the strange modifications through which they had passed4 ,humboldt had published his lectures--filled with great thoughts--with splendid generalizations--with suggestions that stimulated the spirit of investigation1 and with conclusions that satisfied the mind4 ,he demonstrated the uniformity of ,nature--the kinship of all that lives and grows--that breathes and thinks4 ,darwin1 with his ,origin of ,species1 his theories about ,natural ,selection1 the ,survival of the ,fittest1 and the influence of environment1 shed a flood of light upon the great problems of plant and animal life4 ,these things had been guessed1 prophesied1 asserted1 hinted by many others1 but ,darwin1 with infinite patience1 with perfect care and candor1 found the facts1 fulfilled the prophecies1 and demonstrated the truth of the guesses1 hints and assertions4 ,he was1 in my judgment1 the keenest observer1 the best judge of the meaning and value of a fact1 the greatest ,naturalist the world has produced4 ,the theological view began to look small and mean4 ,spencer gave his theory of evolution and sustained it by countless facts4 ,he stood at a great height1 and with the eyes of a philosopher1 a profound thinker1 surveyed the world4 ,he has influenced the thought of the wisest4 ,theology looked more absurd than ever4 ,huxley entered the lists for ,darwin4 ,no man ever had a sharper sword--a better shield4 ,he challenged the world4 ,the great theologians and the small scientists--those who had more courage than sense1 accepted the challenge4 ,their poor bodies were carried away by their friends4 ,huxley had intelligence1 industry1 genius1 and the courage to express his thought4 ,he was absolutely loyal to what he thought was truth4 ,without prejudice and without fear1 he followed the footsteps of life from the lowest to the highest forms4 ,theology looked smaller still4 ,haeckel began at the simplest cell1 went from change to change--from form to form--followed the line of development1 the path of life1 until he reached the human race4 ,it was all natural4 ,there had been no interference from without4 ,i read the works of these great men--of many others--and became convinced that they were right1 and that all the theologians--all the believers in special creation were absolutely wrong4 ,the ,garden of ,eden faded away1 ,adam and ,eve fell back to dust1 the snake crawled into the grass1 and ,jehovah became a miserable myth4 ,,ix4 ,i ,,took another step4 ,what is matter--substance8 ,can it be destroyed--annihilated8 ,is it possible to conceive of the destruction of the smallest atom of substance8 ,it can be ground to powder--changed from a solid to a liquid--from a liquid to a gas--but it all remains4 ,nothing is lost--nothing destroyed4 ,let an infinite ,god1 if there be one1 attack a grain of sand--attack it with infinite power4 ,it cannot be destroyed4 ,it cannot surrender4 ,it defies all force4 ,substance cannot be destroyed4 ,then ,i took another step4 ,if matter cannot be destroyed1 cannot be annihilated1 it could not have been created4 ,the indestructible must be uncreateable4 ,and then ,i asked myself3 ,what is force8 ,we cannot conceive of the creation of force1 or of its destruction4 ,force may be changed from one form to another--from motion to heat--but it cannot be destroyed--annihilated4 ,if force cannot be destroyed it could not have been created4 ,it is eternal4 ,another thing--matter cannot exist apart from force4 ,force cannot exist apart from matter4 ,matter could not have existed before force4 ,force could not have existed before matter4 ,matter and force can only be conceived of together4 ,this has been shown by several scientists1 but most clearly1 most forcibly by ,buechner4 ,thought is a form of force1 consequently it could not have caused or created matter4 ,intelligence is a form of force and could not have existed without or apart from matter4 ,without substance there could have been no mind1 no will1 no force in any form1 and there could have been no substance without force4 ,matter and force were not created4 ,they have existed from eternity4 ,they cannot be destroyed4 ,there was1 there is1 no creator4 ,then came the question3 ,is there a ,god8 ,is there a being of infinite intelligence1 power and goodness1 who governs the world8 ,there can be goodness without much intelligence--but it seems to me that perfect intelligence and perfect goodness must go together4 ,in nature ,i see1 or seem to see1 good and evil--intelligence and ignorance--goodness and cruelty--care and carelessness--economy and waste4 ,i see means that do not accomplish the ends--designs that seem to fail4 ,to me it seems infinitely cruel for life to feed on life--to create animals that devour others4 ,the teeth and beaks1 the claws and fangs1 that tear and rend1 fill me with horror4 ,what can be more frightful than a world at-war8 ,every leaf a battle-field--every flower a ,golgotha--in every drop of water pursuit1 capture and death4 ,under every piece of bark1 life lying in wait for life4 ,on every blade of grass1 something that kills1--something that suffers4 ,everywhere the strong living on the weak--the superior on the inferior4 ,everywhere the weak1 the insignificant1 living on the strong--the inferior on the superior--the highest food for the lowest--man sacrificed for the sake of microbes4 ,murder universal4 ,everywhere pain1 disease and death--death that does not wait for bent forms and gray hairs1 but clutches babes and happy youths4 ,death that takes the mother from her helpless1 dimpled child--death that fills the world with grief and tears4 ,how can the orthodox ,christian explain these things8 ,i know that life is good4 ,i remember the sunshine and rain4 ,then ,i think of the earthquake and flood4 ,i do not forget health and harvest1 home and love--but what of pestilence and famine8 ,i cannot harmonize all these contradictions--these blessings and agonies--with the existence of an infinitely good1 wise and powerful ,god4 ,the theologian says that what we call evil is for our benefit--that we are placed in this world of sin and sorrow to develop character4 ,if this is true ,i ask why the infant dies8 ,millions and millions draw a few breaths and fade away in the arms of their mothers4 ,they are not allowed to develop character4 ,the theologian says that serpents were given fangs to protect themselves from their enemies4 ,why did the ,god who made them1 make enemies8 ,why is it that many species of serpents have no fangs8 ,the theologian says that ,god armored the hippopotamus1 covered his body1 except the under part1 with scales and plates1 that other animals could not pierce with tooth or tusk4 ,but the same ,god made the rhinoceros and supplied him with a horn on his nose1 with which he disembowels the hippopotamus4 ,the same ,god made the eagle1 the vulture1 the hawk1 and their helpless prey4 ,on every hand there seems to be design to defeat design4 ,if ,god created man--if he is the father of us all1 why did he make the criminals1 the insane1 the deformed and idiotic8 ,should the inferior man thank ,god8 ,should the mother1 who clasps to her breast an idiot child1 thank ,god8 ,should the slave thank ,god8 ,the theologian says that ,god governs the wind1 the rain1 the lightning4 ,how then can we account for the cyclone1 the flood1 the drought1 the glittering bolt that kills8 ,suppose we had a man in this country who could control the wind1 the rain and lightning1 and suppose we elected him to govern these things1 and suppose that he allowed whole ,states to dry and wither1 and at the same time wasted the rain in the sea4 ,suppose that he allowed the winds to destroy cities and to crush to shapelessness thousands of men and women1 and allowed the lightnings to strike the life out of mothers and babes4 ,what would we say8 ,what would we think of such a savage8 ,and yet1 according to the theologians1 this is exactly the course pursued by ,god4 ,what do we think of a man1 who will not1 when he has the power1 protect his friends8 ,yet the ,christian's ,god allowed his enemies to torture and burn his friends1 his worshipers4 ,who has ingenuity enough to explain this8 ,what good man1 having the power to prevent it1 would allow the innocent to be imprisoned1 chained in dungeons1 and sigh against the dripping walls their weary lives away8 ,if ,god governs the world1 why is innocence not a perfect shield8 ,why does injustice triumph8 ,who can answer these questions8 ,in answer1 the intelligent1 honest man must say3 ,i do not know4 ,x4 ,,this ,god must be1 if he exists1 a person--a conscious being4 ,who can imagine an infinite personality8 ,this ,god must have force1 and we cannot conceive of force apart from matter4 ,this ,god must be material4 ,he must have the means by which he changes force to what we call thought4 ,when he thinks he uses force1 force that must be replaced4 ,yet we are told that he is infinitely wise4 ,if he is1 he does not think4 ,thought is a ladder--a process by which we reach a conclusion4 ,he who knows all conclusions cannot think4 ,he cannot hope or fear4 ,when knowledge is perfect there can be no passion1 no emotion4 ,if ,god is infinite he does not want4 ,he has all4 ,he who does not want does not act4 ,the infinite must dwell in eternal calm4 ,it is as impossible to conceive of such a being as to imagine a square triangle1 or to think of a circle without a diameter4 ,yet we are told that it is our duty to love this ,god4 ,can we love the unknown1 the inconceivable8 ,can it be our duty to love anybody8 ,it is our duty to act justly1 honestly1 but it cannot be our duty to love4 ,we cannot be under obligation to admire a painting--to be charmed with a poem--or thrilled with music4 ,admiration cannot be controlled4 ,taste and love are not the servants of the will4 ,love is1 and must be free4 ,it rises from the heart like perfume from a flower4 ,for thousands of ages men and women have been trying to love the gods--trying to soften their hearts--trying to get their aid4 ,i see them all4 ,the panorama passes before me4 ,i see them with outstretched hands--with reverently closed eyes--worshiping the sun4 ,i see them bowing1 in their fear and need1 to meteoric stones--imploring serpents1 beasts and sacred trees--praying to idols wrought of wood and stone4 ,i see them building altars to the unseen powers1 staining them with blood of child and beast4 ,i see the countless priests and hear their solemn chants4 ,i see the dying victims1 the smoking altars1 the swinging censers1 and the rising clouds4 ,i see the half-god men--the mournful ,christs1 in many lands4 ,i see the common things of life change to miracles as they speed from mouth to mouth4 ,i see the insane prophets reading the secret book of fate by signs and dreams4 ,i see them all--the ,assyrians chanting the praises of ,asshur and ,ishtar--the ,hindus worshiping ,brahma1 ,vishnu and ,draupadi1 the whitearmed--the ,chaldeans sacrificing to ,bel and ,hea--the ,egyptians bowing to ,ptah and ,ra1 ,osiris and ,isis--the ,medes placating the storm1 worshiping the fire--the ,babylonians supplicating ,bel and ,morodach--,i see them all by the ,euphrates1 the ,tigris1 the ,ganges and the ,nile4 ,i see the ,greeks building temples for ,zeus1 ,neptune and ,venus4 ,i see the ,romans kneeling to a hundred gods4 ,i see others spurning idols and pouring out their hopes and fears to a vague image in the mind4 ,i see the multitudes1 with open mouths1 receive as truths the myths and fables of the vanished years4 ,i see them give their toil1 their wealth to robe the priests1 to build the vaulted roofs1 the spacious aisles1 the glittering domes4 ,i see them clad in rags1 huddled in dens and huts1 devouring crusts and scraps1 that they may give the more to ghosts and gods4 ,i see them make their cruel creeds and fill the world with hatred1 war1 and death4 ,i see them with their faces in the dust in the dark days of plague and sudden death1 when cheeks are wan and lips are white for lack of bread4 ,i hear their prayers1 their sighs1 their sobs4 ,i see them kiss the unconscious lips as their hot tears fall on the pallid faces of the dead4 ,i see the nations as they fade and fail4 ,i see them captured and enslaved4 ,i see their altars mingle with the common earth1 their temples crumble slowly back to dust4 ,i see their gods grow old and weak1 infirm and faint4 ,i see them fall from vague and misty thrones1 helpless and dead4 ,the worshipers receive no help4 ,injustice triumphs4 ,toilers are paid with the lash1--babes are sold1--the innocent stand on scaffolds1 and the heroic perish in flames4 ,i see the earthquakes devour1 the volcanoes overwhelm1 the cyclones wreck1 the floods destroy1 and the lightnings kill4 ,the nations perished4 ,the gods died4 ,the toil and wealth were lost4 ,the temples were built in vain1 and all the prayers died unanswered in the heedless air4 ,then ,i asked myself the question3 ,is there a supernatural power--an arbitrary mind--an enthroned ,god--a supreme will that sways the tides and currents of the world--to which all causes bow8 ,i do not deny4 ,i do not know--but ,i do not believe4 ,i believe that the natural is supreme--that from the infinite chain no link can be lost or broken--that there is no supernatural power that can answer prayer--no power that worship can persuade or change--no power that cares for man4 ,i believe that with infinite arms ,nature embraces the all--that there is no interference--no chance--that behind every event are the necessary and countless causes1 and that beyond every event will be and must be the necessary and countless effects4 ,man must protect himself4 ,he cannot depend upon the supernatural--upon an imaginary father in the skies4 ,he must protect himself by finding the facts in ,nature1 by developing his brain1 to the end that he may overcome the obstructions and take advantage of the forces of ,nature4 ,is there a ,god8 ,i do not know4 ,is man immortal8 ,i do not know4 ,one thing ,i do know1 and that is1 that neither hope1 nor fear1 belief1 nor denial1 can change the fact4 ,it is as it is1 and it will be as it must be4 ,we wait and hope4 ,,xi4 ,,when ,i became convinced that the ,universe is natural--that all the ghosts and gods are myths1 there entered into my brain1 into my soul1 into every drop of my blood1 the sense1 the feeling1 the joy of freedom4 ,the walls of my prison crumbled and fell1 the dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts1 and bars1 and manacles became dust4 ,i was no longer a servant1 a serf or a slave4 ,there was for me no master in all the wide world--not even in infinite space4 ,i was free--free to think1 to express my thoughts--free to live to my own ideal--free to live for myself and those ,i loved--free to use all my faculties1 all my senses--free to spread imagination's wings--free to investigate1 to guess and dream and hope--free to judge and determine for myself--free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds1 all the inspired books that savages have produced1 and all the barbarous legends of the past--free from popes and priests--free from all the called and set apart--free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies--free from the fear of eternal pain--free from the winged monsters of the night--free from devils1 ghosts and gods4 ,for the first time ,i was free4 ,there were no prohibited places in all the realms of thought--no air1 no space1 where fancy could not spread her painted wings--no chains for my limbs--no lashes for my back--no fires for my flesh--no master's frown or threat--no following another's steps--no need to bow1 or cringe1 or crawl1 or utter lying words4 ,i was free4 ,i stood erect and fearlessly1 joyously1 faced all worlds4 ,and then my heart was filled with gratitude1 with thankfulness1 and went out in love to all the heroes1 the thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain--for the freedom of labor and thought--to those who fell on the fierce fields of war1 to those who died in dungeons bound with chains--to those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs--to those whose bones were crushed1 whose flesh was scarred and torn--to those by fire consumed--to all the wise1 the good1 the brave of every land1 whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men4 ,and then ,i vowed to grasp the torch that they had held1 and hold it high1 that light might conquer darkness still4 ,let us be true to ourselves--true to the facts we know1 and let us1 above all things1 preserve the veracity of our souls4 ,if there be gods we cannot help them1 but we can assist our fellow-men4 ,we cannot love the inconceivable1 but we can love wife and child and friend4 ,we can be as honest as we are ignorant4 ,if we are1 when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known1 we must say that we do not know4 ,we can tell the truth1 and we can enjoy the blessed freedom that the brave have won4 ,we can destroy the monsters of superstition1 the hissing snakes of ignorance and fear4 ,we can drive from our minds the frightful things that tear and wound with beak and fang4 ,we can civilize our fellow-men4 ,we can fill our lives with generous deeds1 with loving words1 with art and song1 and all the ecstasies of love4 ,we can flood our years with sunshine--with the divine climate of kindness1 and we can drain to the last drop the golden cup of joy4 ,,the ,,truth4 ,i4 ,,through millions of ages1 by countless efforts to satisfy his wants1 to gratify his passions1 his appetites1 man slowly developed his brain1 changed two of his feet into hands and forced into the darkness of his brain a few gleams and glimmerings of reason4 ,he was hindered by ignorance1 by fear1 by mistakes1 and he advanced only as he found the truth--the absolute facts4 ,through countless years he has groped and crawled and struggled and climbed and stumbled toward the light4 ,he has been hindered and delayed and deceived by augurs and prophets--by popes and priests4 ,he has been betrayed by saints1 misled by apostles and ,christs1 frightened by devils and ghosts--enslaved by chiefs and kings--robbed by altars and thrones4 ,in the name of education his mind has been filled with mistakes1 with miracles1 and lies1 with the impossible1 the absurd and infamous4 ,in the name of religion he has been taught humility and arrogance1 love and hatred1 forgiveness and revenge4 ,but the world is changing4 ,we are tired of barbarian bibles and savage creeds4 ,nothing is greater1 nothing is of more importance1 than to find amid the errors and darkness of this life1 a shining truth4 ,truth is the intellectual wealth of the world4 ,the noblest of occupations is to search for truth4 ,truth is the foundation1 the superstructure1 and the glittering dome of progress4 ,truth is the mother of joy4 ,truth civilizes1 ennobles1 and purifies4 ,the grandest ambition that can enter the soul is to know the truth4 ,truth gives man the greatest power for good4 ,truth is sword and shield4 ,it is the sacred light of the soul4 ,the man who finds a truth lights a torch4 ,how is ,truth to be ,found8 ,by investigation1 experiment and reason4 ,every human being should be allowed to investigate to the extent of his desire--his ability4 ,the literature of the world should be open to him--nothing prohibited1 sealed or hidden4 ,no subject can be too sacred to be understood4 ,each person should be allowed to reach his own conclusions and to speak his honest thought4 ,he who threatens the investigator with punishment here1 or hereafter1 is an enemy of the human race4 ,and he who tries to bribe the investigator with the promise of eternal joy is a traitor to his fellow-men4 ,there is no real investigation without freedom--freedom from the fear of gods and men4 ,so1 all investigation--all experiment--should be pursued in the light of reason4 ,every man should be true to himself--true to the inward light4 ,each man1 in the laboratory of his own mind1 and for himself alone1 should test the so-called facts--the theories of all the world4 ,truth1 in accordance with his reason1 should be his guide and master4 ,to love the truth1 thus perceived1 is mental virtue--intellectual purity4 ,this is true manhood4 ,this is freedom4 ,to throw away your reason at the command of churches1 popes1 parties1 kings or gods1 is to be a serf1 a slave4 ,it is not simply the right1 but it is the duty of every man to think--to investigate for himself--and every man who tries to prevent this by force or fear1 is doing all he can to degrade and enslave his fellow-men4 ,every ,man ,should be ,mentally ,honest4 ,he should preserve as his most precious jewel the perfect veracity of his soul4 ,he should examine all questions presented to his mind1 without prejudice1--unbiased by hatred or love--by desire or fear4 ,his object and his only object should be to find the truth4 ,he knows1 if he listens to reason1 that truth is not dangerous and that error is4 ,he should weigh the evidence1 the arguments1 in honest scales--scales that passion or interest cannot change4 ,he should care nothing for authority--nothing for names1 customs or creeds--nothing for anything that his reason does not say is true4 ,of his world he should be the sovereign1 and his soul should wear the purple4 ,from his dominions should be banished the hosts of force and fear4 ,he ,should be ,intellectually ,hospitable4 ,prejudice1 egotism1 hatred1 contempt1 disdain1 are the enemies of truth and progress4 ,the real searcher after truth will not receive the old because it is old1 or reject the new because it is new4 ,he will not believe men because they are dead1 or contradict them because they are alive4 ,with him an utterance is worth the truth1 the reason it contains1 without the slightest regard to the author4 ,he may have been a king or serf--a philosopher or servant1--but the utterance neither gains nor loses in truth or reason4 ,its value is absolutely independent of the fame or station of the man who gave it to the world4 ,nothing but falsehood needs the assistance of fame and place1 of robes and mitres1 of tiaras and crowns4 ,the wise1 the really honest and intelligent1 are not swayed or governed by numbers--by majorities4 ,they accept what they really believe to be true4 ,they care nothing for the opinions of ancestors1 nothing for creeds1 assertions and theories1 unless they satisfy the reason4 ,in all directions they seek for truth1 and when found1 accept it with joy--accept it in spite of preconceived opinions--in spite of prejudice and hatred4 ,this is the course pursued by wise and honest men1 and no other course is possible for them4 ,in every department of human endeavor men are seeking for the truth--for the facts4 ,the statesman reads the history of the world1 gathers the statistics of all nations to the end that his country may avoid the mistakes of the past4 ,the geologist penetrates the rocks in search of facts--climbs mountains1 visits the extinct craters1 traverses islands and continents that he may know something of the history of the world4 ,he wants the truth4 ,the chemist1 with crucible and retort1 with countless experiments1 is trying to find the qualities of substances--to ravel what nature has woven4 ,the great mechanics dwell in the realm of the real4 ,they seek by natural means to conquer and use the forces of nature4 ,they want the truth--the actual facts4 ,the physicians1 the surgeons1 rely on observation1 experiment and reason4 ,they become acquainted with the human body--with muscle1 blood and nerve--with the wonders of the brain4 ,they want nothing but the truth4 ,and so it is with the students of every science4 ,on every hand they look for facts1 and it is of the utmost importance that they give to the world the facts they find4 ,their courage should equal their intelligence4 ,no matter what the dead have said1 or the living believe1 they should tell what they know4 ,they should have intellectual courage4 ,if it be good for man to find the truth--good for him to be intellectually honest and hospitable1 then it is good for others to know the truths thus found4 ,every man should have the courage to give his honest thought4 ,this makes the finder and publisher of truth a public benefactor4 ,those who prevent1 or try to prevent1 the expression of honest thought1 are the foes of civilization--the enemies of truth4 ,nothing can exceed the egotism and impudence of the man who claims the right to express his thought and denies the same right to others4 ,it will not do to say that certain ideas are sacred1 and that man has not the right to investigate and test these ideas for himself4 ,who knows that they are sacred8 ,can anything be sacred to us that we do not know to be true8 ,for many centuries free speech has been an insult to ,god4 ,nothing has been more blasphemous than the expression of honest thought4 ,for many ages the lips of the wise were sealed4 ,the torches that truth had lighted1 that courage carried and held aloft1 were extinguished with blood4 ,truth has always been in favor of free speech--has always asked to be investigated--has always longed to be known and understood4 ,freedom1 discussion1 honesty1 investigation and courage are the friends and allies of truth4 ,truth loves the light and the open field4 ,it appeals to the senses--to the judgment1 the reason1 to all the higher and nobler faculties and powers of the mind4 ,it seeks to calm the passions1 to destroy prejudice and to increase the volume and intensity of reason's flame4 ,it does not ask man to cringe or crawl4 ,it does not desire the worship of the ignorant or the prayers and praises of the frightened4 ,it says to every human being1 ,think for yourself4 ,enjoy the freedom of a god1 and have the goodness and the courage to express your honest thought4 ,why should we pursue the truth8 and why should we investigate and reason8 and why should we be mentally honest and hospitable8 and why should we express our honest thoughts8 ,to this there is but one answer3 for the benefit of mankind4 ,the brain must be developed4 ,the world must think4 ,speech must be free4 ,the world must learn that credulity is not a virtue and that no question is settled until reason is fully satisfied4 ,by these means man will overcome many of the obstructions of nature4 ,he will cure or avoid many diseases4 ,he will lessen pain4 ,he will lengthen1 ennoble and enrich life4 ,in every direction he will increase his power4 ,he will satisfy his wants1 gratify his tastes4 ,he will put roof and raiment1 food and fuel1 home and happiness within the reach of all4 ,he will drive want and crime from the world4 ,he will destroy the serpents of fear1 the monsters of superstition4 ,he will become intelligent and free1 honest and serene4 ,the monarch of the skies will be dethroned--the flames of hell will be extinguished4 ,pious beggars will become honest and useful men4 ,hypocrisy will collect no tolls from fear1 lies will not be regarded as sacred1 this life will not be sacrificed for another1 human beings will love each other instead of gods1 men will do right1 not for the sake of reward in some other world1 but for the sake of happiness here4 ,man will find that ,nature is the only revelation1 and that he1 by his own efforts1 must learn to read the stories told by star and cloud1 by rock and soil1 by sea and stream1 by rain and fire1 by plant and flower1 by life in all its curious forms1 and all the things and forces of the world4 ,when he reads these stories1 these records1 he will know that man must rely on himself1--that the supernatural does not exist1 and that man must be the providence of man4 ,it is impossible to conceive of an argument against the freedom of thought--against maintaining your self-respect and preserving the spotless and stainless veracity of the soul4 ,,ii4 ,,all that ,i have said seems to be true--almost self-evident1--and you may ask who it is that says slavery is better than liberty4 ,let me tell you4 ,all the popes and priests1 all the orthodox churches and clergymen1 say that they have a revelation from ,god4 ,the ,protestants say that it is the duty of every person to read1 to understand1 and to believe this revelation--that a man should use his reason2 but if he honestly concludes that the ,bible is not a revelation from ,god1 and dies with that conclusion in his mind1 he will be tormented forever4 ,they say3--,read1 and then add3 ,believe1 or be damned4 ,no matter how unreasonable the ,bible may appear to you1 you must believe4 ,no matter how impossible the miracles may seem1 you must believe4 ,no matter how cruel the laws1 your heart must approve them all6 ,this is what the church calls the liberty of thought4 ,we read the ,bible under the scowl and threat of ,god4 ,we read by the glare of hell4 ,on one side is the devil1 with the instruments of torture in his hands4 ,on the other1 ,god1 ready to launch the infinite curse4 ,and the church says to the readers3 ,you are free to decide4 ,god is good1 and he gives you the liberty to choose4 ,the popes and the priests say to the poor people3 ,you need not read the ,bible4 ,you cannot understand it4 ,that is the reason it is called a revelation4 ,we will read it for you1 and you must believe what we say4 ,we carry the key of hell4 ,contradict us and you will become eternal convicts in the prison of ,god4 ,this is the freedom of the ,catholic ,church4 ,and all these priests and clergymen insist that the ,bible is superior to human reason--that it is the duty of man to accept it--to believe it1 whether he really thinks it is true or not1 and without the slightest regard to evidence or reason4 ,it is his duty to cast out from the temple of his soul the goddess ,reason1 and bow before the coiled serpent of ,fear4 ,this is what the church calls virtue4 ,under these conditions what can thought be worth8 ,the brain1 swept by the sirocco of ,god's curse1 becomes a desert4 ,but this is not all4 ,to compel man to desert the standard of ,reason1 the church does not entirely rely on the threat of eternal pain to be endured in another world1 but holds out the reward of everlasting joy4 ,to those who believe1 it promises the endless ecstasies of heaven4 ,if it cannot frighten1 it will bribe4 ,it relies on fear and hope4 ,a religion1 to command the respect of intelligent men1 should rest on a foundation of established facts4 ,it should appeal1 not to passion1 not to hope and fear1 but to the judgment4 ,it should ask that all the faculties of the mind1 all the senses1 should assemble and take counsel together1 and that its claims be passed upon and tested without prejudice1 without fear1 in the calm of perfect candor4 ,but the church cries3 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved4 ,without this belief there is no salvation4 ,salvation is the reward for belief4 ,belief is1 and forever must be1 the result of evidence4 ,a promised reward is not evidence4 ,it sheds no intellectual light4 ,it establishes no fact1 answers no objection1 and dissipates no doubt4 ,is it honest to offer a reward for belief8 ,the man who gives money to a judge or juror for a decision or verdict is guilty of a crime4 ,why8 ,because he induces the judge1 the juror1 to decide1 not according to the law1 to the facts1 the right1 but according to the bribe4 ,the bribe is not evidence4 ,so1 the promise of ,christ to reward those who will believe is a bribe4 ,it is an attempt to make a promise take the place of evidence4 ,he who says that he believes1 and does this for the sake of the reward1 corrupts his soul4 ,suppose ,i should say that at the center of the earth there is a diamond one hundred miles in diameter1 and that ,i would give ten thousand dollars to any man who would believe my statement4 ,could such a promise be regarded as evidence8 ,intelligent people would ask not for rewards1 but reasons4 ,only hypocrites would ask for the money4 ,yet1 according to the ,new ,testament1 ,christ offered a reward to those who would believe1 and this promised reward was to take the place of evidence4 ,when ,christ made this promise he forgot1 ignored1 or held in contempt the rectitude of a brave1 free and natural soul4 ,the declaration that salvation is the reward for belief is inconsistent with mental freedom1 and could have been made by no man who thought that evidence sustained the slightest relation to belief4 ,every sermon in which men have been told that they could save their souls by believing1 has been an injury4 ,such sermons dull the moral sense and subvert the true conception of virtue and duty4 ,the true man1 when asked to believe1 asks for evidence4 ,the true man1 who asks another to believe1 offers evidence4 ,but this is not all4 ,in spite of the threat of eternal pain--of the promise of everlasting joy1 unbelievers increased1 and the churches took another step4 ,the churches said to the unbelievers1 the heretics3 ,although our ,god will punish you forever in another world--in his prison--the doors of which open only to receive1 we1 unless you believe1 will torment you now4 ,and then the members of these churches1 led by priests1 popes1 and clergymen1 sought out their unbelieving neighbors--chained them in dungeons1 stretched them on racks1 crushed their bones1 cut out their tongues1 extinguished their eyes1 flayed them alive and consumed their poor bodies in flames4 ,all this was done because these ,christian savages believed in the dogma of eternal pain4 ,because they believed that heaven was the reward for belief4 ,so believing1 they were the enemies of free thought and speech--they cared nothing for conscience1 nothing for the veracity of a soul1--nothing for the manhood of a man4 ,in all ages most priests have been heartless and relentless4 ,they have calumniated and tortured4 ,in defeat they have crawled and whined4 ,in victory they have killed4 ,the flower of pity never blossomed in their hearts and in their brain4 ,justice never held aloft the scales4 ,now they are not as cruel4 ,they have lost their power1 but they are still trying to accomplish the impossible4 ,they fill their pockets with fool's gold and think they are rich4 ,they stuff their minds with mistakes and think they are wise4 ,they console themselves with legends and myths1 have faith in fiction and forgery--give their hearts to ghosts and phantoms and seek the aid of the non-existent4 ,they put a monster--a master--a tyrant in the sky1 and seek to enslave their fellow-men4 ,they teach the cringing virtues of serfs4 ,they abhor the courage of manly men4 ,they hate the man who thinks4 ,they long for revenge4 ,they warm their hands at the imaginary fires of hell4 ,i show them that hell does not exist and they denounce me for destroying their consolation4 ,horace ,greeley1 as the story goes1 one cold day went into a country store1 took a seat by the stove1 unbuttoned his coat and spread out his hands4 ,in a few minutes1 a little boy who clerked in the store said3 ,mr4 ,greeley1 there aint no fire in that stove4 ,you d----d little rascal1 said ,greeley1 ,what did you tell me for1 ,i was getting real warm4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,science ,,of ,,theology4 ,,all the sciences--except ,theology--are eager for facts--hungry for the truth4 ,on the brow of a finder of a fact the laurel is placed4 ,in a theological seminary1 if a professor finds a fact inconsistent with the creed1 he must keep it secret or deny it1 or lose his place4 ,mental veracity is a crime1 cowardice and hypocrisy are virtues4 ,a fact1 inconsistent with the creed1 is denounced as a lie1 and the man who declares or announces the fact is a blasphemer4 ,every professor breathes the air of insincerity4 ,every one is mentally dishonest4 ,every one is a pious fraud4 ,theology is the only dishonest science--the only one that is based on belief--on credulity1--the only one that abhors investigation1 that despises thought and denounces reason4 ,all the great theologians in the ,catholic ,church have denounced reason as the light furnished by the enemy of mankind--as the road that leads to perdition4 ,all the great ,protestant theologians1 from ,luther to the orthodox clergy of our time1 have been the enemies of reason4 ,all orthodox churches of all ages have been the enemies of science4 ,they attacked the astronomers as though they were criminals--the geologists as though they were assassins4 ,they regarded physicians as the enemies of ,god--as men who were trying to defeat the decrees of ,providence4 ,the biologists1 the anthropologists1 the archaeologists1 the readers of ancient inscriptions1 the delvers in buried cities1 were all hated by the theologians4 ,they were afraid that these men might find something inconsistent with the ,bible4 ,the theologians attacked those who studied other religions4 ,they insisted that ,christianity was not a growth--not an evolution--but a revelation4 ,they denied that it was in any way connected with any natural religion4 ,the facts now show beyond all doubt that all religions came from substantially the same source--but there is not an orthodox ,christian theologian who will admit the facts4 ,he must defend his creed--his revelation4 ,he cannot afford to be honest4 ,he was not educated in an honest school4 ,he was not taught to be honest4 ,he was taught to believe and to defend his belief1 not only against argument but against facts4 ,there is not a theologian in the whole world who can produce the slightest1 the least particle of evidence tending to show that the ,bible is the inspired word of ,god4 ,where is the evidence that the book of ,ruth was written by an inspired man8 ,where is the evidence that ,god is the author of the ,song of ,solomon8 ,where is the evidence that any human being has been inspired8 ,where is the evidence that ,christ was and is ,god8 ,where is the evidence that the places called heaven and hell exist8 ,where is the evidence that a miracle was ever wrought8 ,there is none4 ,theology is entirely independent of evidence4 ,where is the evidence that angels and ghosts--that devils and gods exist8 ,have these beings been seen or touched8 ,does one of our senses certify to their existence8 ,the theologians depend on assertions4 ,they have no evidence4 ,they claim that their inspired book is superior to reason and independent of evidence4 ,they talk about probability--analogy--inferences--but they present no evidence4 ,they say that they know that ,christ lived1 in the same way that they know that ,caesar lived4 ,they might add that they know ,moses talked with ,jehovah on ,sinai the same way they know that ,brigham ,young talked with ,god in ,utah4 ,the evidence in both cases is the same1--none in either4 ,how do they prove that ,christ rose from the dead8 ,they find the account in a book4 ,who wrote the book8 ,they do not know4 ,what evidence is this8 ,none1 unless all things found in books are true4 ,it is impossible to establish one miracle except by another--and that would have to be established by another still1 and so on without end4 ,human testimony is not sufficient to establish a miracle4 ,each human being1 to be really convinced1 must witness the miracle for himself4 ,they say that ,christianity was established1 proven to be true1 by miracles wrought nearly two thousand years ago4 ,not one of these miracles can be established except by impudent and ignorant assertion--except by poisoning and deforming the minds of the ignorant and the young4 ,to succeed1 the theologians invade the cradle1 the nursery4 ,in the brain of innocence they plant the seeds of superstition4 ,they pollute the minds and imaginations of children4 ,they frighten the happy with threats of pain--they soothe the wretched with gilded lies4 ,this perpetual insincerity stamps itself on the face--affects every feature4 ,we all know the theological countenance1--cold1 unsympathetic1 cruel1 lighted with a pious smirk1--no line of laughter--no dimpled mirth--no touch of humor--nothing human4 ,this face is a rebuke1 a reprimand to natural joy4 ,it says to the happy3 ,beware of the dog--,prepare for death4 ,this face1 like the fabled ,gorgon1 turns cheerfulness to stone4 ,it is a protest against pleasure--a warning and a threat4 ,you see every soul is a sculptor that fashions the features1 and in this way reveals itself4 ,every thought leaves its impress4 ,the student of this science of theology must be taught in youth1--in his mother's arms4 ,these lies must be sown and planted in his brain the first of all4 ,he must be taught to believe1 to accept without question4 ,he must be told that it is wicked to doubt1 that it is sinful to inquire--that ,faith is a virtue and unbelief a crime4 ,in this way his mind is poisoned1 paralyzed4 ,on all other subjects he has liberty--and in all other directions he is urged to study and think4 ,from his mother's arms he goes to the ,sunday school4 ,his poor little mind is filled with miracles and wonders4 ,he is told about a ,god who made the world and who rewards and punishes4 ,he is told that this ,god is the author of the ,bible--that ,christ is his son4 ,he is told about original sin and the atonement1 and he believes what he hears4 ,no reasons are given--no facts--no evidence is presented--nothing but assertion4 ,if he asks questions1 he is silenced by more solemn assertions and warned against the devices of the evil one4 ,every ,sunday school is a kind of inquisition where they torture and deform the minds of children--where they force their souls into ,catholic or ,protestant moulds--and do all they can to destroy the originality1 the individuality1 and the veracity of the soul4 ,in the theological seminary the destruction is complete4 ,when the minister leaves the seminary1 he is not seeking the truth4 ,he has it4 ,he has a revelation from ,god1 and he has a creed in exact accordance with that revelation4 ,his business is to stand by that revelation and to defend that creed4 ,arguments against the revelation and the creed he will not read1 he will not hear4 ,all facts that are against his religion he will deny4 ,it is impossible for him to be candid4 ,the tremendous verities of eternal joy1 of everlasting pain are in his creed1 and they result from believing the false and denying the true4 ,investigation is an infinite danger1 unbelief is an infinite offence and deserves and will receive infinite punishment4 ,in the shadow of this tremendous fact his courage dies1 his manhood is lost1 and in his fear he cries out that he believes1 whether he does or not4 ,he says and teaches that credulity is safe and thought dangerous4 ,yet he pretends to be a teacher--a leader1 one selected by ,god to educate his fellow-men4 ,these orthodox ministers have been the slanderers of the really great men of our century4 ,they denounced ,lyell1 the great geologist1 for giving facts to the world4 ,they hated and belittled ,humboldt1 one of the greatest and most intellectual of the race4 ,they ridiculed and derided ,darwin1 the greatest naturalist1 the keenest observer1 the best judge of the value of a fact1 the most wonderful discoverer of truth that the world has produced4 ,in every orthodox pulpit stood a traducer of the greatest of scientists--of one who filled the world with intellectual light4 ,the church has been the enemy of every science1 of every real thinker1 and for many centuries has used her power to prevent intellectual progress4 ,ministers ought to be free4 ,they should be the heralds of the ever coming day1 but they are the bats1 the owls that inhabit ruins1 that hate the light4 ,they denounce honest men who express their thoughts1 as blasphemers1 and do what they can to close their mouths4 ,for their ,bible they ask the protection of law4 ,they wish to be shielded from laughter by the ,legislature4 ,they ask that the arguments of their opponents be answered by the courts4 ,this is the result of a due admixture of cowardice1 hypocrisy and malice4 ,what valuable fact has been proclaimed from an orthodox pulpit8 ,what ecclesiastical council has added to the intellectual wealth of the world8 ,many centuries ago the church gave to ,christendom a code of laws1 stupid1 unphilosophic and brutal to the last degree4 ,the church insists that it has made man merciful and just4 ,did it do this by torturing heretics--by extinguishing their eyes--by flaying them alive8 ,did it accomplish this result through the ,inquisition--by the use of the thumb-screw1 the rack and the fagot8 ,of what science has the church been the friend and champion8 ,what orthodox church has opened its doors to a persecuted truth8 ,of what use has ,christianity been to man8 ,they tell us that the church has been and is the friend of education4 ,i deny it4 ,the church founded colleges not to educate men1 but to make proselytes1 converts1 defenders4 ,this was in accordance with the instinct of self-preservation4 ,no orthodox church ever was1 or ever will be in favor of real education4 ,a ,catholic is in favor of enough education to make a ,catholic out of a savage1 and the ,protestant is in favor of enough education to make a ,protestant out of a ,catholic1 but both are opposed to the education that makes free and manly men4 ,so1 ministers say that they teach charity4 ,this is natural4 ,they live on alms4 ,all beggars teach that others should give4 ,so1 they tell us that the church has built hospitals4 ,this is not true4 ,men have not built hospitals because they were ,christians1 but because they were men4 ,they have not built them for charity--but in self-defence4 ,if a man comes to your door with the smallpox1 you cannot let him in1 you cannot kill him4 ,as a necessity1 you provide a place for him4 ,and you do this to protect yourself4 ,with this ,christianity has had nothing to do4 ,the church cannot give1 because it does not produce4 ,it is claimed that the church has made men and women forgiving4 ,i admit that the church has preached forgiveness1 but it has never forgiven an enemy--never4 ,against the great and brave thinkers it has coined and circulated countless lies4 ,never has the church told1 or tried to tell1 the truth about an honest foe4 ,the church teaches the existence of the supernatural4 ,it believes in the divine sleight-of-hand--in the presto and open sesame of the ,infinite2 in some invisible ,being who produces effects without causes and causes without effects2 whose caprice governs the world and who can be persuaded by prayer1 softened by ceremony1 and who will1 as a reward for faith1 save men from the natural consequences of their actions4 ,the church denies the eternal1 inexorable sequence of events4 ,what ,good has the ,church ,accomplished8 ,it claims to have preached peace because its founder said1 ,i came not to bring peace but a sword4 ,it claims to have preserved the family because its founder offered a hundred-fold here and life everlasting to those who would desert wife and children4 ,so1 it claims to have taught the brotherhood of man and that the gospel is for all the world1 because ,christ said to the woman of ,samaria that he came only to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel1 and declared that it was not meet to take the bread of the children and cast it unto dogs4 ,in the name of ,christ1 who threatened eternal revenge1 it has preached forgiveness4 ,of what ,use are the ,orthodox ,ministers8 ,they are the enemies of pleasure4 ,they denounce dancing as one of the deadly sins4 ,they are shocked at the wickedness of the waltz--the pollution of the polka4 ,they are the enemies of the theatre4 ,they slander actors and actresses4 ,they hate them because they are rivals4 ,they are trying to preserve the sacredness of the ,sabbath4 ,it fills them with malice to see the people happy on that day4 ,they preach against excursions and picnics--against those who seek the woods and the sea1 the shadows and the waves4 ,they are filled with holy wrath against bicycles and bloomers4 ,they are opposed to divorces4 ,they insist that for the glory of ,god1 husbands and wives who loathe each other should be compelled to live together4 ,they abhor all works of fiction1 and love the ,bible4 ,they declare that the literary master-pieces of the world are unfit to be read4 ,they think that the people should be satisfied with sermons and poems about death and hell4 ,they hate art--abhor the marbles of the ,greeks1 and all representations of the human form4 ,they want nothing painted or sculptured but hands1 faces and clothes4 ,most of the priests are prudes1 and publicly denounce what they secretly admire and enjoy4 ,in the presence of the nude they cover their faces with their holy hands1 but keep their fingers apart4 ,they pretend to believe in moral suasion1 and want everything regulated by law4 ,if they had the power1 they would prohibit everything that men and women really enjoy4 ,they want libraries1 museums and art galleries closed on the ,sabbath4 ,they would abolish the ,sunday paper--stop the running of cars and all public conveyances on the holy day1 and compel all the people to enjoy sermons1 prayers and psalms4 ,these dear ministers1 when they have poor congregations1 thunder against trusts1 syndicates1 and corporations--against wealth1 fashion and luxury4 ,they tell about ,dives and ,lazarus1 paint rich men in hell and beggars in heaven4 ,if their congregations are rich they turn their guns in the other direction4 ,they have no confidence in education--in the development of the brain4 ,they appeal to hopes and fears4 ,they ask no one to think--to investigate4 ,they insist that all shall believe4 ,credulity is the greatest of virtues1 and doubt the deadliest of sins4 ,these men are the enemies of science--of intellectual progress4 ,they ridicule and calumniate the great thinkers4 ,they deny everything that conflicts with the sacred ,scriptures4 ,they still believe in the astronomy of ,joshua and the geology of ,moses4 ,they believe in the miracles of the past1 and deny the demonstrations of the present4 ,they are the foes of facts--the enemies of knowledge4 ,a desire to be happy here1 they regard as wicked and worldly--but a desire to be happy in another world1 as virtuous and spiritual4 ,every orthodox church is founded on mistake and falsehood4 ,every good orthodox minister asserts what he does not know1 and denies what he does know4 ,what are the ,orthodox ,clergy ,doing for the ,good of ,mankind8 ,absolutely nothing4 ,what harm are they doing8 ,on every hand they sow the seeds of superstition4 ,they paralyze the minds1 and pollute the imaginations of children4 ,they fill their hearts with fear4 ,by their teachings1 thousands become insane4 ,with them1 hypocrisy is respectable and candor infamous4 ,they enslave the minds of men4 ,under their teachings men waste and misdirect their energies1 abandon the ends that can be accomplished1 dedicate their lives to the impossible1 worship the unknown1 pray to the inconceivable1 and become the trembling slaves of a monstrous myth born of ignorance and fashioned by the trembling hands of fear4 ,superstition is the serpent that crawls and hisses in every ,eden and fastens its poisonous fangs in the hearts of men4 ,it is the deadliest foe of the human race4 ,superstition is a beggar--a robber1 a tyrant4 ,science is a benefactor4 ,superstition sheds blood4 ,science sheds light4 ,the dear preachers must give up the account of creation--the ,garden of ,eden1 the mud-man1 the rib-woman1 and the walking1 talking1 snake4 ,they must throw away the apple1 the fall of man1 the expulsion1 and the gate guarded by angels armed with swords4 ,they must give up the flood and the tower of ,babel and the confusion of tongues4 ,they must give up ,abraham and the wrestling match between ,jacob and the ,lord4 ,so1 the story of ,joseph1 the enslavement of the ,hebrews by the ,egyptians1 the story of ,moses in the bullrushes1 the burning bush1 the turning of sticks into serpents1 of water into blood1 the miraculous creation of frogs1 the killing of cattle with hail and changing dust into lice1 all must be given up4 ,the sojourn of forty years in the desert1 the opening of the ,red ,sea1 the clothes and shoes that refused to wear out1 the manna1 the quails and the serpents1 the water that ran up hill1 the talking of ,jehovah with ,moses face to face1 the giving of the ,ten ,commandments1 the opening of the earth to swallow the enemies of ,moses--all must be thrown away4 ,these good preachers must admit that blowing horns could not throw down the walls of a city1 that it was horrible for ,jephthah to sacrifice his daughter1 that the day was not lengthened and the moon stopped for the sake of ,joshua1 that the dead ,samuel was not raised by a witch1 that a man was not carried to heaven in a chariot of fire1 that the river ,jordan was not divided by the stroke of a cloak1 that the bears did not destroy children for laughing at a prophet1 that a wandering soothsayer did not collect lightnings from heaven to destroy the lives of innocent men1 that he did not cause rain and make iron float1 that ravens did not keep a hotel where preachers got board and lodging free1 that the shadow on a dial was not turned back ten degrees to show that a king was going to recover from a boil1 that ,ezekiel was not told by ,god how to prepare a dinner1 that ,jonah did not take cabin passage in a fish--and that all the miracles in the old ,testament are not allegories1 or poems1 but just old-fashioned lies4 ,and the dear preachers will be compelled to admit that there never was a miraculous babe without a natural father1 that ,christ1 if he lived1 was a man and nothing more4 ,that he did not cast devils out of folks--that he did not cure blindness with spittle and clay1 nor turn water into wine1 nor make fishes and loaves of bread out of nothing--that he did not know where to catch fishes with money in their mouths--that he did not take a walk on the water--that he did not at will become invisible--that he did not pass through closed doors--that he did not raise the dead--that angels never rolled stones from a sepulchre--that ,christ did not rise from the dead and did not ascend to heaven4 ,all these mistakes and illusions and delusions--all these miracles and myths must fade from the minds of intelligent men4 ,my dear preachers1 ,i beg you to tell the truth4 ,tell your congregations that ,moses was not the author of the ,pentateuch4 ,tell them that nobody knows who wrote the five books4 ,tell them that ,deuteronomy was not written until about six hundred years before ,christ4 ,tell them that nobody knows who wrote ,joshua1 or ,judges1 or ,ruth1 ,samuel1 ,kings1 or ,chronicles1 ,job1 or the ,psalms1 or the ,song of ,solomon4 ,be honest1 tell the truth4 ,tell them that nobody knows who wrote ,esther--that ,ecclesiastes was written long after ,christ--that many of the prophecies were written after the events pretended to be foretold had happened4 ,tell them that ,ezekiel and ,daniel were insane4 ,tell them that nobody knows who wrote the gospels1 and tell them that no line about ,christ written by a contemporary has been found4 ,tell them it is all guess--and may be1 and perhaps4 ,be honest4 ,tell the truth1 develop your brains1 use all your senses and hold high the torch of ,reason4 ,in a few years the pulpits will be filled with teachers instead of preachers--with thoughtful1 brave1 and honest men4 ,the congregations will be civilized--intellectually honest and hospitable4 ,now1 most of the ministers insist that the old falsehoods shall be treated with reverence--that ancient lies with long white beards--wrinkled and bald-headed frauds--round-shouldered and toothless miracles1 and palsied mistakes on crutches1 shall be called allegories1 parables1 oriental imagery1 inspired poems4 ,in their presence the ungodly should remove their hats4 ,they should respect the mould and moss of antiquity4 ,they should remember that these lies1 these frauds1 the miracles and mistakes1 have for thousands of years ruled1 enslaved1 and corrupted the human race4 ,these ministers ought to know that their creeds are based on imagined facts and demonstrated by assertion4 ,they ought to know that they have no evidence1--nothing but promises and threats4 ,they ought to know that it is impossible to conceive of force existing without and before matter--that it is equally impossible to conceive of matter without force--that it is impossible to conceive of the creation or destruction of matter or force1--that it is impossible to conceive of infinite intelligence dwelling from eternity in infinite space1 and that it is impossible to conceive of the creator1 or creation1 of substance4 ,the ,god of the ,christian is an enthroned guess--a perhaps--an inference4 ,no man1 and no body of men1 can answer the questions of the ,whence and ,whither4 ,the mystery of existence cannot be explained by the intellect of man4 ,back of life1 of existence1 we cannot go--beyond death we cannot see4 ,all duties1 all obligations1 all knowledge1 all experience1 are for this life1 for this world4 ,we know that men and women and children exist4 ,we know that happiness1 for the most part1 depends on conduct4 ,we are satisfied that all the gods are phantoms and that the supernatural does not exist4 ,we know the difference between hope and knowledge1 we hope for happiness here and we dream of joy hereafter1 but we do not know4 ,we cannot assert1 we can only hope4 ,we can have our dream4 ,in the wide night our star can shine and shed its radiance on the graves of those we love4 ,we can bend above our pallid dead and say that beyond this life there are no sighs--no tears--no breaking hearts4 ,,conclusion4 ,,let us be honest4 ,let us preserve the veracity of our souls4 ,let education commence in the cradle--in the lap of the loving mother4 ,this is the first school4 ,the teacher1 the mother1 should be absolutely honest4 ,the nursery should not be an asylum for lies4 ,parents should be modest enough to be truthful--honest enough to admit their ignorance4 ,nothing should be taught as true that cannot be demonstrated4 ,every child should be taught to doubt1 to inquire1 to demand reasons4 ,every soul should defend itself--should be on its guard against falsehood1 deceit1 and mistake1 and should beware of all kinds of confidence men1 including those in the pulpit4 ,children should be taught to express their doubts--to demand reasons4 ,the object of education should be to develop the brain1 to quicken the senses4 ,every school should be a mental gymnasium4 ,the child should be equipped for the battle of life4 ,credulity1 implicit obedience1 are the virtues of slaves and the enslavers of the free4 ,all should be taught that there is nothing too sacred to be investigated--too holy to be understood4 ,each mind has the right to lift all curtains1 withdraw all veils1 scale all walls1 explore all recesses1 all heights1 all depths for itself1 in spite of church or priest1 or creed or book4 ,the great volume of ,nature should be open to all4 ,none but the intelligent and honest can really read this book4 ,prejudice clouds and darkens every page4 ,hypocrisy reads and misquotes1 and credulity accepts the quotation4 ,superstition cannot read a line or spell the shortest word4 ,and yet this volume holds all knowledge1 all truth1 and is the only source of thought4 ,mental liberty means the right of all to read this book4 ,here the ,pope and ,peasant are equal4 ,each must read for himself--and each ought honestly and fearlessly to give to his fellow-men what he learns4 ,there is no authority in churches or priests--no authority in numbers or majorities4 ,the only authority is ,nature--the facts we know4 ,facts are the masters1 the enemies of the ignorant1 the servants and friends of the intelligent4 ,ignorance is the mother of mystery and misery1 of superstition and sorrow1 of waste and want4 ,intelligence is the only light4 ,it enables us to keep the highway1 to avoid the obstructions1 and to take advantage of the forces of nature4 ,it is the only lever capable of raising mankind4 ,to develop the brain is to civilize the world4 ,intelligence reaves the heavens of winged and frightful monsters--drives ghosts and leering fiends from the darkness1 and floods with light the dungeons of fear4 ,all should be taught that there is no evidence of the existence of the supernatural--that the man who bows before an idol of wood or stone is just as foolish as the one who prays to an imagined ,god1--that all worship has for its foundation the same mistake--the same ignorance1 the same fear--that it is just as foolish to believe in a personal god as in a personal devil--just as foolish to believe in great ghosts as little ones4 ,so1 all should be taught that the forces1 the facts in ,nature1 cannot be controlled or changed by prayer or praise1 by supplication1 ceremony1 or sacrifice2 that there is no magic1 no miracle2 that force can be overcome only by force1 and that the whole world is natural4 ,all should be taught that man must protect himself--that there is no power superior to ,nature that cares for man--that ,nature has neither pity nor hatred--that her forces act without the slightest regard for man--that she produces without intention and destroys without regret4 ,all should be taught that usefulness is the bud and flower and fruit of real religion4 ,the popes and cardinals1 the bishops1 priests and parsons are all useless4 ,they produce nothing4 ,they live on the labor of others4 ,they are parasites that feed on the frightened4 ,they are vampires that suck the blood of honest toil4 ,every church is an organized beggar4 ,every one lives on alms--on alms collected by force and fear4 ,every orthodox church promises heaven and threatens hell1 and these promises and threats are made for the sake of alms1 for revenue4 ,every church cries3 ,believe and give4 ,a new era is dawning on the world4 ,we are beginning to believe in the religion of usefulness4 ,the men who felled the forests1 cultivated the earth1 spanned the rivers with bridges of steel1 built the railways and canals1 the great ships1 invented the locomotives and engines1 supplying the countless wants of man2 the men who invented the telegraphs and cables1 and freighted the electric spark with thought and love2 the men who invented the looms and spindles that clothe the world1 the inventors of printing and the great presses that fill the earth with poetry1 fiction and fact1 that save and keep all knowledge for the children yet to be2 the inventors of all the wonderful machines that deftly mould from wood and steel the things we use2 the men who have explored the heavens and traced the orbits of the stars--who have read the story of the world in mountain range and billowed sea2 the men who have lengthened life and conquered pain2 the great philosophers and naturalists who have filled the world with light2 the great poets whose thoughts have charmed the souls1 the great painters and sculptors who have made the canvas speak1 the marble live2 the great orators who have swayed the world1 the composers who have given their souls to sound1 the captains of industry1 the producers1 the soldiers who have battled for the right1 the vast host of useful men--these are our ,christs1 our apostles and our saints4 ,the triumphs of science are our miracles4 ,the books filled with the facts of ,nature are our sacred scriptures1 and the force that is in every atom and in every star--in everything that lives and grows and thinks1 that hopes and suffers1 is the only possible god4 ,the absolute we cannot know--beyond the horizon of the ,natural we cannot go4 ,all our duties are within our reach--all our obligations must be discharged here1 in this world4 ,let us love and labor4 ,let us wait and work4 ,let us cultivate courage and cheerfulness--open our hearts to the good--our minds to the true4 ,let us live free lives4 ,let us hope that the future will bring peace and joy to all the children of men1 and above all1 let us preserve the veracity of our souls4 ,,how ,,to ,,reform ,,mankind4 99 ,this address was delivered before the ,militant ,church at the ,columbia ,theatre1 ,chicago1 ,ills41 ,april #ab1 #ahif4 ,i4 ,,there is no darkness but ignorance4 ,every human being is a necessary product of conditions1 and every one is born with defects for which he cannot be held responsible4 ,nature seems to care nothing for the individual1 nothing for the species4 ,life pursuing life and in its turn pursued by death1 presses to the snow line of the possible1 and every form of life1 of instinct1 thought and action is fixed and determined by conditions1 by countless antecedent and co-existing facts4 ,the present is the child1 and the necessary child1 of all the past1 and the mother of all the future4 ,every human being longs to be happy1 to satisfy the wants of the body with food1 with roof and raiment1 and to feed the hunger of the mind1 according to his capacity1 with love1 wisdom1 philosophy1 art and song4 ,the wants of the savage are few2 but with civilization the wants of the body increase1 the intellectual horizon widens and the brain demands more and more4 ,the savage feels1 but scarcely thinks4 ,the passion of the savage is uninfluenced by his thought1 while the thought of the philosopher is uninfluenced by passion4 ,children have wants and passions before they are capable of reasoning4 ,so1 in the infancy of the race1 wants and passions dominate4 ,the savage was controlled by appearances1 by impressions2 he was mentally weak1 mentally indolent1 and his mind pursued the path of least resistance4 ,things were to him as they appeared to be4 ,he was a natural believer in the supernatural1 and1 finding himself beset by dangers and evils1 he sought in many ways the aid of unseen powers4 ,his children followed his example1 and for many ages1 in many lands1 millions and millions of human beings1 many of them the kindest and the best1 asked for supernatural help4 ,countless altars and temples have been built1 and the supernatural has been worshiped with sacrifice and song1 with self-denial1 ceremony1 thankfulness and prayer4 ,during all these ages1 the brain of man was being slowly and painfully developed4 ,gradually mind came to the assistance of muscle1 and thought became the friend of labor4 ,man has advanced just in the proportion that he has mingled thought with his work1 just in the proportion that he has succeeded in getting his head and hands into partnership4 ,all this was the result of experience4 ,nature1 generous and heartless1 extravagant and miserly as she is1 is our mother and our only teacher1 and she is also the deceiver of men4 ,above her we cannot rise1 below her we cannot fall4 ,in her we find the seed and soil of all that is good1 of all that is evil4 ,nature originates1 nourishes1 preserves and destroys4 ,good deeds bear fruit1 and in the fruit are seeds that in their turn bear fruit and seeds4 ,great thoughts are never lost1 and words of kindness do not perish from the earth4 ,every brain is a field where nature sows the seeds of thought1 and the crop depends upon the soil4 ,every flower that gives its fragrance to the wandering air leaves its influence on the soul of man4 ,the wheel and swoop of the winged creatures of the air suggest the flowing lines of subtle art4 ,the roar and murmur of the restless sea1 the cataract's solemn chant1 the thunder's voice1 the happy babble of the brook1 the whispering leaves1 the thrilling notes of mating birds1 the sighing winds1 taught man to pour his heart in song and gave a voice to grief and hope1 to love and death4 ,in all that is1 in mountain range and billowed plain1 in winding stream and desert sand1 in cloud and star1 in snow and rain1 in calm and storm1 in night and day1 in woods and vales1 in all the colors of divided light1 in all there is of growth and life1 decay and death1 in all that flies and floats and swims1 in all that moves1 in all the forms and qualities of things1 man found the seeds and symbols of his thoughts2 and all that man has wrought becomes a part of nature's self1 forming the lives of those to be4 ,the marbles of the ,greeks1 like strains of music1 suggest the perfect1 and teach the melody of life4 ,the great poems1 paintings1 inventions1 theories and philosophies1 enlarge and mould the mind of man4 ,all that is is natural4 ,all is naturally produced4 ,beyond the horizon of the natural man cannot go4 ,yet1 for many ages1 man in all directions has relied upon1 and sincerely believed in1 the existence of the supernatural4 ,he did not believe in the uniformity of nature2 he had no conception of cause and effect1 of the indestructibility of force4 ,in medicine he believed in charms1 magic1 amulets1 and incantations4 ,it never occurred to the savage that diseases were natural4 ,in chemistry he sought for the elixir of life1 for the philosopher's stone1 and for some way of changing the baser metals into gold4 ,in mechanics he searched for perpetual motion1 believing that he1 by some curious combinations of levers1 could produce1 could create a force4 ,in government1 he found the source of authority in the will of the supernatural4 ,for many centuries his only conception of morality was the idea of obedience1 not to facts as they exist in nature1 but to the supposed command of some being superior to nature4 ,during all these years religion consisted in the praise and worship of the invisible and infinite1 of some vast and incomprehensible power1 that is to say1 of the supernatural4 ,by experience1 by experiment1 possibly by accident1 man found that some diseases could be cured by natural means2 that he could be relieved in many instances of pain by certain kinds of leaves or bark4 ,this was the beginning4 ,gradually his confidence increased in the direction of the natural1 and began to decrease in charms and amulets1 ,the war was waged for many centuries1 but the natural gained the victory4 ,now we know that all diseases are naturally produced1 and that all remedies1 all curatives1 act in accordance with the facts in nature4 ,now we know that charms1 magic1 amulets and incantations are just as useless in the practice of medicine as they would be in solving a problem in mathematics4 ,we now know that there are no supernatural remedies4 ,in chemistry the war was long and bitter2 but we now no longer seek for the elixir of life1 and no one is trying to find the philosopher's stone4 ,we are satisfied that there is nothing supernatural in all the realm of chemistry4 ,we know that substances are always true to their natures2 we know that just so many atoms of one substance will unite with just so many of another4 ,the miraculous has departed from chemistry2 in that science there is no magic1 no caprice and no possible use for the supernatural4 ,we are satisfied that there can be no change1 that we can absolutely rely on the uniformity of nature2 that the attraction of gravitation will always remain the same2 and we feel that we know this as certainly as we know that the relation between the diameter and circumference of a circle can never change4 ,we now know that in mechanics the natural is supreme4 ,we know that man can by no possibility create a force2 that by no possibility can he destroy a force4 ,no mechanic dreams of depending upon or asking for any supernatural aid4 ,he knows that he works in accordance with certain facts that no power can change4 ,so we in the ,united ,states believe that the authority to govern1 the authority to make and execute laws1 comes from the consent of the governed and not from any supernatural source4 ,we do not believe that the king occupied his throne because of the will of the supernatural4 ,neither do we believe that others are subjects or serfs or slaves by reason of any supernatural will4 ,so1 our ideas of morality have changed1 and millions now believe that whatever produces happiness and well-being is in the highest sense moral4 ,unreasoning obedience is not the foundation or the essence of morality4 ,that is the result of mental slavery4 ,to act in accordance with obligation perceived is to be free and noble4 ,to simply obey is to practice what might be called a slave virtue2 but real morality is the flower and fruit of liberty and wisdom4 ,there are very many who have reached the conclusion that the supernatural has nothing to do with real religion4 ,religion does not consist in believing without evidence or against evidence4 ,it does not consist in worshiping the unknown or in trying to do something for the ,infinite4 ,ceremonies1 prayers and inspired books1 miracles1 special providence1 and divine interference all belong to the supernatural and form no part of real religion4 ,every science rests on the natural1 on demonstrated facts4 ,so1 morality and religion must find their foundations in the necessary nature of things4 ,,ii4 ,,how ,,can ,,we ,,reform ,,the ,,world8 ,,ignorance being darkness1 what we need is intellectual light4 ,the most important things to teach1 as the basis of all progress1 are that the universe is natural2 that man must be the providence of man2 that1 by the development of the brain1 we can avoid some of the dangers1 some of the evils1 overcome some of the obstructions1 and take advantage of some of the facts and forces of nature2 that1 by invention and industry1 we can supply1 to a reasonable degree1 the wants of the body1 and by thought1 study and effort1 we can in part satisfy the hunger of the mind4 ,man should cease to expect any aid from any supernatural source4 ,by this time he should be satisfied that worship has not created wealth1 and that prosperity is not the child of prayer4 ,he should know that the supernatural has not succored the oppressed1 clothed the naked1 fed the hungry1 shielded the innocent1 stayed the pestilence1 or freed the slave4 ,being satisfied that the supernatural does not exist1 man should turn his entire attention to the affairs of this world1 to the facts in nature4 ,and1 first of all1 he should avoid waste--waste of energy1 waste of wealth4 ,every good man1 every good woman1 should try to do away with war1 to stop the appeal to savage force4 ,man in a savage state relies upon his strength1 and decides for himself what is right and what is wrong4 ,civilized men do not settle their differences by a resort to arms4 ,they submit the quarrel to arbitrators and courts4 ,this is the great difference between the savage and the civilized4 ,nations1 however1 sustain the relations of savages to each other4 ,there is no way of settling their disputes4 ,each nation decides for itself1 and each nation endeavors to carry its decision into effect4 ,this produces war4 ,thousands of men at this moment are trying to invent more deadly weapons to destroy their fellow-men4 ,for eighteen hundred years peace has been preached1 and yet the civilized nations are the most warlike of the world4 ,there are in ,europe to-day between eleven and twelve millions of soldiers1 ready to take the field1 and the frontiers of every civilized nation are protected by breastwork and fort4 ,the sea is covered with steel clad ships1 filled with missiles of death4 ,the civilized world has impoverished itself1 and the debt of ,christendom1 mostly for war1 is now nearly thirty thousand million dollars4 ,the interest on this vast sum has to be paid2 it has to be paid by labor1 much of it by the poor1 by those who are compelled to deny themselves almost the necessities of life4 ,this debt is growing year by year4 ,there must come a change1 or ,christendom will become bankrupt4 ,the interest on this debt amounts at least to nine hundred million dollars a year2 and the cost of supporting armies and navies1 of repairing ships1 of manufacturing new engines of death1 probably amounts1 including the interest on the debt1 to at least six million dollars a day4 ,allowing ten hours for a day1 that is for a working day1 the waste of war is at least six hundred thousand dollars an hour1 that is to say1 ten thousand dollars a minute4 ,think of all this being paid for the purpose of killing and preparing to kill our fellow-men4 ,think of the good that could be done with this vast sum of money2 the schools that could be built1 the wants that could be supplied4 ,think of the homes it would build1 the children it would clothe4 ,if we wish to do away with war1 we must provide for the settlement of national differences by an international court4 ,this court should be in perpetual session2 its members should be selected by the various governments to be affected by its decisions1 and1 at the command and disposal of this court1 the rest of ,christendom being disarmed1 there should be a military force sufficient to carry its judgments into effect4 ,there should be no other excuse1 no other business for an army or a navy in the civilized world4 ,no man has imagination enough to paint the agonies1 the horrors and cruelties of war4 ,think of sending shot and shell crashing through the bodies of men6 ,think of the widows and orphans6 ,think of the maimed1 the mutilated1 the mangled6 ,,iii4 ,,another ,,waste4 ,,let us be perfectly candid with each other4 ,we are seeking the truth1 trying to find what ought to be done to increase the well-being of man4 ,i must give you my honest thought4 ,you have the right to demand it1 and ,i must maintain the integrity of my soul4 ,there is another direction in which the wealth and energies of man are wasted4 ,from the beginning of history until now man has been seeking the aid of the supernatural4 ,for many centuries the wealth of the world was used to propitiate the unseen powers4 ,in our own country1 the property dedicated to this purpose is worth at least one thousand million dollars4 ,the interest on this sum is fifty million dollars a year1 and the cost of employing persons1 whose business it is to seek the aid of the supernatural and to maintain the property1 is certainly as much more4 ,so that the cost in our country is about two million dollars a week1 and1 counting ten hours as a working day1 this amounts to about five hundred dollars a minute4 ,for this vast amount of money the returns are remarkably small4 ,the good accomplished does not appear to be great4 ,there is no great diminution in crime4 ,the decrease of immorality and poverty is hardly perceptible4 ,in spite1 however1 of the apparent failure here1 a vast sum of money is expended every year to carry our ideas of the supernatural to other races4 ,our churches1 for the most part1 are closed during the week1 being used only a part of one day in seven4 ,no one wishes to destroy churches or church organizations4 ,the only desire is that they shall accomplish substantial good for the world4 ,in many of our small towns--towns of three or four thousand people--will be found four or five churches1 sometimes more4 ,these churches are founded upon immaterial differences2 a difference as to the mode of baptism2 a difference as to who shall be entitled to partake of the ,lord's supper2 a difference of ceremony2 of government2 a difference about fore-ordination2 a difference about fate and free will4 ,and it must be admitted that all the arguments on all sides of these differences have been presented countless millions of times4 ,upon these subjects nothing new is produced or anticipated1 and yet the discussion is maintained by the repetition of the old arguments4 ,now1 it seems to me that it would be far better for the people of a town1 having a population of four or five thousand1 to have one church1 and the edifice should be of use1 not only on ,sunday1 but on every day of the week4 ,in this building should be the library of the town4 ,it should be the clubhouse of the people1 where they could find the principal newspapers and periodicals of the world4 ,its auditorium should be like a theatre4 ,plays should be presented by home talent2 an orchestra formed1 music cultivated4 ,the people should meet there at any time they desire4 ,the women could carry their knitting and sewing2 and connected with it should be rooms for the playing of games1 billiards1 cards1 and chess4 ,everything should be made as agreeable as possible4 ,the citizens should take pride in this building4 ,they should adorn its niches with statues and its walls with pictures4 ,it should be the intellectual centre4 ,they could employ a gentleman of ability1 possibly of genius1 to address them on ,sundays1 on subjects that would be of real interest1 of real importance4 ,they could say to this minister3 ,we are engaged in business during the week2 while we are working at our trades and professions1 we want you to study1 and on ,sunday tell us what you have found out4 ,let such a minister take for a series of sermons the history1 the philosophy1 the art and the genius of the ,greeks4 ,let him tell of the wondrous metaphysics1 myths and religions of ,india and ,egypt4 ,let him make his congregation conversant with the philosophies of the world1 with the great thinkers1 the great poets1 the great artists1 the great actors1 the great orators1 the great inventors1 the captains of industry1 the soldiers of progress4 ,let them have a ,sunday school in which the children shall be made acquainted with the facts of nature2 with botany1 entomology1 something of geology and astronomy4 ,let them be made familiar with the greatest of poems1 the finest paragraphs of literature1 with stories of the heroic1 the self-denying and generous4 ,now1 it seems to me that such a congregation in a few years would become the most intelligent people in the ,united ,states4 ,the truth is that people are tired of the old theories4 ,they have lost confidence in the miraculous1 in the supernatural1 and they have ceased to take interest in facts that they do not quite believe4 ,there is no darkness but ignorance4 ,there is no light but intelligence1 ,as often as we can exchange a mistake for a fact1 a falsehood for a truth1 we advance4 ,we add to the intellectual wealth of the world1 and in this way1 and in this way alone1 can be laid the foundation for the future prosperity and civilization of the race4 ,i blame no one2 ,i call in question the motives of no person2 ,i admit that the world has acted as it must4 ,but hope for the future depends upon the intelligence of the present4 ,man must husband his resources4 ,he must not waste his energies in endeavoring to accomplish the impossible4 ,he must take advantage of the forces of nature4 ,he must depend on education1 on what he can ascertain by the use of his senses1 by observation1 by experiment and reason4 ,he must break the chains of prejudice and custom4 ,he must be free to express his thoughts on all questions4 ,he must find the conditions of happiness and become wise enough to live in accordance with them4 ,,iv4 ,,how ,,can ,,we ,,lessen ,,crime8 ,,in spite of all that has been done for the reformation of the world1 in spite of all the inventions1 in spite of all the forces of nature that are now the tireless slaves of man1 in spite of all improvements in agriculture1 in mechanics1 in every department of human labor1 the world is still cursed with poverty and with crime4 ,the prisons are full1 the courts are crowded1 the officers of the law are busy1 and there seems to be no material decrease in crime4 ,for many thousands of years man has endeavored to reform his fellow-men by imprisonment1 torture1 mutilation and death1 and yet the history of the world shows that there has been and is no reforming power in punishment4 ,it is impossible to make the penalty great enough1 horrible enough to lessen crime4 ,only a few years ago1 in civilized countries1 larceny and many offences even below larceny1 were punished by death2 and yet the number of thieves and criminals of all grades increased4 ,traitors were hanged and quartered or drawn into fragments by horses2 and yet treason flourished4 ,most of these frightful laws have been repealed1 and the repeal certainly did not increase crime4 ,in our own country we rely upon the gallows1 the penitentiary and the jail4 ,when a murder is committed1 the man is hanged1 shocked to death by electricity1 or lynched1 and in a few minutes a new murderer is ready to suffer a like fate4 ,men steal2 they are sent to the penitentiary for a certain number of years1 treated like wild beasts1 frequently tortured4 ,at the end of the term they are discharged1 having only enough money to return to the place from which they were sent4 ,they are thrown upon the world without means--without friends--they are convicts4 ,they are shunned1 suspected and despised4 ,if they obtain a place1 they are discharged as soon as it is found that they were in prison4 ,they do the best they can to retain the respect of their fellow-men by denying their imprisonment and their identity4 ,in a little while1 unable to gain a living by honest means1 they resort to crime1 they again appear in court1 and again are taken within the dungeon walls4 ,no reformation1 no chance to reform1 nothing to give them bread while making new friends4 ,all this is infamous4 ,men should not be sent to the pentitentiary as a punishment1 because we must remember that men do as they must4 ,nature does not frequently produce the perfect4 ,in the human race there is a large percentage of failures4 ,under certain conditions1 with certain appetites and passions and with a certain quality1 quantity and shape of brain1 men will become thieves1 forgers and counterfeiters4 ,the question is whether reformation is possible1 whether a change can be produced in the person by producing a change in the conditions4 ,the criminal is dangerous and society has the right to protect itself4 ,the criminal should be confined1 and1 if possible1 should be reformed4 ,a pentitentiary should be a school2 the convicts should be educated4 ,so1 prisoners should work1 and they should be paid a reasonable sum for their labor4 ,the best men should have charge of prisons4 ,they should be philanthropists and philosophers2 they should know something of human nature4 ,the prisoner1 having been taught1 we will say1 for five years--taught the underlying principles of conduct1 of the naturalness and harmony of virtue1 of the discord of crime2 having been convinced that society has no hatred1 that nobody wishes to punish1 to degrade1 or to rob him2 and being at the time of his discharge paid a reasonable price for his labor2 being allowed by law to change his name1 so that his identity will not be preserved1 he could go out of the prison a friend of the government4 ,he would have the feeling that he had been made a better man2 that he had been treated with justice1 with mercy1 and the money he carried with him would be a breastwork behind which he could defy temptation1 a breastwork that would support and take care of him until he could find some means by which to support himself4 ,and this man1 instead of making crime a business1 would become a good1 honorable and useful-citizen4 ,as it is now1 there is but little reform4 ,the same faces appear again and again at the bar2 the same men hear again and again the verdict of guilty and the sentence of the court1 and the same men return again and again to the prison cell4 ,murderers1 those belonging to the dangerous classes1 those who are so formed by nature that they rush to the crimes of desperation1 should be imprisoned for life2 or they should be put upon some island1 some place where they can be guarded1 where it may be that by proper effort they could support themselves2 the men on one island1 the women on another4 ,and to these islands should be sent professional criminals1 those who have deliberately adopted a life of crime for the purpose of supporting themselves1 the women upon one island1 the men upon another4 ,such people should not populate the earth4 ,neither the diseases nor the deformities of the mind or body should be perpetuated4 ,life at the fountain should not be polluted4 ,v4 ,,homes ,,for ,,all4 ,,the home is the unit of the nation4 ,the more homes the broader the foundation of the nation and the more secure4 ,everything that is possible should be done to keep this from being a nation of tenants4 ,the men who cultivate the earth should own it4 ,something has already been done in our country in that direction1 and probably in every ,state there is a homestead exemption4 ,this exemption has thus far done no harm to the creditor class4 ,when we imprisoned people for debt1 debts were as insecure1 to say the least1 as now4 ,by the homestead laws1 a home of a certain value or of a certain extent1 is exempt from forced levy or sale2 and these laws have done great good4 ,undoubtedly they have trebled the homes of the nation4 ,i wish to go a step further4 ,i want1 if possible1 to get the people out of the tenements1 out of the gutters of degradation1 to homes where there can be privacy1 where these people can feel that they are in partnership with nature2 that they have an interest in good government4 ,with the means we now have of transportation1 there is no necessity for poor people being huddled in festering masses in the vile1 filthy and loathsome parts of cities1 where poverty breeds rags1 and the rags breed diseases4 ,i would exempt a homestead of a reasonable value1 say of the value of two or three thousand dollars1 not only from sale under execution1 but from sale for taxes of every description4 ,these homes should be absolutely exempt2 they should belong to the family1 so that every mother should feel that the roof above her head was hers2 that her house was her castle1 and that in its possession she could not be disturbed1 even by the nation4 ,under certain conditions ,i would allow the sale of this homestead1 and exempt the proceeds of the sale for a certain time1 during which they might be invested in another home2 and all this could be done to make a nation of householders1 a nation of land-owners1 a nation of home-builders4 ,i would invoke the same power to preserve these homes1 and to acquire these homes1 that ,i would invoke for acquiring lands for building railways4 ,every ,state should fix the amount of land that could be owned by an individual1 not liable to be taken from him for the purpose of giving a home to another1 and when any man owned more acres than the law allowed1 and another should ask to purchase them1 and he should refuse1 ,i would have the law so that the person wishing to purchase could file his petition in court4 ,the court would appoint commissioners1 or a jury would be called1 to determine the value of the land the petitioner wished for a home1 and1 upon the amount being paid1 found by such commission1 or jury1 the land should vest absolutely in the petitioner4 ,this right of eminent domain should be used not only for the benefit of the person wishing a home1 but for the benefit of all the people4 ,nothing is more important to ,america than that the babes of ,america should be born around the firesides of homes4 ,there is another question in which ,i take great interest1 and it ought1 in my judgment1 to be answered by the intelligence and kindness of our century4 ,we all know that for many1 many ages1 men have been slaves1 and we all know that during all these years1 women have1 to some extent been the slaves of slaves4 ,it is of the utmost importance to the human race that women1 that mothers1 should be free4 ,without doubt1 the contract of marriage is the most important and the most sacred that human beings can make4 ,marriage is the most important of all institutions4 ,of course1 the ceremony of marriage is not the real marriage4 ,it is only evidence of the mutual flames that burn within4 ,there can be no real marriage without mutual love4 ,so ,i believe in the ceremony of marriage1 that it should be public2 that records should be kept4 ,besides1 the ceremony says to all the world that those who marry are in love with each other4 ,then arises the question of divorce4 ,millions of people imagine that the married are joined together by some supernatural power1 and that they should remain together1 or at least married1 during life4 ,if all who have been married were joined together by the supernatural1 we must admit that the supernatural is not infinitely wise4 ,after all1 marriage is a contract1 and the parties to the contract are bound to keep its provisions2 and neither should be released from such a contract unless1 in some way1 the interests of society are involved4 ,i would have the law so that any husband could obtain a divorce when the wife had persistently and flagrantly violated the contract2 such divorce to be granted on equitable terms4 ,i would give the wife a divorce if she requested it1 if she wanted it4 ,and ,i would do this1 not only for her sake1 but for the sake of the community1 of the nation4 ,all children should be children of love4 ,all that are born should be sincerely welcomed4 ,the children of mothers who dislike1 or hate1 or loathe the fathers1 will fill the world with insanity and crime4 ,no woman should by law1 or by public opinion1 be forced to live with a man whom she abhors4 ,there is no danger of demoralizing the world through divorce4 ,neither is there any danger of destroying in the human heart that divine thing called love4 ,as long as the human race exists1 men and women will love each other1 and just so long there will be true and perfect marriage4 ,slavery is not the soil or rain of virtue4 ,i make a difference between granting divorce to a man and to a woman1 and for this reason3 ,a woman dowers her husband with her youth and beauty4 ,he should not be allowed to desert her because she has grown wrinkled and old4 ,her capital is gone2 her prospects in life lessened2 while1 on the contrary1 he may be far better able to succeed than when he married her4 ,as a rule1 the man can take care of himself1 and as a rule1 the woman needs help4 ,so1 ,i would not allow him to cast her off unless she had flagrantly violated the contract4 ,but1 for the sake of the community1 and especially for the sake of the babes1 ,i would give her a divorce for the asking4 ,there will never be a generation of great men until there has been a generation of free women--of free mothers4 ,the tenderest word in our language is maternity4 ,in this word is the divine mingling of ecstasy and agony--of love and self-sacrifice4 ,this word is holy6 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,labor ,,question4 ,,here has been for many years ceaseless discussion upon what is called the labor question2 the conflict between the workingman and the capitalist4 ,many ways have been devised1 some experiments have been tried for the purpose of solving this question4 ,profit-sharing would not work1 because it is impossible to share profits with those who are incapable of sharing losses4 ,communities have been formed1 the object being to pay the expenses and share the profits among all the persons belonging to the society4 ,for the most part these have failed4 ,others have advocated arbitration4 ,and1 while it may be that the employers could be bound by the decision of the arbitrators1 there has been no way discovered by which the employees could be held by such decision4 ,in other words1 the question has not been solved4 ,for my own part1 ,i see no final and satisfactory solution except through the civilization of employers and employed4 ,the question is so complicated1 the ramifications are so countless1 that a solution by law1 or by force1 seems at least improbable4 ,employers are supposed to pay according to their profits4 ,they may or may not4 ,profits may be destroyed by competition4 ,the employer is at the mercy of other employers1 and as much so as his employees are at his mercy4 ,the employers cannot govern prices2 they cannot fix demand2 they cannot control supply2 and at present1 in the world of trade1 the laws of supply and demand1 except when interfered with by conspiracy1 are in absolute control4 ,will the time arrive1 and can it arrive1 except by developing the brain1 except by the aid of intellectual light1 when the purchaser will wish to give what a thing is worth1 when the employer will be satisfied with a reasonable profit1 when the employer will be anxious to give the real value for raw material2 when he will be really anxious to pay the laborer the full value of his labor8 ,will the employer ever become civilized enough to know that the law of supply and demand should not absolutely apply in the labor market of the world8 ,will he ever become civilized enough not to take advantage of the necessities of the poor1 of the hunger and rags and want of poverty8 ,will he ever become civilized enough to say3 ,i will pay the man who labors for me enough to give him a reasonable support1 enough for him to assist in taking care of wife and children1 enough for him to do this1 and lay aside something to feed and clothe him when old age comes2 to lay aside something1 enough to give him house and hearth during the ,december of his life1 so that he can warm his worn and shriveled hands at the fire of home8 ,of course1 capital can do nothing without the assistance of labor4 ,all there is of value in the world is the product of labor4 ,the laboring man pays all the expenses4 ,no matter whether taxes are laid on luxuries or on the necessaries of life1 labor pays every cent4 ,so we must remember that1 day by day1 labor is becoming intelligent4 ,so1 ,i believe the employer is gradually becoming civilized1 gradually becoming kinder2 and many men who have made large fortunes from the labor of their fellows have given of their millions to what they regarded as objects of charity1 or for the interests of education4 ,this is a kind of penance1 because the men that have made this money from the brain and muscle of their fellow-men have ever felt that it was not quite their own4 ,many of these employers have sought to balance their accounts by leaving something for universities1 for the establishment of libraries1 drinking fountains1 or to build monuments to departed greatness4 ,it would have been1 ,i think1 far better had they used this money to better the condition of the men who really earned it4 ,so1 ,i think that when we become civilized1 great corporations will make provision for men who have given their lives to their service4 ,i think the great railroads should pay pensions to their worn out employees4 ,they should take care of them in old age4 ,they should not maim and wear out their servants and then discharge them1 and allow them to be supported in poorhouses4 ,these great companies should take care of the men they maim2 they should look out for the ones whose lives they have used and whose labor has been the foundation of their prosperity4 ,upon this question1 public sentiment should be aroused to such a degree that these corporations would be ashamed to use a human life and then throw away the broken old man as they would cast aside a rotten tie4 ,it may be that the mechanics1 the workingmen1 will finally become intelligent enough to really unite1 to act in absolute concert4 ,could this be accomplished1 then a reasonable rate of compensation could be fixed and enforced4 ,now such efforts are local1 and the result up to this time has been failure4 ,but1 if all could unite1 they could obtain what is reasonable1 what is just1 and they would have the sympathy of a very large majority of their fellow-men1 provided they were reasonable4 ,but1 before they can act in this way1 they must become really intelligent1 intelligent enough to know what is reasonable and honest enough to ask for no more4 ,so much has already been accomplished for the workingman that ,i have hope1 and great hope1 of the future4 ,the hours of labor have been shortened1 and materially shortened1 in many countries4 ,there was a time when men worked fifteen and sixteen hours a day4 ,now1 generally1 a day's work is not longer than ten hours1 and the tendency is to still further decrease the hours4 ,by comparing long periods of time1 we more clearly perceive the advance that has been made4 ,in #ahfj1 the average amount earned by the laboring men1 workmen1 mechanics1 per year1 was about two hundred and eighty-five dollars4 ,it is now about five hundred dollars1 and a dollar to-day will purchase more of the necessaries of life1 more food1 clothing and fuel1 than it would in #ahfj4 ,these facts are full of hope for the future4 ,all our sympathies should be with the men who work1 who toil2 for the women who labor for themselves and children2 because we know that labor is the foundation of all1 and that those who labor are the ,caryatides that support the structure and glittering dome of civilization and progress4 ,,vii4 ,,educate ,,the ,,children4 ,,every child should be taught to be self-supporting1 and every one should be taught to avoid being a burden on others1 as they would shun death4 ,every child should be taught that the useful are the honorable1 and that they who live on the labor of others are the enemies of society4 ,every child should be taught that useful work is worship and that intelligent labor is the highest form of prayer4 ,children should be taught to think1 to investigate1 to rely upon the light of reason1 of observation and experience2 should be taught to use all their senses2 and they should be taught only that which in some sense is really useful4 ,they should be taught the use of tools1 to use their hands1 to embody their thoughts in the construction of things4 ,their lives should not be wasted in the acquisition of the useless1 or of the almost useless4 ,years should not be devoted to the acquisition of dead languages1 or to the study of history which1 for the most part1 is a detailed account of things that never occurred4 ,it is useless to fill the mind with dates of great battles1 with the births and deaths of kings4 ,they should be taught the philosophy of history1 the growth of nations1 of philosophies1 theories1 and1 above all1 of the sciences4 ,so1 they should be taught the importance1 not only of financial1 but of mental honesty2 to be absolutely sincere2 to utter their real thoughts1 and to give their actual opinions2 and1 if parents want honest children1 they should be honest themselves4 ,it may be that hypocrites transmit their failing to their offspring4 ,men and women who pretend to agree with the majority1 who think one way and talk another1 can hardly expect their children to be absolutely sincere4 ,nothing should be taught in any school that the teacher does not know4 ,beliefs1 superstitions1 theories1 should not be treated like demonstrated facts4 ,the child should be taught to investigate1 not to believe4 ,too much doubt is better than too much credulity4 ,so1 children should be taught that it is their duty to think for themselves1 to understand1 and1 if possible1 to know4 ,real education is the hope of the future4 ,the development of the brain1 the civilization of the heart1 will drive want and crime from the world4 ,the schoolhouse is the real cathedral1 and science the only possible savior of the human race4 ,education1 real education1 is the friend of honesty1 of morality1 of temperance4 ,we cannot rely upon legislative enactments to make people wise and good2 neither can we expect to make human beings manly and womanly by keeping them out of temptation4 ,temptations are as thick as the leaves of the forest1 and no one can be out of the reach of temptation unless he is dead4 ,the great thing is to make people intelligent enough and strong enough1 not to keep away from temptation1 but to resist it4 ,all the forces of civilization are in favor of morality and temperance4 ,little can be accomplished by law1 because law1 for the most part1 about such things1 is a destruction of personal liberty4 ,liberty cannot be sacrificed for the sake of temperance1 for the sake of morality1 or for the sake of anything4 ,it is of more value than everything else4 ,yet some people would destroy the sun to prevent the growth of weeds4 ,liberty sustains the same relation to all the virtues that the sun does to life4 ,the world had better go back to barbarism1 to the dens1 the caves and lairs of savagery2 better lose all art1 all inventions1 than to lose liberty4 ,liberty is the breath of progress2 it is the seed and soil1 the heat and rain of love and joy4 ,so1 all should be taught that the highest ambition is to be happy1 and to add to the well-being of others2 that place and power are not necessary to success2 that the desire to acquire great wealth is a kind of insanity4 ,they should be taught that it is a waste of energy1 a waste of thought1 a waste of life1 to acquire what you do not need and what you do not really use for the benefit of yourself or others4 ,neither mendicants nor millionaires are the happiest of mankind4 ,the man at the bottom of the ladder hopes to rise2 the man at the top fears to fall4 ,the one asks2 the other refuses2 and1 by frequent refusal1 the heart becomes hard enough and the hand greedy enough to clutch and hold4 ,few men have intelligence enough1 real greatness enough1 to own a great fortune4 ,as a rule1 the fortune owns them4 ,their fortune is their master1 for whom they work and toil like slaves4 ,the man who has a good business and who can make a reasonable living and lay aside something for the future1 who can educate his children and can leave enough to keep the wolf of want from the door of those he loves1 ought to be the happiest of men4 ,now1 society bows and kneels at the feet of wealth4 ,wealth gives power4 ,wealth commands flattery and adulation4 ,and so1 millions of men give all their energies1 as well as their very souls1 for the acquisition of gold4 ,and this will continue as long as society is ignorant enough and hypocritical enough to hold in high esteem the man of wealth without the slightest regard to the character of the man4 ,in judging of the rich1 two things should be considered3 ,how did they get it1 and what are they doing with it8 ,was it honestly acquired8 ,is it being used for the benefit of mankind8 ,when people become really intelligent1 when the brain is really developed1 no human being will give his life to the acquisition of what he does not need or what he cannot intelligently use4 ,the time will come when the truly intelligent man cannot be happy1 cannot be satisfied1 when millions of his fellow-men are hungry and naked4 ,the time will come when in every heart will be the perfume of pity's sacred flower4 ,the time will come when the world will be anxious to ascertain the truth1 to find out the conditions of happiness1 and to live in accordance with such conditions2 and the time will come when in the brain of every human being will be the climate of intellectual hospitality4 ,man will be civilized when the passions are dominated by the intellect1 when reason occupies the throne1 and when the hot blood of passion no longer rises in successful revolt4 ,to civilize the world1 to hasten the coming of the ,golden ,dawn of the ,perfect ,day1 we must educate the children1 we must commence at the cradle1 at the lap of the loving mother4 ,,viii4 ,,we ,,must ,,work ,,and ,,wait4 ,,the reforms that ,i have mentioned cannot be accomplished in a day1 possibly not for many centuries2 and in the meantime there is much crime1 much poverty1 much want1 and consequently something must be done now4 ,let each human being1 within the limits of the possible be self-supporting2 let every one take intelligent thought for the morrow2 and if a human being supports himself and acquires a surplus1 let him use a part of that surplus for the unfortunate2 and let each one to the extent of his ability help his fellow-men4 ,let him do what he can in the circle of his own acquaintance to rescue the fallen1 to help those who are trying to help themselves1 to give work to the idle4 ,let him distribute kind words1 words of wisdom1 of cheerfulness and hope4 ,in other words1 let every human being do all the good he can1 and let him bind up the wounds of his fellow-creatures1 and at the same time put forth every effort1 to hasten the coming of a better day4 ,this1 in my judgment1 is real religion4 ,to do all the good you can is to be a saint in the highest and in the noblest sense4 ,to do all the good you can2 this is to be really and truly spiritual4 ,to relieve suffering1 to put the star of hope in the midnight of despair1 this is true holiness4 ,this is the religion of science4 ,the old creeds are too narrow1 they are not for the world in which we live4 ,the old dogmas lack breadth and tenderness2 they are too cruel1 too merciless1 too savage4 ,we are growing grander and nobler4 ,the firmament inlaid with suns is the dome of the real cathedral4 ,the interpreters of nature are the true and only priests4 ,in the great creed are all the truths that lips have uttered1 and in the real litany will be found all the ecstasies and aspirations of the soul1 all dreams of joy1 all hopes for nobler1 fuller life4 ,the real church1 the real edifice1 is adorned and glorified with all that ,art has done4 ,in the real choir is all the thrilling music of the world1 and in the star-lit aisles have been1 and are1 the grandest souls of every land and clime4 ,there is no darkness but ignorance4 ,let us flood the world with intellectual light4 ,a ,,thanksgiving ,,sermon4 ,,many ages ago our fathers were living in dens and caves4 ,their bodies1 their low foreheads1 were covered with hair4 ,they were eating berries1 roots1 bark and vermin4 ,they were fond of snakes and raw fish4 ,they discovered fire and1 probably by accident1 learned how to cause it by friction4 ,they found how to warm themselves--to fight the frost and storm4 ,they fashioned clubs and rude weapons of stone with which they killed the larger beasts and now and then each other4 ,slowly1 painfully1 almost imperceptibly they advanced4 ,they crawled and stumbled1 staggered and struggled toward the light4 ,to them the world was unknown4 ,on every hand was the mysterious1 the sinister1 the hurtful4 ,the forests were filled with monsters1 and the darkness was crowded with ghosts1 devils1 and fiendish gods4 ,these poor wretches were the slaves of fear1 the sport of dreams4 ,now and then1 one rose a little above his fellows--used his senses--the little reason that he had--found something new--some better way4 ,then the people killed him and afterward knelt with reverence at his grave4 ,then another thinker gave his thought--was murdered--another tomb became sacred--another step was taken in advance4 ,and so through countless years of ignorance and cruelty--of thought and crime--of murder and worship1 of heroism1 suffering1 and self-denial1 the race has reached the heights where now we stand4 ,looking back over the long and devious roads that lie between the barbarism of the past and the civilization of to-day1 thinking of the centuries that rolled like waves between these distant shores1 we can form some idea of what our fathers suffered--of the mistakes they made--some idea of their ignorance1 their stupidity--and some idea of their sense1 their goodness1 their heroism4 ,it is a long road from the savage to the scientist--from a den to a mansion--from leaves to clothes--from a flickering rush to the arc-light--from a hammer of stone to the modern mill--a long distance from the pipe of ,pan to the violin--to the orchestra--from a floating log to the steamship--from a sickle to a reaper--from a flail to a threshing machine---from a crooked stick to a plow--from a spinning wheel to a spinning jenny--from a hand loom to a ,jacquard--a ,jacquard that weaves fair forms and wondrous flowers beyond ,arachne's utmost dream--from a few hieroglyphics on the skins of beasts--on bricks of clay--to a printing press1 to a library--a long distance from the messenger1 traveling on foot1 to the electric spark--from knives and tools of stone to those of steel--a long distance from sand to telescopes--from echo to the phonograph1 the phonograph that buries in indented lines and dots the sounds of living speech1 and then gives back to life the very words and voices of the dead--a long way from the trumpet to the telephone1 the telephone that transports speech as swift as thought and drops the words1 perfect as minted coins1 in listening ears--a long way from a fallen tree to the suspension bridge--from the dried sinews of beasts to the cables of steel--from the oar to the propeller--from the sling to the rifle--from the catapult to the cannon--a long distance from revenge to law--from the club to the ,legislature--from slavery to freedom--from appearance to fact--from fear to reason4 ,and yet the distance has been traveled by the human race4 ,countless obstructions have been overcome--numberless enemies have been conquered--thousands and thousands of victories have been won for the right1 and millions have lived1 labored and died for their fellow-men4 ,for the blessings we enjoy--for the happiness that is ours1 we ought to be grateful4 ,our hearts should blossom with thankfulness4 ,whom1 what1 should we thank8 ,let us be honest--generous4 ,should we thank the church8 ,christianity has controlled ,christendom for at least fifteen hundred years4 ,during these centuries what have the orthodox churches accomplished1 for the good of man8 ,in this life man needs raiment and roof1 food and fuel4 ,he must be protected from heat and cold1 from snow and storm4 ,he must take thought for the morrow4 ,in the summer of youth he must prepare for the winter of age4 ,he must know something of the causes of disease--of the conditions of health4 ,if possible he must conquer pain1 increase happiness and lengthen life4 ,he must supply the wants of the body--and feed the hunger of the mind4 ,what good has the church done8 ,has it taught men to cultivate the earth8 to build homes8 to weave cloth to cure or prevent disease8 to build ships1 to navigate the seas8 to conquer pain1 or to lengthen life8 ,did ,christ or any of his apostles add to the sum of useful knowledge8 ,did they say one word in favor of any science1 of any art8 ,did they teach their fellow-men how to make a living1 how to overcome the obstructions of nature1 how to prevent sickness--how to protect themselves from pain1 from famine1 from misery and rags8 ,did they explain any of the phenomena of nature8 any of the facts that affect the life of man8 ,did they say anything in favor of investigation--of study--of thought8 ,did they teach the gospel of self-reliance1 of industry--of honest effort8 ,can any farmer1 mechanic1 or scientist find in the ,new ,testament one useful fact8 ,is there anything in the sacred book that can help the geologist1 the astronomer1 the biologist1 the physician1 the inventor--the manufacturer of any useful thing8 ,what has the church done8 ,from the very first it taught the vanity--the worthlessness of all earthly things4 ,it taught the wickedness of wealth1 the blessedness of poverty4 ,it taught that the business of this life was to prepare for death4 ,it insisted that a certain belief was necessary to insure salvation1 and that all who failed to believe1 or doubted in the least would suffer eternal pain4 ,according to the church the natural desires1 ambitions and passions of man were all wicked and depraved4 ,to love ,god1 to practice self-denial1 to overcome desire1 to despise wealth1 to hate prosperity1 to desert wife and children1 to live on roots and berries1 to repeat prayers1 to wear rags1 to live in filth1 and drive love from the heart--these1 for centuries1 were the highest and most perfect virtues1 and those who practiced them were saints4 ,the saints did not assist their fellow-men4 ,their fellow-men assisted them4 ,they did not labor for others4 ,they were beggars--parasites--vermin4 ,they were insane4 ,they followed the teachings of ,christ4 ,they took no thought for the morrow4 ,they mutilated their bodies--scarred their flesh and destroyed their minds for the sake of happiness in another world4 ,during the journey of life they kept their eyes on the grave4 ,they gathered no flowers by the way--they walked in the dust of the road--avoided the green fields4 ,their moans made all the music they wished to hear4 ,the babble of brooks1 the songs of birds1 the laughter of children1 were nothing to them4 ,pleasure was the child of sin1 and the happy needed a change of heart4 ,they were sinless and miserable--but they had faith--they were pious and wretched--but they were limping towards heaven4 ,what has the church done8 ,it has denounced pride and luxury--all things that adorn and enrich life--all the pleasures of sense--the ecstasies of love--the happiness of the hearth--the clasp and kiss of wife and child4 ,and the church has done this because it regarded this life as a period of probation--a time to prepare--to become spiritual--to overcome the natural--to fix the affections on the invisible--to become passionless--to subdue the flesh--to congeal the blood--to fold the wings of fancy--to become dead to the world--so that when you appeared before ,god you would be the exact opposite of what he made you4 ,what has the church done8 ,it pretended to have a revelation from ,god4 ,it knew the road to eternal joy1 the way to death4 ,it preached salvation by faith1 and declared that only orthodox believers could become angels1 and all doubters would be damned4 ,it knew this1 and so knowing it became the enemy of discussion1 of investigation1 of thought4 ,why investigate1 why discuss1 why think when you know8 ,it sought to enslave the world4 ,it appealed to force4 ,it unsheathed the sword1 lighted the fagot1 forged the chain1 built the dungeon1 erected the scaffold1 invented and used the instruments of torture4 ,it branded1 maimed and mutilated--it imprisoned and tortured--it blinded and burned1 hanged and crucified1 and utterly destroyed millions and millions of human beings4 ,it touched every nerve of the body--produced every pain that can be felt1 every agony that can be endured4 ,and it did all this to preserve what it called the truth--to destroy heresy and doubt1 and to save1 if possible1 the souls of a few4 ,it was honest4 ,it was necessary to prevent the development of the brain--to arrest all progress--and to do this the church used all its power4 ,if men were allowed to think and express their thoughts they would fill their minds and the minds of others with doubts4 ,if they were allowed to think they would investigate1 and then they might contradict the creed1 dispute the words of priests and defy the church4 ,the priests cried to the people3 ,it is for us to talk4 ,it is for you to hear4 ,our duty is to preach and yours is to believe4 ,what has the church done8 ,there have been thousands of councils and synods--thousands and thousands of occasions when the clergy have met and discussed and quarreled--when pope and cardinals1 bishops and priests have added to or explained their creeds--and denied the rights of others4 ,what useful truth did they discover8 ,what fact did they find8 ,did they add to the intellectual wealth of the world8 ,did they increase the sum of knowledge8 ,i admit that they looked over a number of ,jewish books and picked out the ones that ,jehovah wrote4 ,did they find the medicinal virtue that dwells in any weed or flower8 ,i know that they decided that the ,holy ,ghost was not created--not begotten--but that he proceeded4 ,did they teach us the mysteries of the metals and how to purify the ores in furnace flames8 ,they shouted3 ,great is the mystery of ,godliness4 ,did they show us how to improve our condition in this world8 ,they informed us that ,christ had two natures and two wills4 ,did they give us even a hint as to any useful thing8 ,they gave us predestination1 foreordination and just enough free will to go to hell4 ,did they discover or show us how to produce anything for food8 ,did they produce anything to satisfy the hunger of man8 ,instead of this they discovered that a peasant girl who lived in ,palestine1 was the mother of ,god4 ,this they proved by a book1 and to make the book evidence they called it inspired4 ,did they tell us anything about chemistry--how to combine and separate substances--how to subtract the hurtful--how to produce the useful8 ,they told us that bread1 by making certain motions and mumbling certain prayers1 could be changed into the flesh of ,god1 and that in the same way wine could be changed to his blood4 ,and this1 notwithstanding the fact that ,god never had any flesh or blood1 but has always been a spirit without body1 parts or passions4 ,what has the church done8 ,it gave us the history of the world--of the stars1 and the beginning of all things4 ,it taught the geology of ,moses--the astronomy of ,joshua and ,elijah4 ,it taught the fall of man and the atonement--proved that a ,jewish peasant was ,god--established the existence of hell1 purgatory and heaven4 ,it pretended to have a revelation from ,god--the ,scriptures1 in which could be found all knowledge--everything that man could need in the journey of life4 ,nothing outside of the inspired book--except legends and prayers--could be of any value4 ,books that contradicted the ,bible were hurtful1 those that agreed with it--useless4 ,nothing was of importance except faith1 credulity--belief4 ,the church said3 ,let philosophy alone1 count your beads4 ,ask no questions1 fall upon your knees4 ,shut your eyes1 and save your souls4 ,what has the church done8 ,for centuries it kept the earth flat1 for centuries it made all the hosts of heaven travel around this world--for centuries it clung to sacred knowledge1 and fought facts with the ferocity of a fiend4 ,for centuries it hated the useful4 ,it was the deadly enemy of medicine4 ,disease was produced by devils and could be cured only by priests1 decaying bones1 and holy water4 ,doctors were the rivals of priests4 ,they diverted the revenues4 ,the church opposed the study of anatomy--was against the dissection of the dead4 ,man had no right to cure disease--,god would do that through his priests4 ,man had no right to prevent disease--diseases were sent by ,god as judgments4 ,the church opposed inoculation--vaccination1 and the use of chloroform and ether4 ,it was declared to be a sin1 a crime for a woman to lessen the pangs of motherhood4 ,the church declared that woman must bear the curse of the merciful ,jehovah4 ,what has the church done8 ,it taught that the insane were inhabited by devils4 ,insanity was not a disease4 ,it was produced by demons4 ,it could be cured by prayers--gifts1 amulets and charms4 ,all these had to be paid for4 ,this enriched the church4 ,these ideas were honestly entertained by ,protestants as well as ,catholics--by ,luther1 ,calvin1 ,knox and ,wesley4 ,what has the church done8 ,it taught the awful doctrine of witchcraft4 ,it filled the darkness with demons--the air with devils1 and the world with grief and shame4 ,it charged men1 women and children with being in league with ,satan to injure their fellows4 ,old women were convicted for causing storms at sea--for preventing rain and for bringing frost4 ,girls were convicted for having changed themselves into wolves1 snakes and toads4 ,these witches were burned for causing diseases--for selling their souls and for souring beer4 ,all these things were done with the aid of the ,devil who sought to persecute the faithful1 the lambs of ,god4 ,satan sought in many ways to scandalize the church4 ,he sometimes assumed the appearance of a priest and committed crimes4 ,on one occasion he personated a bishop--a bishop renowned for his sanctity--allowed himself to be discovered and dragged from the room of a beautiful widow4 ,so perfectly did he counterfeit the features and form of the bishop1 that many who were well acquainted with the prelate1 were actually deceived1 and the widow herself thought her lover was the bishop4 ,all this was done by the ,devil to bring reproach upon holy men4 ,hundreds of like instances could be given1 as the war waged between demons and priests was long and bitter4 ,these popes and priests--these clergymen1 were not hypocrites4 ,they believed in the ,new ,testament--in the teachings of ,christ1 and they knew that the principal business of the ,savior was casting out devils4 ,what has the church done8 ,it made the wife a slave--the property of the husband1 and it placed the husband as much above the wife as ,christ was above the husband4 ,it taught that a nun is purer1 nobler than a mother4 ,it induced millions of pure and conscientious girls to renounce the joys of life--to take the veil woven of night and death1 to wear the habiliments of the dead--made them believe that they were the brides of ,christ4 ,for my part1 ,i would as soon be a widow as the bride of a man who had been dead for eighteen hundred years4 ,the poor deluded girls imagined that they1 in some mysterious way1 were in spiritual wedlock united with ,god4 ,all worldly desires were driven from their hearts4 ,they filled their lives with fastings--with prayers--with self-accusings4 ,they forgot fathers and mothers and gave their love to the invisible4 ,they were the victims1 the convicts of superstition--prisoners in the penitentiaries of ,god4 ,conscientious1 good1 sincere--insane4 ,these loving women gave their hearts to a phantom1 their lives to a dream4 ,a few years ago1 at a revival1 a fine buxom girl was converted1 born again4 ,in her excitement she cried1 ,i'm married to ,christ--,i'm married to ,christ4 ,in her delirium she threw her arms around the neck of an old man and again cried1 ,i'm married to ,christ4 ,the old man1 who happened to be a kind of skeptic1 gently removed her hands1 saying at the same time3 ,i don't know much about your husband1 but ,i have great respect for your father-in-law4 ,priests1 theologians1 have taken advantage of women--of their gentleness--their love of approbation4 ,they have lived upon their hopes and fears4 ,like vampires1 they have sucked their blood4 ,they have made them responsible for the sins of the world4 ,they have taught them the slave virtues--meekness1 humility--implicit obedience4 ,they have fed their minds with mistakes1 mysteries and absurdities4 ,they have endeavored to weaken and shrivel their brains1 until1 to them1 there would be no possible connection between evidence and belief--between fact and faith4 ,what has the church done8 ,it was the enemy of commerce--of business4 ,it denounced the taking of interest for money4 ,without taking interest for money1 progress is impossible4 ,the steamships1 the great factories1 the railroads have all been built with borrowed money1 money on which interest was promised and for the most part paid4 ,the church was opposed to fire insurance--to life insurance4 ,it denounced insurance in any form as gambling1 as immoral4 ,to insure your life was to declare that you had no confidence in ,god--that you relied on a corporation instead of divine providence4 ,it was declared that ,god would provide for your widow and your fatherless children4 ,to insure your life was to insult heaven4 ,what has the church done8 ,the church regarded epidemics as the messengers of the good ,god4 ,the ,black ,death was sent by the eternal ,father1 whose mercy spared some and whose justice murdered the rest4 ,to stop the scourge1 they tried to soften the heart of ,god by kneelings and prostrations--by processions and prayers--by burning incense and by making vows4 ,they did not try to remove the cause4 ,the cause was ,god4 ,they did not ask for pure water1 but for holy water4 ,faith and filth lived or rather died together4 ,religion and rags1 piety and pollution kept company4 ,sanctity kept its odor4 ,what has the church done8 ,it was the enemy of art and literature4 ,it destroyed the marbles of ,greece and ,rome4 ,beauty was ,pagan4 ,it destroyed so far as it could the best literature of the world4 ,it feared thought--but it preserved the ,scriptures1 the ravings of insane saints1 the falsehoods of the ,fathers1 the bulls of popes1 the accounts of miracles performed by shrines1 by dried blood and faded hair1 by pieces of bones and wood1 by rusty nails and thorns1 by handkerchiefs and rags1 by water and beads and by a finger of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this was the literature of the church4 ,i admit that the priests were honest--as honest as ignorant4 ,more could not be said4 ,what has the church done8 ,christianity claims1 with great pride1 that it established asylums for the insane4 ,yes1 it did4 ,but the insane were treated as criminals4 ,they were regarded as the homes--as the tenement-houses of devils4 ,they were persecuted and tormented4 ,they were chained and flogged1 starved and killed4 ,the asylums were prisons1 dungeons1 the insane were victims and the keepers were ignorant1 conscientious1 pious fiends4 ,they were not trying to help men1 they were fighting devils--destroying demons4 ,they were not actuated by love--but by hate and fear4 ,what has the church done8 ,it founded schools where facts were denied1 where science was denounced and philosophy despised4 ,schools1 where priests were made--where they were taught to hate reason and to look upon doubts as the suggestions of the ,devil4 ,schools where the heart was hardened and the brain shriveled4 ,schools in which lies were sacred and truths profane4 ,schools for the more general diffusion of ignorance--schools to prevent thought--to suppress knowledge4 ,schools for the purpose of enslaving the world4 ,schools in which teachers knew less than pupils4 ,what has the church done8 ,it has used its influence with ,god to get rain and sunshine--to stop flood and storm--to kill insects1 rats1 snakes and wild beasts--to stay pestilence and famine--to delay frost and snow--to lengthen the lives of kings and queens--to protect presidents--to give legislators wisdom--to increase collections and subscriptions4 ,in marriages it has made ,god the party of the third part4 ,it has sprinkled water on babes when they were named4 ,it has put oil on the dying and repeated prayers for the dead4 ,it has tried to protect the people from the malice of the ,devil--from ghosts and spooks1 from witches and wizards and all the leering fiends that seek to poison the souls of men4 ,it has endeavored to protect the sheep of ,god from the wolves of science--from the wild beasts of doubt and investigation4 ,it has tried to wean the lambs of the ,lord from the delights1 the pleasures1 the joys1 of life4 ,according to the philosophy of the church1 the virtuous weep and suffer1 the vicious laugh and thrive1 the good carry a cross1 and the wicked fly4 ,but in the next life this will be reversed4 ,then the good will be happy1 and the bad will be damned4 ,the church filled the world with faith and crime4 ,it polluted the fountains of joy4 ,it gave us an ignorant1 jealous1 revengeful and cruel ,god--sometimes merciful--sometimes ferocious4 ,now just1 now infamous--sometimes wise--generally foolish4 ,it gave us a ,devil1 cunning1 malicious1 almost the equal of ,god1 not quite as strong--but quicker--not as profound--but sharper4 ,it gave us angels with wings--cherubim and seraphim and a heaven with harps and hallelujahs--with streets of gold and gates of pearl4 ,it gave us fiends and imps with wings like bats4 ,it gave us ghosts and goblins1 spooks and sprites1 and little devils that swarmed in the bodies of men1 and it gave us hell where the souls of men will roast in eternal flames4 ,shall we thank the church8 ,shall we thank the orthodox churches8 ,shall we thank them for the hell they made here8 ,shall we thank them for the hell of the future8 ,,ii4 ,,we must remember that the church was founded and has been protected by ,god1 that all the popes1 and cardinals1 all the bishops1 priests and monks1 all the ministers and exhorters were selected and set apart--all sanctified and enlightened by the infinite ,god--that the ,holy ,scriptures were inspired by the same ,being1 and that all the orthodox creeds were really made by him4 ,we know what these men--filled with the ,holy ,ghost--have done4 ,we know the part they have played4 ,we know the souls they have saved and the bodies they have destroyed4 ,we know the consolation they have given and the pain they have inflicted--the lies they have defended--the truths they have denied4 ,we know that they convinced millions that celibacy is the greatest of all virtues--that women are perpetual temptations1 the enemies of true holiness--that monks and priests are nobler than fathers1 that nuns are purer than mothers4 ,we know that they taught the blessed absurdity of the ,trinity--that ,god once worked at the trade of a carpenter in ,palestine4 ,we know that they divided knowledge into sacred and profane--taught that ,revelation was sacred--that ,reason was blasphemous--that faith was holy and facts false4 ,that the sin of ,adam and ,eve brought disease and pain1 vice and death into the world4 ,we know that they have taught the dogma of special providence--that all events are ordered and regulated by ,god--that he crowns and uncrowns kings--preserves and destroys--guards and kills--that it is the duty of man to submit to the divine will1 and that no matter how much evil there may be--no matter how much suffering--how much pain and death1 man should pour out-his heart in thankfulness that it is no worse4 ,let me be understood4 ,i do not say and ,i do not think that the church was dishonest1 that the clergy were insincere4 ,i admit that all religions1 all creeds1 all priests1 have been naturally produced4 ,i admit1 and cheerfully admit1 that the believers in the supernatural have done some good--not because they believed in gods and devils--but in spite of it4 ,i know that thousands and thousands of clergymen are honest1 self-denying and humane--that they are doing what they believe to be their duty--doing what they can to induce men and women to live pure and noble lives4 ,this is not the result of their creeds--it is because they are human4 ,what ,i say is that every honest teacher of the supernatural has been and is an unconscious enemy of the human race4 ,what is the philosophy of the church--of those who believe in the supernatural8 ,back of all that is--back of all events--,christians put an infinite ,juggler who with a wish creates1 preserves1 destroys4 ,the world is his stage and mankind his puppets4 ,he fills them with wants and desires1 with appetites and ambitions--with hopes and fears--with love and hate4 ,he touches the springs4 ,he pulls the strings--baits the hooks1 sets the traps and digs the pits4 ,the play is a continuous performance4 ,he watches these puppets as they struggle and fail4 ,sees them outwit each other and themselves--leads them to every crime1 watches the births and deaths--hears lullabies at cradles and the fall of clods on coffins4 ,he has no pity4 ,he enjoys the tragedies--the desperation--the despair--the suicides4 ,he smiles at the murders1 the assassinations1--the seductions1 the desertions--the abandoned babes of shame4 ,he sees the weak enslaved--mothers robbed of babes--the innocent in dungeons--on scaffolds4 ,he sees crime crowned and hypocrisy robed4 ,he withholds the rain and his puppets starve4 ,he opens the earth and they are devoured4 ,he sends the flood and they are drowned4 ,he empties the volcano and they perish in fire4 ,he sends the cyclone and they are torn and mangled4 ,with quick lightnings they are dashed to death4 ,he fills the air and water with the invisible enemies of life--the messengers of pain1 and watches the puppets as they breathe and drink4 ,he creates cancers to feed upon their flesh--their quivering nerves--serpents1 to fill their veins with venom1--beasts to crunch their bones--to lap their blood4 ,some of the poor puppets he makes insane--makes them struggle in the darkness with imagined monsters with glaring eyes and dripping jaws1 and some are made without the flame of thought1 to drool and drivel through the darkened days4 ,he sees all the agony1 the injustice1 the rags of poverty1 the withered hands of want--the motherless babes--the deformed--the maimed--the leprous1 knows the tears that flow--hears the sobs and moans--sees the gleam of swords1 hears the roar of the guns--sees the fields reddened with blood--the white faces of the dead4 ,but he mocks when their fear cometh1 and at their calamity he fills the heavens with laughter4 ,and the poor puppets who are left alive1 fall on their knees and thank the ,juggler with all their hearts4 ,but after all1 the gods have not supported the children of men1 men have supported the gods4 ,they have built the temples4 ,they have sacrificed their babes1 their lambs1 their cattle4 ,they have drenched the altars with blood4 ,they have given their silver1 their gold1 their gems4 ,they have fed and clothed their priests--but the gods have given nothing in return4 ,hidden in the shadows they have answered no prayer--heard no cry--given no sign--extended no hand--uttered no word4 ,unseen and unheard they have sat on their thrones1 deaf and dumb--paralyzed and blind4 ,in vain the steeples rise--in vain the prayers ascend4 ,and think what man has done to please the gods4 ,he has renounced his reason--extinguished the torch of his brain1 he has believed without evidence and against evidence4 ,he has slandered and maligned himself4 ,he has fasted and starved4 ,he has mutilated his body--scarred his flesh--given his blood to vermin4 ,he has persecuted1 imprisoned and destroyed his fellows4 ,he has deserted wife and child4 ,he has lived alone in the desert4 ,he has swung-censers and burned incense1 counted beads and sprinkled himself with holy water--shut his eyes1 clasped his hands--fallen upon his knees and groveled in the dust--but the gods have been silent--silent as stones4 ,have these cringings and crawlings--these cruelties and absurdities--this faith and foolishness pleased the gods8 ,we do not know4 ,has any disaster been averted--any blessing obtained8 ,we do not know4 ,shall we thank these gods8 ,shall we thank the church's ,god8 ,who and what is he8 ,they say that he is the creator and preserver of all that has been--of all that is--of all that will be--that he is the father of angels and devils1 the architect of heaven and hell--that he made the earth--a man and woman--that he made the serpent who tempted them1 made his own rival--gave victory to his enemy--that he repented of what he had done--that he sent a flood and destroyed all of the children of men with the exception of eight persons--that he tried to civilize the survivors and their children--tried to do this with earthquakes and fiery serpents --with pestilence and famine4 ,but he failed4 ,he intended to fail4 ,then he was born into the world1 preached for three years1 and allowed some savages to kill him4 ,then he rose from the dead and went back to heaven4 ,he knew that he would fail1 knew that he would be killed4 ,in fact he arranged everything himself and brought everything to pass just as he had predestined it an eternity before the world was4 ,all who believe these things will be saved and they who doubt or deny will be lost4 ,has this ,god good sense8 ,not always4 ,he creates his own enemies and plots against himself4 ,nothing lives1 except in accordance with his will1 and yet the devils do not die4 ,what is the matter with this ,god8 ,well1 sometimes he is foolish--sometimes he is cruel and sometimes he is insane4 ,does this ,god exist8 ,is there any intelligence back of ,nature8 ,is there any being anywhere among the stars who pities the suffering children of men8 ,we do not know4 ,shall we thank ,nature8 ,does ,nature care for us more than for leaves1 or grass1 or flies8 ,does ,nature know that we exist8 ,we do not know4 ,but we do know that ,nature is going to murder us all4 ,why should we thank ,nature8 ,if we thank ,god or ,nature for the sunshine and rain1 for health and happiness1 whom shall we curse for famine and pestilence1 for earthquake and cyclone--for disease and death8 ,,iii4 ,,if we cannot thank the orthodox churches--if we cannot thank the unknown1 the incomprehensible1 the supernatural--if we cannot thank ,nature--if we can not kneel to a ,guess1 or prostrate ourselves before a ,perhaps--whom shall we thank8 ,let us see what the worldly have done--what has been accomplished by those not called1 not set apart1 not inspired1 not filled with the ,holy ,ghost--by those who were neglected by all the ,gods4 ,passing over the ,hindus1 the ,egyptians1 the ,greeks and ,romans1 their poets1 philosophers and metaphysicians--we will come to modern times4 ,in the #ajth century after ,christ the ,saracens--governors of a vast empire--established colleges in ,mongolia1 ,tartary1 ,persia1 ,mesopotamia1 ,syria1 ,egypt1 ,north ,africa1 ,morocco1 ,fez and in ,spain4 ,the region owned by the ,saracens was greater than the ,roman ,empire4 ,they had not only colleges--but observatories4 ,the sciences were taught4 ,they introduced the ten numerals--taught algebra and trigonometry--understood cubic equations--knew the art of surveying--they made catalogues and maps of the stars--gave the great stars the names they still bear--they ascertained the size of the earth--determined the obliquity of the ecliptic and fixed the length of the year4 ,they calculated eclipses1 equinoxes1 solstices1 conjunctions of planets and occultations of stars4 ,they constructed astronomical instruments4 ,they made clocks of various kinds and were the inventors of the pendulum4 ,they originated chemistry--discovered sulphuric and nitric acid and alcohol4 ,they were the first to publish pharmacopoeias and dispensatories4 ,in mechanics they determined the laws of falling bodies4 ,they understood the mechanical powers1 and the attraction of gravitation4 ,they taught hydrostatics and determined the specific gravities of bodies4 ,in optics they discovered that a ray of light did not proceed from the eye to an object--but from the object to the eye4 ,they were manufacturers of cotton1 leather1 paper and steel4 ,they gave us the game of chess4 ,they produced romances and novels and essays on many subjects4 ,in their schools they taught the modern doctrines of evolution and development4 ,they anticipated ,darwin and ,spencer4 ,these people were not ,christians4 ,they were the followers1 for the most part1 of an impostor--of a pretended prophet of a false ,god4 ,and yet while the true ,christians1 the men selected by the true ,god and filled with the ,holy ,ghost were tearing out the tongues of heretics1 these wretches were irreverently tracing the orbits of the stars4 ,while the true believers were flaying philosophers and extinguishing the eyes of thinkers1 these godless followers of ,mohammed were founding colleges1 collecting manuscripts1 investigating the facts of nature and giving their attention to science4 ,afterward the followers of ,mohammed became the enemies of science and hated facts as intensely and honestly as ,christians4 ,whoever has a revelation from ,god will defend it with all his strength--will abhor reason and deny facts4 ,but it is well to know that we are indebted to the ,moors--to the followers of ,mohammed--for having laid the foundations of modern science4 ,it is well to know that we are not indebted to the church1 to ,christianity1 for any useful fact4 ,it is well to know that the seeds of thought were sown in our minds by the ,greeks and ,romans1 and that our literature came from those seeds4 ,the great literature of our language is ,pagan in its thought--,pagan in its beauty--,pagan in its perfection4 ,it is well to know that when ,mohammedans were the friends of science1 ,christians were its enemies4 ,how consoling it is to think that the friends of science--the men who educated their fellows--are now in hell1 and that the men who persecuted and killed philosophers are now in heaven6 ,such is the justice of ,god4 ,the ,christians of the ,middle ,ages1 the men who were filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 knew all about the worlds beyond the grave1 but nothing about the world in which they lived4 ,they thought the earth was flat--a little dishing if anything--that it was about five thousand years old1 and that the stars were little sparkles made to beautify the night4 ,the fact is that ,christianity was in existence for fifteen hundred years before there was an astronomer in ,christendom4 ,no follower of ,christ knew the shape of the earth4 ,the earth was demonstrated to be a globe1 not by a pope or cardinal--not by a collection of clergymen--not by the called or the set apart1 but by a sailor4 ,magellan left ,seville1 ,spain1 ,august #ajth1 #aeai1 sailed west and kept sailing west1 and the ship reached ,seville1 the port it left1 on ,sept4 #gth1 #aebb4 ,the world had been circumnavigated4 ,the earth was known to be round4 ,there had been a dispute between the ,scriptures and a sailor4 ,the fact took the sailor's side4 ,in #aedc ,copernicus published his book1 ,on the ,revolutions of the ,heavenly ,bodies4 ,he had some idea of the vastness of the stars--of the astronomical spaces--of the insignificance of this world4 ,toward the close of the sixteenth century1 ,bruno1 one of the greatest men this world has produced1 gave his thoughts to his fellow-men4 ,he taught the plurality of worlds4 ,he was a ,pantheist1 an ,atheist1 an honest man4 ,he called the ,catholic ,church the ,triumphant ,beast4 ,he was imprisoned for many years1 tried1 convicted1 and on the #afth day of ,february1 #afjj1 burned in ,rome by men filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 burned on the spot where now his monument rises4 ,bruno1 the noblest1 the greatest of all the martyrs4 ,the only one who suffered death for what he believed to be the truth4 ,the only martyr who had no heaven to gain1 no hell to shun1 no ,god to please4 ,he was nobler than inspired men1 grander than prophets1 greater and purer than apostles4 ,above all the theologians of the world1 above the makers of creeds1 above the founders of religions rose this serene1 unselfish and intrepid man4 ,yet ,christians1 followers of ,christ1 murdered this incomparable man4 ,these ,christians were true to their creed4 ,they believed that faith would be rewarded with eternal joy1 and doubt punished with eternal pain4 ,they were logical4 ,they were pious and pitiless--devout and devilish--meek and malicious--religious and revengeful--,christ-like and cruel--loving with their mouths and hating with their hearts4 ,and yet1 honest victims of ignorance and fear4 ,what have the wordly done8 ,in #afjh1 ,lippersheim1 a ,hollander1 so arranged lenses that objects were exaggerated4 ,he invented the telescope4 ,he gave countless worlds to our eyes1 and made us citizens of the ,universe4 ,in #afaj1 on the night of ,january #gth1 ,galileo demonstrated the truth of the ,copernican system1 and in #afcb1 published his work on ,the ,system of the ,world4 ,what did the church do8 ,galileo was arrested1 imprisoned1 forced to fall upon his knees1 put his hand on the ,bible1 and recant4 ,for ten years he was kept in prison--for ten years until released by the pity of death4 ,then the church--men filled with the ,holy ,ghost--denied his body burial in consecrated ground4 ,it was feared that his dust might corrupt the bodies of those who had persecuted him4 ,in #afji1 ,kepler published his book ,motions of the ,planet ,mars4 ,he1 too1 knew of the attraction of gravitation and that it acted in proportion to mass and distance4 ,kepler announced his ,three ,laws4 ,he found and mathematically expressed the relation of distance1 mass1 and motion4 ,nothing greater has been accomplished by the human mind4 ,astronomy became a science and ,christianity a superstition4 ,then came ,newton1 ,herscheland ,laplace4 ,the astronomy of ,joshua and ,elijah faded from the minds of intelligent men1 and ,jehovah became an ignorant tribal god4 ,men began to see that the operations of ,nature were not subject to interference4 ,that eclipses were not caused by the wrath of ,god--that comets had nothing to do with the destruction of empires or the death of kings1 that the stars wheeled in their orbits without regard to the actions of men4 ,in the sacred ,east the dawn appeared4 ,what have the wordly done8 ,a few years ago a few men became wicked enough to use their senses4 ,they began to look and listen4 ,they began to really see and then they began to reason4 ,they forgot heaven and hell long enough to take some interest in this world4 ,they began to examine soils and rocks4 ,they noticed what had been done by rivers and seas4 ,they found out something about the crust of the earth4 ,they found that most of the rocks had been deposited and stratified in the water--rocks #gj1jjj feet in thickness4 ,they found that the coal was once vegetable matter4 ,they made the best calculations they could of the time required to make the coal1 and concluded that it must have taken at least six or seven millions of years4 ,they examined the chalk cliffs1 found that they were composed of the microscopic shells of minute organisms1 that is to say1 the dust of these shells4 ,this dust settled over areas as large as ,europe and in some places the chalk is a mile in depth4 ,this must have required many millions of years4 ,lyell1 the highest authority on the subject1 says that it must have required1 to cause the changes that we know1 at least two hundred million years4 ,think of these vast deposits caused by the slow falling of infinitesimal atoms of impalpable dust through the silent depths of ancient seas6 ,think of the microscopical forms of life1 constructing their minute houses of lime1 giving life to others1 leaving their mansions beneath the waves1 and so through countless generations building the foundations of continents and islands4 ,go back of all life that we now know--back of all the flying lizards1 the armored monsters1 the hissing serpents1 the winged and fanged horrors--back to the ,laurentian rocks--to the eozoon1 the first of living things that we have found--back of all mountains1 seas and rivers--back to the first incrustation of the molten world--back of wave of fire and robe of flame--back to the time when all the substance of the earth blazed in the glowing sun with all the stars that wheel about the central fire4 ,think of the days and nights that lie between6--think of the centuries1 the withered leaves of time1 that strew the desert of the past6 ,nature does not hurry4 ,time cannot be wasted--cannot be lost4 ,the future remains eternal and all the past is as though it had not been--as though it were to be4 ,the infinite knows neither loss nor gain4 ,we know something of the history of the world--something of the human race2 and we know that man has lived and struggled through want and war1 through pestilence and famine1 through ignorance and crime1 through fear and hope1 on the old earth for millions and millions of years4 ,at last we know that infallible popes1 and countless priests and clergymen1 who had been called1 filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and presidents of colleges1 kings1 emperors and executives of nations had mistaken the blundering guesses of ignorant savages for the wisdom of an infinite ,god4 ,at last we know that the story of creation1 of the beginning of things1 as told in the sacred book1 is not only untrue1 but utterly absurd and idiotic4 ,now we know that the inspired writers did not know and that the ,god who inspired them did not know4 ,we are no longer misled by myths and legends4 ,we rely upon facts4 ,the world is our witness and the stars testify for us4 ,what have the worldly done8 ,they have investigated the religions of the world--have read the sacred books1 the prophecies1 the commandments1 the rules of conduct4 ,they have studied the symbols1 the ceremonies1 the prayers and sacrifices4 ,and they have shown that all religions are substantially the same--produced by the same causes--that all rest on a misconception of the facts in nature--that all are founded on ignorance and fear1 on mistake and mystery4 ,they have found that ,christianity is like the rest--that it was not a revelation1 but a natural growth--that its gods and devils1 its heavens and hells1 were borrowed--that its ceremonies and sacraments were souvenirs of other religions--that no part of it came from heaven1 but that it was all made by savage man4 ,they found that ,jehovah was a tribal god and that his ancestors had lived on the banks of the ,euphrates1 the ,tigris1 the ,ganges and the ,nile1 and these ancestors were traced back to still more savage forms4 ,they found that all the sacred books were filled with inspired mistake and sacred absurdity4 ,but1 say the ,christians1 we have the only inspired book4 ,we have the ,old ,testament and the ,new4 ,where did you get the ,old ,testament8 ,from the ,jews8--,yes4 ,let me tell you about it4 ,after the ,jews returned from ,babylon1 about #djj years before ,christ1 ,ezra commenced making the ,bible4 ,you will find an account of this in the ,bible4 ,we know that ,genesis was written after the ,captivity--because it was from the ,babylonians that the ,jews got the story of the creation--of ,adam and ,eve1 of the ,garden--of the serpent1 and the tree of life--of the flood--and from them they learned about the ,sabbath4 ,you find nothing about that holy day in ,judges1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 ,kings or ,chronicles--nothing in ,job1 the ,psalms1 in ,esther1 ,solomon's ,song or ,ecclesiastes4 ,only in books written by ,ezra after the return from ,babylon4 ,when ,ezra finished the inspired book1 he placed it in the temple4 ,it was written on the skins of beasts1 and1 so far as we know1 there was but one4 ,what became of this ,bible8 ,jerusalem was taken by ,titus about #gj years after ,christ4 ,the temple was destroyed and1 at the request of ,josephus1 the ,holy ,bible was sent to ,vespasian the ,emperor1 at ,rome4 ,and this ,holy ,bible has never been seen or heard of since4 ,so much for that4 ,then there was a copy1 or rather a translation1 called the ,septuagint4 ,how was that made8 ,it is said that ,ptolemy ,soter and his son ,ptolemy ,philadelphus obtained a translation of the ,jewish ,bible4 ,this translation was made by seventy persons4 ,at that time the ,jewish ,bible did not contain ,daniel1 ,ecclesiastes1 but few of the ,psalms and only a part of ,isaiah4 ,what became of this translation known as the ,septuagint8 ,it was burned in the ,bruchium ,library forty-seven years before ,christ4 ,then there was another so-called copy of part of the ,bible1 known as the ,samaritan ,roll of the ,pentateuch4 ,but this is not considered of any value4 ,have we a true copy of the ,bible that was in the temple at ,jerusalem--the one sent to ,vespasian8 ,nobody knows4 ,have we a true copy of the ,septuagint8 ,nobody knows4 ,what is the oldest manuscript of the ,bible we have in ,hebrew8 ,the oldest manuscript we have in ,hebrew was written in the #ajth century after ,christ4 ,the oldest pretended copy we have of the ,septuagint written in ,greek was made in the #eth century after ,christ4 ,if the ,bible was divinely inspired1 if it was the actual word of ,god1 we have no authenticated copy4 ,the original has been lost and we are left in the darkness of ,nature4 ,it is impossible for us to show that our ,bible is correct4 ,we have no standard4 ,many of the books in our ,bible contradict each other4 ,many chapters appear to be incomplete and parts of different books are written in the same words1 showing that both could not have been original4 ,the #aith and #bjth chapters of #bnd ,kings and the #cgth and #chth chapters of ,isaiah are exactly the same4 ,so is the #cfth chapter of ,isaiah from the #bnd verse the same as the #ahth chapter of #bnd ,kings from the #bnd verse4 ,so1 it is perfectly apparent that there could have been no possible propriety in inspiring the writers of ,kings and the writers of ,chronicles4 ,the books are substantially the same1 differing in a few mistakes--in a few falsehoods4 ,the same is true of ,leviticus and ,numbers4 ,the books do not agree either in facts or philosophy4 ,they differ as the men differed who wrote them4 ,what have the worldly done8 ,they have investigated the phenomena of nature4 ,they have invented ways to use the forces of the world1 the weight of falling water--of moving air4 ,they have changed water to steam1 invented engines--the tireless giants that work for man4 ,they have made lightning a messenger and slave4 ,they invented movable type1 taught us the art of printing and made it possible to save and transmit the intellectual wealth of the world4 ,they connected continents with cables1 cities and towns with the telegraph--brought the world into one family--made intelligence independent of distance4 ,they taught us how to build homes1 to obtain food1 to weave cloth4 ,they covered the seas with iron ships and the land with roads and steeds of steel4 ,they gave us the tools of all the trades--the implements of labor4 ,they chiseled statues1 painted pictures and witched the world with form and color4 ,they have found the cause of and the cure for many maladies that afflict the flesh and minds of men4 ,they have given us the instruments of music and the great composers and performers have changed the common air to tones and harmonies that intoxicate1 exalt and purify the soul4 ,they have rescued us from the prisons of fear1 and snatched our souls from the fangs and claws of superstition's loathsome1 crawling1 flying beasts4 ,they have given us the liberty to think and the courage to express our thoughts4 ,they have changed the frightened1 the enslaved1 the kneeling1 the prostrate into men and women--clothed them in their right minds and made them truly free4 ,they have uncrowned the phantoms1 wrested the scepters from the ghosts and given this world to the children of men4 ,they have driven from the heart the fiends of fear and extinguished the flames of hell4 ,they have read a few leaves of the great volume--deciphered some of the records written on stone by the tireless hands of time in the dim past4 ,they have told us something of what has been done by wind and wave1 by fire and frost1 by life and death1 the ceaseless workers1 the pauseless forces of the world4 ,they have enlarged the horizon of the known1 changed the glittering specks that shine above us to wheeling worlds1 and filled all space with countless suns4 ,they have found the qualities of substances1 the nature of things--how to analyze1 separate and combine1 and have enabled us to use the good and avoid the hurtful4 ,they have given us mathematics in the higher forms1 by means of which we measure the astronomical spaces1 the distances to stars1 the velocity at which the heavenly bodies move1 their density and weight1 and by which the mariner navigates the waste and trackless seas4 ,they have given us all we have of knowledge1 of literature and art4 ,they have made life worth living4 ,they have filled the world with conveniences1 comforts and luxuries4 ,all this has been done by the worldly--by those1 who were not called or set apart or filled with the ,holy ,ghost or had the slightest claim to apostolic succession4 ,the men who accomplished these things were not inspired4 ,they had no revelation--no supernatural aid4 ,they were not clad in sacred vestments1 and tiaras were not upon their brows4 ,they were not even ordained4 ,they used their senses1 observed and recorded facts4 ,they had confidence in reason4 ,they were patient searchers for the truth4 ,they turned their attention to the affairs of this world4 ,they were not saints4 ,they were sensible men4 ,they worked for themselves1 for wife and child and for the benefit of all4 ,to these men we are indebted for all we are1 for all we know1 for all we have4 ,they were the creators of civilization--the founders of free states--the saviors of liberty--the destroyers of superstition and the great captains in the army of progress4 ,,iv4 ,,whom shall we thank8 ,standing here at the close of the #aith century--amid the trophies of thought--the triumphs of genius--here under the flag of the ,great ,republic--knowing something of the history of man--here on this day that has been set apart for thanksgiving1 ,i most reverently thank the good men1 the good women of the past1 ,i thank the kind fathers1 the loving mothers of the savage days4 ,i thank the father who spoke the first gentle word1 the mother who first smiled upon her babe4 ,i thank the first true friend4 ,i thank the savages who hunted and fished that they and their babes might live4 ,i thank those who cultivated the ground and changed the forests into farms--those who built rude homes and watched the faces of their happy children in the glow of fireside flames--those who domesticated horses1 cattle and sheep--those who invented wheels and looms and taught us to spin and weave--those who by cultivation changed wild grasses into wheat and corn1 changed bitter things to fruit1 and worthless weeds to flowers1 that sowed within our souls the seeds of art4 ,i thank the poets of the dawn--the tellers of legends--the makers of myths--the singers of joy and grief1 of hope and love4 ,i thank the artists who chiseled forms in stone and wrought with light and shade the face of man4 ,i thank the philosophers1 the thinkers1 who taught us how to use our minds in the great search for truth4 ,i thank the astronomers who explored the heavens1 told us the secrets of the stars1 the glories of the constellations--the geologists who found the story of the world in fossil forms1 in memoranda kept in ancient rocks1 in lines written by waves1 by frost and fire--the anatomists who sought in muscle1 nerve and bone for all the mysteries of life--the chemists who unraveled ,nature's work that they might learn her art--the physicians who have laid the hand of science on the brow of pain1 the hand whose magic touch restores--the surgeons who have defeated ,nature's self and forced her to preserve the lives of those she labored to destroy4 ,i thank the discoverers of chloroform and ether1 the two angels who give to their beloved sleep1 and wrap the throbbing brain in the soft robes of dreams4 ,i thank the great inventors--those who gave us movable type and the press1 by means of which great thoughts and all discovered facts are made immortal--the inventors of engines1 of the great ships1 of the railways1 the cables and telegraphs4 ,i thank the great mechanics1 the workers in iron and steel1 in wood and stone4 ,i thank the inventors and makers of the numberless things of use and luxury4 ,i thank the industrious men1 the loving mothers1 the useful women4 ,they are the benefactors of our race4 ,the inventor of pins did a thousand times more good than all the popes and cardinals1 the bishops and priests--than all the clergymen and parsons1 exhorters and theologians that ever lived4 ,the inventor of matches did more for the comfort and convenience of mankind than all the founders of religions and the makers of all creeds--than all malicious monks and selfish saints4 ,i thank the honest men and women who have expressed their sincere thoughts1 who have been true to themselves and have preserved the veracity of their souls4 ,i thank the thinkers of ,greece and ,rome1 ,zeno and ,epicurus1 ,cicero and ,lucretius4 ,i thank ,bruno1 the bravest1 and ,spinoza1 the subtlest of men4 ,i thank ,voltaire1 whose thought lighted a flame in the brain of man1 unlocked the doors of superstition's cells and gave liberty to many millions of his fellow-men4 ,voltaire--a name that sheds light4 ,voltaire--a star that superstition's darkness cannot quench4 ,i thank the great poets--the dramatists4 ,i thank ,homer and ,aeschylus1 and ,i thank ,shakespeare above them all4 ,i thank ,burns for the heart-throbs he changed into songs1 for his lyrics of flame4 ,i thank ,shelley for his ,skylark1 ,keats for his ,grecian ,urn and ,byron for his ,prisoner of ,chillon4 ,i thank the great novelists4 ,i thank the great sculptors4 ,i thank the unknown man who moulded and chiseled the ,venus de ,milo4 ,i thank the great painters4 ,i thank ,rembrandt and ,corot4 ,i thank all who have adorned1 enriched and ennobled life--all who have created the great1 the noble1 the heroic and artistic ideals4 ,i thank the statesmen who have preserved the rights of man4 ,i thank ,paine whose genius sowed the seeds of independence in the hearts of '#gf4 ,i thank ,jefferson whose mighty words for liberty have made the circuit of the globe4 ,i thank the founders1 the defenders1 the saviors of the ,republic4 ,i thank ,ericsson1 the greatest mechanic of his century1 for the monitor4 ,i thank ,lincoln for the ,proclamation4 ,i thank ,grant for his victories and the vast host that fought for the right1--for the freedom of man4 ,i thank them all--the living and the dead4 ,i thank the great scientists--those who have reached the foundation1 the bed-rock--who have built upon facts--the great scientists1 in whose presence theologians look silly and feel malicious4 ,the scientists never persecuted1 never imprisoned their fellow-men4 ,they forged no chains1 built no dungeons1 erected no scaffolds--tore no flesh with red hot pincers--dislocated no joints on racks--crushed no bones in iron boots--extinguished no eyes--tore out no tongues and lighted no fagots4 ,they did not pretend to be inspired--did not claim to be prophets or saints or to have been born again4 ,they were only intelligent and honest men4 ,they did not appeal to force or fear4 ,they did not regard men as slaves to be ruled by torture1 by lash and chain1 nor as children to be cheated with illusions1 rocked in the cradle of an idiot creed and soothed by a lullaby of lies4 ,they did not wound--they healed4 ,they did not kill--they lengthened life4 ,they did not enslave--they broke the chains and made men free4 ,they sowed the seeds of knowledge1 and many millions have reaped1 are reaping1 and will reap the harvest of joy4 ,i thank ,humboldt and ,helmholtz and ,haeckel and ,buechner4 ,i thank ,lamarck and ,darwin--,darwin who revolutionized the thought of the intellectual world4 ,i thank ,huxley and ,spencer4 ,i thank the scientists one and all4 ,i thank the heroes1 the destroyers of prejudice and fear--the dethroners of savage gods--the extinguishers of hate's eternal fire--the heroes1 the breakers of chains--the founders of free states--the makers of just laws--the heroes who fought and fell on countless fields--the heroes whose dungeons became shrines--the heroes whose blood made scaffolds sacred--the heroes1 the apostles of reason1 the disciples of truth1 the soldiers of freedom--the heroes who held high the holy torch and filled the world with light4 ,with all my heart ,i thank them all4 ,a ,,lay ,,sermon4 99 ,delivered before the ,congress of the ,american ,secular ,union1 at ,chickering ,hall1 ,new ,york1 ,nov4 #ad1 #ahhe4 ,,ladies ,,and ,,gentlemen3 ,in the greatest tragedy that has ever been written by man--in the fourth scene of the third act--is the best prayer that ,i have ever read2 and when ,i say the greatest tragedy1 everybody familiar with ,shakespeare will know that ,i refer to ,king ,lear4 ,after he has been on the heath1 touched with insanity1 coming suddenly to the place of shelter1 he says3 ,i'll pray1 and then ,i'll sleep4 ,and this prayer is my text3 ,poor naked wretches1 wheresoe'er you are1 ,that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm1 ,how shall your unhoused heads1 your unfed sides1 ,your looped and windowed raggedness1 defend you ,from seasons such as these8 ,oh1 ,i have ta'en ,too little care of this4 ,take physic1 pomp2 ,expose thyself to feel what wretches feel1 ,that thou may'st shake the superflux to them1 ,and show the heavens more just4 ,that is one of the noblest prayers that ever fell from human lips4 ,if nobody has too much1 everybody will have enough6 ,i propose to say a few words upon subjects that are near to us all1 and in which every human being ought to be interested--and if he is not1 it may be that his wife will be1 it may be that his orphans will be2 and ,i would like to see this world1 at last1 so that a man could die and not feel that he left his wife and children a prey to the greed1 the avarice1 or the cruelties of mankind4 ,there is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least4 ,there is something wrong1 when honesty wears a rag1 and rascality a robe2 when the loving1 the tender1 eat a crust1 while the infamous sit at banquets4 ,i cannot do much1 but ,i can at least sympathize with those who suffer4 ,there is one thing that we should remember at the start1 and if ,i can only teach you that1 to-night--unless you know it already--,i shall consider the few words ,i may have to say a wonderful success4 ,i want you to remember that everybody is as he must be4 ,i want you to get out of your minds the old nonsense of free moral agency2 and then you will have charity for the whole human race4 ,when you know that they are not responsible for their dispositions1 any more than for their height2 not responsible for their acts1 any more than for their dreams2 when you finally understand the philosophy that everything exists as the result of an efficient cause1 and that the lightest fancy that ever fluttered its painted wings in the horizon of hope was as necessarily produced as the planet that in its orbit wheels about the sun--when you understand this1 ,i believe you will have charity for all mankind--including even yourself4 ,wealth is not a crime2 poverty is not a virtue--although the virtuous have generally been poor4 ,there is only one good1 and that is human happiness2 and he only is a wise man who makes himself and others happy4 ,i have heard all my life about self-denial4 ,there never was anything more idiotic than that4 ,no man who does right practices self-denial4 ,to do right is the bud and blossom and fruit of wisdom4 ,to do right should always be dictated by the highest possible selfishness and the most perfect generosity4 ,no man practices self-denial unless he does wrong4 ,to inflict an injury upon yourself is an act of self-denial4 ,he who denies justice to another denies it to himself4 ,to plant seeds that will forever bear the fruit of joy1 is not an act of self-denial4 ,so this idea of doing good to others only for their sake is absurd4 ,you want to do it1 not simply for their sake1 but for your own2 because a perfectly civilized man can never be perfectly happy while there is one unhappy being in this universe4 ,let us take another step4 ,the barbaric world was to be rewarded in some other world for acting sensibly in this4 ,they were promised rewards in another world1 if they would only have self-denial enough to be virtuous in this4 ,if they would forego the pleasures of larceny and murder2 if they would forego the thrill and bliss of meanness here1 they would be rewarded hereafter for that self-denial4 ,i have exactly the opposite idea4 ,do right1 not to deny yourself1 but because you love yourself and because you love others4 ,be generous1 because it is better for you4 ,be just1 because any other course is the suicide of the soul4 ,whoever does wrong plagues himself1 and when he reaps that harvest1 he will find that he was not practicing self-denial when he did right4 ,if you want to be happy yourself1 if you are truly civilized1 you want others to be happy4 ,every man ought1 to the extent of his ability1 to increase the happiness of mankind1 for the reason that that will increase his own4 ,no one can be really prosperous unless those with whom he lives share the sunshine and the joy4 ,the first thing a man wants to know and be sure of is when he has got enough4 ,most people imagine that the rich are in heaven1 but1 as a rule1 it is only a gilded hell4 ,there is not a man in the city of ,new ,york with genius enough1 with brains enough1 to own five millions of dollars4 ,why8 ,the money will own him4 ,he becomes the key to a safe4 ,that money will get him up at daylight2 that money will separate him from his friends2 that money will fill his heart with fear2 that money will rob his days of sunshine and his nights of pleasant dreams4 ,he cannot own it4 ,he becomes the property of that money4 ,and he goes right on making more4 ,what for8 ,he does not know4 ,it becomes a kind of insanity4 ,no one is happier in a palace than in a cabin4 ,i love to see a log house4 ,it is associated in my mind always with pure1 unalloyed happiness4 ,it is the only house in the world that looks as though it had no mortgage on it4 ,it looks as if you could spend there long1 tranquil autumn days2 the air filled with serenity2 no trouble1 no thoughts about notes1 about interest--nothing of the kind2 just breathing free air1 watching the hollyhocks1 listening to the birds and to the music of the spring that comes like a poem from the earth4 ,it is an insanity to get more than you want4 ,imagine a man in this city1 an intelligent man1 say with two or three millions of coats1 eight or ten millions of hats1 vast warehouses full of shoes1 billions of neckties1 and imagine that man getting up at four o'clock in the morning1 in the rain and snow and sleet1 working like a dog all day to get another necktie6 ,is not that exactly what the man of twenty or thirty millions1 or of five millions1 does to-day8 ,wearing his life out that somebody may say1 ,how rich he is6 ,what can he do with the surplus8 ,nothing4 ,can he eat it8 ,no4 ,make friends8 ,no4 ,purchase flattery and lies8 ,yes4 ,make all his poor relations hate him8 ,yes4 ,and then1 what worry6 ,annoyed1 nervous1 tormented1 until his poor little brain becomes inflamed1 and you see in the morning paper1 ,died of apoplexy4 ,this man finally began to worry for fear he would not have enough neckties to last him through4 ,so we ought to teach our children that great wealth is a curse4 ,great wealth is the mother of crime4 ,on the other hand are the abject poor4 ,and let me ask1 to-night3 ,is the world forever to remain as it was when ,lear made his prayer8 ,is it ever to remain as it is now8 ,i hope not4 ,are there always to be millions whose lips are white with famine8 ,is the withered palm to be always extended1 imploring from the stony heart of respectable charity1 alms8 ,must every man who sits down to a decent dinner always think of the starving8 ,must every one sitting by the fireside think of some poor mother1 with a child strained to her breast1 shivering in the storm8 ,i hope not4 ,are the rich always to be divided from the poor1--not only in fact1 but in feeling8 ,and that division is growing more and more every day ,the gulf between ,lazarus and ,dives widens year by year1 only their positions are changed--,lazarus is in hell1 and he thinks ,dives is in the bosom of ,abraham4 ,and there is one thing that helps to widen this gulf4 ,in nearly every city of the ,united ,states you will find the fashionable part1 and the poor part4 ,the poor know nothing of the fashionable part1 except the outside splendor2 and as they go by the palaces1 that poison plant called envy1 springs and grows in their poor hearts4 ,the rich know nothing of the poor1 except the squalor and rags and wretchedness1 and what they read in the police records1 and they say1 ,thank ,god1 we are not like those people6 ,their hearts are filled with scorn and contempt1 and the hearts of the others with envy and hatred4 ,there must be some way devised for the rich and poor to get acquainted4 ,the poor do not know how many well-dressed people sympathize with them1 and the rich do not know how many noble hearts beat beneath the rags4 ,if we can ever get the loving poor acquainted with the sympathizing rich1 this question will be nearly solved4 ,in a hundred other ways they are divided4 ,if anything should bring mankind together it ought to be a common belief4 ,in ,catholic countries1 that does have a softening influence upon the rich and upon the poor4 ,they believe the same4 ,so in ,mohammedan countries they can kneel in the same mosque1 and pray to the same ,god4 ,but how is it with us8 ,the church is not free4 ,there is no welcome in the velvet for the velveteen4 ,poverty does not feel at home there1 and the consequence is1 the rich and poor are kept apart1 even by their religion4 ,i am not saying anything against religion4 ,i am not on that question2 but ,i would think more of any religion1 provided that even for one day in the week1 or for one hour in the year1 it allowed wealth to clasp the hand of poverty and to have1 for one moment even1 the thrill of genuine friendship4 ,in the olden times1 in barbaric life1 it was a simple' thing to get a living4 ,a little hunting1 a little fishing1 pulling a little fruit1 and digging for roots--all simple2 and they were nearly all on an equality1 and comparatively there were fewer failures4 ,living has at last become complex4 ,all the avenues are filled with men struggling for the accomplishment of the same thing3 ,for emulation hath a thousand sons ,that one by one pursue3 if you give way1 ,or hedge aside from the direct forthright1 ,like to an entered tide1 they all rush by1 ,and leave you hindmost2-- ,or1 like a gallant horse1 fallen in first rank1 ,lie there for pavement to the abject rear4 ,the struggle is so hard4 ,and just exactly as we have risen in the scale of being1 the per cent1 of failures has increased4 ,it is so that all men are not capable of getting a living4 ,they have not cunning enough1 intellect enough1 muscle enough--they are not strong enough4 ,they are too generous1 or they are too negligent2 and then some people seem to have what is called bad luck--that is to say1 when anything falls1 they are under it2 when anything bad happens1 it happens to them4 ,and now there is another trouble4 ,just as life becomes complex and as everyone is trying to accomplish certain objects1 all the ingenuity of the brain is at work to get there by a shorter way1 and1 in consequence1 this has become an age of invention4 ,myriads of machines have been invented--every one of them to save labor4 ,if these machines helped the laborer1 what a blessing they would be6 ,but the laborer does not own the machine2 the machine owns him4 ,that is the trouble4 ,in the olden time1 when ,i was a boy1 even1 you know how it was in the little towns4 ,there was a shoemaker--two of them--a tailor or two1 a blacksmith1 a wheelwright4 ,i remember just how the shops used to look4 ,i used to go to the blacksmith shop at night1 get up on the forge1 and hear them talk about turning horse-shoes4 ,many a night have ,i seen the sparks fly and heard the stories that were told4 ,there was a great deal of human nature in those days6 ,everybody was known4 ,if times got hard1 the poor little shoemakers made a living mending1 half-soling1 straightening up the heels4 ,the same with the blacksmith2 the same with the tailor4 ,they could get credit--they did not have to pay till the next ,january1 and if they could not pay then1 they took another year1 and they were happy enough4 ,now one man is not a shoemaker4 ,there is a great building--several hundred thousand dollars' worth of machinery1 three or four thousand people--not a single mechanic in the whole building4 ,one sews on straps1 another greases the machines1 cuts out soles1 waxes threads4 ,and what is the result8 ,when the machines stop1 three thousand men are out of employment4 ,credit goes4 ,then come want and famine1 and if they happen to have a little child die1 it would take them years to save enough of their earnings to pay the expense of putting away that little sacred piece of flesh4 ,and yet1 by this machinery we can produce enough to flood the world4 ,by the inventions in agricultural machinery the ,united ,states can feed all the mouths upon the earth4 ,there is not a thing that man uses that can not instantly be over-produced to such an extent as to become almost worthless2 and yet1 with all this production1 with all this power to create1 there are millions and millions in abject want4 ,granaries bursting1 and famine looking into the doors of the poor6 ,millions of everything1 and yet millions wanting everything and having substantially nothing6 ,now1 there is something wrong there4 ,we have got into that contest between machines-and men1 and if extravagance does not keep pace with ingenuity1 it is going to be the most terrible question that man has ever settled4 ,i tell you1 to-night1 that these things are worth thinking about4 ,nothing that touches the future of our race1 nothing that touches the happiness of ourselves or our children1 should be beneath our notice4 ,we should think of these things--must think of them--and we should endeavor to see that justice is finally done between man and man4 ,my sympathies are with the poor4 ,my sympathies are with the workingmen of the ,united ,states4 ,understand me distinctly4 ,i am not an ,anarchist4 ,anarchy is the reaction from tyranny4 ,i am not a ,socialist4 ,i am not a ,communist4 ,i am an ,individualist4 ,i do not believe in tyranny of government1 but ,i do believe in justice as between man and man4 ,what is the remedy8 ,or1 what can we think of--for do not imagine that ,i think ,i know4 ,it is an immense1 an almost infinite1 question1 and all we can do is to guess4 ,you have heard a great deal lately upon the land subject4 ,let me say a word or two upon that4 ,in the first place ,i do not want to take1 and ,i would not take1 an inch of land from any human being that belonged to him4 ,if we ever take it1 we must pay for it--condemn it and take it--do not rob anybody4 ,whenever any man advocates justice1 and robbery as the means1 ,i suspect him4 ,no man should be allowed to own any land that he does not use4 ,everybody knows that--,i do not care whether he has thousands or millions4 ,i have owned a great deal of land1 but ,i know just as well as ,i know ,i am living that ,i should not be allowed to have it unless ,i use it4 ,and why8 ,don't you know that if people could bottle the air1 they would8 ,don't you know that there would be an ,american ,air-bottling ,association8 ,and don't you know that they would allow thousands and millions to die for want of breath1 if they could not pay for air8 ,i am not blaming anybody4 ,i am just telling how it is4 ,now1 the land belongs to the children of ,nature4 ,nature invites into this world every babe that is born4 ,and what would you think of me1 for instance1 to-night1 if ,i had invited you here--nobody had charged you anything1 but you had been invited--and when you got here you had found one man pretending to occupy a hundred seats1 another fifty1 and another seventy-five1 and thereupon you were compelled to stand up--what would you think of the invitation8 ,it seems to me that every child of ,nature is entitled to his share of the land1 and that he should not be compelled to beg the privilege to work the soil1 of a babe that happened to be born before him4 ,and why do ,i say this8 ,because it is not to our interest to have a few landlords and millions of tenants4 ,the tenement house is the enemy of modesty1 the enemy of virtue1 the enemy of patriotism4 ,home is where the virtues grow4 ,i would like to see the law so that every home1 to a small amount1 should be free not only from sale for debts1 but should be absolutely free from taxation1 so that every man could have a home4 ,then we will have a nation of patriots4 ,now1 suppose that every man were to have all the land he is able to buy4 ,the ,vanderbilts could buy to-day all the land that is in farms in the ,state of ,ohio--every foot of it4 ,would it be for the best interest of that ,state to have a few landlords and four or five millions of serfs8 ,so1 ,i am in favor of a law finally to be carried out--not by robbery1 but by compensation1 under the right1 as the lawyers call it1 of eminent domain--so that no person would be allowed to own more land than he uses4 ,i am not blaming these rich men for being rich4 ,i pity the most of them4 ,i had rather be poor1 with a little sympathy in my heart1 than to be rich as all the mines of earth and not have that little flower of pity in my breast4 ,i do not see how a man can have hundreds of millions and pass every day people that have not enough to eat4 ,i do not understand it4 ,i might be just the same way myself4 ,there is something in money that dries up the sources of affection1 and the probability is1 it is this3 the moment a man gets money1 so many men are trying to get it away from him that in a little while he regards the whole human race as his enemy1 and he generally thinks that they could be rich1 too1 if they would only attend to business as he has4 ,understand1 ,i am not blaming these people4 ,there is a good deal of human nature in us all4 ,you remember the story of the man who made a speech at a ,socialist meeting1 and closed it by saying1 ,thank ,god1 ,i am no monopolist1 but as he sank to his seat said1 ,but ,i wish to the ,lord ,i was6 ,we must remember that these rich men are naturally produced4 ,do not blame them4 ,blame the system6 ,certain privileges have been granted to the few by the ,government1 ostensibly for the benefit of the many2 and whenever that grant is not for the good of the many1 it should be taken from the few--not by force1 not by robbery1 but by estimating fairly the value of that property1 and paying to them its value2 because everything should be done according to law and order4 ,what remedy1 then1 is there8 ,first1 the great weapon in this country is the ballot4 ,each voter is a sovereign4 ,there the poorest is the equal of the richest4 ,his vote will count just as many as though the hand that cast it controlled millions4 ,the poor are in the majority in this country4 ,if there is any law that oppresses them1 it is their fault4 ,they have followed the fife and drum of some party4 ,they have been misled by others4 ,no man should go an inch with a party--no matter if that party is half the world and has in it the greatest intellects of the earth--unless that party is going his way4 ,no honest man should ever turn round to join anything4 ,if it overtakes him1 good4 ,if he has to hurry up a little to get to it1 good4 ,but do not go with anything that is not going your way2 no matter whether they call it ,republican1 or ,democrat1 or ,progressive ,democracy--do not go with it unless it goes your way4 ,the ballot is the power4 ,the law should settle many of these questions between capital and labor4 ,but ,i expect the greatest good to come from civilization1 from the growth of a sense of justice2 for ,i tell you to-night1 a civilized man will never want anything for less than it is worth--a civilized man1 when he sells a thing1 will never want more than it is worth--a really and truly civilized man1 would rather be cheated than to cheat4 ,and yet1 in the ,united ,states1 good as we are1 nearly everybody wants to get everything for a little less than it is worth1 and the man that sells it to him wants to get a little more than it is worth8 and this breeds rascality on both sides4 ,that ought to be done away with4 ,there is one step toward it that we will take3 we will finally say that human flesh1 human labor1 shall not depend entirely on supply and demand4 ,that is infinitely cruel4 ,every man should give to another according to his ability to give--and enough that he may make his living and lay something by for the winter of old age4 ,go to ,england4 ,civilized country they call it4 ,it is not4 ,it never was4 ,i am afraid it never will be4 ,go to ,london1 the greatest city of this world1 where there is the most wealth--the greatest glittering piles of gold4 ,and yet1 one out of every six in that city dies in a hospital1 a workhouse or a prison4 ,is that the best that we are ever to know8 ,is that the last word that civilization has to say8 ,look at the women in this town sewing for a living1 making cloaks for less than forty-five cents1 that sell for #de6 ,right here--here1 amid all the palaces1 amid the thousands of millions of property--here6 ,is that all that civilization can do8 ,must a poor woman support herself1 or her child1 or her children1 by that kind of labor1 and with such pay--and do we call ourselves civilized8 ,did you ever read that wonderful poem about the sewing woman8 ,let me tell you the last verse3 ,winds that have sainted her1 tell ye the story ,of the young life by the needle that bled1 ,making a bridge over death's soundless waters ,out of a swaying1 and soul-cutting thread-- ,over it going1 all the world knowing ,that thousands have trod it1 foot-bleeding1 before3 ,god protect all of us6 ,god pity all of us1 ,should she look back from the opposite shore6 ,i cannot call this civilization4 ,there must be something nearer a fairer division in this world4 ,you can never get it by strikes4 ,never4 ,the first strike that is a great success will be the last1 because the people who believe in law and order will put the strikers down4 ,the strike is no remedy4 ,boycotting is no remedy4 ,brute force is no remedy4 ,these questions have to be settled by reason1 by candor1 by intelligence1 by kindness2 and nothing is permanently settled in this world that has not for its corner-stone justice1 and is not protected by the profound conviction of the human mind4 ,this is no country for ,anarchy1 no country for ,communism1 no country for the ,socialist4 ,why8 ,because the political power is equally divided4 ,what other reason8 ,speech is free4 ,what other8 ,the press is untrammeled4 ,and that is all that the right should ever ask--a free press1 free speech1 and the protection of person4 ,that is enough4 ,that is all ,i ask4 ,in a country like ,russia1 where every mouth is a bastile and every tongue a convict1 there may be some excuse4 ,where the noblest and the best are driven to ,siberia1 there may be a reason for the ,nihilist4 ,in a country where no man is allowed to petition for redress1 there is a reason1 but not here4 ,this--say what you will against it--this is the best ,government ever founded by the human race6 ,say what you will of parties1 say what you will of dishonesty1 the holiest flag that ever kissed the air is ours6 ,only a few years ago morally we were a low people--before we abolished slavery--but now1 when there is no chain except that of custom1 when every man has an opportunity1 this is the grandest ,government of the earth4 ,there is hardly a man in the ,united ,states to-day1 of any importance1 whose voice anybody cares to hear1 who was not nursed at the loving breast of poverty4 ,look at the children of the rich4 ,my ,god1 what a punishment for being rich6 ,so1 whatever happens1 let every man say that this ,government1 and this form of government1 shall stand4 ,but1 say some1 these workingmen are dangerous4 ,i deny it4 ,we are all in their power4 ,they run all the cars4 ,our lives are in their hands almost every day4 ,they are working in all our homes4 ,they do the labor of this world4 ,we are all at their mercy1 and yet they do not commit more crimes1 according to number1 than the rich4 ,remember that4 ,i am not afraid of them4 ,neither am ,i afraid of the monopolists1 because1 under our institutions1 when they become hurtful to the general good1 the people will stand it just to a certain point1 and then comes the end--not in anger1 not in hate1 but from a love of liberty and justice4 ,now1 we have in this country another class4 ,we call them criminals4 ,let me take another step3 ',tis not enough to help the feeble up1 ,but to support him after4 ,recollect what ,i said in the first place--that every man is as he must be4 ,every crime is a necessary product4 ,the seeds were all sown1 the land thoroughly plowed1 the crop well attended to1 and carefully harvested4 ,every crime is born of necessity4 ,if you want less crime1 you must change the conditions4 ,poverty makes crime4 ,want1 rags1 crusts1 failure1 misfortune--all these awake the wild beast in man1 and finally he takes1 and takes contrary to law1 and becomes a criminal4 ,and what do you do with him8 ,you punish him4 ,why not punish a man for having the consumption8 ,the time will come when you will see that that is just as logical4 ,what do you do with the criminal8 ,you send him to the penitentiary4 ,is he made better8 ,worse4 ,the first thing you do is to try to trample out his manhood1 by putting an indignity upon him4 ,you mark him4 ,you put him in stripes4 ,at night you put him in darkness4 ,his feeling for revenge grows4 ,you make a wild beast of him1 and he comes out of that place branded in body and soul1 and then you won't let him reform if he wants to4 ,you put on airs above him1 because he has been in the penitentiary4 ,the next time you look with scorn upon a convict1 let me beg of you to do one thing4 ,maybe you are not as bad as ,i am1 but do one thing3 think of all the crimes you have wanted to commit2 think of all the crimes you would have committed if you had had the opportunity2 think of all the temptations to which you would have yielded had nobody been looking2 and then put your hand on your heart and say whether you can justly look with contempt even upon a convict4 ,none but the noblest should inflict punishment1 even on the basest4 ,society has no right to punish any man in revenge--no right to punish any man except for two objects--one1 the prevention of crime2 the other1 the reformation of the criminal4 ,how can you reform him8 ,kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows4 ,let it be understood by these men that there is no revenge2 let it be understood1 too1 that they can reform4 ,only a little while ago ,i read of a case of a young man who had been in a penitentiary and came out4 ,he kept it a secret1 and went to work for a farmer4 ,he got in love with the daughter1 and wanted to marry her4 ,he had nobility enough to tell the truth--he told the father that he had been in the penitentiary4 ,the father said1 ,you cannot have my daughter1 because it would stain her life4 ,the young man said1 ,yes1 it would stain her life1 therefore ,i will not marry her4 ,he went out4 ,in a few moments afterward they heard the report of a pistol1 and he was dead4 ,he left just a little note saying3 ,i am through4 ,there is no need of my living longer1 when ,i stain with my life the one ,i love4 ,and yet we call our society civilized4 ,there is a mistake4 ,i want that question thought of4 ,i want all my fellow-citizens to think of it4 ,i want you to do what you can to do away with all cruelty4 ,there are1 of course1 some cases that have to be treated with what might be called almost cruelty2 but if there is the smallest seed of good in any human heart1 let kindness fall upon it until it grows1 and in that way ,i know1 and so do you1 that the world will get better and better day by day4 ,let us1 above all things1 get acquainted with each other4 ,let every man teach his son1 teach his daughter1 that labor is honorable4 ,let us say to our children3 ,it is your business to see that you never become a burden on others4 ,your first duty is to take care of yourselves1 and if there is a surplus1 with that surplus help your fellow-man4 ,you owe it to yourself above all things not to be a burden upon others4 ,teach your son that it is his duty not only1 but his highest joy1 to become a home-builder1 a home-owner4 ,teach your children that the fireside is the happiest place in this world4 ,teach them that whoever is an idler1 whoever lives upon the labor of others1 whether he is a pirate or a king1 is a dishonorable person4 ,teach them that no civilized man wants anything for nothing1 or for less than it is worth2 that he wants to go through this world paying his way as he goes1 and if he gets a little ahead1 an extra joy1 it should be divided with another1 if that other is doing something for himself4 ,help others help themselves4 ,and let us teach that great wealth is not great happiness2 that money will not purchase love2 it never did and never can purchase respect2 it never did and never can purchase the highest happiness4 ,i believe with ,robert ,burns3 ,if happiness have not her seat ,and center in the breast1 ,we may be wise1 or rich1 or great1 ,but never can be blest4 ,we must teach this1 and let our fellow-citizens know that we give them every right that we claim for ourselves4 ,we must discuss these questions and have charity--and we will have it whenever we have the philosophy that all men are as they must be1 and that intelligence and kindness are the only levers capable of raising mankind4 ,then there is another thing4 ,let each one be true to himself4 ,no matter what his class1 no matter what his circumstances1 let him tell his thought4 ,don't let his class bribe him4 ,don't let him talk like a banker because he is a banker4 ,don't let him talk like the rest of the merchants because he is a merchant4 ,let him be true to the human race instead of to his little business--be true to the ideal in his heart and brain1 instead of to his little present and apparent selfishness--let him have a larger and more intelligent selfishness--a generous philosophy1 that includes not only others but himself4 ,so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i have made up my mind that no organization1 secular or religious1 shall be my master4 ,i have made up my mind that no necessity of bread1 or roof1 or raiment shall ever put a padlock on my lips4 ,i have made up my mind that no hope of preferment1 no honor1 no wealth1 shall ever make me for one moment swerve from what ,i really believe1 no matter whether it is to my immediate interest1 as one would think1 or not4 ,and while ,i live1 ,i am going to do what little ,i can to help my fellow-men who have not been as fortunate as ,i have been4 ,i shall talk on their side1 ,i shall vote on their side1 and do what little ,i can to convince men that happiness does not lie in the direction of great wealth1 but in the direction of achievement for the good of themselves and for the good of their fellow-men4 ,i shall do what little ,i can to hasten the day when this earth shall be covered with homes1 and when by countless firesides shall sit the happy and the loving families of the world4 ,,the ,,foundations ,,of ,,faith4 ,i4 ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,,one of the foundation stones of our faith is the ,old ,testament4 ,if that book is not true1 if its authors were unaided men1 if it contains blunders and falsehoods1 then that stone crumbles to dust4 ,the geologists demonstrated that the author of ,genesis was mistaken as to the age of the world1 and that the story of the universe having been created in six days1 about six thousand years ago could not be true4 ,the theologians then took the ground that the days spoken of in ,genesis were periods of time1 epochs1 six long whiles1 and that the work of creation might have been commenced millions of years ago4 ,the change of days into epochs was considered by the believers of the ,bible as a great triumph over the hosts of infidelity4 ,the fact that ,jehovah had ordered the ,jews to keep the ,sabbath1 giving as a reason that he had made the world in six days and rested on the seventh1 did not interfere with the acceptance of the epoch theory4 ,but there is still another question4 ,how long has man been upon the earth8 ,according to the ,bible1 ,adam was certainly the first man1 and in his case the epoch theory cannot change the account4 ,the ,bible gives the age at which ,adam died1 and gives the generations to the flood--then to ,abraham and so on1 and shows that from the creation of ,adam to the birth of ,christ it was about four thousand and four years4 ,according to the sacred ,scriptures man has been on this earth five thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine years and no more4 ,is this true8 ,geologists have divided a few years of the worlds history into periods1 reaching from the azoic rocks to the soil of our time4 ,with most of these periods they associate certain forms of life1 so that it is known that the lowest forms of life belonged with the earliest periods1 and the higher with the more recent4 ,it is also known that certain forms of life existed in ,europe many ages ago1 and that many thousands of years ago these forms disappeared4 ,for instance1 it is well established that at one time there lived in ,europe1 and in the ,british ,islands some of the most gigantic mammals1 the mammoth1 the woolly-haired rhinoceros1 the ,irish elk1 elephants and other forms that have in those countries become extinct4 ,geologists say that many thousands of years have passed since these animals ceased to inhabit those countries4 ,it was during the ,drift ,period that these forms of life existed in ,europe and ,england1 and that must have been hundreds of thousands of years ago4 ,in caves1 once inhabited by men1 have been found implements of flint and the bones of these extinct animals4 ,with the flint tools man had split the bones of these beasts that he might secure the marrow for food4 ,many such caves and hundreds of such tools1 and of such bones have been found4 ,and we now know that in the ,drift ,period man was the companion of these extinct monsters4 ,it is therefore certain that many1 many thousands of years before ,adam lived1 men1 women and children inhabited the earth4 ,it is certain that the account in the ,bible of the creation of the first man is a mistake4 ,it is certain that the inspired writers knew nothing about the origin of man4 ,let me give you another fact3 ,the ,egyptians were astronomers4 ,a few years ago representations of the stars were found on the walls of an old temple1 and it was discovered by calculating backward that the stars did occupy the exact positions as represented about seven hundred and fifty years before ,christ4 ,afterward another representation of the stars was found1 and by calculating in the same way1 it was found that the stars did occupy the exact positions represented about three thousand eight hundred years before ,christ4 ,according to the ,bible the first man was created four thousand and four years before ,christ ,if this is true then ,egypt was founded1 its language formed1 its arts cultivated1 its astronomical discoveries made and recorded about two hundred years after the creation of the first man4 ,in other words1 ,adam was two or three hundred years old when the ,egyptian astronomers made these representations4 ,nothing can be more absurd4 ,again ,i say that the writers of the ,bible were mistaken4 ,how do ,i know8 ,according to that same ,bible there was a flood some fifteen or sixteen hundred years after ,adam was created that destroyed the entire human race with the exception of eight persons1 and according to the ,bible the ,egyptians descended from one of the sons of ,noah4 ,how then did the ,egyptians represent the stars in the position they occupied twelve hundred years before the flood8 ,no one pretends that ,egypt existed as a nation before the flood4 ,yet the astronomical representations found1 must have been made more than a thousand years before the world was drowned4 ,there is another mistake in the ,bible4 ,according to that book the sun was made after the earth was created4 ,is this true8 ,did the earth exist before the sun8 ,the men of science are believers in the exact opposite4 ,they believe that the earth is a child of the sun--that the earth1 as well as the other planets belonging to our constellation1 came from the sun4 ,the writers of the ,bible were mistaken4 ,there is another point3 ,according to the ,bible1 ,jehovah made the world in six days1 and the work done each day is described4 ,what did ,jehovah do on the second day8 ,this is the record3 ,and ,god said3 ,let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters1 and let it divide the waters from the waters4 ,and ,god made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament4 ,and it was so1 and ,god called the firmament heaven4 ,and the evening and the morning were the second day4 ,the writer of this believed in a solid firmament--the floor of ,jehovah's house4 ,he believed that the waters had been divided1 and that the rain came from above the firmament4 ,he did not understand the fact of evaporation--did not know that the rain came from the water on the earth4 ,now we know that there is no firmament1 and we know that the waters are not divided by a firmament4 ,consequently we know that1 according to the ,bible1 ,jehovah did nothing on the second day4 ,he must have rested on ,tuesday4 ,this being so1 we ought to have two ,sundays a week4 ,can we rely on the historical parts of the ,bible8 ,seventy souls went down into ,egypt1 and in two hundred and fifteen years increased to three millions4 ,they could not have doubled more than four times a century4 ,say nine times in two hundred and fifteen years4 ,this makes thirty-five thousand eight hundred and forty1 7#ce1hdj47 instead of three millions4 ,can we believe the accounts of the battles8 ,take one instance3 ,jereboam had an army of eight hundred thousand men1 ,abijah of four hundred thousand4 ,they fought4 ,the ,lord was on ,abijah's side1 and he killed five hundred thousand of ,jereboam's men4 ,all these soldiers were ,jews--all lived in ,palestine1 a poor miserable little country about one-quarter as large as the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,yet one million two hundred thousand soldiers were put in the field4 ,this required a population in the country of ten or twelve millions4 ,of course this is absurd4 ,palestine in its palmiest days could not have supported two millions of people4 ,the soil is poor4 ,if the ,bible is inspired1 is it true8 ,we are told by this inspired book of the gold and silver collected by ,king ,david for the temple--the temple afterward completed by the virtuous ,solomon4 ,according to the blessed ,bible1 ,david collected about two thousand million dollars in silver1 and five thousand million dollars in gold1 making a total of seven thousand million dollars4 ,is this true8 ,there is in the bank of ,france at the present time 7#ahie7 nearly six hundred million dollars1 and so far as we know1 it is the greatest amount that was ever gathered together4 ,all the gold now known1 coined and in bullion1 does not amount to much more than the sum collected by ,david4 ,seven thousand millions4 ,where did ,david get this gold8 ,the ,jews had no commerce4 ,they owned no ships4 ,they had no great factories1 they produced nothing for other countries4 ,there were no gold or silver mines in ,palestine4 ,where then was this gold1 this silver found8 ,i will tell you3 ,in the imagination of a writer who had more patriotism than intelligence1 and who wrote1 not for the sake of truth1 but for the glory of the ,jews4 ,is it possible that ,david collected nearly eight thousand tons of gold--that he by economy got together about sixty thousand tons of silver1 making a total of gold and silver of sixty-eight thousand tons8 ,the average freight car carries about fifteen tons--,david's gold and silver would load about four thousand five hundred and thirty-three cars1 making a train about thirty-two miles in length4 ,and all this for the temple at ,jerusalem1 a building ninety feet long and forty-five feet high and thirty wide1 to which was attached a porch thirty feet wide1 ninety feet long and one hundred and eighty feet high4 ,probably the architect was inspired4 ,is there a sensible man in the world who believes that ,david collected seven thousand million dollars worth of gold or silver8 ,there is hardly five thousand million dollars of gold now used as money in the whole world4 ,think of the millions taken from the mines of ,california1 ,australia and ,africa during the present century and yet the total scarcely exceeds the amount collected by ,king ,david more than a thousand years before the birth of ,christ4 ,evidently the inspired historian made a mistake4 ,it required a little imagination and a few ciphers to change seven million dollars or seven hundred thousand dollars into seven thousand million dollars4 ,drop four ciphers and the story becomes fairly reasonable4 ,the ,old ,testament must be thrown aside4 ,it is no longer a foundation4 ,it has crumbled4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,but we have the ,new ,testament1 the sequel of the ,old1 in which ,christians find the fulfillment of prophecies made by inspired ,jews4 ,the ,new ,testament vouches for the truth1 the inspiration1 of the ,old1 and if the old is false1 the ,new cannot be true4 ,in the ,new ,testament we find all that we know about the life and teachings of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is claimed that the writers were divinely inspired1 and that all they wrote is true4 ,let us see if these writers agree4 ,certainly there should be no difference about the birth of ,christ4 ,from the ,christian's point of view1 nothing could have been of greater importance than that event4 ,matthew says3 ,now when ,jesus was born in ,bethlehem of ,judea1 in the days of ,herod the ,king1 behold there came wise men from the east to ,jerusalem4 ,saying1 where is he that is born king of the ,jews8 for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him4 ,matthew does not tell us who these wise men were1 from what country they came1 to what race they belonged4 ,he did not even know their names4 ,we are also informed that when ,herod heard these things he was troubled and all ,jerusalem with him2 that he gathered the chief priests and asked of them where ,christ should be born and they told him that he was to be born in ,bethlehem4 ,then ,herod called the wise men and asked them when the star appeared1 and told them to go to ,bethlehem and report to him4 ,when they left ,herod1 the star again appeared and went before them until it stood over the place where the child was4 ,when they came to the child they worshiped him1--gave him gifts1 and being warned by ,god in a dream1 they went back to their own country without calling on ,herod4 ,then the angel of the ,lord appeared to ,joseph in a dream and told him to take ,mary and the child into ,egypt for fear of ,herod4 ,so ,joseph took ,mary and the child to ,egypt and remained there until the death of ,herod4 ,then ,herod1 finding that he was mocked by the wise men1 sent forth and slew all the children that were in ,bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under4 ,after the death of ,herod an angel again appeared in a dream to ,joseph and told him to take mother and child and go back to ,palestine4 ,so he went back and dwelt in ,nazareth4 ,is this story true8 ,must we believe in the star and the wise men8 ,who were these wise men8 ,from what country did they come8 ,what interest had they in the birth of the ,king of the ,jews8 ,what became of them and their star8 ,of course ,i know that the ,holy ,catholic ,church has in her keeping the three skulls that belonged to these wise men1 but ,i do not know where the church obtained these relics1 nor exactly how their genuineness has been established4 ,must we believe that ,herod murdered the babes of ,bethlehem8 ,is it not wonderful that the enemies of ,herod did not charge him with this horror8 ,is it not marvelous that ,mark and ,luke and ,john forgot to mention this most heartless of massacres8 ,luke also gives an account of the birth of ,christ4 ,he says that there went out a decree from ,caesar ,augustus that all the world should be taxed2 that this was when ,cyrenius was governor of ,syria2 that in accordance with this decree1 ,joseph and ,mary went to ,bethlehem to be taxed2 that at that place ,christ was born and laid in a manger4 ,he also says that shepherds1 in the neighborhood1 were told of the birth by an angel1 with whom was a multitude of the heavenly host2 that these shepherds visited ,mary and the child1 and told others what they had seen and heard4 ,he tells us that after eight days the child was named1 ,jesus2 that forty days after his birth he was taken by ,joseph and ,mary to ,jerusalem1 and that after they had performed all things according to the law they returned to ,nazareth4 ,luke also says that the child grew and waxed strong in spirit1 and that his parents went every year to ,jerusalem4 ,do the accounts in ,matthew and ,luke agree8 ,can both accounts be true8 ,luke never heard of the star1 and ,matthew knew nothing of the heavenly host4 ,luke never heard of the wise men1 nor ,matthew of the shepherds4 ,luke knew nothing of the hatred of ,herod1 the murder of the babes or the flight into ,egypt4 ,according to ,matthew1 ,joseph1 warned by an angel1 took ,mary and the child and fled into ,egypt4 ,according to ,luke they all went to ,jerusalem1 and from there back to ,nazareth4 ,both of these accounts cannot be true4 ,will some ,christian scholar tell us which to believe8 ,when was ,christ born8 ,luke says that it took place when ,cyrenius was governor4 ,here is another mistake4 ,cyrenius was not appointed governor until after the death of ,herod1 and the taxing could not have taken place until ten years after the alleged birth of ,christ4 ,according to ,luke1 ,joseph and ,mary lived in ,nazareth1 and for the purpose of getting them to ,bethlehem1 so that the child could be born in the right place1 the taxing under ,cyrenius was used1 but the writer1 being inspired made a mistake of about ten years as to the time of the taxing and of the birth4 ,matthew says nothing about the date of the birth1 except that he was born when ,herod was king4 ,it is now known that ,herod had been dead ten years before the taxing under ,cyrenius4 ,so1 if ,luke tells the truth1 ,joseph1 being warned by an angel1 fled from the hatred of ,herod ten years after ,herod was dead4 ,if ,matthew and ,luke are both right ,christ was taken to ,egypt ten years before he was born1 and ,herod killed the babes ten years after he was dead4 ,will some ,christian scholar have the goodness to harmonize these inspired accounts8 ,there is another thing4 ,matthew and ,luke both try to show that ,christ was of the blood of ,david1 that he was a descendant of that virtuous king4 ,as both of these writers were inspired and as both received their information from ,god1 they ought to agree4 ,according to ,matthew there was between ,david and ,jesus twenty-seven generations1 and he gives all the names4 ,according to ,luke there were between ,david and ,jesus forty-two generations1 and he gives all the names4 ,in these genealogies--both inspired--there is a difference between ,david and ,jesus1 a difference of some fourteen or fifteen generations4 ,besides1 the names of all the ancestors are different1 with two exceptions4 ,matthew says that ,joseph's father was ,jacob4 ,luke says that ,heli was ,joseph's father4 ,both of these genealogies cannot be true1 and the probability is that both are false4 ,there is not in all the pulpits ingenuity enough to harmonize these ignorant and stupid contradictions4 ,there are many curious mistakes in the words attributed to ,christ4 ,we are told in ,matthew1 chapter xxiii1 verse #ce1 that ,christ said3 ,that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous ,abel unto the blood of ,zacharias1 son of ,barachias1 whom ye slew between the temple and the altar4 ,it is certain that these words were not spoken by ,christ4 ,he could not by any possibility have known that the blood of ,zacharias had been shed4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,zacharias was killed by the ,jews1 during the seige of ,jerusalem by ,titus1 and this seige took place seventy-one years after the birth of ,christ1 thirty-eight years after he was dead4 ,there is still another mistake4 ,zacharias was not the son of ,barachias--no such ,zacharias was killed4 ,the ,zacharias that was slain was the son of ,baruch4 ,but we must not expect the inspired to be accurate4 ,matthew says that at the time of the crucifixion--the graves were opened and that many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of their graves after his resurrection1 and went into the holy city and appeared unto many4 ,according to this the graves were opened at the time of the crucifixion1 but the dead did not arise and come out until after the resurrection of ,christ4 ,they were polite enough to sit in their open graves and wait for ,christ to rise first4 ,to whom did these saints appear8 ,what became of them8 ,did they slip back into their graves and commit suicide8 ,is it not wonderful that ,mark1 ,luke and ,john never heard of these saints8 ,what kind of saints were they8 ,certainly they were not ,christian saints4 ,so1 the inspired writers do not agree in regard to ,judas4 ,certainly the inspired writers ought to have known what happened to ,judas1 the betrayer4 ,matthew being duly inspired says that when ,judas saw that ,jesus had been condemned1 he repented and took back the money to the chief priests and elders1 saying that he had sinned in betraying the innocent blood4 ,they said to him3 ,what is that to us8 ,see thou to that4 ,then ,judas threw down the pieces of silver and went and hanged himself4 ,the chief priests then took the pieces of silver and bought the potter's field to bury strangers in1 and it is called the field of blood4 ,we are told in ,acts of the apostles that ,peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said3 ,now this man1 7,judas7 purchased a field with the reward of iniquity--and falling headlong he burst asunder and all his bowels gushed out--that field is called the field of blood4 ,matthew says ,judas repented and gave back the money4 ,peter says that he bought a field with the money4 ,matthew says that ,judas hanged himself4 ,peter says that he fell down and burst asunder4 ,which of these accounts is true8 ,besides1 it is hard to see why ,christians hate1 loathe and despise ,judas4 ,according to their scheme of salvation1 it was absolutely necessary that ,christ should be killed--necessary that he should be betrayed1 and had it not been for ,judas1 all the world1 including ,christ's mother1 and the part of ,christ that was human1 would have gone to hell4 ,yet1 according to the ,new ,testament1 ,christ did not know that one of his disciples was to betray him4 ,jesus1 when on his way to ,jerusalem1 for the last time1 said1 speaking to the twelve disciples1 ,judas being present1 that they1 the disciples should thereafter sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,yet1 more than a year before this journey1 ,john says that ,christ said1 speaking to the twelve disciples3 ,have not ,i chosen you twelve1 and one of you is a devil4 ,and ,john adds3 ,he spake of ,judas ,iscariot1 for it was he that should betray him4 ,why did ,christ a year afterward1 tell ,judas that he should sit on a throne and judge one of the tribes of ,israel8 ,there is still another trouble4 ,paul says that ,jesus after his resurrection appeared to the twelve disciples4 ,according to ,paul1 ,jesus appeared to ,judas with the rest4 ,certainly ,paul had not heard the story of the betrayal4 ,why did ,christ select ,judas as one of his disciples1 knowing that he would betray him8 ,did he desire to be betrayed8 ,was it his intention to be put to death8 ,why did he fail to defend himself before ,pilate8 ,according to the accounts1 ,pilate wanted to save him4 ,did ,christ wish to be convicted8 ,the ,christians are compelled to say that ,christ intended to be sacrificed--that he selected ,judas with that end in view1 and that he refused to defend himself because he desired to be crucified4 ,all this is in accordance with the horrible idea that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin4 ,,iii4 ,,jehovah4 ,,god the ,father4 ,the ,jehovah of the ,old ,testament is the ,god of the ,christians4 ,he it was who created the ,universe1 who made all substance1 all force1 all life1 from nothing4 ,he it is who has governed and still governs the world4 ,he has established and destroyed empires and kingdoms1 despotisms and republics4 ,he has enslaved and liberated the sons of men4 ,he has caused the sun to rise on the good and on the evil1 and his rain to fall on the just and the unjust4 ,this shows his goodness4 ,he has caused his volcanoes to devour the good and the bad1 his cyclones to wreck and rend the generous and the cruel1 his floods to drown the loving and the hateful1 his lightning to kill the virtuous and the vicious1 his famines to starve the innocent and criminal and his plagues to destroy the wise and good1 the ignorant and wicked4 ,he has allowed his enemies to imprison1 to torture and to kill his friends4 ,he has permitted blasphemers to flay his worshipers alive1 to dislocate their joints upon racks1 and to burn them at the stake4 ,he has allowed men to enslave their brothers and to sell babes from the breasts of mothers4 ,this shows his impartiality4 ,the pious negro who commenced his prayer3 ,o thou great and unscrupulous ,god1 was nearer right than he knew4 ,ministers ask3 ,is it possible for ,god to forgive man8 ,and when ,i think of what has been suffered--of the centuries of agony and tears1 ,i ask3 ,is it possible for man to forgive ,god8 ,how do ,christians prove the existence of their ,god8 ,is it possible to think of an infinite being8 ,does the word ,god correspond with any image in the mind8 ,does the word ,god stand for what we know or for what we do not know8 ,is not this unthinkable ,god a guess1 an inference8 ,can we think of a being without form1 without body1 without parts1 without passions8 ,why should we speak of a being without body as of the masculine gender8 ,why should the ,bible speak of this ,god as a man8--of his walking in the garden in the cool of the evening--of his talking1 hearing and smelling8 ,if he has no passions why is he spoken of as jealous1 revengeful1 angry1 pleased and loving8 ,in the ,bible ,god is spoken of as a person in the form of man1 journeying from place to place1 as having a home and occupying a throne4 ,these ideas have been abandoned1 and now the ,christian's ,god is the infinite1 the incomprehensible1 the formless1 bodiless and passionless4 ,of the existence of such a being there can be1 in the nature of things1 no evidence4 ,confronted with the universe1 with fields of space sown thick with stars1 with all there is of life1 the wise man1 being asked the origin and destiny of all1 replies3 ,i do not know4 ,these questions are beyond the powers of my mind4 ,the wise man is thoughtful and modest4 ,he clings to facts4 ,beyond his intellectual horizon he does not pretend to see4 ,he does not mistake hope for evidence or desire for demonstration4 ,he is honest4 ,he neither deceives himself nor others4 ,the theologian arrives at the unthinkable1 the inconceivable1 and he calls this ,god4 ,the scientist arrives at the unthinkable1 the inconceivable1 and calls it the ,unknown4 ,the theologian insists that his inconceivable governs the world1 that it1 or he1 or they1 can be influenced by prayers and ceremonies1 that it1 or he1 or they1 punishes and rewards1 that it1 or he1 or they1 has priests and temples4 ,the scientist insist that the ,unknown is not changed so far as he knows by prayers of people or priests4 ,he admits that he does not know whether the ,unknown is good or bad--whether he1 or it1 wants or whether he1 or it1 is worthy of worship4 ,he does not say that the ,unknown is ,god1 that it created substance and force1 life and thought4 ,he simply says that of the ,unknown he knows nothing4 ,why should ,christians insist that a ,god of infinite wisdom1 goodness and power governs the world8 ,why did he allow millions of his children to be enslaved8 ,why did he allow millions of mothers to be robbed of their babes8 ,why has he allowed injustice to triumph8 ,why has he permitted the innocent to be imprisoned and the good to be burned8 ,why has he withheld his rain and starved millions of the children of men8 ,why has he allowed the volcanoes to destroy1 the earthquakes to devour1 and the tempest to wreck and rend8 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,trinity ,,the ,new ,testament informs us that ,christ was the son of ,joseph and the son of ,god1 and that ,mary was his mother4 ,how is it established that ,christ was the son of ,god8 ,it is said that ,joseph was told so in a dream by an angel4 ,but ,joseph wrote nothing on that subject--said nothing so far as we know4 ,mary wrote nothing1 said nothing4 ,the angel that appeared to ,joseph or that informed ,joseph said nothing to anybody else4 ,neither has the ,holy ,ghost1 the supposed father1 ever said or written one word4 ,we have received no information from the parties who could have known anything on the subject4 ,we get all our facts from those who could not have known4 ,how is it possible to prove that the ,holy ,ghost was the father of ,christ8 ,who knows that such a being as the ,holy ,ghost ever existed8 ,how was it possible for ,mary to know anything about the ,holy ,ghost8 ,how could ,joseph know that he had been visited by an angel in a dream8 ,could he know that the visitor was an angel8 ,it all occurred in a dream and poor ,joseph was asleep4 ,what is the testimony of one who was asleep worth8 ,all the evidence we have is that somebody who wrote part of the ,new ,testament says that the ,holy ,ghost was the father of ,christ1 and that somebody who wrote another part of the ,new ,testament says that ,joseph was the father of ,christ4 ,matthew and ,luke give the genealogy and both show that ,christ was the son of ,joseph4 ,the ,incarnation has to be believed without evidence4 ,there is no way in which it can be established4 ,it is beyond the reach and realm of reason4 ,it defies observation and is independent of experience4 ,it is claimed not only that ,christ was the ,son of ,god1 but that he was1 and is1 ,god4 ,was he ,god before he was born8 ,was the body of ,mary the dwelling place of ,god8 ,what evidence have we that ,christ was ,god8 ,somebody has said that ,christ claimed that ,god was his father and that he and his father were one4 ,we do not know who this somebody was and do not know from whom he received his information4 ,somebody who was inspired has said that ,christ was of the blood of ,david through his father ,joseph4 ,this is all the evidence we have4 ,can we believe that ,god1 the creator of the ,universe1 learned the trade of a carpenter in ,palestine1 that he gathered a few disciples about him1 and after teaching for about three years1 suffered himself to be crucified by a few ignorant and pious ,jews8 ,christ1 according to the faith1 is the second person in the ,trinity1 the ,father being the first and the ,holy ,ghost the third4 ,each of these three persons is ,god4 ,christ is his own father and his own son4 ,the ,holy ,ghost is neither father nor son1 but both4 ,the son was begotten by the father1 but existed before he was begotten--just the same before as after4 ,christ is just as old as his father1 and the father is just as young as his son4 ,the ,holy ,ghost proceeded from the ,father and ,son1 but was equal to the ,father and ,son before he proceeded1 that is to say1 before he existed1 but he is of the same age of the other two4 ,so1 it is declared that the ,father is ,god1 and the ,son ,god and the ,holy ,ghost ,god1 and that these three ,gods make one ,god4 ,according to the celestial multiplication table1 once one is three1 and three times one is one1 and according to heavenly subtraction if we take two from three1 three are left4 ,the addition is equally peculiar1 if we add two to one we have but one4 ,each one is equal to himself and the other two4 ,nothing ever was1 nothing ever can be more perfectly idiotic and absurd than the dogma of the ,trinity4 ,how is it possible to prove the existence of the ,trinity8 ,is it possible for a human being1 who has been born but once1 to comprehend1 or to imagine the existence of three beings1 each of whom is equal to the three8 ,think of one of these beings as the father of one1 and think of that one as half human and all ,god1 and think of the third as having proceeded from the other two1 and then think of all three as one4 ,think that after the father begot the son1 the father was still alone1 and after the ,holy ,ghost proceeded from the father and the son1 the father was still alone--because there never was and never will be but one ,god4 ,at this point1 absurdity having reached its limit1 nothing more can be said except3 ,let us pray4 ,v4 ,,the ,,theological ,,christ ,,in the ,new ,testament we find the teachings and sayings of ,christ4 ,if we say that the book is inspired1 then we must admit that ,christ really said all the things attributed to him by the various writers4 ,if the book is inspired we must accept it all4 ,we have no right to reject the contradictory and absurd and accept the reasonable and good4 ,we must take it all just as it is4 ,my own observation has led me to believe that men are generally consistent in their theories and inconsistent in their lives4 ,so1 ,i think that ,christ in his utterances was true to his theory1 to his philosophy4 ,if ,i find in the ,testament sayings of a contradictory character1 ,i conclude that some of those sayings were never uttered by him4 ,the sayings that are1 in my judgment1 in accordance with what ,i believe to have been his philosophy1 ,i accept1 and the others ,i throw away4 ,there are some of his sayings which show him to have been a devout ,jew1 others that he wished to destroy ,judaism1 others showing that he held all people except the ,jews in contempt and that he wished to save no others1 others showing that he wished to convert the world1 still others showing that he was forgiving1 self-denying and loving1 others that he was revengeful and malicious1 others1 that he was an ascetic1 holding all human ties in utter contempt4 ,the following passages show that ,christ was a devout ,jew4 ,swear not1 neither by heaven1 for it is ,god's throne1 nor by the earth for it is his footstool1 neither by ,jerusalem for it is his holy city4 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law or the prophets1 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,for after all these things1 7clothing1 food and drink7 do the ,gentiles seek4 ,so1 when he cured a leper1 he said3 ,go thy way1 show thyself unto the priest and offer the gift that ,moses commanded4 ,jesus sent his disciples forth saying3 ,go not into the way of the ,gentiles1 and into any city of the ,samaritans enter ye not1 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel4 ,a woman came out of ,canaan and cried to ,jesus3 ,have mercy on me1 my daughter is sorely vexed with a devil--but he would not answer4 ,then the disciples asked him to send her away1 and he said3 ,i am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of ,israel4 ,then the woman worshiped him and said3 ,lord help me4 ,but he answered and said3 ,it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it unto dogs4 ,yet for her faith he cured her child4 ,so1 when the young man asked him what he must do to be saved1 he said3 ,keep the commandments4 ,christ said3 ,the scribes and the ,pharisees sit in ,moses' seat1 all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe1 that observe and do4 ,and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass1 than one tittle of the law to fail4 ,christ went into the temple and cast out them that sold and bought there1 and said3 ,it is written1 my house is the house of prayer3 but ye have made it a den of thieves4 ,we know what we worship for salvation is of the ,jews4 ,certainly all these passages were written by persons who regarded ,christ as the ,messiah4 ,many of the sayings attributed to ,christ show that he was an ascetic1 that he cared nothing for kindred1 nothing for father and mother1 nothing for brothers or sisters1 and nothing for the pleasures of life4 ,christ said to a man3 ,follow me4 ,the man said3 ,suffer me first to go and bury my father4 ,christ answered3 ,let the dead bury their dead4 ,another said3 ,i will follow thee1 but first let me go bid them farewell which are at home4 ,jesus said3 ,no man having put his hand to the plough1 and looking back is fit for the kingdom of ,god4 ,if thine right eye offend thee pluck it out4 ,if thy right hand offend thee cut it off4 ,one said unto him3 ,behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without1 desiring to speak with thee4 ,and he answered3 ,who is my mother1 and who are my brethren8 ,then he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said3 ,behold my mother and my brethren4 ,and every one that hath forsaken houses1 or brethren or sisters1 or father or mother1 or wife or children1 or lands for my name's sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life4 ,he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me2 and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me4 ,christ it seems had a philosophy4 ,he believed that ,god was a loving father1 that he would take care of his children1 that they need do nothing except to rely implicitly on ,god4 ,blessed are the merciful3 for they shall obtain mercy4 ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you4 ,take no thought for your life1 what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink1 nor yet for your body1 what ye shall put on4444 ,for your heavenly ,father knoweth that ye have need of all these things4 ,ask and it shall be given you4 ,whatsoever ye would that men should do to you1 do ye even so to them4 ,if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly ,father will also forgive you4 ,the very hairs of your head are all numbered4 ,christ seemed to rely absolutely on the protection of ,god until the darkness of death gathered about him1 and then he cried3 ,my ,god6 my ,god6 why hast thou forsaken me8 ,while there are many passages in the ,new ,testament showing ,christ to have been forgiving and tender1 there are many others1 showing that he was exactly the opposite4 ,what must have been the spirit of one who said3 ,i am come to send fire on the earth8 ,suppose ye that ,i am come to give peace on earth8 ,i tell you1 nay1 but rather division4 ,for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided1 three against two1 and two against three4 ,the father shall be divided against the son1 and the son against the father1 the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother1 the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law4 ,if any man come to me and hate not his father and mother1 and wife1 and children and brethren and sisters1 yea1 and his own life also1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,but those mine enemies1 which would not that ,i should reign over them1 bring hither and slay them before me4 ,this passage built dungeons and lighted fagots4 ,depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,i came not to bring peace but a sword4 ,all these sayings could not have been uttered by the same person4 ,they are inconsistent with each other4 ,love does not speak the words of hatred4 ,the real philanthropist does not despise all nations but his own4 ,the teacher of universal forgiveness cannot believe in eternal torture4 ,from the interpolations1 legends1 accretions1 mistakes and falsehoods in the ,new ,testament is it possible to free the actual man8 ,clad in mist and myth1 hidden by the draperies of gods1 deformed1 indistinct as faces in clouds1 is it possible to find and recognize the features1 the natural face of the actual ,christ8 ,for many centuries our fathers closed their eyes to the contradictions and inconsistencies of the ,testament and in spite of their reason harmonized the interpolations and mistakes4 ,this is no longer possible4 ,the contradictions are too many1 too glaring4 ,there are contradictions of fact not only1 but of philosophy1 of theory4 ,the accounts of the trial1 the crucifixion1 and ascension of ,christ do not agree4 ,they are full of mistakes and contradictions4 ,according to one account ,christ ascended the day of1 or the day after his resurrection4 ,according to another he remained forty days after rising from the dead4 ,according to one account1 he was seen after his resurrection only by a few women and his disciples4 ,according to another he was seen by the women1 by his disciples on several occasions and by hundreds of others4 ,according to ,matthew1 ,luke and ,mark1 ,christ remained for the most part in the country1 seldom going to ,jerusalem4 ,according to ,john he remained mostly in ,jerusalem1 going occasionally into the country1 and then generally to avoid his enemies4 ,according to ,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke1 ,christ taught that if you would forgive others ,god would forgive you4 ,according to ,john1 ,christ said that the only way to get to heaven was to believe on him and be born again4 ,these contradictions are gross and palpable and demonstrate that the ,new ,testament is not inspired1 and that many of its statements must be false4 ,if we wish to save the character of ,christ1 many of the passages must be thrown away4 ,we must discard the miracles or admit that he was insane or an impostor4 ,we must discard the passages that breathe the spirit of hatred and revenge1 or admit that he was malevolent4 ,if ,matthew was mistaken about the genealogy of ,christ1 about the wise men1 the star1 the flight into ,egypt and the massacre of the babes by ,herod1--then he may have been mistaken in many passages that he put in the mouth of ,christ4 ,the same may be said in regard to ,mark1 ,luke and ,john4 ,the church must admit that the writers of the ,new ,testament were uninspired men--that they made many mistakes1 that they accepted impossible legends as historical facts1 that they were ignorant and superstitious1 that they put malevolent1 stupid1 insane and unworthy words in the mouth of ,christ1 described him as the worker of impossible miracles and in many ways stained and belittled his character4 ,the best that can be said about ,christ is that nearly nineteen centuries ago he was born in the land of ,palestine in a country without wealth1 without commerce1 in the midst of a people who knew nothing of the greater world--a people enslaved1 crushed by the mighty power of ,rome4 ,that this babe1 this child of poverty and want grew to manhood without education1 knowing nothing of art1 or science1 and at about the age of thirty began wandering about the hills and hamlets of his native land1 discussing with priests1 talking with the poor and sorrowful1 writing nothing1 but leaving his words in the memory or forgetfulness of those to whom he spoke4 ,that he attacked the religion of his time because it was cruel4 ,that this excited the hatred of those in power1 and that ,christ was arrested1 tried and crucified4 ,for many centuries this great ,peasant of ,palestine has been worshiped as ,god4 ,millions and millions have given their lives to his service4 ,the wealth of the world was lavished on his shrines4 ,his name carried consolation to the diseased and dying4 ,his name dispelled the darkness of death1 and filled the dungeon with light4 ,his name gave courage to the martyr1 and in the midst of fire1 with shriveling lips the sufferer uttered it again1 and again4 ,the outcasts1 the deserted1 the fallen1 felt that ,christ was their friend1 felt that he knew their sorrows and pitied their sufferings4 ,the poor mother1 holding her dead babe in her arms1 lovingly whispered his name4 ,his gospel has been carried by millions to all parts of the globe1 and his story has been told by the self-denying and faithful to countless thousands of the sons of men4 ,in his name have been preached charity1--forgiveness and love4 ,he it was1 who according to the faith1 brought immortality to light1 and many millions have entered the valley of the shadow with their hands in his4 ,all this is true1 and if it were all1 how beautiful1 how touching1 how glorious it would be4 ,but it is not all4 ,there is another side4 ,in his name millions and millions of men and women have been imprisoned1 tortured and killed4 ,in his name millions and millions have been enslaved4 ,in his name the thinkers1 the investigators1 have been branded as criminals1 and his followers have shed the blood of the wisest and best4 ,in his name the progress of many nations was stayed for a thousand years4 ,in his gospel was found the dogma of eternal pain1 and his words added an infinite horror to death4 ,his gospel filled the world with hatred and revenge2 made intellectual honesty a crime2 made happiness here the road to hell1 denounced love as base and bestial1 canonized credulity1 crowned bigotry and destroyed the liberty of man4 ,it would have been far better had the ,new ,testament never been written--far better had the theological ,christ never lived4 ,had the writers of the ,testament been regarded as uninspired1 had ,christ been thought of only as a man1 had the good been accepted and the absurd1 the impossible1 and the revengeful thrown away1 mankind would have escaped the wars1 the tortures1 the scaffolds1 the dungeons1 the agony and tears1 the crimes and sorrows of a thousand years4 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,scheme ,,we have also the scheme of redemption4 ,according to this scheme1 by the sin of ,adam and ,eve in the ,garden of ,eden1 human nature became evil1 corrupt and depraved4 ,it became impossible for human beings to keep1 in all things1 the law of ,god4 ,in spite of this1 ,god allowed the people to live and multiply for some fifteen hundred years1 and then on account of their wickedness drowned them all with the exception of eight persons4 ,the nature of these eight persons was evil1 corrupt and depraved1 and in the nature of things their children would be cursed with the same nature4 ,yet ,god gave them another trial1 knowing exactly what the result would be4 ,a few of these wretches he selected and made them objects of his love and care1 the rest of the world he gave to indifference and neglect4 ,to civilize the people he had chosen1 he assisted them in conquering and killing their neighbors1 and gave them the assistance of priests and inspired prophets4 ,for their preservation and punishment he wrought countless miracles1 gave them many laws and a great deal of advice4 ,he taught them to sacrifice oxen1 sheep1 and doves1 to the end that their sins might be forgiven4 ,the idea was inculcated that there was a certain relation between the sin and the sacrifice1--the greater the sin1 the greater the sacrifice4 ,he also taught the savagery that without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sin4 ,in spite of all his efforts1 the people grew gradually worse4 ,they would not1 they could not keep his laws4 ,a sacrifice had to be made for the sins of the people4 ,the sins were too great to be washed out by the blood of animals or men4 ,it became necessary for4 ,god himself to be sacrificed4 ,all mankind were under the curse of the law4 ,either all the world must be lost or ,god must die4 ,in only one way could the guilty be justified1 and that was by the death1 the sacrifice of the innocent4 ,and the innocent being sacrificed must be great enough to atone for the world2 ,there was but one such being--,god4 ,thereupon ,god took upon himself flesh1 was born into the world--was known as ,christ--was murdered1 sacrificed by the ,jews1 and became an atonement for the sins of the human race4 ,this is the scheme of ,redemption1--the atonement4 ,it is impossible to conceive of anything more utterly absurd4 ,a man steals1 and then sacrifices a dove1 or gives a lamb to a priest4 ,his crime remains the same4 ,he need not kill something4 ,let him give back the thing stolen1 and in future live an honest life4 ,a man slanders his neighbor and then kills an ox4 ,what has that to do with the slander4 ,let him take back his slander1 make all the reparation that he can1 and let the ox alone4 ,there is no sense in sacrifice1 never was and never will be4 ,make restitution1 reparation1 undo the wrong and you need shed no blood4 ,a good law1 one springing from the nature of things1 cannot demand1 and cannot accept1 and cannot be satisfied with the punishment1 or the agony of the innocent4 ,a god could not accept his own sufferings in justification of the guilty4--,this is a complete subversion of all ideas of justice and morality4 ,a god could not make a law for man1 then suffer in the place of the man who had violated it1 and say that the law had been carried out1 and the penalty duly enforced4 ,a man has committed murder1 has been tried1 convicted and condemned to death4 ,another man goes to the governor and says that he is willing to die in place of the murderer4 ,the governor says3 ,all right1 ,i accept your offer1 a murder has been committed1 somebody must be hung and your death will satisfy the law4 ,but that is not the law4 ,the law says1 not that somebody shall be hanged1 but that the murderer shall suffer death4 ,even if the governor should die in the place of the criminal1 it would be no better4 ,there would be two murders instead of one1 two innocent men killed1 one by the first murderer and one by the ,state1 and the real murderer free4 ,this1 ,christians call1 satisfying the law4 ,,vii4 ,,belief4 ,,we are told that all who believe in this scheme of redemption and have faith in the redeemer will be rewarded with eternal joy4 ,some think that men can be saved by faith without works1 and some think that faith and works are both essential1 but all agree that without faith there is no salvation4 ,if you repent and believe on ,jesus ,christ1 then his goodness will be imputed to you and the penalty of the law1 so far as you are concerned1 will be satisfied by the sufferings of ,christ4 ,you may repent and reform1 you may make restitution1 you may practice all the virtues1 but without this belief in ,christ1 the gates of heaven will be shut against you forever4 ,where is this heaven8 ,the ,christians do not know4 ,does the ,christian go there at death1 or must he wait for the general resurrection8 ,they do not know4 ,the ,testament teaches that the bodies of the dead are to be raised8 ,where are their souls in the meantime8 ,they do not know4 ,can the dead be raised8 ,the atoms composing their bodies enter into new combinations1 into new forms1 into wheat and corn1 into the flesh of animals and into the bodies of other men4 ,where one man dies1 and some of his atoms pass into the body of another man and he dies1 to whom will these atoms belong in the day of resurrection8 ,if ,christianity were only stupid and unscientific1 if its ,god was ignorant and kind1 if it promised eternal joy to believers and if the believers practiced the forgiveness they teach1 for one ,i should let the faith alone4 ,but there is another side to ,christianity4 ,it is not only stupid1 but malicious4 ,it is not only unscientific1 but it is heartless4 ,its god is not only ignorant1 but infinitely cruel4 ,it not only promises the faithful an eternal reward1 but declares that nearly all of the children of men1 imprisoned in the dungeons of ,god will suffer eternal pain4 ,this is the savagery of ,christianity4 ,this is why ,i hate its unthinkable ,god1 its impossible ,christ1 its inspired lies1 and its selfish1 heartless heaven4 ,christians believe in infinite torture1 in eternal pain4 ,eternal ,pain6 ,all the meanness of which the heart of man is capable is in that one word--,hell4 ,that word is a den1 a cave1 in which crawl the slimy reptiles of revenge4 ,that word certifies to the savagery of primitive man4 ,that word is the depth1 the dungeon1 the abyss1 from which civilized man has emerged4 ,that word is the disgrace1 the shame1 the infamy1 of our revealed religion4 ,that word fills all the future with the shrieks of the damned4 ,that word brutalizes the ,new ,testament1 changes the ,sermon on the ,mount to hypocrisy and cant1 and pollutes and hardens the very heart of ,christ4 ,that word adds an infinite horror to death1 and makes the cradle as terrible as the coffin4 ,that word is the assassin of joy1 the mocking murderer of hope4 ,that word extinguishes the light of life and wraps the world in gloom4 ,that word drives reason from his throne1 and gives the crown to madness4 ,that word drove pity from the hearts of men1 stained countless swords with blood1 lighted fagots1 forged chains1 built dungeons1 erected scaffolds1 and filled the world with poverty and pain4 ,that word is a coiled serpent in the mother's breast1 that lifts its fanged head and hisses in her ear3--,your child will be the fuel of eternal fire4 ,that word blots from the firmament the star of hope and leaves the heavens black4 ,that word makes the ,christian's ,god an eternal torturer1 an everlasting inquisitor--an infinite wild beast4 ,this is the ,christian prophecy of the eternal future3 ,no hope in hell4 ,no pity in heaven4 ,no mercy in the heart of ,god4 ,,viii4 ,,conclusion ,,the ,old ,testament is absurd1 ignorant and cruel1--the ,new ,testament is a mingling of the false and true--it is good and bad4 ,the ,jehovah of the ,jews is an impossible monster4 ,the ,trinity absurd and idiotic1 ,christ is a myth or a man4 ,the fall of man is contradicted by every fact concerning human history that we know4 ,the scheme of redemption--through the atonement--is immoral and senseless4 ,hell was imagined by revenge1 and the orthodox heaven is the selfish dream of heartless serfs and slaves4 ,the foundations of the faith have crumbled and faded away4 ,they were miracles1 mistakes1 and myths1 ignorant and untrue1 absurd1 impossible1 immoral1 unnatural1 cruel1 childish1 savage4 ,beneath the gaze of the scientist they vanished1 confronted by facts they disappeared4 ,the orthodox religion of our day has no foundation in truth4 ,beneath the superstructure can be found no fact4 ,some may ask1 ,are you trying to take our religion away8 ,i answer1 ,no--superstition is not religion4 ,belief without evidence is not religion4 ,faith without facts is not religion4 ,to love justice1 to long for the right1 to love mercy1 to pity the suffering1 to assist the weak1 to forget wrongs and remember benefits--to love the truth1 to be sincere1 to utter honest words1 to love liberty1 to wage relentless war against slavery in all its forms1 to love wife and child and friend1 to make a happy home1 to love the beautiful in art1 in nature1 to cultivate the mind1 to be familiar with the mighty thoughts that genius has expressed1 the noble deeds of all the world1 to cultivate courage and cheerfulness1 to make others happy1 to fill life with the splendor of generous acts1 the warmth of loving words1 to discard error1 to destroy prejudice1 to receive new truths with gladness1 to cultivate hope1 to see the calm beyond the storm1 the dawn beyond the night1 to do the best that can be done and then to be resigned this is the religion of reason1 the creed of science4 ,this satisfies the brain and heart4 ,but1 says the prejudiced priest1 the malicious minister1 ,you take away a future life4 ,i am not trying to destroy another world1 but ,i am endeavoring to prevent the theologians from destroying this4 ,if we are immortal it is a fact in nature1 and that fact does not depend on bibles1 or ,christs1 or priests or creeds4 ,the hope of another life was in the heart1 long before the sacred books were written1 and will remain there long after all the sacred books are known to be the work of savage and superstitious men4 ,hope is the consolation of the world4 ,the wanderers hope for home4--,hope builds the house and plants the flowers and fills the air with song4 ,the sick and suffering hope for health4--,hope gives them health and paints the roses in their cheeks4 ,the lonely1 the forsaken1 hope for love4--,hope brings the lover to their arms4 ,they feel the kisses on their eager lips4 ,the poor in tenements and huts1 in spite of rags and hunger hope for wealth4--,hope fills their thin and trembling hands with gold4 ,the dying hopes that death is but another birth1 and ,love leans above the pallid face and whispers1 ,we shall meet again4 ,hope is the consolation of the world4 ,let us hope1 if there be a ,god that he is wise and good4 ,let us hope that if there be another life it will bring peace and joy to all the children of men4 ,and let us hope that this poor earth on which we live1 may be a perfect world--a world without a crime--without a tear4 ,,superstition4 ,i4 ,,what ,,is ,,superstition8 ,to believe in spite of evidence or without evidence4 ,to account for one mystery by another4 ,to believe that the world is governed by chance or caprice4 ,to disregard the true relation between cause and effect4 ,to put thought1 intention and design back of nature4 ,to believe that mind created and controls matter4 ,to believe in force apart from substance1 or in substance apart from force4 ,to believe in miracles1 spells and charms1 in dreams and prophecies4 ,to believe in the supernatural4 ,the foundation of superstition is ignorance1 the superstructure is faith and the dome is a vain hope4 ,superstition is the child of ignorance and the mother of misery4 ,in nearly every brain is found some cloud of superstition4 ,a woman drops a cloth with which she is washing dishes1 and she exclaims3 ,that means company4 ,most people will admit that there is no possible connection between dropping the cloth and the coming of visitors4 ,the falling cloth could not have put the visit desire in the minds of people not present1 and how could the cloth produce the desire to visit the particular person who dropped it8 ,there is no possible connection between the dropping of the cloth and the anticipated effects4 ,a man catches a glimpse of the new moon over his left shoulder1 and he says3 ,this is bad luck4 ,to see the moon over the right or left shoulder1 or not to see it1 could not by any possibility affect the moon1 neither could it change the effect or influence of the moon on any earthly thing4 ,certainly the left-shoulder glance could in no way affect the nature of things4 ,all the facts in nature would remain the same as though the glance had been over the right shoulder4 ,we see no connection between the left-shoulder glance and any possible evil effects upon the one who saw the moon in this way4 ,a girl counts the leaves of a flower1 and she says3 ,one1 he comes2 two1 he tarries2 three1 he courts2 four1 he marries2 five1 he goes away4 ,of course the flower did not grow1 and the number of its leaves was not determined with reference to the courtship or marriage of this girl1 neither could there have been any intelligence that guided her hand when she selected that particular flower4 ,so1 count' ing the seeds in an apple cannot in any way determine whether the future of an individual is to be happy or miserable4 ,thousands of persons believe in lucky and unlucky days1 numbers1 signs and jewels4 ,many people regard ,friday as an unlucky day--as a bad day to commence a journey1 to marry1 to make any investment4 ,the only reason given is that ,friday is an unlucky day4 ,starting across the sea on ,friday could have no possible effect upon the winds1 or waves1 or tides1 any more than starting on any other day1 and the only possible reason for thinking ,friday unlucky is the assertion that it is so4 ,so it is thought by many that it is dangerous for thirteen people to dine together4 ,now1 if thirteen is a dangerous number1 twenty-six ought to be twice as dangerous1 and fifty-two four times as terrible4 ,it is said that one of the thirteen will die in a year4 ,now1 there is no possible relation between the number and the digestion of each1 between the number and the individual diseases4 ,if fourteen dine together there is greater probability1 if we take into account only the number1 of a death within the year1 than there would be if only thirteen were at the table4 ,overturning the salt is very unlucky1 but spilling the vinegar makes no difference4 ,why salt should be revengeful and vinegar forgiving has never been told4 ,if the first person who enters a theatre is crosseyed1 the audience will be small and the run a failure4 ,how the peculiarity of the eyes of the first one who enters1 changes the intention of a community1 or how the intentions of a community cause the cross-eyed man to go early1 has never been satisfactorily explained4 ,between this so-called cause and the so-called effect there is1 so far as we can see1 no possible relation4 ,to wear an opal is bad luck1 but rubies bring health4 ,how these stones affect the future1 how they destroy causes and defeat effects1 no one pretends to know4 ,so1 there are thousands of lucky and unlucky tilings1 warnings1 omens and prophecies1 but all sensible1 sane and reasoning human beings know that every one is an absurd and idiotic superstition4 ,let us take another step3 ,for many centuries it was believed that eclipses of the sun and moon were prophetic of pestilence or famine1 and that comets foretold the death of kings1 or the destruction of nations1 the coming of war or plague4 ,all strange appearances in the heavens--the ,northern ,lights1 circles about the moon1 sun dogs1 falling stars--filled our intelligent ancestors with terror4 ,they fell upon their knees--did their best with sacrifice and prayer to avoid the threatened disaster4 ,their faces were ashen with fear as they closed their eyes and cried to the heavens for help4 ,the clergy1 who were as familiar with ,god then as the orthodox preachers are now1 knew exactly the meaning of eclipses and sun dogs and ,northern ,lights2 knew that ,god's patience was nearly exhausted2 that he was then whetting the sword of his wrath1 and that the people could save themselves only by obeying the priests1 by counting their beads and doubling their subscriptions4 ,earthquakes and cyclones filled the coffers of the church4 ,in the midst of disasters the miser1 with trembling hands1 opened his purse4 ,in the gloom of eclipses thieves and robbers divided their booty with ,god1 and poor1 honest1 ignorant girls1 remembering that they had forgotten to say a prayer1 gave their little earnings to soften the heart of ,god4 ,now we know that all these signs and wonders in the heavens have nothing to do with the fate of kings1 nations or individuals2 that they had no more reference to human beings than to colonies of ants1 hives of bees or the eggs of insects4 ,we now know that the signs and eclipses1 the comets1 and the falling stars1 would have been just the same if not a human being had been upon the earth4 ,we know now that eclipses come at certain times and that their coming can be exactly foretold4 ,a little while ago the belief was general that there were certain healing virtues in inanimate things1 in the bones of holy men and women1 in the rags that had been tom from the foul clothing of still fouler saints1 in hairs from martyrs1 in bits of wood and rusty nails from the true cross1 in the teeth and finger nails of pious men1 and in a thousand other sacred things4 ,the diseased were cured by kissing a box in which was kept some bone1 or rag1 or bit of wood1 some holy hairs1 provided the kiss was preceded or followed by a gift--a something for the church4 ,in some mysterious way the virtue in the bone1 or rag1 or piece of wood1 crept or flowed from the box1 took possession of the sick who had the necessary faith1 and in the name of ,god drove out the devils who were the real disease4 ,this belief in the efficacy of bones or rags and holy hair was born of another belief--the belief that all diseases were produced by evil spirits4 ,the insane were supposed to be possessed by devils4 ,epilepsy and hysteria were produced by the imps of ,satan4 ,in short1 every human affliction was the work of the malicious emissaries of the god of hell4 ,this belief was almost universal1 and even in our time the sacred bones are believed in by millions of people4 ,but to-day no intelligent man believes in the existence of devils--no intelligent man believes that evil spirits cause disease--consequently1 no intelligent person believes that holy bones or rags1 sacred hairs or pieces of wood1 can drive disease out1 or in any way bring back to the pallid cheek the rose of health4 ,intelligent people now know that the bone of a saint has in it no greater virtue than the bone of any animal4 ,that a rag from a wandering beggar is just as good as one from a saint1 and that the hair of a horse will cure disease just as quickly and surely as the hair of a martyr4 ,we now know that all the sacred relics are religious rubbish2 that those who use them are for the most part dishonest1 and that those who rely on them are almost idiotic4 ,this belief in amulets and charms1 in ghosts and devils1 is superstition1 pure and simple4 ,our ancestors did not regard these relics as medicine1 having a curative power1 but the idea was that evil spirits stood in dread of holy things--that they fled from the bone of a saint1 that they feared a piece of the true cross1 and that when holy water was sprinkled on a man they immediately left the premises4 ,so1 these devils hated and dreaded the sound of holy bells1 the light of sacred tapers1 and1 above all1 the ever-blessed cross4 ,in those days the priests were fishers for money1 and they used these relics for bait4 ,,ii4 ,let us take another step3 ,this belief in the ,devil and evil spirits laid the foundation for another belief3 ,witchcraft4 ,it was believed that the devil had certain things to give in exchange for a soul4 ,the old man1 bowed and broken1 could get back his youth--the rounded form1 the brown hair1 the leaping heart of life's morning--if he would sign and seal away his soul4 ,so1 it was thought that the malicious could by charm and spell obtain revenge1 that the poor could be enriched1 and that the ambitious could rise to place and power4 ,all the good things of this life were at the disposal of the ,devil4 ,for those who resisted the temptations of the ,evil ,one1 rewards were waiting in another world1 but the ,devil rewarded here in this life4 ,no one has imagination enough to paint the agonies that were endured by reason of this belief in witchcraft4 ,think of the families destroyed1 of the fathers and mothers cast in prison1 tortured and burned1 of the firesides darkened1 of the children murdered1 of the old1 the poor and helpless that were stretched on racks mangled and flayed6 ,think of the days when superstition and fear were in every house1 in every mind1 when accusation was conviction1 when assertion of innocence was regarded as a confession of guilt1 and when ,christendom was insane6 ,now we know that all of these horrors were the result of superstition4 ,now we know that ignorance was the mother of all the agonies endured4 ,now we know that witches never lived1 that human beings never bargained with any devil1 and that our pious savage ancestors were mistaken4 ,let us take another step3 ,our fathers believed in miracles1 in signs and wonders1 eclipses and comets1 in the virtues of bones1 and in the powers attributed to evil spirits4 ,all these belonged to the miraculous4 ,the world was supposed to be full of magic2 the spirits were sleight-of-hand performers--necromancers4 ,there were no natural causes behind events4 ,a devil wished1 and it happened4 ,one who had sold his soul to ,satan made a few motions1 uttered some strange words1 and the event was present4 ,natural causes were not believed in4 ,delusion and illusion1 the monstrous and miraculous1 ruled the world4 ,the foundation was gone--reason had abdicated4 ,credulity gave tongues and wings to lies1 while the dumb and limping facts were left behind--were disregarded and remained untold4 ,,what ,,is ,a ,,miracle8 ,an act performed by a master of nature without reference to the facts in nature4 ,this is the only honest definition of a miracle4 ,if a man could make a perfect circle1 the diameter of which was exactly one-half the circumference1 that would be a miracle in geometry4 ,if a man could make twice four1 nine1 that would be a miracle in mathematics4 ,if a man could make a stone1 falling in the air1 pass through a space of ten feet the first second1 twenty-five feet the second second1 and five feet the third second1 that would be a miracle in physics4 ,if a man could put together hydrogen1 oxygen and nitrogen and produce pure gold1 that would be a miracle in chemistry4 ,if a minister were to prove his creed1 that would be a theological miracle4 ,if ,congress by law would make fifty cents worth of silver worth a dollar1 that would be a financial miracle4 ,to make a square triangle would be a most wonderful miracle4 ,to cause a mirror to reflect the faces of persons who stand behind it1 instead of those who stand in front1 would be a miracle4 ,to make echo answer a question would be a miracle4 ,in other words1 to do anything contrary to or without regard to the facts in nature is to perform a miracle4 ,now we are convinced of what is called the uniformity of nature4 ,we believe that all things act and are acted upon in accordance with their nature2 that under like conditions the results will always be substantially the same2 that like ever has and ever will produce like4 ,we now believe that events have natural parents and that none die childless4 ,miracles are not simply impossible1 but they are unthinkable by any man capable of thinking4 ,now an intelligent man cannot believe that a miracle ever was1 or ever will be1 performed4 ,ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows4 ,,iii4 ,let us take another step3 ,while our ancestors filled the darkness with evil spirits1 enemies of mankind1 they also believed in the existence of good spirits4 ,these good spirits sustained the same relation to ,god that the evil ones did to the ,devil4 ,these good spirits protected the faithful from the temptations and snares of the ,evil ,one4 ,they took care of those who carried amulets and charms1 of those who repeated prayers and counted beads1 of those who fasted and performed ceremonies4 ,these good spirits would turn aside the sword and arrow from the breast of the faithful4 ,they made poison harmless1 they protected the credulous1 and in a thousand ways defended and rescued the true believer4 ,they drove doubts from the minds of the pious1 sowed the seeds of credulity and faith1 saved saints from the wiles of women1 painted the glories of heaven for those who fasted and prayed1 made it possible for the really good to dispense with the pleasures of sense and to hate the ,devil4 ,these angels watched over infants who had been baptized1 over persons who had made holy vows1 over priests and nuns and wandering beggars who believed4 ,these spirits were of various kinds3 ,some had once been men or women1 some had never lived in this world1 and some had been angels from the commencement4 ,nobody pretended to know exactly what they were1 or exactly how they looked1 or in what way they went from place to place1 or how they affected or controlled the minds of men4 ,it was believed that the king of all these evil spirits was the ,devil1 and that the king of all the good spirits was ,god4 ,it was also believed that ,god was in fact the king of all1 and that the ,devil himself was one of the children of this ,god4 ,this ,god and this ,devil were at war1 each trying to secure the souls of men4 ,god offered the rewards of eternal joy and threatened eternal pain4 ,the ,devil baited his traps with present pleasure1 with the gratification of the senses1 with the ecstasies of love1 and laughed at the joys of heaven and the pangs of hell4 ,with malicious hand he sowed the seeds of doubt--induced men to investigate1 to reason1 to call for evidence1 to rely upon themselves2 planted in their hearts the love of liberty1 assisted them to break their chains1 to escape from their prisons and besought them to think4 ,in this way he corrupted the children of men4 ,our fathers believed that they could by prayer1 by sacrifice1 by fasting1 by performing certain ceremonies1 gain the assistance of this ,god and of these good spirits4 ,they were not quite logical4 ,they did not believe that the ,devil was the author of all evil4 ,they thought that flood and famine1 plague and cyclone1 earthquake and war1 were sometimes sent by ,god as punishment for unbelief4 ,they fell upon their knees and with white lips1 prayed the good ,god to stay his hand4 ,they humbled themselves1 confessed their sins1 and filled the heavens with their vows and cries4 ,with priests and prayers they tried to stay the plague4 ,they kissed the relics1 fell at shrines1 besought the ,virgin and the saints1 but the prayers all died in the heartless air1 and the plague swept on to its natural end4 ,our poor fathers knew nothing of any science4 ,back of all events they put spirits1 good or bad1 angels or demons1 gods or devils4 ,to them nothing had what we call a natural cause4 ,everything was the work of spirits4 ,all was done by the supernatural1 and everything was done by evil spirits that they could do to ruin1 punish1 mislead and damn the children of men4 ,this world was a field of battle1 and here the hosts of heaven and hell waged war4 ,,iv4 ,now no man in whose brain the torch of reason bums1 no man who investigates1 who really thinks1 who is capable of weighing evidence1 believes in signs1 in lucky or unlucky days1 in lucky or unlucky numbers4 ,he knows that ,fridays and ,thursdays are alike2 that thirteen is no more deadly than twelve4 ,he knows that opals affect the wearer the same as rubies1 diamonds or common glass4 ,he knows that the matrimonial chances of a maiden are not increased or decreased by the number of leaves of a flower or seeds in an apple4 ,he knows that a glance at the moon over the left shoulder is as healthful and lucky as one over the right4 ,he does not care whether the first comer to a theatre is crosseyed or hump-backed1 bow-legged1 or as well-proportioned as ,apollo4 ,he knows that a strange cat could be denied asylum without bringing any misfortune to the family4 ,he knows that an owl does not hoot in the full of the moon because a distinguished man is about to die4 ,he knows that comets and eclipses would come if all the folks were dead4 ,he is not frightened by sun dogs1 or the ,morning of the ,north when the glittering lances pierce the shield of night4 ,he knows that all these things occur without the slightest reference to the human race4 ,he feels certain that floods would destroy and cyclones rend and earthquakes devour2 that the stars would shine2 that day and night would still pursue each other around the world2 that flowers would give their perfume to the air1 and light would paint the seven-hued arch upon the dusky bosom of the cloud if every human being was unconscious dust4 ,a man of thought and sense does not believe in the existence of the ,devil4 ,he feels certain that imps1 goblins1 demons and evil spirits exist only in the imagination of the ignorant and frightened4 ,he knows how these malevolent myths were made4 ,he knows the part they have played in all religions4 ,he knows that for many centuries a belief in these devils1 these evil spirits1 was substantially universal4 ,he knows that the priest believed as firmly as the peasant4 ,in those days the best educated and the most ignorant were equal dupes4 ,kings and courtiers1 ladies and clowns1 soldiers and artists1 slaves and convicts1 believed as firmly in the ,devil as they did in ,god4 ,back of this belief there is no evidence1 and there never has been4 ,this belief did not rest on any fact4 ,it was supported by mistakes1 exaggerations and lies4 ,the mistakes were natural1 the exaggerations were mostly unconscious and the lies were generally honest4 ,back of these mistakes1 these exaggerations1 these lies1 was the love of the marvelous4 ,wonder listened with greedy ears1 with wide eyes1 and ignorance with open mouth4 ,the man of sense knows the history of this belief1 and he knows1 also1 that for many centuries its truth was established by the ,holy ,bible4 ,he knows that the ,old ,testament is filled with allusions to the ,devil1 to evil spirits1 and that the ,new ,testament is the same4 ,he knows that ,christ himself was a believer in the ,devil1 in evil spirits1 and that his principal business was casting out devils from the bodies of men and women4 ,he knows that ,christ himself1 according to the ,new ,testament1 was not only tempted by the ,devil1 but was carried by his ,satanic ,highness to the top of the temple4 ,if the ,new ,testament is the inspired word of ,god1 then ,i admit that these devils1 these imps1 do actually exist and that they do take possession of human beings4 ,to deny the existence of these evil spirits1 to deny the existence of the ,devil1 is to deny the truth of the ,new ,testament4 ,to deny the existence of these imps of darkness is to contradict the words of ,jesus ,christ4 ,if these devils do not exist1 if they do not cause disease1 if they do not tempt and mislead their victims1 then ,christ was an ignorant1 superstitious man1 insane1 an impostor1 or the ,new ,testament is not a true record of what he said and what he pretended to do4 ,if we give up the belief in devils1 we must give up the inspiration of the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,we must give up the divinity of ,christ4 ,to deny the existence of evil spirits is to utterly destroy the foundation of ,christianity4 ,there is no half-way ground4 ,compromise is impossible4 ,if all the accounts in the ,new ,testament of casting out devils are false1 what part of the ,blessed ,book is true8 ,as a matter of fact1 the success of the ,devil in the ,garden of ,eden made the coming of ,christ a necessity1 laid the foundation for the atonement1 crucified the ,savior and gave us the ,trinity4 ,if the ,devil does not exist1 the ,christian creeds all crumble1 and the superstructure known as ,christianity1 built by the fathers1 by popes1 by priests and theologians--built with mistakes and falsehoods1 with miracles and wonders1 with blood and flame1 with lies and legends borrowed from the savage world1 becomes a shapeless ruin4 ,if we give up the belief in devils and evil spirits1 we are compelled to say that a witch never lived4 ,no sensible human being now believes in witchcraft4 ,we know that it was a delusion4 ,we now know that thousands and thousands of innocent men1 women and children were tortured and burned for having been found guilty of an impossible crime1 and we also know1 if our minds have not been deformed by faith1 that all the books in which the existence of witches is taught were written by ignorant and superstitious men4 ,we also know that the ,old ,testament asserted the existence of witches4 ,according to that ,holy ,book1 ,jehovah was a believer in witchcraft1 and said to his chosen people3 ,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live4 ,this one commandment--this simple line--demonstrates that ,jehovah was not only not ,god1 but that he was a poor1 ignorant1 superstitious savage4 ,this one line proves beyond all possible doubt that the ,old ,testament was written by men1 by barbarians4 ,john ,wesley was right when he said that to give up a belief in witchcraft was to give up the ,bible4 ,give up the ,devil1 and what can you do with the ,book of ,job8 ,how will you account for the lying spirits that ,jehovah sent to mislead ,ahab8 ,ministers who admit that witchcraft is a superstition will read the story of the ,witch of ,endor--will read it in a solemn1 reverential voice--with a theological voice--and will have the impudence to say that they believe it4 ,it would be delightful to know that angels hover in the air2 that they guard the innocent1 protect the good2 that they bend over the cradles and give health and happy dreams to pallid babes2 that they fill dungeons with the light of their presence and give hope to the imprisoned2 that they follow the fallen1 the erring1 the outcasts1 the friendless1 and win them back to virtue1 love and joy4 ,but we have no more evidence of the existence of good spirits than of bad4 ,the angels that visited ,abraham and the mother of ,samson are as unreal as the ghosts and goblins of the ,middle ,ages4 ,the angel that stopped the donkey of ,balaam1 the one who walked in the furnace flames with ,meshech1 ,shadrack and ,abed-nego1 the one who slew the ,assyrians and the one who in a dream removed the suspicions of ,joseph1 were all created by the imagination of the credulous1 by the lovers of the marvelous1 and they have been handed down from dotage to infancy1 from ignorance to ignorance1 through all the years4 ,except in ,catholic countries1 no winged citizen of the celestial realm has visited the world for hundreds of years4 ,only those who are blind to facts can see these beautiful creatures1 and only those who reach conclusions without the assistance of evidence can believe in their existence4 ,it is told that the great ,angelo1 in decorating a church1 painted some angels wearing sandals4 ,a cardinal looking at the picture said to the artist3 ,whoever saw angels with sandals8 ,angelo answered with another question3 ,whoever saw an angel barefooted8 ,the existence of angels has never been established4 ,of course1 we know that millions and millions have believed in seraphim and cherubim2 have believed that the angel ,gabriel contended with the ,devil for the body of ,moses2 that angels shut the mouths of the lions for the protection of ,daniel2 that angels ministered unto ,christ1 and that countless angels will accompany the ,savior when he comes to take possession of the world4 ,and we know that all these millions believe through blind1 unreasoning faith1 holding all evidence and all facts in theological contempt4 ,but the angels come no more4 ,they bring no balm to any wounded heart4 ,long ago they folded their pinions and faded from the earth and air4 ,these winged guardians no longer protect the innocent2 no longer cheer the suffering2 no longer whisper words of comfort to the helpless4 ,they have become dreams--vanished visions4 ,v4 ,in the dear old religious days the earth was flat--a little dishing1 if anything--and just above it was ,jehovah's house1 and just below it was where the ,devil lived4 ,god and his angels inhabited the third story1 the ,devil and his imps the basement1 and the human race the second floor4 ,then they knew where heaven was4 ,they could almost hear the harps and hallelujahs4 ,they knew where hell was1 and they could almost hear the groans and smell the sulphurous fumes4 ,they regarded the volcanoes as chimneys4 ,they were perfectly acquainted with the celestial1 the terrestrial and the infernal4 ,they were quite familiar with the ,new ,jerusalem1 with its golden streets and gates of pearl4 ,then the translation of ,enoch seemed reasonable enough1 and no one doubted that before the flood the sons of ,god came down and made love to the daughters of men4 ,the theologians thought that the builders of ,babel would have succeeded if ,god had not come down and caused them to forget the meaning of words4 ,in those blessed days the priests knew all about heaven and hell4 ,they knew that ,god governed the world by hope and fear1 by promise and threat1 by reward and punishment4 ,the reward was to be eternal and so was the punishment4 ,it was not ,god's plan to develop the human brain1 so that man would perceive and comprehend the right and avoid the wrong4 ,he taught ignorance nothing but obedience1 and for obedience he offered eternal joy4 ,he loved the submissive--the kneelers and crawlers4 ,he hated the doubters1 the investigators1 the thinkers1 the philosophers4 ,for them he created the eternal prison where he could feed forever the hunger of his hate4 ,he loved the credulous--those who believed without evidence--and for them he prepared a home in the realm of fadeless light4 ,he delighted in the company of the questionless4 ,but where is this heaven1 and where is this hell8 ,we now know that heaven is not just above the clouds and that hell is not just below the earth4 ,the telescope has done away with the ancient heaven1 and the revolving world has quenched the flames of the ancient hell4 ,these theological countries1 these imagined worlds1 have disappeared4 ,no one knows1 and no one pretends to know1 where heaven is2 and no one knows1 and no one pretends to know1 the locality of hell4 ,now the theologians say that hell and heaven are not places1 but states of mind--conditions4 ,the belief in gods and devils has been substantially universal4 ,back of the good1 man placed a god2 back of the evil1 a devil2 back of health1 sunshine and harvest was a good deity2 back of disease1 misfortune and death he placed a malicious fiend4 ,is there any evidence that gods and devils exist8 ,the evidence of the existence of a god and of a devil is substantially the same4 ,both of these deities are inferences2 each one is a perhaps4 ,they have not been seen--they are invisible--and they have not ventured within the horizon of the senses4 ,the old lady who said there must be a devil1 else how could they make pictures that looked exactly like him1 reasoned like a trained theologian--like a doctor of divinity4 ,now no intelligent man believes in the existence of a devil--no longer fears the leering fiend4 ,most people who think have given up a personal ,god1 a creative deity4 ,they now talk about the ,unknown1 the ,infinite ,energy1 but they put ,jehovah with ,jupiter4 ,they regard them both as broken dolls from the nursery of the past4 ,the men or women who ask for evidence--who desire to know the truth--care nothing for signs2 nothing for what are called wonders2 nothing for lucky or unlucky jewels1 days or numbers2 nothing for charms or amulets2 nothing for comets or eclipses1 and have no belief in good or evil spirits1 in gods or devils4 ,they place no reliance on general or special providence--on any power that rescues1 protects and saves the good or punishes the vile and vicious4 ,they do not believe that in the whole history of mankind a prayer has been answered4 ,they think that all the sacrifices have been wasted1 and that all the incense has ascended in vain4 ,they do not believe that the world was created and prepared for man any more than it was created and prepared for insects4 ,they do not think it probable that whales were invented to supply the ,eskimo with blubber1 or that flames were created to attract and destroy moths4 ,on every hand there seems to be evidence of design--design for the accomplishment of good1 design for the accomplishment of evil4 ,on every side are the benevolent and malicious--something toiling to preserve1 something laboring to destroy4 ,everything surrounded by friends and enemies--by the love that protects1 by the hate that kills4 ,design is as apparent in decay1 as in growth2 in failure1 as in success2 in grief1 as in joy4 ,nature with one hand building1 with one hand tearing down1 armed with sword and shield--slaying and protecting1 and protecting but to slay4 ,all life journeying toward death1 and all death hastening back to life4 ,everywhere waste and economy1 care and negligence4 ,we watch the flow and ebb of life and death--the great drama that forever holds the stage1 where players act their parts and disappear2 the great drama in which all must act--ignorant and learned1 idiotic and insane--without rehearsal and without the slightest knowledge of a part1 or of any plot or purpose in the play4 ,the scene shifts2 some actors disappear and others come1 and again the scene shifts2 mystery everywhere4 ,we try to explain1 and the explanation of one fact contradicts another4 ,behind each veil removed1 another4 ,all things equal in wonder4 ,one drop of water as wonderful as all the seas2 one grain of sand as all the world2 one moth with painted wings as all the things that live2 one egg from which warmth1 in darkness1 woos to life an organized and breathing form--a form with sinews1 bones and nerves1 with blood and brain1 with instincts1 passions1 thoughts and wants--as all the stars that wheel in space4 ,the smallest seed that1 wrapped in soil1 has dreams of ,april rains and days of ,june1 withholds its secret from the wisest men4 ,the wisdom of the world cannot explain one blade of grass1 the faintest motion of the smallest leaf4 ,and yet theologians1 popes1 priests1 parsons1 who speechless stand before the wonder of the smallest thing that is1 know all about the origin of worlds1 know when the beginning was1 when the end will be1 know all about the ,god who with a wish created all1 know what his plan and purpose was1 the means he uses and the end he seeks4 ,to them all mysteries have been revealed1 except the mystery of things that touch the senses of a living man4 ,but honest men do not pretend to know2 they are candid and sincere2 they love the truth2 they admit their ignorance1 and they say1 ,we do not know4 ,after all1 why should we worship our ignorance1 why should we kneel to the ,unknown1 why should we prostrate ourselves before a guess8 ,if ,god exists1 how do we know that he is good1 that he cares for us8 ,the ,christians say that their ,god has existed from eternity2 that he forever has been1 and forever will be1 infinite1 wise and good4 ,could this ,god have avoided being ,god8 ,could he have avoided being good8 ,was he wise and good without his wish or will8 ,being from eternity1 he was not produced4 ,he was back of all cause4 ,what he is1 he was1 and will be1 unchanged1 unchangeable4 ,he had nothing to do with the making or developing of his character4 ,nothing to do with the development of his mind4 ,what he was1 he is4 ,he has made no progress4 ,what he is1 he will be1 there can be no change4 ,why then1 ,i ask1 should we praise him8 ,he could not have been different from what he was and is4 ,why should we pray to him8 ,he cannot change4 ,and yet ,christians implore their ,god not to do wrong4 ,the meanest thing charged against the ,devil is that he leads the children of men into temptation1 and yet1 in the ,lord's ,prayer1 ,god is insultingly asked not to imitate the king of fiends4 ,lead us not into temptation4 ,why should ,god demand praise8 ,he is as lie was4 ,he has never learned anything2 has never practiced any self-denial2 was never tempted1 never touched by fear or hope1 and never had a want4 ,why should he demand our praise8 ,does anyone know that this ,god exists2 that he ever heard or answered any prayer8 ,is it known that he governs the world2 that he interferes in the affairs of men2 that he protects the good or punishes the wicked8 ,can evidence of this be found in the history of mankind8 ,if ,god governs the world1 why should we credit him for the good and not charge him with the evil8 ,to justify this ,god we must say that good is good and that evil is also good4 ,if all is done by this ,god we should make no distinction between his actions--between the actions of the infinitely wise1 powerful and good4 ,if we thank him for sunshine and harvest we should also thank him for plague and famine4 ,if we thank him for liberty1 the slave should raise his chained hands in worship and thank ,god that he toils unpaid with the lash upon his naked back4 ,if we thank him for victory we should thank him for defeat4 ,only a few days ago our ,president1 by proclamation1 thanked ,god for giving us the victory at ,santiago4 ,he did not thank him for sending the yellow fever4 ,to be consistent the ,president should have thanked him equally for both4 ,the truth is that good and evil spirits--gods and devils--are beyond the realm of experience2 beyond the horizon of our senses2 beyond the limits of our thoughts2 beyond imagination's utmost flight4 ,man should think2 he should use all his senses2 he should examine2 he should reason4 ,the man who cannot think is less than man2 the man who will not think is traitor to himself2 the man who fears to think is superstition's slave4 ,,vi4 ,what harm does superstition do8 ,what harm in believing in fables1 in legends8 ,to believe in signs and wonders1 in amulets1 charms and miracles1 in gods and devils1 in heavens and hells1 makes the brain an insane ward1 the world a madhouse1 takes all certainty from the mind1 makes experience a snare1 destroys the kinship of effect and cause--the unity of nature--and makes man a trembling serf and slave4 ,with this belief a knowledge of nature sheds no light upon the path to be pursued4 ,nature becomes a puppet of the unseen powers4 ,the fairy1 called the supernatural1 touches with her wand a fact1 it disappears4 ,causes are barren of effects1 and effects are independent of all natural causes4 ,caprice is king4 ,the foundation is gone4 ,the great dome rests on air4 ,there is no constancy in qualities1 relations or results4 ,reason abdicates and superstition wears her crown4 ,the heart hardens and the brain softens4 ,the energies of man are wasted in a vain effort to secure the protection of the supernatural4 ,credulity1 ceremony1 worship1 sacrifice and prayer take the place of honest work1 of investigation1 of intellectual effort1 of observation1 of experience4 ,progress becomes impossible4 ,superstition is1 always lias been1 and forever will be1 the enemy of liberty4 ,superstition created all the gods and angels1 all the devils and ghosts1 all the witches1 demons and goblins1 gave us all the augurs1 soothsayers and prophets1 filled the heavens with signs and wonders1 broke the chain of cause and effect1 and wrote the history of man in miracles and lies4 ,superstition made all the popes1 cardinals1 bishops and priests1 all the monks and nuns1 the begging friars and the filthy saints1 all the preachers and exhorters1 all the called and set apart4 ,superstition made men fall upon their knees before beasts and stones1 caused them to worship snakes and trees and insane phantoms of the air1 beguiled them of their gold and toil1 and made them shed their children's blood and give their babes to flames4 ,superstition built the cathedrals and temples1 all the altars1 mosques and churches1 filled the world with amulets and charms1 with images and idols1 with sacred bones and holy hairs1 with martyrs' blood and rags1 with bits1 of wood that frighten devils from the breasts of men4 ,superstition invented and used the instruments of torture1 flayed men and women alive1 loaded millions1 with chains and destroyed hundreds of thousands with fire4 ,superstition mistook insanity for inspiration and the ravings of maniacs for prophesy1 for the wisdom of ,god4 ,superstition imprisoned the virtuous1 tortured the thoughtful1 killed the heroic1 put chains on the body1 manacles on the brain1 and utterly destroyed the liberty of speech4 ,superstition gave us all the prayers and ceremonies2 taught all the kneelings1 genuflections and prostrations2 taught men to hate themselves1 to despise pleasure1 to scar their flesh1 to grovel in the dust1 to desert their wives and children1 to shun their fellow-men1 and to spend their lives in useless pain and prayer4 ,superstition taught that human love is degrading1 low and vile2 taught that monks are purer than fathers1 that nuns are holier than mothers1 that faith is superior to fact1 that credulity leads to heaven1 that doubt is the road to hell1 that belief is better than knowledge1 and that to ask for evidence is to insult ,god4 ,superstition is1 always has been1 and forever will be1 the foe of progress1 the enemy of education and the assassin of freedom4 ,it sacrifices the known to the unknown1 the present to the future1 this actual world to the shadowy next4 ,it has given us a selfish heaven1 and a hell of infinite revenge2 it has filled the world with hatred1 war and crime1 with the malice of meekness and the arrogance of humility4 ,superstition is the only enemy of science in all the world4 ,nations1 races1 have been destroyed by this monster4 ,for nearly two thousand years the infallible agent of ,god has lived in ,italy4 ,that country has been covered with nunneries1 monasteries1 cathedrals and temples--filled with all varieties of priests and holy men4 ,for centuries ,italy was enriched with the gold of the faithful4 ,all roads led to ,rome1 and these roads were filled with pilgrims bearing gifts1 and yet ,italy1 in spite of all the prayers1 steadily pursued the downward path1 died and was buried1 and would at this moment be in her grave had it not been for ,cavour1 ,mazzini and ,garibaldi4 ,for her poverty1 her misery1 she is indebted to the holy ,catholic ,church1 to the infallible agents of ,god4 ,for the life she has she is indebted to the enemies of superstition4 ,a few years ago ,italy was great enough to build a monument to ,giordano ,bruno--,bruno1 the victim of the ,triumphant ,beast2--,bruno1 the sublimest of her sons4 ,spain was at one time owner of half the earth1 and held within her greedy hands the gold and silver of the world4 ,at that time all nations were in the darkness of superstition4 ,at that time the world was governed by priests4 ,spain clung to her creed4 ,some nations began to think1 but ,spain continued to believe4 ,in some countries1 priests lost power1 but not in ,spain4 ,the power behind her throne was the cowled monk4 ,in some countries men began to interest themselves in science1 but not in ,spain4 ,spain told her beads and continued to pray to the ,virgin4 ,spain was busy-saving her soul4 ,in her zeal she destroyed herself4 ,she relied on the supernatural2 not on knowledge1 but superstition4 ,her prayers were never answered4 ,the saints were dead4 ,they could not help1 and the ,blessed ,virgin did not hear4 ,some countries were in the dawn of a new day1 but ,spain gladly remained in the night4 ,with fire and sword she exterminated the men who thought4 ,her greatest festival was the ,auto da ,fe4 ,other nations grew great while ,spain grew small4 ,day by day her power waned1 but her faith increased4 ,one by one her colonies were lost1 but she kept her creed4 ,she gave her gold to superstition1 her brain to priests1 but she faithfully counted her beads4 ,only a few days ago1 relying on her ,god and his priests1 on charms and amulets1 on holy water and pieces of the true cross1 she waged war against the great ,republic4 ,bishops blessed her armies and sprinkled holy water on her ships1 and yet her armies were defeated and captured1 lier ships battered1 beached and burned1 and in her helplessness she sued for peace4 ,but she has her creed2 her superstition is not lost4 ,poor ,spain1 wrecked by faith1 the victim of religion6 ,portugal1 slowly dying1 growing poorer every day1 still clings to the faith4 ,her prayers are never answered1 but she makes them still4 ,austria is nearly gone1 a victim of superstition4 ,germany is traveling toward the night4 ,god placed her ,kaiser on the throne4 ,the people must obey4 ,philosophers and scientists fall upon1 their knees and become the puppets of the divinely crowned4 ,,vii4 ,the believers in the supernatural1 in a power superior to nature1 in ,god1 have what they call inspired books4 ,these books contain the absolute truth4 ,they must be believed4 ,he who denies them will be punished with eternal pain4 ,these books are not addressed to human reason4 ,they are above reason4 ,they care nothing for what a man calls facts4 ,facts that do not agree with these books are mistakes4 ,these books are independent of human experience1 of human reason4 ,our inspired books constitute what we call the ,bible4 ,the man who reads this inspired book1 looking for contradictions1 mistakes and interpolations1 imperils the salvation of his soul4 ,while he reads he has no right to think1 no right to reason4 ,to believe is his only duty4 ,millions of men have wasted their lives in the study of this book--in trying to harmonize contradictions and to explain the obscure and seemingly absurd4 ,in doing this they have justified nearly every crime and every cruelty4 ,in its follies they have found the profoundest wisdom4 ,hundreds of creeds have been constructed from its inspired passages4 ,probably no two of its readers have agreed as to its meaning4 ,thousands have studied ,hebrew and ,greek that they might read the ,old and ,new ,testament in the languages in which they were written4 ,the more they studied1 the more they differed4 ,by the same book they proved that nearly everybody is to be lost1 and that all are to be saved2 that slavery is a divine institution1 and that all men should be free2 that polygamy is right1 and that no man should have more than one wife2 that the powers that be are ordained of ,god1 and that the people have a right to overturn and destroy the powers that be2 that all the actions of men were predestined--preordained from eternity1 and yet that man is free2 that all the heathen will be lost2 that all the heathen will be saved2 that all men who live according to the light of nature will be damned for their pains2 that you must be baptized by sprinkling2 that you must be baptized by immersion2 that there is no salvation without baptism2 that baptism is useless2 that you must believe in the ,trinity2 that it is sufficient to believe in ,god2 that you must believe that a ,hebrew peasant was ,god2 that at the same time he was half man1 that he was of the blood of ,david through his supposed father ,joseph1 who was not his father1 and that it is not necessary to believe that ,christ was ,god2 that you must believe that the ,holy ,ghost proceeded2 that it makes no difference whether you do or not2 that you must keep the ,sabbath holy2 that ,christ taught nothing of the kind2 that ,christ established a church2 that he established no church2 that the dead are to be raised2 that there is to be no resurrection2 that ,christ is coming again2 that he has made his last visit2 that ,christ went to hell and preached to the spirits in prison2 that he did nothing of the kind2 that all the ,jews are going to perdition2 that they are all going to heaven2 that all the miracles described in the ,bible were performed2 that some of them were not1 because they are foolish1 childish and idiotic2 that all the ,bible is inspired2 that some of the books are not inspired2 that there is to be a general judgment1 when the sheep and goats are to be divided2 that there never will be any general judgment2 that the sacramental bread and wine are changed into the flesh and blood of ,god and the ,trinity2 that they are not changed2 that ,god has no flesh or blood2 that there is a place called purgatory2 that there is no such place2 that unbaptized infants will be lost2 that they will be saved2 that we must believe the ,apostles' ,creed2 that the apostles made no creed2 that the ,holy ,ghost was the father of ,christ2 that ,joseph was his father2 that the ,holy ,ghost had the form of a dove2 that there is no ,holy ,ghost2 that heretics should be killed2 that you must not resist evil2 that you should murder unbelievers2 that you must love your enemies2 that you should take no thought for the morrow1 but should be diligent in business2 that you should lend to all who ask1 and that ,one who does not provide for his own household is worse than an infidel4 ,in defence of all these creeds1 all these contradictions1 thousands of volumes have been written1 millions of sermons have been preached1 countless swords reddened with blood1 and thousands and thousands of nights made lurid with the faggot's flames4 ,hundreds and hundreds of commentators have obscured and darkened the meaning of the plainest texts1 spiritualized dates1 names1 numbers and even genealogies4 ,they have degraded the poetic1 changed parables to history1 and imagery to stupid and impossible facts4 ,they have wrestled with rhapsody and prophecy1 with visions and dreams1 with illusions and delusions1 with myths and miracles1 with the blunders of ignorance1 the ravings of insanity and the ecstasy of hysterics4 ,millions of priests and preachers have added to the mysteries of the inspired book by explanation1 by showing the wisdom of foolishness1 the foolishness of wisdom1 the mercy of cruelty and the probability of the impossible4 ,the theologians made the ,bible a master and the people its slaves4 ,with this book they destroyed intellectual veracity1 the natural manliness of man4 ,with this book they banished pity from the heart1 subverted all ideas of justice and fairness1 imprisoned the soul in the dungeon of fear and made honest doubt a crime4 ,think of what the world has suffered from fear4 ,think of the millions who were driven to insanity4 ,think of the fearful nights--nights filled with phantoms1 with flying1 crawling monsters1 with hissing serpents that slowly uncoiled1 with vague and formless horrors1 with burning and malicious eyes4 ,think of the fear of death1 of infinite wrath1 of everlasting revenge in the prisons of fire1 of an eternity1 of thirst1 of endless regret1 of the sobs and sighs1 the shrieks and groans of eternal pain6 ,think of the hearts hardened1 of the hearts broken1 of the cruelties inflicted1 of the agonies endured1 of the lives darkened4 ,the inspired ,bible has been and is the greatest curse of ,christendom1 and will so remain as long as it is held to be inspired4 ,,viii4 ,our ,god was made by men1 sculptured by savages who did the best they could4 ,they made our ,god somewhat like themselves1 and gave to him their passions1 their ideas of right and wrong4 ,as man advanced he slowly changed his ,god--took a little ferocity from his heart1 and put the light of kindness in his eyes4 ,as man progressed he obtained a wider view1 extended the intellectual horizon1 and again he changed his ,god1 making him as nearly perfect as he could1 and yet this ,god was patterned after those who made him4 ,as man became civilized1 as he became merciful1 he began to love justice1 and as his mind expanded his ideal became purer1 nobler1 and so his ,god became more merciful1 more loving4 ,in our day ,jehovah has been outgrown4 ,he is no longer the perfect4 ,now theologians talk1 not about ,jehovah1 but about a ,god of love1 call him the ,eternal ,father and the perpetual friend and providence of man4 ,but1 while they talk about this ,god of love1 cyclones wreck and rend1 the earthquake devours1 the flood destroys1 the red bolt leaping from the cloud still crashes the life out of men1 and plague and fever still are tireless reapers in the harvest fields of death4 ,they tell us now that all is good2 that evil is but blessing in disguise1 that pain makes strong and virtuous men--makes character--while pleasure enfeebles and degrades4 ,if this be so1 the souls in hell should grow to greatness1 while those in heaven should shrink and shrivel4 ,but we know that good is good4 ,we know that good is not evil1 and that evil is not good4 ,we know that light is not darkness1 and that darkness is not light4 ,but we do not feel that good and evil were planned and caused by a supernatural ,god4 ,we regard them both as necessities4 ,we neither thank nor curse4 ,we know that some evil can be avoided and that the good can be increased4 ,we know that this can be done by increasing knowledge1 by developing the brain4 ,as ,christians have changed their ,god1 so they have accordingly changed their ,bible4 ,the impossible and absurd1 the cruel and the infamous1 have been mostly thrown aside1 and thousands are now engaged in trying to save the inspired word4 ,of course1 the orthodox still cling to every word1 and still insist that every line is true4 ,they are literalists4 ,to them the ,bible means exactly what it says4 ,they want no explanation4 ,they care nothing for commentators4 ,contradictions cannot disturb their faith4 ,they deny that any contradictions exist4 ,they loyally stand by the sacred text1 and they give it the narrowest possible interpretation4 ,they are like the janitor of an apartment house who refused to rent a flat to a gentleman because he said he had children4 ,but1 said the gentleman1 my children are both married and live in ,iowa4 ,that makes no difference1 said the janitor1 ,i am not allowed to rent a flat to any man who has children4 ,all the orthodox churches are obstructions on the highway of progress4 ,every orthodox creed is a chain1 a dungeon4 ,every believer in the inspired book is a slave who drives reason from her throne1 and in her stead crowns fear4 ,reason is the light1 the sun1 of the brain4 ,it is the compass of the mind1 the ever-constant ,northern ,star1 the mountain peak that lifts itself above all clouds4 ,,ix4 ,there were centuries of darkness when religion had control of ,christendom4 ,superstition was almost universal4 ,not one in twenty thousand could read or write4 ,during these centuries the people lived with their back to the sunrise1 and pursued their way toward the dens of ignorance and faith4 ,there was no progress1 no invention1 no discovery4 ,on every hand cruelty and worship1 persecution and prayer4 ,the priests were the enemies of thought1 of investigation4 ,they were the shepherds1 and the people were their sheep and it was their business to guard the flock from the wolves of thought and doubt4 ,this world was of no importance compared with the next4 ,this life was to be spent in preparing for the life to come4 ,the gold and labor of men were wasted in building cathedrals and in supporting the pious and the useless4 ,during these ,dark ,ages of ,christianity1 as ,i said before1 nothing was invented1 nothing was discovered1 calculated to increase the well-being of men4 ,the energies of ,christendom were wasted in the vain effort to obtain assistance from the supernatural4 ,for centuries the business of ,christians was to wrest from the followers of ,mohammed the empty sepulcher of ,christ4 ,upon the altar of this folly millions of lives were sacrificed1 and yet the soldiers of the impostor were victorious1 and the wretches who carried the banner of ,christ were scattered like leaves before the storm4 ,there was1 ,i believe1 one invention during these ages4 ,it is said that1 in the thirteenth century1 ,roger ,bacon1 a ,franciscan monk1 invented gunpowder1 but this invention was without a fellow4 ,yet we cannot give ,christianity the credit1 because ,bacon was an infidel1 and was great enough to say that in all things reason must be the standard4 ,he was persecuted and imprisoned1 as most sensible men were in those blessed days4 ,the church was triumphant4 ,the sceptre and mitre were in her hands1 and yet her success was the result of force and fraud1 and it carried within itself the seeds of its defeat4 ,the church attempted the impossible4 ,it endeavored to make the world of one belief2 to force all minds to a common form1 and utterly destroy the individuality of man4 ,to accomplish this it employed every art and artifice that cunning could suggest ,it inflicted every cruelty by every means that malice could invent4 ,but1 in spite of all1 a few men began to think4 ,they became interested in the affairs of this world--in the great panorama of nature4 ,they began to seek for causes1 for the explanations of phenomena4 ,they were not satisfied with the assertions of the church4 ,these thinkers withdrew their gaze from the skies and looked at their own surroundings4 ,they were unspiritual enough to desire comfort here4 ,they became sensible and secular1 worldly and wise4 ,what was the result8 ,they began to invent1 to discover1 to find the relation between facts1 the conditions of happiness and the means that would increase the well-being of their fellow-men4 ,movable types were invented1 paper was borrowed from the ,moors1 books appeared1 and it became possible to save the intellectual wealth so that each generation could hand it to the next4 ,history began to take the place of legend and rumor4 ,the telescope was invented4 ,the orbits of the stars were traced1 and men became citizens of the universe4 ,the steam engine was constructed1 and now steam1 the great slave1 does the work of hundreds of millions of men4 ,the ,black ,art1 the impossible1 was abandoned1 and chemistry1 the useful1 took its place4 ,astrology became astronomy4 ,kepler discovered the three great laws1 one of the greatest triumphs of human genius1 and our constellation became a poem1 a symphony4 ,newton gave us the mathematical expression of the attraction of gravitation4 ,harvey discovered the circulation of the blood4 ,he gave us the fact1 and ,draper gave us the reason4 ,steamships conquered the seas and railways covered the land4 ,houses and streets were lighted with gas4 ,through the invention of matches fire became the companion of man4 ,the art of photography became known2 the sun became an artist4 ,telegraphs and cables were invented4 ,the lightning became a carrier of thought1 and the nations became neighbors4 ,anaesthetics were discovered and pain was lost in sleep4 ,surgery became a science4 ,the telephone was invented--the telephone that carries and deposits in listening ears the waves of words4 ,the phonograph1 that catches and retains in marks and dots and gives again the echoes of our speech4 ,then came electric light that fills the night with day1 and all the wonderful machines that use the subtle force--the same force that leaps from the summer cloud to ravage and destroy4 ,the ,spectrum ,analysis that tells us of the substance of the sun2 the ,roentgen rays that change the opaque to the transparent4 ,the great thinkers demonstrated the indestructibility of force and matter--demonstrated that the indestructible could not have been created4 ,the geologist1 in rocks and deposits and mountains and continents1 read a little of the story of the world--of its changes1 of the glacial epoch--the story of vegetable and animal life4 ,the biologists1 through the fossil forms of life1 established the antiquity of man and demonstrated the worthlessness of ,holy ,writ4 ,then came evolution1 the survival of the fittest and natural selection4 ,thousands of mysteries were explained and science wrested the sceptre from superstition4 ,the cell theory was advanced1 and embryology was studied2 the microscope discovered germs of disease and taught us how to stay the plague4 ,these great theories and discoveries1 together with countless inventions1 are the children of intellectual liberty4 ,x4 ,after all we know but little4 ,in the darkness of life there are a few gleams of light4 ,possibly the dropping of a dishcloth prophesies the coming of company1 but we have no evidence4 ,possibly it is dangerous for thirteen to dine together1 but we have no evidence4 ,possibly a maiden's matrimonial chances are determined by the number of seeds in an apple1 or by the number of leaves on a flower1 but we have no evidence4 ,possibly certain stones give good luck to the wearer1 while the wearing of others brings loss and death4 ,possibly a glimpse of the new moon over the left shoulder brings misfortune4 ,possibly there are curative virtues in old bones1 in sacred rags and holy hairs1 in images and bits of wood1 in rusty nails and dried blood1 but the trouble is we have no evidence4 ,possibly comets1 eclipses and shooting stars foretell the death of kings1 the destruction of nations or the coming of plague4 ,possibly devils take possession of the bodies and minds of men4 ,possibly witches1 with the ,devil's help1 control the winds1 breed storms on sea and land1 fill summer's lap with frosts and snow1 and work with charm and spell against the public weal1 but of this we have no evidence4 ,it may be that all the miracles described in the ,old and ,new ,testament were performed2 that the pallid flesh of the dead felt once more the thrill of life2 that the corpse arose and felt upon his smiling lips the kiss of wife and child4 ,possibly water was turned into wine1 loaves and fishes increased1 and possibly devils were expelled from men and women2 possibly fishes were found with money in their mouths2 possibly clay and spittle brought back the light to sightless eyes1 and possibly words cured disease and made the leper clean1 but of this we have no evidence4 ,possibly iron floated1 rivers divided1 waters burst from dry bones1 birds carried food to prophets and angels flourished drawn swords1 but of this we have no evidence4 ,possibly ,jehovah employed lying spirits to deceive a king1 and all the wonders of the savage world may have happened1 but the trouble is there is no proof4 ,so there may be a ,devil1 almost infinite in cunning and power1 and he may have a countless number of imps whose only business is to sow the seeds of evil and to vex1 mislead1 capture and imprison in eternal flames the souls of men4 ,all this1 so far as we know1 is possible4 ,all we know is that we have no evidence except the assertions of ignorant priests4 ,possibly there is a place called hell1 where all the devils live--a hell whose flames are waiting for1 all the men who think and have the courage to express their thoughts1 for all who fail to credit priests and sacred books1 for all who walk the path that reason lights1 for all the good and brave who lack credulity and faith--but of this1 ,i am happy to say1 there is no proof4 ,and so there may be a place called heaven1 the home of ,god1 where angels float and fly and play on harps and hear with joy the groans and shrieks of the lost in hell1 but of this there is no evidence4 ,it all rests on dreams and visions of the insane4 ,there may be a power superior to nature1 a power that governs and directs all things1 but the existence of this power has not been established4 ,in the presence of the mysteries of life and thought1 of force and substance1 of growth and decay1 of birth and death1 of joy and pain1 of the sufferings of the good1 the triumphs of wrong1 the intelligent honest man is compelled to say3 ,i do not know4 ,but we do know how gods and devils1 heavens and hells1 have been made4 ,we know the history of inspired books--the origin of religions4 ,we know how the seeds of superstition were planted and what made them grow4 ,we know that all superstitions1 all creeds1 all follies and mistakes1 all crimes and cruelties1 all virtues1 vices1 hopes and fears1 all discoveries and inventions1 have been naturally produced4 ,by the light of reason we divide the useful from the hurtful1 the false from the true4 ,we know the past--the paths that man has traveled--his mistakes1 his triumphs4 ,we know a few facts1 a few fragments1 and the imagination1 the artist of the mind1 with these facts1 these fragments1 rebuilds the past1 and on the canvas of the future deftly paints the things to be4 ,we believe in the natural1 in the unbroken and unbreakable succession of causes and effects4 ,we deny the existence of the supernatural4 ,we do not believe in any ,god who can be pleased with incense1 with kneeling1 with bell-ringing1 psalm-singing1 bead-counting1 fasting or prayer--in any ,god who can be flattered by words of faith or fear4 ,we believe in the natural4 ,we have no fear of devils1 ghosts or hells4 ,we believe that ,mahatmas1 astral bodies1 materializations of spirits1 crystal gazing1 seeing the future1 telepathy1 mind reading and ,christian ,science are only cunning frauds1 the genuineness of which is established by the testimony of incompetent1 honest witnesses4 ,we believe that ,cunning plates fraud with the gold of honesty1 and veneers vice with virtue4 ,we know that millions are seeking the impossible--trying to secure the aid of the supernatural--to solve the problem of life--to guess the riddle of destiny1 and to pluck from the future its secret4 ,we know that all their efforts are in vain4 ,we believe in the natural4 ,we believe in home and fireside--in wife and child and friend--in the realities of this world4 ,we have faith in facts--in knowledge--in the development of the brain4 ,we throw away superstition and welcome science4 ,we banish the phantoms1 the mistakes and lies and cling to the truth4 ,we do not enthrone the unknown and crown our ignorance4 ,we do not stand with our backs to the sun and mistake our shadow for ,god4 ,we do not create a master and thankfully wear his chains4 ,we do not enslave ourselves4 ,we want no leaders--no followers4 ,our desire is that every human being shall be true to himself1 to his ideal1 unbribed by promises1 careless of threats4 ,we want no tyrant on the earth or in the air4 ,we know that superstition has given us delusions and illusions1 dreams and visions1 ceremonies and cruelties1 faith and fanaticism1 beggars and bigots1 persecutions and prayers1 theology and torture1 piety and poverty1 saints and slaves1 miracles and mummeries1 disease and death4 ,we know that science has given us all we have of value4 ,science is the only civilizer4 ,it has freed the slave1 clothed the naked1 fed the hungry1 lengthened life1 given us homes and hearths1 pictures and books1 ships and railways1 telegraphs and cables1 engines that tirelessly turn the countless wheels1 and it has destroyed the monsters1 the phantoms1 the winged horrors that filled the savage brain4 ,science is the real redeemer4 ,it will put honesty above hypocrisy2 mental veracity above all belief4 ,it will teach the religion of usefulness4 ,it will destroy bigotry in all its forms4 ,it will put thoughtful doubt above thoughtless faith4 ,it will give us philosophers1 thinkers and savants1 instead of priests1 theologians and saints4 ,it will abolish poverty and crime1 and greater1 grander1 nobler than all else1 it will make the whole world free4 ,,the ,,devil4 ,,if ,,the ,,devil ,,should ,,die ,,would ,,god ,,make ,,another8 ,a little while ago ,i delivered a lecture on ,superstition1 in which1 among other things1 ,i said that the ,christian world could not deny the existence of the ,devil2 that the ,devil was really the keystone of the arch1 and that to take him away was to destroy the entire system4 ,a great many clergymen answered or criticised this statement4 ,some of these ministers avowed their belief in the existence of his ,satanic ,majesty1 while others actually denied his existence2 but some1 without stating their own position1 said that others believed1 not in the existence of a personal devil1 but in the personification of evil1 and that all references to the ,devil in the ,scriptures could be explained on the hypothesis that the ,devil thus alluded to was simply a personification of evil4 ,when ,i read these answers ,i thought of this line from ,heine3 ,christ rode on an ass1 but now asses ride on ,christ4 ,now1 the questions are1 first1 whether the ,devil does really exist2 second1 whether the sacred ,scriptures teach the existence of the ,devil and of unclean spirits1 and third1 whether this belief in devils is a necessary part of what is known as orthodox ,christianity4 ,now1 where did the idea that a ,devil exists come from8 ,how was it produced8 ,fear is an artist--a sculptor--a painter4 ,all tribes and nations1 having suffered1 having been the sport and prey of natural phenomena1 having been struck by lightning1 poisoned by weeds1 overwhelmed by volcanoes1 destroyed by earthquakes1 believed in the existence of a ,devil1 who was the king--the ruler--of innumerable smaller devils1 and all these devils have been from time immemorial regarded as the enemies of men4 ,along the banks of the ,ganges wandered the ,asuras1 the most powerful of evil spirits4 ,their business was to war against the ,devas--that is to say1 the gods--and at the same time against human beings4 ,there1 too1 were the ogres1 the ,jakshas and many others who killed and devoured human beings4 ,the ,persians turned this around1 and with them the ,asuras were good and the ,devas bad4 ,ormuzd was the good--the god--,ahriman the evil--the devil --and between the god and the devil was waged a perpetual war4 ,some of the ,persians thought that the evil would finally triumph1 but others insisted that the good would be the victor4 ,in ,egypt the devil was ,set--or1 as usually called1 ,typhon--and the good god was ,osiris4 ,set and his legions fought against ,osiris and against the human race4 ,among the ,greeks1 the ,titans were the enemies of the gods4 ,ate was the spirit that tempted1 and such was her power that at one time she tempted and misled the god of gods1 even ,zeus himself4 ,these ideas about gods and devils often changed1 because in the days of ,socrates a demon was not a devil1 but a guardian angel4 ,we obtain our ,devil from the ,jews1 and they got him from ,babylon4 ,the ,jews cultivated the science of ,demonology1 and at one time it was believed that there were nine kinds of demons3 ,beelzebub1 prince of the false gods of the other nations2 the ,pythian ,apollo1 prince of liars2 ,belial1 prince of mischief-makers2 ,asmodeus1 prince of revengeful devils2 ,satan1 prince of witches and magicians2 ,meresin1 prince of aerial devils1 who caused thunderstorms and plagues2 ,abaddon1 who caused wars1 tumults and combustions2 ,diabolus1 who drives to despair1 and ,mammon1 prince of the tempters4 ,it was believed that demons and sorcerers frequently came together and held what were called ,sabbats2 that is to say1 orgies4 ,it was also known that sorcerers and witches had marks on their bodies that had been imprinted by the ,devil4 ,of course these devils were all made by the people1 and in these devils we find the prejudices of their makers4 ,the ,europeans always represent their devils as black1 while the ,africans believed that theirs were white4 ,so1 it was believed that people by the aid of the ,devil could assume any shape that they wished4 ,witches and wizards were changed into wolves1 dogs1 cats and serpents4 ,this change to animal form was exceedingly common4 ,within two years1 between #aeih and #afjj1 in one district of ,france1 the district of ,jura1 more than six hundred men and women were tried and convicted before one judge of having changed themselves into wolves1 and all were put to death4 ,this is only one instance4 ,there are thousands4 ,there is no time to give the history of this belief in devils4 ,it has been universal4 ,the consequences have been terrible beyond the imagination4 ,millions and millions of men1 women and children1 of fathers and mothers1 have been sacrificed upon the altar of this ignorant and idiotic belief4 ,of course1 the ,christians of to-day do not believe that the devils of the ,hindus1 ,egyptians1 ,persians or ,babylonians existed4 ,they think that those nations created their own devils1 precisely the same as they did their own gods4 ,but the ,christians of to-day admit that for many centuries ,christians did believe in the existence of countless devils2 that the ,fathers of the church believed as sincerely in the ,devil and his demons as in ,god and his angels2 that they were just as sure about hell as heaven4 ,i admit that people did the best they could to account for what they saw1 for what they experienced4 ,i admit that the devils as well as the gods were naturally produced--the effect of nature upon the human brain4 ,the cause of phenomena filled our ancestors not only with wonder1 but with terror4 ,the miraculous1 the supernatural1 was not only believed in1 but was always expected4 ,a man walking in the woods at night--just a glimmering of the moon--everything uncertain and shadowy--sees a monstrous form4 ,one arm is raised4 ,his blood grows cold1 his hair lifts4 ,in the gloom he sees the eyes of an ogre--eyes that flame with malice4 ,he feels that the something is approaching4 ,he turns1 and with a cry of horror takes to his heels4 ,he is afraid to look back4 ,spent1 out of breath1 shaking with fear1 he reaches his hut and falls at the door4 ,when he regains consciousness1 he tells his story and1 of course1 the children believe4 ,when they become men and women they tell father's story of having seen the ,devil to their children1 and so the children and grandchildren not only believe1 but think they know1 that their father--their grandfather--actually saw a devil4 ,an old woman sitting by the fire at night--a storm raging without--hears the mournful sough of the wind4 ,to her it becomes a voice4 ,her imagination is touched1 and the voice seems to utter words4 ,out of these words she constructs a message or a warning from the unseen world4 ,if the words are good1 she has heard an angel2 if they are threatening and malicious1 she has heard a devil4 ,she tells this to her children and they believe4 ,they say that mother's religion is good enough for them4 ,a girl suffering from hysteria falls into a trance--has visions of the infernal world4 ,the priest sprinkles holy water on her pallid face1 saying3 ,she hath a devil4 ,a man utters a terrible cry2 falls to the ground2 foam and blood issue from his mouth2 his limbs are convulsed4 ,the spectators say3 ,this is the ,devil's work4 ,through all the ages people have mistaken dreams and visions of fear for realities4 ,to them the insane were inspired2 epileptics were possessed by devils2 apoplexy was the work of an unclean spirit4 ,for many centuries people believed that they had actually seen the malicious phantoms of the night1 and so thorough was this belief--so vivid--that they made pictures of them4 ,they knew how they looked4 ,they drew and chiseled their hoofs1 their horns--all their malicious deformities4 ,now1 ,i admit that all these monsters were naturally produced4 ,the people believed that hell was their native land2 that the ,devil was a king1 and that lie and his imps waged war against the children of men4 ,curiously enough some of these devils were made out of degraded gods1 and1 naturally enough1 many devils were made out of the gods of other nations4 ,so that frequently the gods of one people were the devils of another4 ,in nature there are opposing forces4 ,some of the forces work for what man calls good2 some for what he calls evil4 ,back of these forces our ancestors put will1 intelligence and design4 ,they could not believe that the good and evil came from the same being4 ,so back of the good they put ,god2 back of the evil1 the ,devil4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,atlas ,,of ,,christianity ,,is ,,the ,,devil4 ,the religion known as ,christianity was invented by ,god himself to repair in part the wreck and ruin that had resulted from the ,devil's work4 ,take the ,devil from the scheme of salvation--from the atonement--from the dogma of eternal pain--and the foundation is gone4 ,the ,devil is the keystone of the arch4 ,he inflicted the wounds that ,christ came to heal4 ,he corrupted the human race4 ,the question now is3 ,does the ,old ,testament teach the existence of the ,devil8 ,if the ,old ,testament teaches anything1 it does teach the existence of the ,devil1 of ,satan1 of the ,serpent1 of the enemy of ,god and man1 the deceiver of men and women4 ,those who believe the ,scriptures are compelled to say that this ,devil was created by ,god1 and that ,god knew when he created him just what he would do--the exact measure of his success2 knew that he would be a successful rival2 knew that he would deceive and corrupt the children of men2 knew that1 by reason of this ,devil1 countless millions of human beings would suffer eternal torment in the prison of pain4 ,and this ,god also knew when he created the ,devil1 that he1 ,god1 would be compelled to leave his throne1 to be bom a babe in ,palestine1 and to suffer a cruel death4 ,all this he knew when he created the ,devil4 ,why did he create him8 ,it is no answer to say that this ,devil was once an angel of light and fell from his high estate because he was free4 ,god knew what he would do with his freedom when he made him and gave him liberty of action1 and as a matter of fact must have made him with the intention that he should rebel2 that he should fall2 that he should become a devil2 that he should tempt and corrupt the father and mother of the human race2 that he should make hell a necessity1 and that1 in consequence of his creation1 countless millions of the children of men would suffer eternal pain4 ,why did he create him8 ,admit that ,god is infinitely wise4 ,has he ingenuity enough to frame an excuse for the creation of the ,devil8 ,does the ,old ,testament teach the existence of a real1 living ,devil8 ,the first account of this being is found in ,genesis1 and in that account he is called the ,serpent4 ,he is declared to have been more subtle than any beast of the field4 ,according to the account1 this ,serpent had a conversation with ,eve1 the first woman4 ,we are not told in what language they conversed1 or how they understood each other1 as this was the first time they had met4 ,where did ,eve get her language8 ,where did the ,serpent get his8 ,of course1 such questions are impudent1 but at the same time they are natural4 ,the result of this conversation was that ,eve ate the forbidden fruit and induced ,adam to do the same4 ,this is what is called the ,fall1 and for this they were expelled from the ,garden of ,eden4 ,on account of this1 ,god cursed the earth with weeds and thorns and brambles1 cursed man with toil1 made woman a slave1 and cursed maternity with pain and sorrow4 ,how men--good men--can worship this ,god2 how women--good women--can love this ,jehovah1 is beyond my imagination4 ,in addition to the other curses the ,serpent was cursed--condemned to crawl on his belly and to eat dust4 ,we do not know by what means1 before that time1 he moved from place to place--whether he walked or flew2 neither do we know on what food he lived2 all we know is that after that time he crawled and lived on dust4 ,jehovah told him that this he should do all the days of his life4 ,it would seem from this that the ,serpent was not at that time immortal--that there was somewhere in the future a milepost at which the life of this ,serpent stopped4 ,whether he is living yet or not1 ,i am not certain4 ,it will not do to say that this is allegory1 or a poem1 because this proves too much4 ,if the ,serpent did not in fact exist1 how do we know that ,adam and ,eve existed8 ,is all that is said about ,god allegory1 and poetic1 or mythical8 ,is the whole account1 after all1 an ignorant dream8 ,neither will it do to say that the ,devil--the ,serpent--was a personification of evil4 ,do personifications of evil talk8 ,can a personification of evil crawl on its belly8 ,can a personification of evil eat dust8 ,if we say that the ,devil was a personification of evil1 are we not at the same time compelled to say that ,jehovah was a personification of good2 that the ,garden of ,eden was the personification of a place1 and that the whole story is a personification of something that did not happen8 ,maybe that ,adam and ,eve were not driven out of the ,garden2 they may have suffered only the personification of exile4 ,and maybe the cherubim placed at the gate of ,eden1 with flaming swords1 were only personifications of policemen4 ,there is no escape4 ,if the ,old ,testament is true1 the ,devil does exist1 and it is impossible to explain him away without at the same time explaining ,god away4 ,so there are many references to devils1 and spirits of divination and of evil which ,i have not the time to call attention to2 but1 in the ,book of ,job1 ,satan1 the ,devil has a conversation with ,god4 ,it is this ,devil that brings the sorrows and losses on the upright man4 ,it is this ,devil that raises the storm that wrecks the homes of ,job's children4 ,it is this ,devil that kills the children of ,job4 ,take this ,devil from that book1 and all meaning1 plot and purpose fade away4 ,is it possible to say that the ,devil in ,job was only a personification of evil8 ,in ,chronicles we are told that ,satan provoked ,david to number ,israel4 ,for this act of ,david1 caused by the ,devil1 ,god did not smite the ,devil1 did not punish ,david1 but he killed #gj1jjj poor innocent ,jews who had done nothing but stand up and be counted4 ,was this ,devil who tempted ,david a personification of evil1 or was ,jehovah a personification of the devilish8 ,in ,zachariah we are told that ,joshua stood before the angel of the ,lord1 and that ,satan stood at his right hand to resist him1 and that the ,lord rebuked ,satan4 ,if words convey any meaning1 the ,old ,testament teaches the existence of the ,devil4 ,all the passages about witches and those having familiar spirits were born of a belief in the ,devil4 ,when a man who loved ,jehovah wanted revenge on his enemy he fell on his holy knees1 and from a heart full of religion he cried3 ,let ,satan stand at his right hand4 ,,iii4 ,,take ,,the ,,devil ,,from ,,the ,,drama ,,of ,,christianity ,,and ,,the ,,plot ,,is ,,gone4 ,the next question is3 ,does the ,new ,testament teach the existence of the ,devil8 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,new ,testament is far more explicit than the ,old4 ,the ,jews1 believing that ,jehovah was ,god1 had very little business for a devil4 ,jehovah was wicked enough and malicious enough to take the ,devil's place4 ,the first reference in the ,new ,testament to the ,devil is in the fourth chapter of ,matthew4 ,we are told that ,jesus was led by the ,spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the ,devil4 ,it seems that he was not led by the ,devil into the wilderness1 but by the ,spirit2 that the ,spirit and the ,devil were acting together in a kind of pious conspiracy4 ,in the wilderness ,jesus fasted forty days1 and then the ,devil asked him to turn stones into bread4 ,the ,devil also took him to ,jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple1 and tried to induce him to leap to the earth4 ,the ,devil also took him to the top of a mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and offered them all to him in exchange for his worship4 ,jesus refused4 ,the ,devil went away and angels came and ministered to ,christ4 ,now1 the question is3 ,did the author of this account believe in the existence of the ,devil1 or did he regard this ,devil as a personification of evil1 and did he intend that his account should be understood as an allegory1 or as a poem1 or as a myth4 ,was ,jesus tempted8 ,if he was tempted1 who tempted him8 ,did anybody offer him the kingdoms of the world8 ,did the writer of the account try to convey to the reader the thought that ,christ was tempted by the ,devil8 ,if ,christ was not tempted by the ,devil1 then the temptation was bom in his own heart4 ,if that be true1 can it be said that he was divine8 ,if these adders1 these vipers1 were coiled in his bosom1 was he the son of ,god8 ,was he pure8 ,in the same chapter we are told that ,christ healed those which were possessed of devils1 and those which were lunatic1 and those that had the palsy4 ,from this it is evident that a distinction was made between those possessed with devils and those whose minds were affected and those who were afflicted with diseases4 ,in the eighth chapter we are told that people brought unto ,christ many that were possessed with devils1 and that he cast out the spirits with his word4 ,now1 can we say that these people were possessed with personifications of evil1 and that these personifications of evil were cast out8 ,are these personifications entities8 ,have they form and shape8 ,do they occupy space8 ,then comes the story of the two men possessed with devils who came from the tombs1 and were exceeding fierce4 ,it is said that when they saw ,jesus they cried out3 ,what have we to do with thee1 ,jesus1 thou ,son of ,god8 ,art thou come hither to torment us before the time8 ,if these were simply personifications of evil1 how did they know that ,jesus was the ,son of ,god1 and how can a personification of evil be tormented8 ,we are told that at the same time1 a good way off1 many swine were feeding1 and that the devils besought ,christ1 saying3 ,if thou cast us out1 suffer us to go away into the herd of swine4 ,and he said unto them3 ,go4 ,is it possible that personifications of evil would desire to enter the bodies of swine1 and is it possible that it was necessary for them to have the consent of ,christ before they could enter the swine8 ,the question naturally arises3 ,how did they enter into the body of the man8 ,did they do that without ,christ's consent1 and is it a fact that ,christ protects swine and neglects human beings8 ,can personifications have desires8 ,in the ninth chapter of ,matthew there was a dumb man brought to ,jesus1 possessed with a devil4 ,jesus cast out the devil and the dumb man spake4 ,did a personification of evil prevent the dumb man from talking8 ,did it in some way paralyze his organs of speech8 ,could it have done this had it only been a personification of evil8 ,in the tenth chapter ,jesus gives his twelve disciples power to cast out unclean spirits4 ,what were unclean spirits supposed to be8 ,did they really exist8 ,were they shadows1 impersonations1 allegories8 ,when ,jesus sent his disciples forth on the great mission to convert the world1 among other things he told them to heal the sick1 to raise the dead and to cast out devils4 ,here a distinction is made between the sick and those who were possessed by evil spirits4 ,now1 what did ,christ mean by devils8 ,in the twelfth chapter we are told of a very remarkable case4 ,there was brought unto ,jesus one possessed with a devil1 blind and dumb1 and ,jesus healed him4 ,the blind and dumb both spake and saw4 ,thereupon the ,pharisees said3 ,this fellow doth not cast out devils but by ,beelzebub1 the prince of devils4 ,jesus answered by saying3 ,every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation4 ,if ,satan cast out ,satan1 he is divided against himself4 ,why did not ,christ tell the ,pharisees that he did not cast out devils--only personifications of evil2 and that with these personifications ,beelzebub had nothing to do8 ,another question3 ,did the ,pharisees believe in the existence of devils1 or had they the personification idea8 ,at the same time ,christ said3 ,if ,i cast out devils by the ,spirit of ,god1 then the kingdom of ,god is come unto you4 ,if he meant anything by these words he certainly intended to convey the idea that what he did demonstrated the superiority of ,god over the ,devil4 ,did ,christ believe in the existence of the ,devil8 ,in the fifteenth chapter is the account of the woman of ,canaan who cried unto ,jesus1 saying3 ,have mercy on me1 ,o ,lord1 thou son of ,david4 ,my daughter is sorely vexed with a devil4 ,on account of her faith ,christ made the daughter whole4 ,in the sixteenth chapter a man brought his son to ,jesus4 ,the boy was a lunatic1 sore vexed1 oftentimes falling in the fire and water4 ,the disciples had tried to cure him and had failed4 ,jesus rebuked the devil1 and the devil departed out of him and the boy was cured4 ,was the devil in this case a personification of evil8 ,the disciples then asked ,jesus why they could not cast that devil out4 ,jesus told them that it was because of their unbelief1 and then added3 ,howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting4 ,from this it would seem that some personifications were easier to expel than others4 ,the first chapter of ,mark throws a little light on the story of the temptation of ,christ4 ,matthew tells us that ,jesus was led up of the ,spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the ,devil4 ,in ,mark we are told who this ,spirit was3 ,and straightway coming up out of the water he saw the heavens opened1 and the ,spirit like a dove descending upon him4 ,and there came a voice from heaven1 saying3 ',thou art my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4' ,and immediately the ,spirit driveth him into the wilderness4 ,why the ,holy ,ghost should hand ,christ over to the tender mercies of the ,devil is not explained4 ,and it is all the more wonderful when we remember that the ,holy ,ghost was the third person in the ,trinity and ,christ the second1 and that this ,holy ,ghost was1 in fact1 ,god1 and that ,christ also was1 in fact1 ,god1 so that ,god led ,god into the wilderness to be tempted of the ,devil4 ,we are told that ,christ was in the wilderness forty days tempted of ,satan1 and was with the wild beasts1 and that the angels ministered unto him4 ,were these angels real angels1 or were they personifications of good1 of comfort8 ,so we see that the same ,spirit that came out of heaven1 the same ,spirit that said ,this is my beloved son1 drove ,christ into the wilderness to be tempted of ,satan4 ,was this ,devil a real being8 ,was this ,spirit who claimed to be the father of ,christ a real being1 or was he a personification8 ,are the heavens a real place8 ,are they a personification8 ,did the wild beasts live and did the angels minister unto ,christ8 ,in other words1 is the story true1 or is it poetry1 or metaphor1 or mistake1 or falsehood8 ,it might be asked3 ,why did ,god wish to be tempted by the ,devil8 ,was ,god ambitious to obtain a victory over ,satan8 ,was ,satan foolish enough to think that he could mislead ,god1 and is it possible that the ,devil offered to give the world as a bribe to its creator and owner1 knowing at the same time that ,christ was the creator and owner1 and also knowing that he 7,christ7 knew that he 7the ,devil7 knew that he 7,christ7 was the creator and owner8 ,is not the whole story absurdly idiotic8 ,the ,devil knew that ,christ was ,god1 and knew that ,christ knew that the tempter was the ,devil4 ,it may be asked how ,i know that the ,devil knew that ,christ was ,god4 ,my answer is found in the same chapter4 ,there is an account of what a devil said to ,christ3 ,let us alone4 ,what have we to do with thee1 thou ,jesus of ,nazareth8 ,art thou come to destroy us8 ,i know thee4 ,thou art the holy one of ,god4 ,certainly1 if the little devils knew this1 the ,devil himself must have had like information4 ,jesus rebuked this devil and said to him3 ,hold thy peace1 and come out of him4 ,and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice1 he came out of him4 ,so we are told that ,jesus cast out many devils1 and suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him4 ,so it is said in the third chapter that unclean spirits1 when they saw him1 fell down before him and cried1 saying1 ',thou art the son of ,god4' ,in the fifth chapter is an account of casting out the devils that went into the swine1 and we are told that all the devils besought him saying1 ',send us into the swine4' ,and ,jesus gave them leave4 ,again ,i ask3 ,was it necessary for the devils to get the permission of ,christ before they could enter swine8 ,again ,i ask3 ,by whose permission did they enter into the man8 ,could personifications of evil enter a herd of swine1 or could personifications of evil make a bargain with ,christ8 ,in the sixth chapter we are told that the disciples cast out many devils and anointed with oil many that were sick4 ,here again the distinction is made between those possessed by devils and those afflicted by disease4 ,it will not do to say that the devils were diseases or personifications4 ,in the seventh chapter a ,greek woman whose daughter was possessed by a devil besought ,christ to cast this devil out4 ,at last ,christ said3 ,the devil is gone out of thy daughter4 ,in the ninth chapter one of the multitude said unto ,christ3 ,i have brought unto thee my son which hath a dumb spirit4 ,i spoke unto thy disciples that they should cast him out1 and they could not4 ,so they brought this boy before ,christ1 and when the boy saw him1 the spirit tare him1 and he fell on the ground and wallowed1 foaming4 ,christ asked the father3 ,how long is it ago since this came unto him8 ,and he answered3 ,of a child1 and ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him4 ,then ,christ said3 ,thou dumb and deaf spirit1 ,i charge thee1 come out of him1 and enter no more into him4 ,and the spirit cried1 and rent him sore1 and came out of him2 and he was as one dead2 insomuch that many said1 ',he is dead4' ,then the disciples asked ,jesus why they could not cast them out1 and ,jesus said3 ,this kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting4 ,is there any doubt about the belief of the man who wrote this account8 ,is there any allegory1 or poetry1 or myth in this story8 ,the devil1 in this case1 was not an ordinary1 every-day devil4 ,he was dumb and deaf2 it was no use to order him out1 because he could not hear4 ,the only way was to pray and fast4 ,is there such a thing as a dumb and deaf devil8 ,if so1 the devils must be organized4 ,they must have ears and organs of speech1 and they must be dumb because there is something the matter with the apparatus of speaking1 and they must be deaf because something is the matter with their ears4 ,it would seem from this that they are not simply spiritual beings1 but organized on a physical basis4 ,now1 we know that the ears do not hear4 ,it is the brain that hears4 ,so these devils must have brains2 that is to say1 they must have been what we call organized beings4 ,now1 it is hardly possible that personifications of evil are dumb or deaf4 ,that is to say1 that they have physical imperfections4 ,in the same chapter ,john tells ,christ that he saw one casting out devils in ,christ's name who did not follow with them1 and ,jesus said3 ,forbid him not4 ,by this he seemed to admit that some one1 not a follower of his1 was casting out devils in his name1 and he was willing that he should go on1 because1 as he said3 ,for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name that can lightly speak evil of me4 ,in the fourth chapter of ,luke the story of the temptation of ,christ by the ,devil is again told with a few additions4 ,all the writers1 having been inspired1 did not remember exactly the same things4 ,luke tells us that the ,devil said unto ,christ1 having shown him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time3 ,all this power will ,i give thee and the glory of them1 for that is delivered unto me1 and to whomsoever ,i will ,i give it4 ,if thou wilt worship me1 all shall be thine4 ,we are also told that when the ,devil had ended all the temptation he departed from him for a season4 ,the date of his return is not given4 ,in the same chapter we are told that a man in the synagogue had a spirit of an unclean devil4 ,this devil recognized ,jesus and admitted that he was the ,holy ,one of ,god4 ,as a matter of fact1 the apostles seemed to have relied upon the evidence of devils to substantiate the divinity of their ,lord4 ,jesus said to this devil3 ,hold thy peace and come out of him4 ,and the devil1 after throwing the man down1 came out4 ,in the forty-first verse of the same chapter it is said3 ,and devils also came out of many1 crying out and saying1 ',thou art ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4' ,it is also said that ,christ rebuked them and suffered them not to speak1 for they knew that he was ,christ4 ,now1 it will not do to say that these devils were diseases1 because diseases could not talk1 and diseases would not recognize ,christ as the ,son of ,god4 ,after all1 epilepsy is not a theologian4 ,i admit that lunacy comes nearer4 ,in the eighth chapter is told again the story of the devils and the swine4 ,in this account1 ,jesus asked the devil his name1 and the devil replied ,legion4 ,in the ninth chapter is told the story of the devil that the disciples could not cast out1 but was cast out by ,christ1 and in the thirteenth chapter it is said that the ,pharisees came to ,jesus1 telling him to go away1 because ,herod would kill him1 and ,jesus said unto these ,pharisees2 ,go ye1 and tell that fox1 behold1 ,i cast out devils4 ,what did he mean by this8 ,did he mean that he cured diseases8 ,no4 ,because in the same sentence he says1 ,and ,i do cures to-day1 making a distinction between devils and diseases4 ,in the twenty-second chapter an account of the betrayal of ,christ by ,judas is given in these words3 ,then entered ,satan into ,judas ,iscariot1 being of the number of the twelve4 ,and he went his way and communed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him unto them4 ,and they were glad1 and covenanted to give him money4 ,according to ,christ the little devils knew that he was the ,son of ,god4 ,certainly1 then1 ,satan1 king of all the fiends1 knew that ,christ was divine4 ,and he not only knew that1 but he knew all about the scheme of salvation4 ,he knew that ,christ wished to make an atonement of blood by the sacrifice of himself4 ,according to ,christian theologians1 the ,devil has always done his utmost to gain possession of the souls of men4 ,at the time he entered into ,judas1 persuading him to betray ,christ1 he knew that if ,christ was betrayed he would be crucified1 and that he would make an atonement for all believers1 and that1 as a result1 he1 the ,devil1 would lose all the souls that ,christ gained4 ,what interest had the ,devil in defeating himself8 ,if he could have prevented the betrayal1 then ,christ would not have been crucified4 ,no atonement would have been made1 and the whole world would have gone to hell4 ,the success of the ,devil would have been complete4 ,but1 according to this story1 the ,devil outwitted himself4 ,how thankful we should be to his ,satanic ,majesty4 ,he opened for us the gates of ,paradise and made it possible for us to obtain eternal life4 ,without ,satan1 without ,judas1 not a single human being could have become an angel of light4 ,all would have been wingless devils in the prison of flame4 ,in ,jerusalem1 to the extent of his power1 ,satan repaired the wreck and ruin he had wrought in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,certainly the writers of the ,new ,testament believed in the existence of the ,devil4 ,in the eighth chapter it is said that out of ,mary ,magdalene were cast seven devils4 ,to me ,mary ,magdalene is the most beautiful character in the ,new ,testament4 ,she is the one true disciple4 ,in the darkness of the crucifixion she lingered near4 ,she was the first at the sepulcher4 ,defeat1 disaster1 disgrace1 could not conquer her love4 ,and yet1 according to the account1 when she met the risen ,christ1 he said3 ,touch me not4 ,this was the reward of her infinite devotion4 ,in the ,gospel of ,john we are told that ,john the ,baptist said that he saw the ,spirit descending from heaven like a dove1 and that it abode upon ,christ4 ,but in the ,gospel of ,john nothing is said about the ,spirit driving ,christ into the wilderness to be tempted by the ,devil4 ,possibly ,john never heard of that1 or forgot it1 or did not believe it4 ,but in the thirteenth chapter ,i find this3 ,and supper being ended1 the ,devil having now put into the heart of ,judas ,iscariot1 ,simon's son1 to betray him4444 ,in ,john there are no accounts of the casting out of devils by ,christ or his apostles4 ,on that subject there is no word4 ,possibly ,john had his doubts4 ,in the fifth chapter of ,acts we are told that the people brought the sick and those which were vexed with unclean spirits to the apostles1 and the apostles healed them4 ,here again there is made a clear distinction between the sick and those possessed by devils4 ,and in the eighth chapter we are told that unclean spirits1 crying with a loud voice1 came out of them4 ,in the thirteen chapter ,paul calls ,elymas the child of the ,devil1 and in the sixteenth chapter an account is given of a damsel possessed with a spirit of divination1 who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying4 ,paul and ,silas1 it would seem1 cast out this spirit1 and by reason of that suffered great persecution4 ,in the nineteenth chapter certain vagabond ,jews pronounced over those who had evil spirits the name of ,jesus1 and the evil spirits answered3 ,jesus ,i know1 and ,paul ,i know1 but who are ye8 ,and the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them so that they fled naked and wounded4 ,paul1 writing to the ,corinthians1 in the eighth chapter says2 ,i would not that ye should have fellowship with devils4 ,ye cannot drink the cup of the ,lord and the cup of devils4 ,ye cannot be partakers of the ,lord's table and the table of devils4 ,do we provoke the ,lord to jealousy8 ,in the eleventh chapter he says that long hair is the glory of woman1 but that she ought to keep her head covered because of the angels4 ,in those intellectual days people believed in what were called the ,incubi and the ,succubi4 ,the ,incubi were male angels and the ,succubi were female angels1 and according to the belief of that time nothing so attracted the ,incubi as the beautiful hair of women1 and for this reason ,paul said that women should keep their heads covered4 ,paul calls the ,devil the prince of the power of the air4 ,so in ,jude we are told that ,michael1 the archangel1 when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of ,moses1 durst not bring against him a railing accusation1 but said1 ',the ,lord rebuke thee4' ,was this devil with whom ,michael contended a personification of evil1 or a poem1 or a myth8 ,in ,first ,peter we are told to be sober1 vigilant1 because your adversary1 the ,devil1 as a roaring lion1 walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour4 ,are people devoured by personifications or myths8 ,has an allegory an appetite1 or is a poem a cannibal8 ,so in ,ephesians we are warned not to give place to the ,devil1 and in the same book we are told3 ,put on the whole armor of ,god1 that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the ,devil4 ,and in ,hebrews it is said that him that had the power of death--that is1 the ,devil2 showing that the ,devil has the power of death4 ,and in ,james it is said that if we resist the ,devil he will flee from us2 and in ,first ,john we are told that he that committeth sin is of the ,devil1 for the reason that the ,devil sinneth from the beginning2 and we are also told that for this purpose was the ,son of ,god manifested1 that he may destroy the works of the ,devil4 ,no ,devil--no ,christ4 ,in ,revelation1 the insanest of all books1 ,i find the following3 ,and there was war in heaven4 ,michael and his angels fought against the dragon1 and the dragon fought and his angels4 ,and prevailed not2 neither was their place found any more in heaven4 ,and the great dragon was cast out1 that old serpent1 called the ,devil1 and ,satan1 which deceiveth the whole world3 he was cast out into the earth1 and his angels were cast out with him4 ,therefore1 rejoice1 ye heavens1 and ye that dwell in them4 ,woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea2 for the devil is come down unto you1 having great wrath1 because he knoweth that he hath but a short time4 ,from this it would appear that the ,devil once lived in heaven1 raised a rebellion1 was defeated and cast out1 and the inspired writer congratulates the angels that they are rid of him and commiserates us that we have him4 ,in the twentieth chapter of ,revelation is the following3 ,and ,i saw an angel come down from heaven1 having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand4 ,and he laid ,hold on the dragon--that old serpent1 which is the ,devil and ,satan--and bound him a thousand years4 ,and cast him into the bottomless pit1 and shut him up1 and set a seal upon him1 that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled2 and after he must be loosed a little season4 ,it is hard to understand how one could be confined in a pit without a bottom1 and how a chain of iron could hold one in eternal fire1 or what use there would be to lock a bottomless pit2 but these are questions probably suggested by the ,devil4 ,we are further told that when the thousand years are expired ,satan shall be loosed out of his prison4 ,and the ,devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are1 and shall be tormented day and night forever4 ,in the light of the passages that ,i have read we can clearly see what the writers of the ,new ,testament believed4 ,about this there can be no honest difference4 ,if the gospels teach the existence of ,god--of ,christ--they teach the existence of the ,devil4 ,if the ,devil does not exist--if little devils do not enter the bodies of men--the ,new ,testament may be inspired1 but it is not true4 ,the early ,christians proved that ,christ was divine because he cast out devils4 ,the evidence they offered was more absurd than the statement they sought to prove4 ,they were like the old man who said that he saw a grindstone floating down the river4 ,some one said that a grindstone would not float4 ,ah1 said the old man1 but the one ,i saw had an iron crank in it4 ,of course1 ,i do not blame the authors of the gospels4 ,they lived in' a superstitious age1 at a time when ,rumor was the historian1 when ,gossip corrected the proof1 and when everything was believed except the facts4 ,the apostles1 like their fellows1 believed in miracles and magic4 ,credulity was regarded as a virtue4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,parkhurst denounces the apostles as worthless cravens4 ,certainly ,i do not agree with him4 ,i think that they were good men4 ,i do not believe that any one of them ever tried to reform ,jerusalem on the ,parkhurst plan4 ,i admit that they honestly believed in devils--that they were credulous and superstitious4 ,there is one story in the ,new ,testament that illustrates my meaning4 ,in the fifth chapter of ,john is the following3 ,now1 there is at ,jerusalem1 by the sheep market1 a pool1 which is called in the ,hebrew tongue ',bethesda1' having five porches4 ,in these lay a great multitude of impotent folk--of blind1 halt1 withered--waiting for the moving of the water4 ,for an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water3 whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had4 ,and a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years4 ,when ,jesus saw him he and knew that he had been now a long time in that case1 he saith unto him3 ',wilt thou be made whole88' ,the impotent man answered him3 ',sir1 ,i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool2 but while ,i am coming another steppeth down before me4' ,jesus saith unto him3 ',rise1 take up thy bed and walk4' ,and immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked4 ,does any sensible human being now believe this story8 ,was the water of ,bethesda troubled by an angel8 ,where did the angel come from8 ,where do angels live8 ,did the angel put medicine in the water--just enough to cure one8 ,did he put in different medicines for different diseases1 or did he have a medicine1 like those that are patented now1 that cured all diseases just the same8 ,was the water troubled by an angel8 ,possibly1 what apostles and theologians call an angel a scientist knows as carbonic acid gas4 ,john does not say that the people thought the water was troubled by an angel1 but he states it as a fact4 ,and he tells us1 also1 as a fact1 that the first invalid that got in the water after it had been troubled was cured of what disease he had4 ,what is the evidence of ,john worth8 ,again ,i say that if the ,devil does not exist the gospels are not inspired4 ,if devils do not exist ,christ was either honestly mistaken1 insane or an impostor4 ,if devils do not exist the fall of man is a mistake and the atonement an absurdity4 ,if devils do not exist hell becomes only a dream of revenge4 ,beneath the structure called ,christianity are four corner-stones--the ,father1 ,son1 ,holy ,ghost and ,devil4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,the ,devil1 was ,forced to ,father the ,failures of ,god4 ,all the fathers of the church believed in devils4 ,all the saints won their crowns by overcoming devils4 ,all the popes and cardinals1 bishops and priests1 believed in devils4 ,most of their time was occupied in fighting devils4 ,the whole ,catholic world1 from the lowest layman to the highest priest1 believed in devils4 ,they proved the existence of devils by the ,new ,testament4 ,they knew that these devils were citizens of hell4 ,they knew that ,satan was their king4 ,they knew that hell was made for the ,devil and his angels4 ,the founders of all the ,protestant churches--the makers of all the orthodox creeds--all the leading ,protestant theologians1 from ,luther to the president of ,princeton ,college--were1 and are1 firm believers in the ,devil4 ,all the great commentators believed in the ,devil as firmly as they did in ,god4 ,under the ,scheme of ,salvation the ,devil was a necessity4 ,somebody had to be responsible for the thorns and thistles1 for the cruelties and crimes4 ,somebody had to father the mistakes of ,god4 ,the ,devil was the scapegoat of ,jehovah4 ,for hundreds of years1 good1 honest1 zealous ,christians contended against the ,devil4 ,they fought him day and night1 and the thought that they had beaten him gave to their dying lips the smile of victory4 ,for centuries the church taught that the natural man was totally depraved2 that he was by nature a child of the ,devil1 and that new-born babes were tenanted by unclean spirits4 ,as late as the middle of the sixteenth century1 every infant that was baptized was1 by that ceremony1 freed from a devil4 ,when the holy water was applied the priest said3 ,i command thee1 thou unclean spirit1 in the name of the ,father1 of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost1 that thou come out and depart from this infant1 whom our ,lord ,jesus ,christ has vouchsafed to call to his holy baptism1 to be made a member of his body1 and of his holy congregation4 ,at that time the fathers--the theologians1 the commentators--agreed that unbaptized children1 including those that were born dead1 went to hell4 ,and these same fathers--theologians and commentators--said3 ,god is love4 ,these babes were pure as ,pity's tears1 innocent as their mother's loving smiles1 and yet the makers of our creeds believed and taught that leering1 unclean fiends inhabited their dimpled flesh4 ,o1 the unsearchable riches of ,christianity6 ,for many centuries the church filled the world with devils--with malicious spirits that caused storm and tempest1 disease1 accident and death--that filled the night with visions of despair2 with prophecies that drove the dreamers mad4 ,these devils assumed a thousand forms--countless disguises in their efforts to capture souls and destroy the church4 ,they deceived sometimes the wisest and the best2 made priests forget their vows4 ,they melted virtue's snow in passion's fire1 and in cunning ways entrapped and smirched the innocent and good4 ,these devils gave witches and wizards their supernatural powers1 and told them the secrets of the future4 ,millions of men and women were destroyed because they had sold themselves to the ,devil4 ,at that time ,christians really believed the ,new ,testament4 ,they knew it was the inspired word of ,god1 and so believing1 so knowing--as they thought--they became insane4 ,no man has genius enough to describe the agonies that have been inflicted on innocent men and women because of this absurd belief4 ,how it darkened the mind1 hardened the heart1 and poisoned life6 ,it made the ,universe a madhouse presided over by an insane ,god4 ,think6 ,why would a merciful ,god allow his children to be the victims of devils8 ,why would a decent ,god allow his worshipers to believe in devils1 and by reason of that belief to persecute1 torture and burn their fellow-men8 ,christians did not ask these questions4 ,they believed the ,bible2 they had confidence in the words of ,christ4 ,v4 ,,personifications ,,of ,,evil4 ,the ,orthodox ,ostrich ,thrusts ,his ,head into the ,sand4 ,many of the clergy are now ashamed to say that they believe in devils4 ,the belief has become ignorant and vulgar4 ,they are ashamed of the lake of fire and brimstone4 ,it is too savage4 ,at the same time they do not wish to give up the inspiration of the ,bible4 ,they give new meanings to the inspired words4 ,now they say that devils were only personifications of evil4 ,if the devils were only personifications of evil1 what were the angels8 ,was the angel who told ,joseph who the father of ,christ was1 a personification8 ,was the ,holy ,ghost only the personification of a father8 ,was the angel who told ,joseph that ,herod was dead a personification of news8 ,were the angels who rolled away the stone and sat clothed in shining garments in the empty sepulcher of ,christ a couple of personifications8 ,were all the angels described in the ,old ,testament imaginary shadows--bodiless personifications8 ,if the angels of the ,bible are real angels1 the devils are real devils4 ,let us be honest with ourselves and each other and give to the ,bible its natural1 obvious meaning4 ,let us admit that the writers believed what they wrote4 ,if we believe that they were mistaken1 let us have the honesty and courage to say so4 ,certainly we have no right to change or avoid their meaning1 or to dishonestly correct their mistakes4 ,timid preachers sully their own souls when they change what the writers of the ,bible believed to be facts to allegories1 parables1 poems and myths4 ,it is impossible for any man who believes in the inspiration of the ,bible to explain away the ,devil4 ,if the ,bible is true the ,devil exists4 ,there is no escape from this4 ,if the ,devil does not exist the ,bible is not true4 ,there is no escape from this4 ,i admit that the ,devil of the ,bible is an impossible contradiction2 an impossible being4 ,this ,devil is the enemy of ,god and ,god is his4 ,now1 why should this ,devil1 in another world1 torment sinners1 who are his friends1 to please ,god1 his enemy8 ,if the ,devil is a personification1 so is hell and the lake of fire and brimstone4 ,all these horrors fade into allegories2 into ignorant lies4 ,any clergyman who can read the ,bible and then say that devils are personifications of evil is himself a personification of stupidity or hypocrisy4 ,,vi4 ,does any intelligent man now1 whose brain has not been deformed by superstition1 believe in the existence of the ,devil8 ,what evidence have we that he exists8 ,where does this ,devil live8 ,what does he do for a livelihood8 ,what does he eat8 ,if he does not eat1 he cannot think4 ,he cannot think without the expenditure of force4 ,he cannot create force2 he must borrow it--that is to say1 he must eat4 ,how does lie move from place to place8 ,does he walk or does he fly1 or has he invented some machine8 ,what object has he in life8 ,what idea of success8 ,this ,devil1 according to the ,bible1 knows that he is to be defeated2 knows that the end is absolute and eternal failure2 knows that every step he takes leads to the infinite catastrophe4 ,why does he act as he does8 ,our fathers thought that everything in this world came from some other realm2 that all ideas of right and wrong came from above2 that conscience dropped from the clouds2 that the darkness was filled with imps from perdition1 and the day with angels from heaven2 that souls had been breathed into man by ,jehovah4 ,what there is in this world that lives and breathes was produced here4 ,life was not imported4 ,mind is not an exotic4 ,of this planet man is a native4 ,this world is his mother4 ,the maker did not descend from the heavens4 ,the maker was and is here4 ,matter and force in their countless forms1 affinities and repulsions produced the living1 breathing world4 ,how can we account for devils8 ,is it possible that they creep into the bodies of men and swine8 ,do they stay in the stomach or brain1 in the heart or liver8 ,are these devils immortal or do they multiply and die8 ,were they all created at the same time or did they spring from a single pair8 ,if they are subject to death what becomes of them after death8 ,do they go to some other world1 are they annihilated1 or can they get to heaven by believing on ,christ8 ,in the brain of science the devils have never lived4 ,there you will find no goblins1 ghosts1 wraiths or imps--no witches1 spooks or sorcerers4 ,there the supernatural does not exist4 ,no man of sense in the whole world believes in devils any more than he does in mermaids1 vampires1 gorgons1 hydras1 naiads1 dryads1 nymphs1 fairies or the anthropophagi--any more than he does in the ,fountain of ,youth1 the ,philosopher's ,stone1 ,perpetual ,motion or ,fiat ,money4 ,there is the same difference between religion and science that there is between a madhouse and a university--between a fortune teller and a mathematician--between emotion and philosophy--between guess and demonstration4 ,the devils have gone1 and with them they have taken the miracles of ,christ4 ,they have carried away our ,lord4 ,they have taken away the inspiration of the ,bible1 and we are left in the darkness of nature without the consolation of hell4 ,but let me ask the clergy a few questions3 ,how did your ,devil1 who was at one time an angel of light1 come to sin8 ,there was no other devil to tempt him4 ,he was in perfectly good society--in the company of ,god--of the ,trinity4 ,all of his associates were perfect4 ,how did he fall8 ,he knew that ,god was infinite1 and yet he waged war against him and induced about a third of the angels to volunteer4 ,he knew that he could not succeed2 knew that he would be defeated and cast out2 knew that he was fighting for failure4 ,why was ,god so unpopular8 ,why were the angels so bad8 ,according to the ,christians1 these angels were spirits4 ,they had never been corrupted by flesh--by the passion of love4 ,why were they so wicked8 ,why did ,god create those angels1 knowing that they would rebel8 ,why did he deliberately sow the seeds of discord in heaven1 knowing that he would cast them into the lake of eternal fire--knowing that for them he would create the eternal prison1 whose dungeons would echo forever the sobs and shrieks of endless pain8 ,how foolish is infinite wisdom6 ,how malicious is mercy6 ,how revengeful is boundless love6 ,again1 ,i say that no sensible man in all the world believes in devils4 ,why does ,god allow these devils to enjoy themselves at the expense of his ignorant children8 ,why does he allow them to leave their prison8 ,does he give them furloughs or tickets-of-leave8 ,does he want his children misled and corrupted so that he can have the pleasure of damning their souls8 ,,vii4 ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,straw4 ,some of the preachers who have answered me say that ,i am fighting a man of straw4 ,i am fighting the supernatural--the dogma of inspiration--the belief in devils--the atonement1 salvation by faith--the forgiveness of sins and the savagery of eternal pain4 ,i am fighting the absurd1-the monstrous1 the cruel4 ,the ministers pretend that they have advanced--that they do not believe the things that ,i attack4 ,in this they are not honest4 ,who is the man of straw8 ,the man of straw is their master4 ,in every orthodox pulpit stands this man of straw--stands beside the preacher--stands with a club1 called a creed1 in his upraised hand4 ,the shadow of this club falls athwart the open ,bible--falls upon the preacher's brain1 darkens the light of his reason and compels him to betray himself4 ,the man of straw rules every sectarian school and college--every orthodox church4 ,he is the censor who passes on every sermon4 ,now and then some minister puts a little sense in his discourse--tries to take a forward step4 ,down comes the club1 and the man of straw demands an explanation--a retraction4 ,if the minister takes it back--good4 ,if he does not1 he is brought to book4 ,the man of straw put the plaster of silence on the lips of ,prof4 ,briggs1 and he was forced to leave the church or remain dumb4 ,the man of straw closed the mouth of ,prof4 ,smith1 and he has not opened it since4 ,the man of straw would not allow the ,presbyterian creed to be changed4 ,the man of straw took ,father ,mc,glynn by the collar1 forced him to his knees1 made him take back his words and ask forgiveness for having been abused4 ,the man of straw pitched ,prof4 ,swing out of the pulpit and drove the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,thomas from the ,methodist ,church4 ,let me tell the orthodox ministers that they are trying to cover their retreat4 ,you have given up the geology and astronomy of the ,bible4 ,you have admitted that its history is untrue4 ,you are retreating still4 ,you are giving up the dogma of inspiration2 you have your doubts about the flood and ,babel2 you have given up the witches and wizards2 you are beginning to throw away the miraculous2 you have killed the little devils1 and in a little while you will murder the ,devil himself4 ,in a few years you will take the ,bible for what it is worth4 ,the good and true will be treasured in the heart2 the foolish1 the infamous1 will be thrown away4 ,the man of straw will then be dead4 ,of course1 the real old petrified1 orthodox ,christian will cling to the ,devil4 ,he expects to have all of his sins charged to the ,devil1 and at the same time he will be credited with all the virtues of ,christ4 ,upon this showing on the books1 upon this balance1 he will be entitled to his halo and harp4 ,what a glorious1 what an equitable1 transaction6 ,the sorcerer ,superstition changes debt to credit4 ,he waves his wand1 and he who deserves the tortures of hell receives an eternal reward4 ,but if a man lacks faith the scheme is exactly reversed4 ,while in one case a soul is rewarded for the virtues of another1 in the other case a soul is damned for the sins of another4 ,this is justice when it blossoms in mercy4 ,beyond this idiocy cannot go4 ,,viii4 ,,keep ,,the ,,devils ,,out ,,of ,,children4 ,william ,kingdon ,clifford1 one of the greatest men of this century1 said3 ,if there is one lesson that history forces upon us in every page1 it is this3 ,keep your children away from the priest1 or he will make them the enemies of mankind4 ,in every orthodox ,sunday school children are taught to believe in devils4 ,every little brain becomes a menagerie1 filled with wild beasts from hell4 ,the imagination is polluted with the deformed1 the monstrous and malicious4 ,to fill the minds of children with leering fiends--with mocking devils--is one of the meanest and basest of crimes4 ,in these pious prisons--these divine dungeons--these ,protestant and ,catholic inquisitions--children are tortured with these cruel lies4 ,here they are taught that to really think is wicked2 that to express your honest thought is blasphemy2 and that to live a free and joyous life1 depending on fact instead of faith1 is the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,children thus taught--thus corrupted and deformed--become the enemies of investigation--of progress4 ,they are no longer true to themselves4 ,they have lost the veracity of the soul4 ,in the language of ,prof4 ,clifford1 they are the enemies of the human race4 ,so ,i say to all fathers and mothers1 keep your children away from priests2 away from orthodox ,sunday schools2 away from the slaves of superstition4 ,they will teach them to believe in the ,devil2 in hell2 in the prison of ,god2 in the eternal dungeon1 where the souls of men are to suffer forever4 ,these frightful things are a part of ,christianity4 ,take these lies from the creed and the whole scheme falls into shapeless ruin4 ,this dogma of hell is the infinite of savagery--the dream of insane revenge4 ,it makes ,god a wild beast--an infinite hyena4 ,it makes ,christ as merciless as the fangs of a viper4 ,save poor children from the pollution of this horror4 ,protect them from this infinite lie4 ,,ix4 ,,conclusion4 ,i admit that there are many good and beautiful passages in the ,old and ,new ,testament2 that from the lips of ,christ dropped many pearls of kindness--of love4 ,every verse that is true and tender ,i treasure in my heart4 ,every thought1 behind which is the tear of pity1 ,i appreciate and love4 ,but ,i cannot accept it all4 ,many utterances attributed to ,christ shock my brain and heart4 ,they are absurd and cruel4 ,take from the ,new ,testament the infinite savagery1 the shoreless malevolence of eternal pain1 the absurdity of salvation by faith1 the ignorant belief in the existence of devils1 the immorality and cruelty of the atonement1 the doctrine of non-resistance that denies to virtue the right of self-defence1 and how glorious it would be to know that the remainder is true6 ,compared with this knowledge1 how everything else in nature would shrink and shrivel6 ,what ecstasy it would be to know that ,god exists2 that he is our father and that he loves and cares for the children of men6 ,to know that all the paths that human beings travel1 turn and wind as they may1 lead to the gates of stainless peace6 ,how the heart would thrill and throb to know that ,christ was the conqueror of ,death2 that at his grave the all-devouring monster was baffled and beaten forever2 that from that moment the tomb became the door that opens on eternal life6 ,to know this would change all sorrow into gladness4 ,poverty1 failure1 disaster1 defeat1 power1 place and wealth would become meaningless sounds4 ,to take your babe upon your knee and say3 ,mine and mine forever6 ,what joy6 ,to clasp the woman you love in your arms and to know that she is yours and forever--yours though suns darken and constellations vanish6 ,this is enough3 ,to know that the loved and dead are not lost2 that they still live and love and wait for you4 ,to know that ,christ dispelled the darkness of death and filled the grave with eternal light4 ,to know this would be all that the heart could bear4 ,beyond this joy cannot go4 ,beyond this there is no place for hope4 ,how beautiful1 how enchanting1 ,death would be6 ,how we would long to see his fleshless skull6 ,what rays of glory would stream from his sightless sockets1 and how the heart would long for the touch of his stilling hand6 ,the shroud would become a robe of glory1 the funeral procession a harvest home1 and the grave would mark the end of sorrow1 the beginning of eternal joy4 ,and yet it were better far that all this should be false than that all of the ,new ,testament should be true4 ,it is far better to have no heaven than to have heaven and hell2 better to have no ,god than ,god and ,devil2 better to rest iii eternal sleep than to be an angel and know that the ones you love are suffering eternal pain2 better to live a free and loving life--a life that ends forever at the grave--than to be an immortal slave4 ,the master cannot be great enough to make slavery sweet4 ,i have no ambition to become a winged servant1 a winged slave4 ,better eternal sleep4 ,but they say1 ,if you give up these superstitions1 what have you left8 ,let me now give you the declaration of a creed4 ,,declaration ,,of ,,the ,,free ,we have no falsehoods to defend-- ,we want the facts2 ,our force1 our thought1 we do not spend ,in vain attacks4 ,and we will never meanly try ,to save some fair and pleasing lie4 ,the simple truth is what we ask1 ,not the ideal2 ,we've set ourselves the noble task ,to find the real4 ,if all there is is naught but dross1 ,we want to know and bear our loss4 ,we will not willingly be fooled1 ,by fables nursed2 ,our hearts1 by earnest thought1 are schooled ,to bear the worst2 ,and we can stand erect and dare ,all things1 all facts that really are4 ,we have no ,god to serve or fear1 ,no hell to shun1 ,no devil with malicious leer4 ,when life is done ,an endless sleep may close our eyes1 ,a sleep with neither dreams nor sighs4 ,we have no master on the land-- ,no king in air-- ,without a manacle we stand1 ,without a prayer1 ,without a fear of coming night1 ,we seek the truth1 we love the light4 ,we do not bow before a guess1 ,a vague unknown2 ,a senseless force we do not bless ,in solemn tone4 ,when evil comes we do not curse1 ,or thank because it is no worse4 ,when cyclones rend--when lightning blights1 ',tis naught but fate2 ,there is no ,god of wrath who smites ,in heartless hate4 ,behind the things that injure man ,there is no purpose1 thought1 or plan4 ,we waste no time in useless dread1 ,in trembling fear2 ,the present lives1 the past is dead1 ,and we are here1 ,all welcome guests at life's great feast-- ,we need no help from ghost or priest4 ,our life is joyous1 jocund1 free-- ,not one a slave ,who bends in fear the trembling knee1 ,and seeks to save ,a coward soul from future pain2 ,not one will cringe or crawl for gain4 ,the jeweled cup of love we drain1 ,and friendship's wine ,now swiftly flows in every vein ,with warmth divine4 ,and so we love and hope and dream ,that in death's sky there is a gleam4 ,we walk according to our light1 ,pursue the path ,that leads to honor's stainless height1 ,careless of wrath ,or curse of ,god1 or priestly spite1 ,longing to know and do the right4 ,we love our fellow-man1 our kind1 ,wife1 child1 and friend4 ,to phantoms we are deaf and blind1 ,but we extend ,the helping hand to the distressed2 ,by lifting others we are blessed4 ,love's sacred flame within the heart ,and friendship's glow2 ,while all the miracles of art ,their wealth bestow ,upon the thrilled and joyous brain1 ,and present raptures banish pain4 ,we love no phantoms of the skies1 ,but living flesh1 ,with passion's soft and soulful eyes1 ,lips warm and fresh1 ,and cheeks with health's red flag unfurled1 ,the breathing angels of this world4 ,the hands that help are better far ,than lips that pray4 ,love is the ever gleaming star ,that leads the way1 ,that shines1 not on vague worlds of bliss1 ,but on a paradise in this4 ,we do not pray1 or weep1 or wail2 ,we have no dread1 ,no fear to pass beyond the veil ,that hides the dead4 ,and yet we question1 dream1 and guess1 ,but knowledge we do not possess4 ,we ask1 yet nothing seems to know2 ,we cry in vain4 ,there is no master of the show ,who will explain1 ,or from the future tear the mask2 ,and yet we dream1 and still we ask ,is there beyond the silent night ,an endless day8 ,is death a door that leads to light8 ,we cannot say4 ,the tongueless secret locked in fate ,we do not know4-- ,we hope and wait4 ,,progress4 99 ,this is the first lecture ever delivered by ,mr4 ,ingersoll4 ,the stars indicate the words missing in the manuscript4 ,it was delivered in ,pekin1 #aaa41 in #ahfj1 and again in ,bloomington1 #aaa41 in #ahjd4 ,,it is admitted by all that happiness is the only good1 happiness in its highest and grandest sense and the most 99 99 springs 99 99 of 99 99 refined 99 99 generous 99 99 ,conscience 99 99 tends 99 99 indirectly 99 99 truly we 99 99 physically 99 99 to develop the wonderful powers of the mind is progress4 ,it is impossible for men to become educated and refined without leisure and there can be no leisure without wealth and all wealth is produced by labor1 nothing else4 ,nothing can 99 99 the hands 99 99 and 99 99 fabrics 99 99 service of civil 99 99 and crumbles 99 99 of all1 and yet even in free ,america labor is not honored as it deserves4 ,we should remember that the prosperity of the world depends upon the men who walk in the fresh furrows and through the rustling corn1 upon those whose faces are radiant with the glare of furnaces1 upon the delvers in dark mines1 the workers in shops1 upon those who give to the wintry air the ringing music of the axe1 and upon those who wrestle with the wild waves of the raging sea4 ,and it is from the surplus produced by labor that schools are built1 that colleges and universities are founded and endowed4 ,from this surplus the painter is paid for the immortal productions of the pencil4 ,this pays the sculptor for chiseling the shapeless rock into forms of beauty almost divine1 and the poet for singing the hopes1 the loves and aspirations of the world4 ,this surplus has erected all the palaces and temples1 all the galleries of art1 has given to us all the books in which we converse1 as it were1 with the dead kings of the human race1 and has supplied us with all there is of elegance1 of beauty and of refined happiness in the world4 ,i am aware that the subject chosen by me is almost infinite and that in its broadest sense it is absolutely beyond the present comprehension of man4 ,i am also aware that there are many opinions as to what progress really is1 that what one calls progress1 another denominates barbarism2 that many have a wonderful veneration for all that is ancient1 merely because it is ancient1 and they see no beauty in anything from which they do not have to blow the dust of ages with the breath of praise4 ,they say1 no masters like the old1 no governments like the ancient1 no orators1 no poets1 no statesmen like those who have been dust for two thousand years4 ,others despise antiquity and admire only the modern1 merely because it is modern4 ,they find so much to condemn in the past1 that they condemn all4 ,i hope1 however1 that ,i have gratitude enough to acknowledge the obligations ,i am under to the great and heroic minds of antiquity1 and that ,i have manliness and independence enough not to believe what they said merely because they said it1 and that ,i have moral courage enough to advocate ideas1 however modern they may be1 if ,i believe that they are right4 ,truth is neither young nor old1 is neither ancient nor modern1 but is the same for all times and places and should be sought for with ceaseless activity1 eagerly acknowledged1 loved more than life1 and abandoned--never4 ,in accordance with the idea that labor is the basis of all prosperity and happiness1 is another idea or truth1 and that is1 that labor in order to make the laborer and the world at large happy1 must be free4 ,that the laborer must be a free man1 the thinker must be free4 ,i do not intend in what ,i may say upon this subject to carry you back to the remotest antiquity1--back to ,asia1 the cradle of the world1 where we could stand in the ashes and ruins of a civilization so old that history has not recorded even its decay4 ,it will answer my present purpose to commence with the ,middle ,ages4 ,in those times there was no freedom of either mind or body in ,europe4 ,labor was despised1 and a laborer was considered as scarcely above the beasts4 ,ignorance like a mantle covered the world1 and superstition ran riot with the human imagination4 ,the air was filled with angels1 demons and monsters4 ,everything assumed the air of the miraculous4 ,credulity occupied the throne of reason and faith put out the eyes of the soul4 ,a man to be distinguished had either to be a soldier or a monk4 ,he could take his choice between killing and lying4 ,you must remember that in those days nations carried on war as an end1 not as a means4 ,war and theology were the business of mankind4 ,no man could win more than a bare existence by industry1 much less fame and glory4 ,comparatively speaking1 there was no commerce4 ,nations instead of buying and selling from and to each other1 took what they wanted by brute force4 ,and every ,christian country maintained that it was no robbery to take the property of ,mohammedans1 and no murder to kill the owners with or without just cause of quarrel4 ,lord ,bacon was the first man of note who maintained that a ,christian country was bound to keep its plighted faith with an ,infidel one4 ,in those days reading and writing were considered very dangerous arts1 and any layman who had acquired the art of reading was suspected of being a heretic or a wizard4 ,it is almost impossible for us to conceive of the ignorance1 the cruelty1 the superstition and the mental blindness of that period4 ,in reading the history of those dark and bloody years1 ,i am amazed at the wickedness1 the folly and presumption of mankind4 ,and yet1 the solution of the whole matter is1 they despised liberty2 they hated freedom of mind and of body4 ,they forged chains of superstition for the one and of iron for the other4 ,they were ruled by that terrible trinity1 the cowl1 the sword and chain4 ,you cannot form a correct opinion of those ages without reading the standard authors1 so to speak1 of that time1 the laws then in force1 and by ascertaining the habits and customs of the people1 their mode of administering the laws1 and the ideas that were commonly received as correct4 ,no one believed that honest error could be innocent2 no one dreamed of such a thing as religious freedom4 ,in the fifteenth century the following law was in force in ,england3 ,that whatsoever they were that should read the ,scriptures in the mother tongue1 they should forfeit land1 cattle1 body1 life1 and goods from their heirs forever1 and so be condemned for heretics to ,god1 enemies to the crown1 and most arrant traitors to the land4 ,the next year after this law was in force1 in one day thirty-nine were hanged for its violation and their bodies afterward burned4 ,laws equally unjust1 bloody and cruel were in force in all parts of ,europe4 ,in the sixteenth century a man was burned in ,france because he refused to kneel to a procession of dirty monks4 ,i could enumerate thousands of instances of the most horrid cruelty perpetrated upon men1 women and even little children1 for no other reason in the world than for a difference of opinion upon a subject that neither party knew anything about4 ,but you are all1 no doubt1 perfectly familiar with the history of religious persecution4 ,there is one thing1 however1 that is strange indeed1 and that is that the reformers of those days1 the men who rose against the horrid tyranny of the times1 the moment they attained power1 persecuted with a zeal and bitterness never excelled4 ,luther1 one of the grand men of the world1 cast in the heroic mould1 although he gave utterance to the following sublime sentiment3 ,every one has the right to read for himself that he may prepare himself to live and to die1 still had no idea of what we call religious freedom4 ,he considered universal toleration an error1 so did ,melancthon1 and ,erasmus1 and yet1 strange as it may appear1 they were exercising the very right they denied to others1 and maintaining their right with a courage and energy absolutely sublime4 ,john ,knox was only in favor of religious freedom when he was in the minority1 and ,baxter entertained the same sentiment4 ,castalio1 a professor at ,geneva1 in ,switzerland1 was the first clergyman in ,europe who declared the innocence of honest error1 and who proclaimed himself in favor of universal toleration4 ,the name of this man should never be forgotten4 ,he had the goodness1 the courage1 although surrounded with prisons and inquisitions1 and in the midst of millions of fierce bigots1 to declare the innocence of honest error1 and that every man had a right to worship the good ,god in his own way4 ,for the utterance of this sublime sentiment his professorship was taken from him1 he was driven from ,geneva by ,john ,calvin and his adherents1 although he had belonged to their sect4 ,he was denounced as a child of the ,devil1 a dog of ,satan1 as a murderer of souls1 as a corrupter of the faith1 and as one who by his doctrines crucified the ,savior afresh4 ,not content with merely driving him from his home1 they pursued him absolutely to the grave1 with a malignity that increased rather than diminished4 ,you must not think that ,calvin was alone in this2 on the contrary he was fully sustained by public opinion1 and would have been sustained even though he had procured the burning of the noble ,castalio at the stake4 ,i cite this instance not merely for the purpose of casting odium upon ,calvin1 but to show you what public opinion was at that time1 when such things were ordinary transactions4 ,bodi-nus1 a lawyer in ,france1 about the same time advocated something like religious liberty1 but public opinion was overwhelmingly against him and the people were at all times ready with torch and brand1 chain1 and fagot to get the abominable heresy out of the human mind1 that a man had a right to think for himself4 ,and yet ,luther1 ,calvin1 ,knox and ,baxter1 in spite1 as it were1 of themselves1 conferred a great and lasting benefit upon mankind2 for what they did was at least in favor of individual judgment1 and one successful stand against the church produced others1 all of which tended to establish universal toleration4 ,in those times you will remember that failing to convert a man or woman by the ordinary means1 they resorted to every engine of torture that the ingenuity of bigotry could devise2 they crushed their feet in what they called iron boots2 they roasted them upon slow fires2 they plucked out their nails1 and then into the bleeding quick thrust needles2 and all this to convince them of the truth4 ,i suppose that we should love our neighbor as ourselves4 ,montaigne was the first man who raised his voice against torture in ,france2 a man blessed with so much common sense1 that he was the most uncommon man of the age in which he lived4 ,but what was one voice against the terrible cry of ignorant millions8--a drowning man in the wild roar of the infinite sea4 ,it is impossible to read the history of the long and seemingly hopeless war waged for religious freedom1 without being filled with horror and disgust4 ,millions of men1 women and children1 at least one hundred millions of human beings with hopes and loves and aspirations like ourselves1 have been sacrificed upon the altar of bigotry4 ,they have perished at the stake1 in prisons1 by famine and by sword2 they have died wandering1 homeless1 in deserts1 groping in caves1 until their blood cried from the earth for vengeance4 ,but the principle1 gathering strength from their weakness1 nourished by blood and flame1 rendered holier still by their sufferings--grander by their heroism1 and immortal by their death1 triumphed at last1 and is now acknowledged by the whole civilized world4 ,enormous as the cost has been the principle is worth a thousand times as much4 ,there must be freedom in religion1 for without freedom there can be no real religion4 ,and as for myself ,i glory in the fact that upon ,american soil that principle was first firmly established1 and that the ,constitution of the ,united ,states was the first of any great nation in which religious toleration was made one of the fundamental laws of the land4 ,and it is not only the law of our country but the law is sustained by an enlightened public opinion4 ,without liberty there is no religion--no worship4 ,what light is to the eyes--what air is to the lungs--what love is to the heart1 liberty is to the soul of man4 ,without liberty1 the brain is a dungeon1 where the chained thoughts die with their pinions pressed against the hingeless doors4 ,,witchcraft ,,the next fact to which ,i call your attention is1 that during the ,middle ,ages the people1 the whole people1 the learned and the ignorant1 the masters and the slaves1 the clergy1 the lawyers1 doctors and statesmen1 all believed in witchcraft--in the evil eye1 and that the devil entered into people1 into animals and even into insects to accomplish his dark designs4 ,and all the people believed it their solemn duty to thwart the devil by all means in their power1 and they accordingly set themselves at work hanging and burning everybody suspected of being in league with the ,enemy of mankind4 ,if you grant their premises1 you justify their actions4 ,if these persons had actually entered into partnership with the devil for the purpose of injuring their neighbors1 the people would have been justified in exterminating them all4 ,and the crime of witchcraft was proven over and over again in court after court in every town of ,europe4 ,thousands of people who were charged with being in league with the devil confessed the crime1 gave all the particulars of the bargain1 told just what the devil said and what they replied1 and exactly how the bargain was consummated1 admitted in the presence of death1 on the very edge of the grave1 when they knew that the confession would confiscate all their property and leave their children homeless wanderers1 and render their own names infamous after death4 ,we can account for a man suffering death for what he believes to be right4 ,he knows that he has the sympathy of all the truly good1 and he hopes that his name will be gratefully remembered in the far future1 and above all1 he hopes to win the approval of a just ,god4 ,but the man who confessed himself guilty of being a wizard1 knew that his memory would be execrated and expected that his soul would be eternally lost4 ,what motive could then have induced so many to confess8 ,strange as it is1 ,i believe that they actually believed themselves guilty4 ,they considered their case hopeless2 they confessed and died without a prayer4 ,these things are enough to make one think that sometimes the world becomes insane and that the earth is a vast asylum without a keeper4 ,i repeat that ,i am convinced that the people that confessed themselves guilty believed that they were so4 ,in the first place1 they believed in witchcraft and that people often were possessed of ,satan1 and when they were accused the fright and consternation produced by the accusation1 in connection with their belief1 often produced insanity or something akin to it1 and the poor creatures charged with a crime that it was impossible to disprove1 deserted and abhorred by their friends1 left alone with their superstitions and fears1 driven to despair1 looked upon death as a blessed relief from a torture that you and ,i cannot at this day understand4 ,people were charged with the most impossible crimes4 ,in the time of ,james the ,first1 a man was burned in ,scotland for having produced a storm at sea for the purpose of drowning one of the royal family4 ,a woman was tried before ,sir ,matthew ,hale1 one of the most learned and celebrated lawyers of ,england1 for having caused children to vomit-crooked pins4 ,she was also charged with nursing demons4 ,of course she was found guilty1 and the learned ,judge charged the jury that there was no doubt as to the existence of witches1 that all history1 sacred and profane1 and that the experience of every country proved it beyond any manner of doubt4 ,and the woman was either hanged or burned for a crime for which it was impossible for her to be guilty4 ,in those times they also believed in ,lycanthropy--that is1 that persons of whom the devil had taken possession could assume the appearance of wolves4 ,one instance is related where a man was attacked by what appeared to be a wolf4 ,he defended himself and succeeded in cutting off one of the wolf's paws1 whereupon the wolf ran and the man picked up the paw and putting it in his pocket went home4 ,when he took the paw out of his pocket it had changed to a human hand1 and his wife sat in the house with one of her hands gone and the stump of her arm bleeding4 ,he denounced his wife as a witch1 she confessed the crime and was burned at the stake4 ,people were burned for causing frosts in the summer1 for destroying crops with hail1 for causing cows to become dry1 and even for souring beer4 ,the life of no one was secure1 malicious enemies had only to charge one with witchcraft1 prove a few odd sayings and queer actions to secure the death of their victim4 ,and this belief in witchcraft was so intense that to express a doubt upon the subject was to be suspected and probably executed4 ,believing that animals were also taken possession of by evil spirits and also believing that if they killed an animal containing one of the evil spirits that they caused the death of the spirit1 they absolutely tried animals1 convicted and executed them4 ,at ,basle1 in #adgd1 a rooster was tried1 charged with having laid an egg1 and as rooster eggs were used only in making witch ointment it was a serious charge1 and everyone of course admitted that the devil must have been the cause1 as roosters could not very well lay eggs without some help4 ,and the egg having been produced in court1 the rooster was duly convicted and he together with his miraculous egg were publicly and with all due solemnity burned in the public square4 ,so a hog and six pigs were tried for having killed1 and partially eaten a child1 the hog was convicted and executed1 but the pigs were acquitted on the ground of their extreme youth4 ,asiate as #agdj a cow was absolutely tried on a charge of being possessed of the devil4 ,our forefathers used to rid themselves of rats1 leeches1 locusts and vermin by pronouncing what they called a public exorcism4 ,on some occasions animals were received as witnesses in judicial proceedings4 ,the law was in some of the countries of ,europe1 that if a man's house was broken into between sunset and sunrise and the owner killed the intruder1 it should be considered justifiable homicide4 ,but it was also considered that it was just possible that a man living alone might entice another to his house in the night-time1 kill him and then pretend that his victim was a robber4 ,in order to prevent this1 it was enacted that when a person was killed by a man living alone and under such circumstances1 the solitary householder should not be held innocent unless he produced in court some animal1 a dog or a cat1 that had been an inmate of the house and had witnessed the death of the person killed4 ,the prisoner was then compelled in the presence of such animal to make a solemn declaration of his innocence1 and if the animal failed to contradict him1 he was declared guiltless1--the law taking it for granted that the ,deity would cause a miraculous manifestation by a dumb animal1 rather than allow a murderer to escape4 ,it was the law in ,england that any one convicted of a crime1 could appeal to what was called corsned or morsel of execration4 ,this was a piece of cheese or bread of about an ounce in weight1 which was first consecrated with a form of exorcism desiring that the ,almighty1 if the man were guilty1 would cause convulsions and paleness1 and that it might stick in his throat1 but that it might if the man were innocent1 turn to health and nourishment4 ,godwin1 the ,earl of ,kent1 during the reign of ,edward the ,confessor1 appealed to the corsned1 which sticking in his throat1 produced death4 ,there were also trials by water and by fire4 ,persons were made to handle red hot iron1 and if it burned them their guilt was established2 so their hands and feet were tied1 and they were thrown into the water1 and if they sank they were pronounced guilty and allowed to drown4 ,i give these instances to show you what has happened1 and what always will happen1 in countries where ignorance prevails1 and people abandon the great standard of reason4 ,and also to show to you that scarcely any man1 however great1 can free himself of the superstitions of his time4 ,kepler1 one of the greatest men of the world1 and an astronomer second to none1 although he plucked from the stars the secrets of the universe1 was an astrologer and thought he could predict the career of any man by finding what star was in the ascendant at his birth4 ,this infinitely foolish stuff was religiously believed by him1 merely because he had been raised in an atmosphere of boundless credulity4 ,tycho ,brahe1 another astronomer who has been1 and is called the prince of astronomers--not only believed in astrology1 but actually kept an idiot in his service1 whose disconnected and meaningless words he carefully wrote down and then put them together in such a manner as to make prophecies1 and then he patiently and confidently awaited their fulfillment4 ,luther believed that he had actually seen the devil not only1 but that he had had discussions with him upon points of theology4 ,on one occasion getting excited1 he threw an inkstand at his majesty's head1 and the ink stain is still to be seen on the wall where the stand was broken4 ,the devil ,i believe1 was untouched1 he probably having an inkling of ,luther's intention1 made a successful dodge4 ,in the time of ,charles the ,fifth1 ,emperor of ,germany1 ,stoefflerer1 a noted mathematician and astronomer1 a man of great learning1 made an astronomical calculation according to the great science of astrology and ascertained that the world was to be visited by another deluge4 ,this prediction was absolutely believed by the leading men of the empire not only1 but of all ,europe4 ,the commissioner general of the army of ,charles the ,fifth recommended that a survey be made of the country by competent men in order to find out the highest land4 ,but as it was uncertain how high the water would rise this idea was abandoned4 ,thousands of people left their homes in low lands1 by the rivers and near the sea and sought the more elevated ground4 ,immense suffering was produced4 ,people in some instances abandoned the aged1 the sick and the infirm to the tender mercies of the expected flood1 so anxious were they to reach some place of security4 ,at ,toulouse1 in ,france1 the people actually built an ark and stocked it with provisions1 and it was not till long after the day upon which the flood was to have come1 had passed1 that the people recovered from their fright and returned to their homes4 ,about the same time it was currently reported and believed that a child had been born in ,silesia with a golden tooth4 ,the people were again filled with wonder and consternation4 ,they were satisfied that some great evil was coming upon mankind4 ,at last it was solved by some chapter in ,daniel wherein is predicted somebody with a golden head4 ,such stories would never have gained credence only for the reason that the supernatural was expected4 ,anything in the ordinary course of nature was not worth telling4 ,the human mind was in chains2 it had been deformed by slavery4 ,reason was a trembling coward1 and every production of the mind was deformed1 every idea was a monster4 ,almost every law was unjust4 ,their religion was nothing more or less than monsters worshiping an imaginary monster4 ,science could not1 properly speaking1 exist4 ,their histories were the grossest and most palpable falsehoods1 and they filled all ,europe with the most shocking absurdities4 ,the histories were all written by the monks and bishops1 all of whom were intensely superstitious1 and equally dishonest4 ,everything they did was a pious fraud4 ,they wrote as if they had been eye-witnesses of every occurrence that they related4 ,they entertained1 and consequently expressed1 no doubt as to any particular1 and in case of any difficulty they always had a few miracles ready just suited for the occasion1 and the people never for an instant doubted the absolute truth of every statement that they made4 ,they wrote the history of every country of any importance4 ,they related all the past and present1 and predicted nearly all the future1 with an ignorant impudence actually sublime4 ,they traced the order of ,st4 ,michael in ,france back to the ,archangel himself1 and alleged that he was the founder of a chivalric order in heaven itself4 ,they also said that the ,tartars originally came from hell1 and that they were called ,tartars because ,tartarus was one of the names of perdition4 ,they declared that ,scotland was so called after ,scota1 a daughter of ,pharaoh1 who landed in ,ireland and afterward invaded ,scotland and took it by force of arms4 ,this statement was made in a letter addressed to the ,pope in the #adth century and was alluded to as a well-known fact4 ,the letter was written by some of the highest dignitaries of the church and by direction of the king himself4 ,matthew1 of ,paris1 an eminent historian of the #acth century1 gave the world the following piece of valuable information3 ,it is well known that ,mohammed originally was a ,cardinal and became a heretic because he failed in his design of being elected ,pope4 ,the same gentleman informs us that ,mohammed having drank to excess fell drunk by the roadside1 and in that condition was killed by pigs4 ,and this is the reason1 says he1 that his followers abhor pork even unto this day4 ,another historian of about the same period1 tells us that one of the popes cut off his hand because it had been kissed by an improper person1 and that the hand was still in the ,lateran at ,rome1 where it had been miraculously preserved from corruption for over five hundred years4 ,after that occurrence1 says he1 the ,pope's toe was substituted1 which accounts for this practice4 ,he also has the goodness to inform his readers that ,nero was in the habit of vomiting frogs4 ,some of the croakers of the present day against progress would1 ,i think1 be the better of such a vomit4 ,the history of ,charlemagne was written by ,turpin the ,archbishop of ,rheims1 and received the formal approbation of the ,pope4 ,in this it is asserted that the walls of a city fell down in answer to prayer2 that ,charlemagne was opposed by a giant called ,fenacute who was a descendant of the ancient ,goliath2 that forty men were sent to attack this giant1 and that he took them under his arms and quietly carried them away4 ,at last ,orlando engaged him singly2 not meeting with the success that he anticipated1 he changed his tactics and commenced a theological discussion2 warming with his subject he pressed forward and suddenly stabbed his opponent1 inflicting a mortal wound4 ,after the death of the giant1 ,charlemagne easily conquered the whole country and divided it among his sons4 ,the history of the ,britons1 written by the ,archdeacons of ,monmouth and ,oxford1 was immensely popular4 ,according to their account1 ,brutus1 a ,roman1 conquered ,england1 built ,london1 called the country ,britain after himself4 ,during his time it rained blood for three days4 ,at another time a monster came from the sea1 and after having devoured a great many common people1 finally swallowed the king himself4 ,they say that ,king ,arthur was not born like ordinary mortals1 but was formed by a magical contrivance made by a wizard4 ,that he was particularly lucky in killing giants1 that he killed one in ,france who used to eat several people every day1 and that this giant was clothed with garments made entirely of the beards of kings that he had killed and eaten4 ,to cap the climax1 one of the authors of this book was promoted for having written an authentic history of his country4 ,another writer of the #aeth century says that after ,ignatius was dead they found impressed upon his heart the ,greek word ,theos4 ,in all historical compositions there was an incredible want of common honesty4 ,the great historian ,eusebius ingenuously remarks that in his history he omitted whatever tended to discredit the church and magnified whatever conduced to her glory4 ,the same glorious principle was adhered to by most1 if not all1 of the writers of those days4 ,they wrote and the people believed that the tracks of ,pharaoh's chariot wheels1 were still impressed upon the sands of the ,red ,sea and could not be obliterated either by the winds or waves4 ,the next subject to which ,i call your attention is the wonderful progress in the mechanical arts4 ,animals use the weapons nature has furnished1 and those only--the beak1 the claw1 the tusk1 the teeth4 ,the barbarian uses a club1 a stone4 ,as man advances he makes tools with which to fashion his weapons2 he discovers the best material to be used in their construction4 ,the next thing was to find some power to assist him--that is to say1 the weight of falling water1 or the force of the wind4 ,he then creates a force1 so to speak1 by changing water to steam1 and with that he impels machines that can do almost everything but think4 ,you will observe that the ingenuity of man is first exercised in the construction of weapons4 ,there were splendid ,damascus blades when plowing was done with a crooked stick4 ,there were complete suits of armor on backs that had never felt a shirt4 ,the world was full of inventions to destroy life before there were any to prolong it or make it endurable4 ,murder was always a science--medicine is not one yet4 ,scalping was known and practiced long before ,barret discovered the ,hair ,regenerator4 ,the destroyers have always been honored4 ,the useful have always been despised4 ,in ancient times agriculture was known only to slaves4 ,the low1 the ignorant1 the contemptible1 cultivated the soil4 ,to work was to be nobody4 ,mechanics were only one degree above the farmer4 ,in short1 labor was disgraceful4 ,idleness was the badge of gentle blood4 ,the fields being poorly cultivated produced but little at the best4 ,only a few kinds of crops were raised4 ,the result was frequent famine and constant suffering4 ,one country could not be supplied from another as now2 the roads were always horrible1 and besides all this1 every country was at war with nearly every other4 ,this state of things lasted until a few years ago4 ,let me show you the condition of ,england at the beginning of the eighteenth century4 ,at that time ,london was the most populous capital in ,europe1 yet it was dirty1 ill built1 without any sanitary provisions whatever4 ,the deaths were one in #bc each year4 ,now in a much more crowded population they are not one in forty4 ,much of the country was then heath and swamp4 ,almost within sight of ,london there was a tract1 twenty-five miles round1 almost in a state of nature2 there were but three houses upon it4 ,in the rainy season the roads were almost impassable4 ,through gullies filled with mud1 carriages were dragged by oxen4 ,between places of great importance the roads were little known1 and a principal mode of transport was by pack horses1 of which passengers took advantage by stowing themselves away between the packs4 ,the usual charge for freight was #cj cents per ton a mile4 ,after a while1 what they were pleased to call flying coaches were established4 ,they could move from thirty to fifty miles a day4 ,many persons thought the risk so great that it was tempting ,providence to get into one of them4 ,the mail bag was carried on horseback at five miles an hour4 ,a penny post had been established in the city1 but many long-headed men1 who knew what they were saying1 denounced it as a popish contrivance4 ,only a few years before1 ,parliament had resolved that all pictures in the royal collection which contained representations of ,jesus or the ,virgin ,mary should be burned4 ,greek statues were handed over to ,puritan stone masons to be made decent4 ,lewis ,meggleton had given himself out as the last and the greatest of the prophets1 having power to save or damn4 ,he had also discovered that ,god was only six feet high and the sun four miles off4 ,there were people in ,england as savage as our ,indians4 ,the women1 half naked1 would chant some wild measure1 while the men would brandish their dirks and dance4 ,there were thirty-four counties without a printer4 ,social discipline was wretched4 ,the master flogged his apprentice1 the pedagogue his scholar1 the husband his wife2 and ,i am ashamed to say that whipping has not been abolished in our schools4 ,it is a relic of barbarism and should not be tolerated one moment4 ,it is brutal1 low and contemptible4 ,the teacher that administers such punishment is no more to blame than the parents that allow it4 ,every gentleman and lady should use his or her influence to do away with this vile and infamous practice4 ,in those days public punishments were all brutal4 ,men and women were put in the pillory and then pelted with brick-bats1 rotten eggs and dead cats1 by the rabble4 ,the whipping-post was then an institution in ,england as it is now in the enlightened ,state of ,delaware4 ,criminals were drawn and quartered2 others were disemboweled and hung and their bodies suspended in chains to rot in the air4 ,the houses of the people in the country were huts1 thatched with straw4 ,anybody who could get fresh meat once a week was considered rich4 ,children six years old had to labor4 ,in ,london the houses were of wood or plaster1 the streets filthy beyond expression1 even muddier than ,bloomington is now4 ,after nightfall a passenger went about at his peril1 for chamber windows were opened and slop pails unceremoniously emptied4 ,there were no lamps in the streets1 but plenty of highwaymen and robbers4 ,the morals of the people corresponded1 as they generally do1 to their physical condition4 ,it is said that the clergy did what they could to make the people pious1 but they could not accomplish much4 ,you cannot convert a man when he is hungry4 ,he will not accept better doctrines until he gets better clothes1 and he won't have more faith till he gets more food4 ,besides this1 the clergy were a little below par1 so much so that ,queen ,elizabeth issued an order that no clergyman should presume to marry a servant girl without the consent of her master or mistress4 ,during the same time the condition of ,france and indeed of all ,europe was even worse than ,england4 ,what has changed the condition of ,great ,britain8 ,more than any and everything else1 the inventions of her mechanics4 ,the old moral method was and always will be a failure4 ,if you wish to better the condition of a people morally1 better them physically4 ,about the close of the #ahth ,century1 ,watt1 ,arkwright1 ,hargreave1 ,crompton1 ,cartwright1 invented the steam engine1 the spring frame1 the jenny1 the mule1 the power loom1 the carding machine and a hundred other minor inventions1 and put it in the power of ,england to monopolize the markets of the world4 ,her machinery soon became equal to #cj1jjj1jjj of men4 ,in a few years the population was doubled and the wealth quadrupled2 and ,england became the first nation of the world through her inventors1 her merchants1 her mechanics1 and in spite of her statesmen1 her priests and her nobles4 ,england began to spin for the world1 cotton began to be universally worn1 clean shirts began to be seen4 ,the most cunning spinners of ,india could make a thread over #ajj miles long from one pound of cotton4 ,the machines of ,england have produced one over #ajjj miles in length from the same quantity4 ,in a short time ,stephenson invented the locomotive4 ,railroads began to be built4 ,fulton gave to the world the steamboat1 and commerce became independent of the winds4 ,there are already railroads enough in the ,united ,states to make a double track around the world4 ,man has lengthened his arms4 ,he reaches to every country and takes what he wants2 the world is before him2 he helps himself4 ,there can be no more famine4 ,if there is no food in this country1 the boat and the car will bring it from another4 ,we can have the luxuries of every climate4 ,a majority of the people now live better than the king used to do4 ,poor ,solomon with his thousand wives1 and no carpets1 his great temple1 and no gas light6 ,a thousand women1 and not a pin in the house2 no stoves1 no cooking range1 no baking powder1 no potatoes--think of it6 ,breakfast without potatoes6 ,plenty of wisdom and old saws--but no green corn2 never heard of succotash in his whole life4 ,no clean clothes1 no music1 if you except a jew's-harp1 no ice water1 no skates1 no carriages1 because there was not a decent road in all his dominions4 ,plenty of theology but no tobacco1 no books1 no pictures1 not a picture in all ,palestine1 not a piece of statuary1 not a plough that would scour4 ,no tea1 no coffee2 he never heard of any place of amusement1 never was at a theatre1 or a circus4 ,seven up was then unknown to the world4 ,he couldn't even play billiards1 with all his knowledge1 never had an idea of woman's rights1 or universal suffrage2 never went to school a day in his life1 and cared no more about the will of the people than ,andy ,johnson4 ,the inventors have helped more than any other class to make the world what it is2 the workers and the thinkers1 the poor and the grand2 labor and learning1 industry and intelligence2 ,watt and ,descartes1 ,fulton and ,montaigne1 ,stephenson and ,kepler1 ,crompton and ,comte1 ,franklin and ,voltaire1 ,morse and ,buckle1 ,draper and ,spencer1 and hundreds more that ,i could mention4 ,the inventors1 the workers1 the thinkers1 the mechanics1 the surgeons1 the philosophers--these are the ,atlases upon whose shoulders rests the great fabric of modern civilization4 ,,language4 ,,in order to show you that the most abject superstition pervaded every department of human knowledge1 or of ignorance rather1 allow me to give you a few of their ideas upon language4 ,it was universally believed that all languages could be traced back to the ,hebrew2 that the ,hebrew was the original language1 and every fact inconsistent with that idea was discarded4 ,in consequence of this belief all efforts to investigate the science of language were utterly fruitless4 ,after a time1 the ,hebrew idea falling into disrepute1 other languages claimed the honor of being the original ones4 ,andre ,kempe published a work in #aefi1 on the language of ,paradise1 in which he maintained that ,god spoke to ,adam in ,swedish2 that ,adam answered in ,danish and that the serpent 7which appears quite probable7 spoke to ,eve in ,french4 ,erro1 in a book published at ,madrid1 took the ground that ,basque was the language spoken in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,but in #aehj1 ,goropius published his celebrated work at ,antwerp1 in which he put the whole matter at rest by proving that the language spoken in ,paradise was nothing more or less than plain ,holland ,dutch4 ,the real founder of the present science of language was a ,german1 ,leibnitz--a contemporary of ,sir ,isaac ,newton4 ,he discarded the idea that all language could be traced to an original one4 ,that language was1 so to speak1 a natural growth4 ,actual experience teaches us that this must be true4 ,the ancient sages of ,egypt had a vocabulary1 according to ,bunsen1 of only about six hundred and eighty-five words1 exclusive of proper names4 ,the ,english language has at least one hundred thousand4 ,,geography4 ,,in the #fth century a monk by the name of ,cosmas wrote a kind of orthodox geography and astronomy combined4 ,he pretended that it was all in accordance with the ,bible4 ,according to him1 the world was composed1 first1 of a flat piece of land and circular2 this piece of land was entirely surrounded by water which was the ocean1 and beyond the strip of water was another circle of land2 this outside circle was the land inhabited by the old world before the flood2 ,noah crossed the strip of water and landed on the central piece where we now are2 on the outside land was a high mountain around which the sun and moon revolved2 when the sun was behind the mountain it was night1 and when on the side next us it was day4 ,he also taught that on the outer edge of the outside circle of land the firmament or sky was fastened1 that it was made of some solid material and turned over the world like an immense kettle4 ,and it was declared at that time that anyone who believed either more or less on that subject than that book contained was a heretic and deserved to be exterminated from the face of the earth4 ,this was authority until the discovery of ,america by ,columbus4 ,cosmas said the earth was flat2 if it was round how could men on the other side at the day of judgment see the coming of the ,lord8 ,at the risk of being tiresome1 ,i have said what ,i have1 to show you the productions of the mind when enslaved--the consequences of abandoning judgment and reason--the effects of wide spread ignorance and universal bigotry4 ,i want to convince you that every wrong is a viper that will sooner or later strike with poisoned fangs the bosom that nourishes it4 ,you will ask what has produced this wonderful change in only three hundred years4 ,you will remember that in those days it was said that all ghosts vanished at the dawn of day2 that the sprites1 the spooks1 the hobgoblins and all the monsters of the imagination fled from the approaching sun4 ,in #adda1 printing was invented4 ,in the next century it became a power1 and it has been flooding the world with light from that time to this4 ,the ,press has been the true ,prometheus4 ,it has been1 so to speak1 the trumpet blown by the ,gabriel of ,progress1 until1 from the graves of ignorance and superstition1 the people have leaped to grand and glorious life1 spurning with swift feet the dust of an infamous past4 ,when people read1 they reason1 when they reason they progress4 ,you must not think that the enemies of progress allowed books to be published or read when they had the power to prevent it4 ,the whole power of the church1 of the government1 was arrayed upon the side of ignorance4 ,people found in the possession of books were often executed4 ,printing1 reading and writing were crimes4 ,anathemas were hurled from the ,vatican against all who dared to publish a word in favor of liberty or the sacred rights of man4 ,the ,inquisition was founded on purpose to crush out every noble aspiration of the heart4 ,it was a war of darkness against light1 of slavery against liberty1 of superstition against reason4 ,i shall not attempt to recount the horrors and tortures of the ,inquisition4 ,suffice it to say that they were equal to the most terrible and vivid pictures even of ,hell1 and the ,inquisitors were even more horrid fiends than even a real ,perdition could boast4 ,but in spite of priests1 in spite of kings1 in spite of mitres1 in spite of crowns1 in spite of ,cardinals and ,popes1 books were published and books were read4 ,beam after beam of light penetrated the darkness4 ,star after star arose in the firmament of ignorance4 ,the morning of ,freedom began to dawn4 ,driven to madness by the prospect of ultimate defeat1 the enemies of light persecuted with redoubled fury4 ,people were burned for saying that the earth was round1 for saying that the sun was the center of a system4 ,a woman was executed because she endeavored to allay the pains of a fever by singing4 ,the very name of ,philosopher became a title of proscription1 and the slightest offences were punished by death4 ,about the beginning of the sixteenth century ,luther and ,jerome1 of ,prague1 inaugurated the great ,reformation in ,germany1 ,ziska was at work in ,hungary1 ,zwinglius in ,switzerland4 ,the grand work went forward in ,denmark1 in ,sweden and in ,england4 ,all this was accomplished as early as #aecd4 ,they unmasked the corruption and withstood the tyranny of the church4 ,with a zeal amounting to enthusiasm1 with a courage that was heroic1 with an energy that never flagged1 a determination that brooked no opposition1 with a firmness that defied torture and death1 this sublime band of reformers sprang to the attack4 ,stronghold after stronghold was carried1 and in a few short but terrible years1 the banner of the ,reformation waved in triumph over the bloody ensign of ,saint ,peter4 ,the soul roused from the slumbers of a thousand years began to think4 ,when slaves begin to reason1 slavery begins to die4 ,the invention of powder had released millions from the army1 and left them to prosecute the arts of peace4 ,industry began to be remunerative and respectable4 ,science began to unfold the wings that will finally fill the heavens4 ,descartes announced to the world the sublime truth that the ,universe is governed by law4 ,commerce began to unfold her wings4 ,people of different countries began to get acquainted4 ,christians found that ,mohammedan gold was not the less valuable on account of the doctrines of its owners4 ,telescopes began to be pointed toward the stars4 ,the ,universe was getting immense4 ,the ,earth was growing small4 ,it was discovered that a man could be healthy without being a ,catholic4 ,innumerable agencies were at work dispelling darkness and creating light4 ,the supernatural began to be abandoned1 and mankind endeavored to account for all physical phenomena by physical laws4 ,the light of reason was irradiating the world1 and from that light1 as from the approach of the sun1 the ghosts and spectres of superstition wrapped their sheets around their attenuated bodies and vanished into thin air4 ,other inventions rapidly followed4 ,the wonderful power of steam was made known to the world by ,watts and by ,fulton4 ,neptune was frightened from the sea4 ,the locomotive was given to mankind by ,stephenson2 the telegraph by ,franklin and ,morse4 ,the rush of the ship1 the scream of the locomotive1 and the electric flash have frightened the monsters of ignorance from the world1 and have left nothing above us but the heaven's eternal blue1 filled with glittering planets wheeling through immensity in accordance with ,law4 ,true religion is a subordination of the passions and interests to the perceptions of the intellect4 ,but when religion was considered the end of life instead of a means of happiness1 it overshadowed all other interests and became the destroyer of mankind4 ,it became a hydra-headed monster--a serpent reaching in terrible coils from the heavens and thrusting its thousand fangs into the bleeding1 quivering hearts of men4 ,,slavery4 ,i ,,have endeavored thus far to show you some of the results produced by enslaving the human mind4 ,i now call your attention to another terrible phase of this subject2 the enslavement of the body4 ,slavery is a very ancient institution1 yes1 about as ancient as robbery1 theft and murder1 and is based upon them all4 ,springing from the same fountain1 that a man is not the owner of his soul1 is the doctrine that he is not the owner of his body4 ,the two are always found together1 supported by precisely the same arguments1 and attended by the same infamous acts of cruelty4 ,from the earliest time1 slavery has existed in all countries1 and among all people until recently4 ,pufendorf said that slavery was originally established by contract4 ,voltaire replied1 ,show me the original contract1 and if it is signed by the party that was to be a slave ,i will believe you4 ,you will bear in mind that the slavery of which ,i am now speaking is white slavery4 ,greeks enslaved one another as well as those captured in war4 ,coriolanus scrupled not to make slaves of his own countrymen captured in civil war4 ,julius ,caesar sold to the highest bidder at onetime fifty-three thousand prisoners of war all of whom were white4 ,hannibal exposed to sale thirty thousand captives at one time1 all of whom were ,roman citizens4 ,in ,rome1 men were sold into bondage in order to pay their debts4 ,in ,germany1 men often hazarded their freedom on the throwing of dice4 ,the ,barbary ,states held white ,christians in slavery in this1 the #aith century4 ,there were white slaves in ,england as late as #aegd4 ,there were white slaves in ,scotland until the end of the #ahth century4 ,these ,scotch slaves were colliers and salters4 ,they were treated as real estate and passed with a deed to the mines in which they worked4 ,it was also the law that no collier could work in any mine except the one to which he belonged4 ,it was also the law that their children could follow no other occupation than that of their fathers4 ,this slavery absolutely existed in ,scotland until the beginning of the glorious #aith century4 ,some of the ,roman nobles were the owners of as many as twenty thousand slaves4 ,the common people of ,france were in slavery for fourteen hundred years4 ,they were transferred with land1 and women were often seen assisting cattle to pull the plough1 and yet people have the impudence to say that black slavery is right1 because the blacks have always been slaves in their own country4 ,i answer1 so have the whites until very recently4 ,in the good old days when might was right and when kings and popes stood by the people1 and protected the people1 and talked about holy oil and divine right1 the world was filled with slaves4 ,the traveler standing amid the ruins of ancient cities and empires1 seeing on every side the fallen pillar and the prostrate wall1 asks why did these cities fall1 why did these empires crumble8 ,and the ,ghost of the ,past1 the wisdom of ages1 answers3 ,these temples1 these palaces1 these cities1 the ruins of which you stand upon were built by tyranny and injustice4 ,the hands that built them were unpaid4 ,the backs that bore the burdens also bore the marks of the lash4 ,they were built by slaves to satisfy the vanity and ambition of thieves and robbers4 ,for these reasons they are dust4 ,their civilization was a lie4 ,their laws merely regulated robbery and established theft4 ,they bought and sold the bodies and souls of men1 and the mournful winds of desolation1 sighing amid their crumbling ruins1 is a voice of prophetic warning to those who would repeat the infamous experiment4 ,from the ruins of ,babylon1 of ,carthage1 of ,athens1 of ,palmyra1 of ,thebes1 of ,rome1 and across the great desert1 over that sad and solemn sea of sand1 from the land of the pyramids1 over the fallen ,sphinx and from the lips of ,memnon the same voice1 the same warning and uttering the great truth1 that no nation founded upon slavery1 either of body or mind1 can stand4 ,and yet1 to-day1 there are thousands upon thousands endeavoring to build the temples and cities and to administer our ,government upon the old plan4 ,they are makers of brick without straw4 ,they are bowing themselves beneath hods of untempered mortar4 ,they are the babbling builders of another ,babel1 a ,babel of mud upon a foundation of sand4 ,nothwithstanding the experience of antiquity as to the terrible effects of slavery1 bondage was the rule1 and liberty the exception1 during the ,middle ,ages not only1 but for ages afterward4 ,the same causes that led to the liberation of mind also liberated the body4 ,free the mind1 allow men to write and publish and read1 and one by one the shackles will drop1 broken1 in the dust4 ,this truth was always known1 and for that reason slaves have never been allowed to read4 ,it has always been a crime to teach a slave4 ,the intelligent prefer death to slavery4 ,education is the most radical abolitionist in the world4 ,to teach the alphabet is to inaugurate revolution4 ,to build a schoolhouse is to construct a fort4 ,every library is an arsenal1 and every truth is a monitor1 iron-clad and steel-plated4 ,do not think that white slavery was abolished without a struggle4 ,the men who opposed white slavery were ridiculed1 were persecuted1 driven from their homes1 mobbed1 hanged1 tortured and burned4 ,they were denounced as having only one idea1 by men who had none4 ,they were called fanatics by men who were so insane as to suppose that the laws of a petty prince were greater than those of the ,universe4 ,crime made faces at virtue1 and honesty was an outcast beggar4 ,in short1 ,i cannot better describe to you the manner in which the friends of slavery acted at that time1 than by saying that they acted precisely as they used to do in the ,united ,states4 ,white slavery1 established by kidnapping and piracy1 sustained by torture and infinite cruelty1 was defended to the very last4 ,let me now call your attention to one of the most immediate causes of the abolition of white slavery in ,europe4 ,there were during the ,middle ,ages three great classes of people3 the common people1 the clergy and the nobility4 ,all these people could1 however1 be divided into two classes1 namely1 the robbed and the robbers4 ,the feudal lords were jealous of the king1 the king afraid of the lords1 the clergy always siding with the stronger party4 ,the common people had only to do the work1 the fighting1 and to pay the taxes1 as by the law the property of the nobles was exempt from taxation4 ,the consequence was1 in every war between the nobles and the king1 each party endeavored by conciliation to get the peasants upon their side4 ,when the clergy were on the side of the king they created dissension between the people and the nobles by telling them that the nobles were tyrants4 ,when they were on the side of the nobles they told the people that the king was a tyrant4 ,at last the people believed both1 and the old adage was verified1 that when thieves fall out honest men get their dues4 ,by virtue of the civil and religious wars of ,europe1 slavery was abolished1 and the ,french ,revolution1 one of the grandest pages in all history1 was1 so to speak1 the exterminator of white slavery4 ,in that terrible period the people who had borne the yoke for fourteen hundred years1 rising from the dust1 casting their shackles from them1 fiercely avenged their wrongs4 ,a mob of twenty millions driven to desperation1 in the sublimity of despair1 in the sacred name of ,liberty cried for vengeance4 ,they reddened the earth with the blood of their masters4 ,they trampled beneath their feet the great army of human vermin that had lived upon their labor4 ,they filled the air with the ruins of temples and thrones1 and with bloody hands tore in pieces the altar upon which their rights had been offered by an impious church4 ,they scorned the superstitions of the past not only1 but they scorned the past2 for the past to them was only wrong1 imposition and outrage4 ,the ,french ,revolution was the inauguration of a new era4 ,the lava of freedom long buried beneath a mountain of wrong and injustice at last burst forth1 overwhelming the ,pompeii and ,herculaneum of priestcraft and tyranny4 ,as soon as white slavery began to decay in ,europe1 and while the condition of the white slaves was improving about the middle of the #afth century in #aeda1 ,alonzo ,gonzales1 of ,portugal1 pointed out to his countrymen a new field of operations1 a new market for human flesh1 and in a short time the ,african slave-trade with all its unspeakable horrors was inaugurated4 ,this trade has been the great crime of modern times4 ,it is almost impossible to conceive that nations who professed to be ,christian1 or even in any degree civilized1 should have engaged in this infamous traffic4 ,yet nearly all of the nations of ,europe engaged in the slave-trade1 legalized it1 protected it1 fostered the practice1 and vied with each other in acts1 the bare recital of which is enough to make the heart stand still4 ,it has been calculated that for years1 at least #djj1jjj ,africans were either killed or enslaved annually4 ,they crammed their ships so full of these unfortunate wretches1 that1 as a general thing1 about ten per cent1 died of suffocation on the voyage4 ,they were treated like wild beasts4 ,in times of danger they were thrown into the sea4 ,remember that this horrible traffic commenced in the middle of the #afth century1 was carried on by nations pretending to ,christian civilization1 and when do you think it was abolished by some of the principal countries8 ,in ,england1 ,wilberforce and ,clarkson dedicated their lives to the abolition of the slave-trade4 ,they were hated and despised4 ,they persevered for twenty years1 and it was not until the #beth of ,march1 #ahjh1 that ,england pronounced the infamous traffic in human flesh illegal1 and the rejoicing in ,england was redoubled on receiving the news that the ,united ,states had done the same thing4 ,after a time1 those engaged in the slave-trade were declared pirates4 ,on the #bhth day of ,august1 #ahcc1 ,england abolished slavery throughout the ,british ,colonies1 thus giving liberty to nearly one million slaves4 ,the ,united ,states was then the greatest slave-holding power in the civilized world4 ,we are all acquainted with the history of slavery in this country4 ,we know that it corrupted our people1 that it has drenched our land in fraternal blood1 that it has clad our country in mourning for the loss of #cjj1jjj of her bravest sons2 that it carried us back to the darkest ages of the world1 that it led us to the very brink of destruction1 forced us to the shattered gates of eternal ruin1 death and annihilation4 ,but ,liberty rising above party prejudice1 ,freedom lifting itself above all other considerations1 ,as some tall cliff that lifts its awful form1 ,swells from the vale1 and midway leaves the storm1-- ,though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread1 ,eternal sunshine settles on its head4 ,and on the #ast day of ,january1 #ahfc1 the grandest ,new ,year that ever dawned upon this continent1 in accordance with the will of the heroic ,north1 by the sublime act of one whose name will be sacred through all the coming years1 the justice so long delayed was accomplished1 and four millions of slaves became chainless4 ,,liberty ,,triumphed4 ,,liberty1 that most sacred word1 without which all other words are vain1 without which1 life is worse than death1 and men are beasts6 ,i never see the word ,liberty without seeing a halo of glory around it4 ,it is a word worthy of the lips of a ,god4 ,can you realize the fact that only a few years ago1 the most shocking system of slavery--the most barbarous--existed in our country1 and that you and ,i were bound by the laws of the ,united ,states to stand between a human being and his liberty8 ,that we were absolutely compelled by law to hand back that human being to the lash and chain8 ,that by our laws children were sold from the arms of mothers1 wives sold from their husbands8 ,that we executed our laws with the assistance of bloodhounds1 owned and trained by human bloodhounds fiercer still1 and that all this was not only upheld by politicians1 but by the pretended ministers of ,christ8 ,that the pulpit was in partnership with the auction block--that the bloodhound's bark was only an echo from many of the churches8 ,and that this was all done under the sacred name of ,liberty1 by a republican government that was founded upon the sublime declaration that all men are equal8 ,this all seems to me like a horrible dream1 a nightmare of terror1 a hellish impossibility4 ,and yet1 with cheeks glowing and burning with shame1 before the bar of history1 we are forced to plead guilty to this terrible charge4 ,we made a whip-ping-post of the cross of ,christ4 ,it is true that in a great degree we have atoned for this national crime4 ,our bravest and our best have been sacrificed4 ,we have borne the bloody burden of war4 ,the good and the true have been with us1 and the women of the ,north have won glory imperishable4 ,they robbed war of half its terrors4 ,not content with binding the wreath of victory upon the leader's brow1 they bandaged the soldiers' wounds1 they nerved the living1 comforted the dying1 and smiled upon the great victory through their tears4 ,they have consoled the hero's widow and are educating his orphans4 ,they have erected a monument to enlightened charity to which time can add only grandeur4 ,there is much1 however1 to be accomplished still4 ,slavery has been abolished1 but ,progress requires more4 ,we are called upon to make this a free government in the broadest sense1 to give liberty to all4 ,standing in the presence of all history1 knowing the experience of mankind1 knowing that the earth is covered with countless wrecks of cruel failures2 appealed to by the great army of martyrs and heroes who have gone before2 by the sacred dust filling innumerable graves2 by the memory of our own noble dead2 by all the suffering of the past2 by all the hopes for the future2 by all the glorious dead and the countless millions yet to be1 ,i pray1 ,i beseech1 ,i implore the ,american people to lay the foundation of the ,government upon the principles of eternal justice4 ,i pray1 ,i beseech1 ,i implore them to take for the corner-stone1 ,universal ,human ,liberty--the stone which has been heretofore rejected by all the builders of nations4 ,the ,government will then stand1 and the swelling dome of the temple will touch the stars4 ,,conclusion ,i ,,have thus endeavored to show you some of the effects of slavery1 and to prove to you that a step in order to be in the direction of progress must be in the direction of freedom2 that slavery either of body or mind is barbarism and is practiced and defended only by infamous tyrants or their dupes4 ,i have endeavored to point out some of the causes of the abolition of slavery1 both of body and mind4 ,there is one truth1 however1 that you must not forget1 and that is1 that every evil tends to correct and abolish itself4 ,i believe1 however1 that the diffusion of knowledge1 more than everything else combined1 has ameliorated the condition of mankind4 ,when there was no freedom of speech and no press1 then every idea perished in the brain that gave it birth4 ,one man could not profit by the thought of another4 ,the experience of the past was in a great degree unknown4 ,and this state of things produced the same effect in the mental world1 that confining all the water to the springs would in the physical4 ,confine the water to the springs1 the rivulets would cease to murmur1 the rivers to flow1 and the ocean itself would become a desert of sand4 ,but with the invention of printing1 ideas began to circulate1 born of the busy brain of the million--little rivulets of facts running into rivers of information1 and they all flowing into the great ocean of human knowledge4 ,this exchange of ideas1 this comparison of thought1 has given to each generation the advantage of all the past4 ,this1 more than all else1 has enabled man to improve his condition4 ,it is by this that from the log or piece of bark on which a naked savage floated1 we have by successive improvements created a man-of-war carrying a hundred guns and miles of canvas4 ,by these means we have changed a handful of sand into a telescope4 ,in the hands of science a drop of water has become a giant1 turning with swift and tireless arm the countless wheels4 ,the sun has become an artist painting with shining beams the very thoughts within our eyes4 ,the elements have been taught to do our bidding1 and the electric spark1 freighted with human thought and love1 defies distance1 and devours time as it sweeps under all the waves of the sea4 ,these are some of the results of free thought and free labor4 ,i have barely alluded to a few--where is improvement to stop8 ,science is only in its infancy4 ,it has accomplished all this and is in its cradle still4 ,we are standing on the shore of an infinite ocean whose countless waves1 freighted with blessings1 are welcoming our adventurous feet4 ,progress has been written on every soul4 ,the human race is advancing4 ,forward1 oh sublime army of progress1 forward until law is justice1 forward until ignorance is unknown1 forward while there is a spiritual or temporal throne1 forward until superstition is a forgotten dream1 forward until the world is free1 forward until human reason1 clothed in the purple of authority1 is king of kings4 ,,what ,,is ,,religion8 99 ,this was ,col4 ,ingersoll's last public address1 delivered before the ,american ,free ,religious ,association1 in the ,hollis ,street ,theatre1 ,boston1 ,june #b1 #ahii4 ,,it is asserted that an infinite ,god created all things1 governs all things1 and that the creature should be obedient and thankful to the creator2 that the creator demands certain things1 and that the person who complies with these demands is religious4 ,this kind of religion has been substantially universal4 ,for many centuries and by many peoples it was believed that this ,god demanded sacrifices2 that he was pleased when parents shed the blood of their babes4 ,afterward it was supposed that he was satisfied with the blood of oxen1 lambs and doves1 and that in exchange for or on account of these sacrifices1 this ,god gave rain1 sunshine and harvest4 ,it was also believed that if the sacrifices were not made1 this ,god sent pestilence1 famine1 flood and earthquake4 ,the last phase of this belief in sacrifice was1 according to the ,christian doctrine1 that ,god accepted the blood of his son1 and that after his son had been murdered1 he1 ,god1 was satisfied1 and wanted no more blood4 ,during all these years and by all these peoples it was believed that this ,god heard and answered prayer1 that he forgave sins and saved the souls of true believers4 ,this1 in a general way1 is the definition of religion4 ,now1 the questions are1 ,whether religion was founded on any known fact8 ,whether such a being as ,god exists8 ,whether he was the creator of yourself and myself8 ,whether any prayer was ever answered8 ,whether any sacrifice of babe or ox secured the favor of this unseen ,god8 ,first4--,did an infinite ,god create the children of men8 ,why did he create the intellectually inferior8 ,why did he create the deformed and helpless8 ,why did he create the criminal1 the idiotic1 the insane8 ,can infinite wisdom and power make any excuse for the creation of failures8 ,are the failures under obligation to their creator8 ,second4--,is an infinite ,god the governor of this world8 ,is he responsible for all the chiefs1 kings1 emperors1 and queens8 ,is he responsible for all the wars that have been waged1 for all the innocent blood that has been shed8 ,is he responsible for the centuries of slavery1 for the backs that have been scarred with the lash1 for the babes that have been sold from the breasts of mothers1 for the families that have been separated and destroyed8 ,is this ,god responsible for religious persecution1 for the ,inquisition1 for the thumb-screw and rack1 and for all the instruments of torture8 ,did this ,god allow the cruel and vile to destroy the brave and virtuous8 ,did he allow tyrants to shed the blood of patriots8 ,did he allow his enemies to torture and burn his friends8 ,what is such a ,god worth8 ,would a decent man1 having the power to prevent it1 allow his enemies to torture and burn his friends8 ,can we conceive of a devil base enough to prefer his enemies to his friends8 ,if a good and infinitely powerful ,god governs this world1 how can we account for cyclones1 earthquakes1 pestilence and famine8 ,how can we account for cancers1 for microbes1 for diphtheria and the thousand diseases that prey on infancy8 ,how can we account for the wild beasts that devour human beings1 for the fanged serpents whose bite is death8 ,how can we account for a world where life feeds on life8 ,were beak and claw1 tooth and fang1 invented and produced by infinite mercy8 ,did infinite goodness fashion the wings of the eagles so that their fleeing prey could be overtaken8 ,did infinite goodness create the beasts of prey with the intention that they should devour the weak and helpless8 ,did infinite goodness create the countless worthless living things that breed within and feed upon the flesh of higher forms8 ,did infinite wisdom intentionally produce the microscopic beasts that feed upon the optic nerve8 ,think of blinding a man to satisfy the appetite of a microbe6 ,think of life feeding on life6 ,think of the victims6 ,think of the ,niagara of blood pouring over the precipice of cruelty6 ,in view of these facts1 what1 after all1 is religion8 ,it is fear4 ,fear builds the altar and offers the sacrifice4 ,fear erects the cathedral and bows the head of man in worship4 ,fear bends the knees and utters the prayer4 ,fear pretends to love4 ,religion teaches the slave-virtues--obedience1 humility1 self-denial1 forgiveness1 non-resistance4 ,lips1 religious and fearful1 tremblingly repeat this passage3 ,though he slay me1 yet will ,i trust him4 ,this is the abyss of degradation4 ,religion does not teach self-reliance1 independence1 manliness1 courage1 self-defence4 ,religion makes ,god a master and man his serf4 ,the master cannot be great enough to make slavery sweet4 ,,ii4 ,,if this ,god exists1 how do we know that he is-,i good8 ,how can we prove that he is merciful1 that he cares for the children of men8 ,if this ,god exists1 he has on many occasions seen millions of his poor children plowing the fields1 sowing and planting the grain1 and when he saw them he knew that they depended on the expected crop for life1 and yet this good ,god1 this merciful being1 withheld the rain4 ,he caused the sun to rise1 to steal all moisture from the land1 but gave no rain4 ,he saw the seeds that man had planted wither and perish1 but he sent no rain4 ,he saw the people look with sad eyes upon the barren earth1 and he sent no rain4 ,he saw them slowly devour the little that they had1 and saw them when the days of hunger came--saw them slowly waste away1 saw their hungry1 sunken eyes1 heard their prayers1 saw them devour the miserable animals that they had1 saw fathers and mothers1 insane with hunger1 kill and eat their shriveled babes1 and yet the heaven above them was as brass and the earth beneath as iron1 and he sent no rain4 ,can we say that in the heart of this ,god there blossomed the flower of pity8 ,can we say that he cared for the children of men8 ,can we say that his mercy endureth forever8 ,do we prove that this ,god is good because he sends the cyclone that wrecks villages and covers the fields with the mangled bodies of fathers1 mothers and babes8 ,do we prove his goodness by showing that he has opened the earth and swallowed thousands of his helpless children1 or that with the volcanoes he has overwhelmed them with rivers of fire8 ,can we infer the goodness of ,god from the facts we know8 ,if these calamities did not happen1 would we suspect that ,god cared nothing for human beings8 ,if there were no famine1 no pestilence1 no cyclone1 no earthquake1 would we think that ,god is not good8 ,according to the theologians1 ,god did not make all men alike4 ,he made races differing in intelligence1 stature and color4 ,was there goodness1 was there wisdom in this8 ,ought the superior races to thank ,god that they are not the inferior8 ,if we say yes1 then ,i ask another question3 ,should the inferior races thank ,god that they are not superior1 or should they thank ,god that they are not beasts8 ,when ,god made these different races he knew that the superior would enslave the inferior1 knew that the inferior would be conquered1 and finally destroyed4 ,if ,god did this1 and knew the blood that would be shed1 the agonies that would be endured1 saw the countless fields covered with the corpses of the slain1 saw all the bleeding backs of slaves1 all the broken hearts of mothers bereft of babes1 if he saw and knew all this1 can we conceive of a more malicious fiend8 ,why1 then1 should we say that ,god is good8 ,the dungeons against whose dripping walls the brave and generous have sighed their souls away1 the scaffolds stained and glorified with noble blood1 the hopeless slaves with scarred and bleeding backs1 the writhing martyrs clothed in flame1 the virtuous stretched on racks1 their joints and muscles torn apart1 the flayed and bleeding bodies of the just1 the extinguished eyes of those who sought for truth1 the countless patriots who fought and died in vain1 the burdened1 beaten1 weeping wives1 the shriveled faces of neglected babes1 the murdered millions of the vanished years1 the victims of the winds and waves1 of flood and flame1 of imprisoned forces in the earth1 of lightning's stroke1 of lava's molten stream1 of famine1 plague and lingering pain1 the mouths that drip with blood1 the fangs that poison1 the beaks that wound and tear1 the triumphs of the base1 the rule and sway of wrong1 the crowns that cruelty has worn and the robed hypocrites1 with clasped and bloody hands1 who thanked their ,god--a phantom fiend--that liberty had been banished from the world1 these souvenirs of the dreadful past1 these horrors that still exist1 these frightful facts deny that any ,god exists who has the will and power to guard and bless the human race4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,power ,,that ,,works ,,for ,,righteousness4 ,,most people cling to the supernatural4 ,if they give up one ,god1 they imagine another4 ,having outgrown ,jehovah1 they talk about the power that works for righteousness4 ,what is this power8 ,man advances1 and necessarily advances through experience4 ,a man wishing to go to a certain place comes to where the road divides4 ,he takes the left hand1 believing it to be the right road1 and travels until he finds that it is the wrong one4 ,he retraces his steps and takes the right hand road and reaches the place desired4 ,the next time he goes to the same place1 he does not take the left hand road4 ,he has tried that road1 and knows that it is the wrong road4 ,he takes the right road1 and thereupon these theologians say1 ,there is a power that works for righteousness4 ,a child1 charmed by the beauty of the flame1 grasps it with its dimpled hand4 ,the hand is burned1 and after that the child keeps its hand out of the fire4 ,the power that works for righteousness has taught the child a lesson4 ,the accumulated experience of the world is a power and force that works for righteousness4 ,this force is not conscious1 not intelligent4 ,it has no will1 no purpose4 ,it is a result4 ,so thousands have endeavored to establish the existence of ,god by the fact that we have what is called the moral sense2 that is to say1 a conscience4 ,it is insisted by these theologians1 and by many of the so-called philosophers1 that this moral sense1 this sense of duty1 of obligation1 was imported1 and that conscience is an exotic4 ,taking the ground that it was not produced here1 was not produced by man1 they then imagine a ,god from whom it came4 ,man is a social being4 ,we live together in families1 tribes and nations4 ,the members of a family1 of a tribe1 of a nation1 who increase the happiness of the family1 of the tribe or of the nation1 are considered good members4 ,they are praised1 admired and respected4 ,they are regarded as good2 that is to say1 as moral4 ,the members who add to the misery of the family1 the tribe or the nation1 are considered bad members4 ,they are blamed1 despised1 punished4 ,they are regarded as immoral4 ,the family1 the tribe1 the nation1 creates a standard of conduct1 of morality4 ,there is nothing supernatural in this4 ,the greatest of human beings has said1 ,conscience is born of love4 ,the sense of obligation1 of duty1 was naturally produced4 ,among savages1 the immediate consequences of actions are taken into consideration4 ,as people advance1 the remote consequences are perceived4 ,the standard of conduct becomes higher4 ,the imagination is cultivated4 ,a man puts himself in the place of another4 ,the sense of duty becomes stronger1 more imperative4 ,man judges himself4 ,he loves1 and love is the commencement1 the foundation of the highest virtues4 ,he injures one that he loves4 ,then comes regret1 repentance1 sorrow1 conscience4 ,in all this there is nothing supernatural4 ,man has deceived himself4 ,nature is a mirror in which man sees his own image1 and all supernatural religions rest on the pretence that the image1 which appears to be behind this mirror1 has been caught4 ,all the metaphysicians of the spiritual type1 from ,plato to ,swedenborg1 have manufactured their facts1 and all founders of religion have done the same4 ,suppose that an infinite ,god exists1 what can we do for him8 ,being infinite1 he is conditionless2 being conditionless1 he cannot be benefited or injured4 ,he cannot want4 ,he has4 ,think of the egotism of a man who believes that an infinite being wants his praise6 ,,iv4 ,,what has our religion done8 ,of course1 it is admitted by ,christians that all other religions are false1 and consequently we need examine only our own4 ,has ,christianity done good8 ,has it made men nobler1 more merciful1 nearer honest8 ,when the church had control1 were men made better and happier8 ,what has been the effect of ,christianity in ,italy1 in ,spain1 in ,portugal1 in ,ireland8 ,what has religion done for ,hungary or ,austria8 ,what was the effect of ,christianity in ,switzerland1 in ,holland1 in ,scotland1 in ,england1 in ,america8 ,let us be honest4 ,could these countries have been worse without religion8 ,could they have been worse had they had any other religion than ,christianity8 ,would ,torquemada have been worse had he been a follower of ,zoroaster8 ,would ,calvin have been more bloodthirsty if he had believed in the religion of the ,south ,sea ,islanders8 ,would the ,dutch have been more idiotic if they had denied the ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost1 and worshiped the blessed trinity of sausage1 beer and cheese8 ,would ,john ,knox have been any worse had he deserted ,christ and become a follower of ,confucius8 ,take our own dear1 merciful ,puritan ,fathers8 ,what did ,christianity do for them8 ,they hated pleasure4 ,on the door of life they hung the crape of death4 ,they muffled all the bells of gladness4 ,they made cradles by putting rockers on coffins4 ,in the ,puritan year there were twelve ,decembers4 ,they tried to do away with infancy and youth1 with prattle of babes and the song of the morning4 ,the religion of the ,puritan was an unadulterated curse4 ,the ,puritan believed the ,bible to be the word of ,god1 and this belief has always made those who held it cruel and wretched4 ,would the ,puritan have been worse if he had adopted the religion of the ,north ,american ,indians8 ,let me refer to just one fact showing the influence of a belief in the ,bible on human beings4 ,on the day of the coronation of ,queen ,elizabeth she was presented with a ,geneva ,bible by an old man representing ,time1 with ,truth standing by his side as a child4 ,the ,queen received the ,bible1 kissed it1 and pledged herself to diligently read therein4 ,in the dedication of this blessed ,bible the ,queen was piously exhorted to put all ,papists to the sword4 ,in this incident we see the real spirit of ,protestant lovers of the ,bible4 ,in other words1 it was just as fiendish1 just as infamous as the ,catholic spirit4 ,has the ,bible made the people of ,georgia kind and merciful8 ,would the lynchers be more ferocious if they worshiped gods of wood and stone8 ,,vii4 ,,how ,,can ,,mankind ,,be ,,reformed ,,without ,,religion8 ,,religion has been tried1 and in all countries1 in all times1 has failed4 ,religion has never made man merciful4 ,remember the ,inquisition4 ,what effect did religion have on slavery8 ,what effect upon ,libby1 ,saulsbury and ,andersonville8 ,religion has always been the enemy of science1 of investigation and thought4 ,religion has never made man free4 ,it has never made man moral1 temperate1 industrious and honest4 ,are ,christians more temperate1 nearer virtuous1 nearer honest than savages8 ,among savages do we not find that their vices and cruelties are the fruits of their superstitions8 ,to those who believe in the ,uniformity of ,nature1 religion is impossible4 ,can we affect the nature and qualities of substance by prayer8 ,can we hasten or delay the tides by worship8 ,can we change winds by sacrifice8 ,will kneelings give us wealth8 ,can we cure disease by supplication8 ,can we add to our knowledge by ceremony8 ,can we receive virtue or honor as alms8 ,are not the facts in the mental world just as stubborn--just as necessarily produced--as the facts in the material world8 ,is not what we call mind just as natural as what we call body8 ,religion rests on the idea that ,nature has a master and that this master will listen to prayer2 that this master punishes and rewards2 that he loves praise and flattery and hates the brave and free4 ,has man obtained any help from heaven8 ,,vi4 ,,if we have a theory1 we must have facts for the foundation4 ,we must have corner-stones4 ,we must not build on guesses1 fancies1 analogies or inferences4 ,the structure must have a basement4 ,if we build1 we must begin at the bottom4 ,i have a theory and ,i have four corner-stones4 ,the first stone is that matter--substance--cannot be destroyed1 cannot be annihilated4 ,the second stone is that force cannot be destroyed1 cannot be annihilated4 ,the third stone is that matter and force cannot exist apart--no matter without force--no force without matter4 ,the fourth stone is that that which cannot be destroyed could not have been created2 that the indestructible is the uncreatable4 ,if these corner-stones are facts1 it follows as a necessity that matter and force are from and to eternity2 that they can neither be increased nor diminished4 ,it follows that nothing has been or can be created2 that there never has been or can be a creator4 ,it follows that there could not have been any intelligence1 any design back of matter and force4 ,there is no intelligence without force4 ,there is no force without matter4 ,consequently there could not by any possibility have been any intelligence1 any force1 back of matter4 ,it therefore follows that the supernatural does not and cannot exist4 ,if these four corner-stones are facts1 ,nature has no master4 ,if matter and force are from and to eternity1 it follows as a necessity that no ,god exists2 that no ,god created or governs the universe2 that no ,god exists who answers prayer2 no ,god who succors the oppressed2 no ,god who pities the sufferings of innocence2 no ,god who cares for the slaves with scarred flesh1 the mothers robbed of their babes2 no ,god who rescues the tortured1 and no ,god that saves a martyr from the flames4 ,in other words1 it proves that man has never received any help from heaven2 that all sacrifices have been in vain1 and that all prayers have died unanswered in the heedless air4 ,i do not pretend to know4 ,i say what ,i think4 ,if matter and force have existed from eternity1 it then follows that all that has been possible has happened1 all that is possible is happening1 and all that will be possible will happen4 ,in the universe there is no chance1 no caprice4 ,every event has parents4 ,that which has not happened1 could not4 ,the present is the necessary product of all the past1 the necessary cause of all the future4 ,in the infinite chain there is1 and there can be1 no broken1 no missing link4 ,the form and motion of every star1 the climate of every world1 all forms of vegetable and animal life1 all instinct1 intelligence and conscience1 all assertions and denials1 all vices and virtues1 all thoughts and dreams1 all hopes and fears1 are necessities4 ,not one of the countless things and relations in the universe could have been different4 ,,vii4 ,,if matter and force are from eternity1 then we can say that man had no intelligent creator--that man was not a special creation4 ,we now know1 if we know anything1 that ,jehovah1 the divine potter1 did not mix and mould clay into the forms of men and women1 and then breathe the breath of life into these forms4 ,we now know that our first parents were not foreigners4 ,we know that they were natives of this world1 produced here1 and that their life did not come from the breath of any god4 ,we now know1 if we know anything1 that the universe is natural1 and that men and women have been naturally produced4 ,we now know our ancestors1 our pedigree4 ,we have the family tree4 ,we have all the links of the chain1 twenty-six links inclusive from moner to man4 ,we did not get our information from inspired books4 ,we have fossil facts and living forms4 ,from the simplest creatures1 from blind sensation1 from organism from one vague want1 to a single cell with a nucleus1 to a hollow ball filled with fluid1 to a cup with double walls1 to a flat worm1 to a something that begins to breathe1 to an organism that has a spinal chord1 to a link between the invertebrate to the vertebrate1 to one that has a cranium--a house for a brain--to one with fins1 still onward to one with fore and hinder fins1 to the reptile mammalia1 to the marsupials1 to the lemures1 dwellers in trees1 to the simiae1 to the pithecanthropi1 and lastly1 to man4 ,we know the paths that life has traveled4 ,we know the footsteps of advance4 ,they have been traced4 ,the last link has been found4 ,for this we are indebted1 more than to all others1 to the greatest of biologists1 ,ernst ,haeckel4 ,we now believe that the universe is natural and we deny the existence of the supernatural4 ,,viii4 ,reform4 ,,for thousands of years men and women have been trying to reform the world4 ,they have created gods and devils1 heavens and hells2 they have written sacred books1 performed miracles1 built cathedrals and dungeons2 they have crowned and uncrowned kings and queens2 they have tortured and imprisoned1 flayed alive and burned2 they have preached and prayed2 they have tried promises and threats2 they have coaxed and persuaded2 they have preached and taught1 and in countless ways have endeavored to make people honest1 temperate1 industrious and virtuous2 they have built hospitals and asylums1 universities and schools1 and seem to have done their very best to make mankind better and happier1 and yet they have not succeeded4 ,why have the reformers failed8 ,i will tell them why4 ,ignorance1 poverty and vice are populating the world4 ,the gutter is a nursery4 ,people unable even to support themselves fill the tenements1 the huts and hovels with children4 ,they depend on the ,lord1 on luck and charity4 ,they are not intelligent enough to think about consequences or to feel responsibility4 ,at the same time they do not want children1 because a child is a curse1 a curse to them and to itself4 ,the babe is not welcome1 because it is a burden4 ,these unwelcome children fill the jails and prisons1 the asylums and hospitals1 and they crowd the scaffolds4 ,a few are rescued by chance or charity1 but the great majority are failures1 ,they become vicious1 ferocious4 ,they live by fraud and violence1 and bequeath their vices to their children4 ,against this inundation of vice the forces of reform are helpless1 and charity itself becomes an unconscious promoter of crime4 ,failure seems to be the trademark of ,nature4 ,why8 ,nature has no design1 no intelligence4 ,nature produces without purpose1 sustains without intention and destroys without thought4 ,man has a little intelligence1 and he should use it4 ,intelligence is the only lever capable of raising mankind4 ,the real question is1 can we prevent the ignorant1 the poor1 the vicious1 from filling the world with their children8 ,can we prevent this ,missouri of ignorance and vice from emptying into the ,mississippi of civilization8 ,must the world forever remain the victim of ignorant passion8 ,can the world be civilized to that degree that consequences will be taken into consideration by all8 ,why should men and women have children that they cannot take care of1 children that are burdens and curses8 ,why8 ,because they have more passion than intelligence1 more passion than conscience1 more passion than reason4 ,you cannot reform these people with tracts and talk4 ,you cannot reform these people with preach and creed4 ,passion is1 and always has been1 deaf4 ,these weapons of reform are substantially useless4 ,criminals1 tramps1 beggars and failures are increasing every day4 ,the prisons1 jails1 poorhouses and asylums are crowded4 ,religion is helpless4 ,law can punish1 but it can neither reform criminals nor prevent crime4 ,the tide of vice is rising4 ,the war that is now being waged against the forces of evil is as hopeless as the battle of the fireflies against the darkness of night4 ,there is but one hope4 ,ignorance1 poverty and vice must stop populating the world4 ,this cannot be done by moral suasion4 ,this cannot be done by talk or example4 ,this cannot be done by religion or by law1 by priest or by hangman4 ,this cannot be done by force1 physical or moral4 ,to accomplish this there is but one way4 ,science must make woman the owner1 the mistress of herself4 ,science1 the only possible savior of mankind1 must put it in the power of woman to decide for herself whether she will or will not become a mother4 ,this is the solution of the whole question4 ,this frees woman4 ,the babes that are then born will be welcome4 ,they will be clasped with glad hands to happy breasts4 ,they will fill homes with light and joy4 ,men and women who believe that slaves are purer1 truer1 than the free1 who believe that fear is a safer guide than knowledge1 that only those are really good who obey the commands of others1 and that ignorance is the soil in which the perfect1 perfumed flower of virtue grows1 will with protesting hands hide their shocked faces4 ,men and women who think that light is the enemy of virtue1 that purity dwells in darkness1 that it is dangerous for human beings to know themselves and the facts in ,nature that affect their well being1 will be horrified at the thought of making intelligence the master of passion4 ,but ,i look forward to the time when men and women by reason of their knowledge of consequences1 of the morality born of intelligence1 will refuse to perpetuate disease and pain1 will refuse to fill the world with failures4 ,when that time comes the prison walls will fall1 the dungeons will be flooded with light1 and the shadow of the scaffold will cease to curse the earth4 ,poverty and crime will be childless4 ,the withered hands of want will not be stretched for alms4 ,they will be dust4 ,the whole world will be intelligent1 virtuous and free4 ,,ix4 ,,religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery4 ,it is far better to be free1 to leave the forts and barricades of fear1 to stand erect and face the future with a smile4 ,it is far better to give yourself sometimes to negligence1 to drift with wave and tide1 with the blind force of the world1 to think and dream1 to forget the chains and limitations of the breathing life1 to forget purpose and object1 to lounge in the picture gallery of the brain1 to feel once more the clasps and kisses of the past1 to bring life's morning back1 to see again the forms and faces of the dead1 to paint fair pictures for the coming years1 to forget all ,gods1 their promises and threats1 to feel within your veins life's joyous stream and hear the martial music1 the rhythmic beating of your fearless heart4 ,and then to rouse yourself to do all useful things1 to reach with thought and deed the ideal in your brain1 to give your fancies wing1 that they1 like chemist bees1 may find art's nectar in the weeds of common things1 to look with trained and steady eyes for facts1 to find the subtle threads that join the distant with the now1 to increase knowledge1 to take burdens from the weak1 to develop the brain1 to defend the right1 to make a palace for the soul4 ,this is real religion4 ,this is real worship4