,,the ,,cross ,,and ,,crown ,,by ,t4 ,d4 ,,curtis4 ,evil is wrought ,from want of thought ,as well as want of heart4--,,hood4 ,,syracuse1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,farmer ,,and ,,dairyman ,,print4 #ahhf4 ,,copyrighted ,,by ,,the ,,author4 #ahhf4 ,,prologue4 ,i4 ,he who offends the public will ,and thus excites the populace ,with a vindictive wish to kill ,and sink his name in deep disgrace1 ,is hung or burned in effigy2 ,but none would think of worshiping ,the instrument of cruelty ,that should a friend's sad exit bring2 ,yet when the ,christ was crucified1 ,by order of the crazy throng1 ,the bloody cross on which he died-- ,the tool of deep and ghastly wrong-- ,derisively was raised on high1 ,by the decree of hell's dark prince1 ,and human souls1 not thinking why1 ,hell's sign have worshiped ever since6 ,could more complete subversion be ,of reason1 taste and decency8 ,,ii4 ,through all the past historic days1 ,tyrants have gloried in the crown2 ,and base and bloody are the ways ,by which men have been trampled down4 ,that royalty may thrive and tax ,the toilers for its vain support2 ,cities and towns it often sacks1 ,and of men's birthrights makes a sport2 ,yet men submit to the command ,of him who wears a crown1 and join ,oppression's hosts1 on sea and land1 ,as loyal subjects1 or for coin2 ,and so delusive is the glare ,of crowns to the deluded slave ,that he lifts up an earnest prayer ,to wear a crown beyond the grave1 ,and in imagination reigns ,o'er souls submissive to his chains6 ,illustration ,the ,cross and ,crown4 ,,the ,,cross4 ,emblem of ,ignorance and ,cruelty1 ,ensign of ,superstition's brutal reign1 ,banner of ,despotism's foul career1 ,signal of ,reason laid upon its bier1 ,image of dark and gross ,idolatry1 ,object of worship since the ,christ was slain6 ,the sign of the impostor and the fool1 ,by which they conquer and command the throng1 ,the cross is lifted upward everywhere ,man will submissive bow and mutter prayer1 ,the minion meek1 or church's thoughtless tool1 ,or worse1 the cunning priest who knows the wrong4 ,when ,satan tempted ,christ upon the ,mount1 ,he said3 ,but worship me1 the world is thine6 ,but ,christ refused the service and reward1 ,and said3 ,get thee behind2 worship thy ,lord6 ,and thus called ,satan to a quick account1 ,for his attempt to humble the divine4 ,christ taught no worship and believed in none2 ,his teaching was of equal ,brotherhood2 ,but1 if there must be worship1 it was meet ,that he who claimed it should bow at the feet ,of him of whom 'twas claimed2 the evil one ,so claiming should bow down before the good4 ,christ did not ask for worship1 nor it seek2 ,this he abhorred in every form and phase2 ,he was resolved to ever upright stand2 ',twas to rebuke he gave that stern command2 ,and he who claims the homage of the weak ,his low condition to the wise betrays4 ,satan still tempts all greedy human kind ,with his rewards of selfishness and lust2 ,he would their minds in superstition steep1 ,and mercilessly every soul would keep ,forever to the lower realms confined1 ,where all is turned to ashes and to dust4 ,oh6 what a world of malice ,christ awoke ,in ,satan when he bade him get behind6 ,then all the fury of the fiends of hell ,around his earthly way exhaled their spell2 ,beset by every snare hell could evoke1 ,he suffered hellish tortures of the mind4 ,he lived alone2 he was not understood ,by those with whom he most communed and taught2 ,his sole support was love and faith in truth ,and principles he'd pondered from his youth2 ,he saw right living and the doing good ,must bring a future life with gladness fraught4 ,but hell would not consent to tolerate ,the presence here on earth of one who chose ,to be so independent of its sway2 ,it would not do to longer let him stay1 ,and so the vicious tools of hell and hate ,were set to work his teachings here to close4 ,he long had seen or guessed how it would end2 ,but faith in principle in him was strong1 ,and he would not consent to change his course ,nor to retract1 nor turn to such resource ,as would the purpose of his foes unbend1 ,and thus his labors on the earth prolong4 ,but he resolved to carry on the fight ,beyond the grave1 and to contend for power ,and freedom to reject the homage base ,which ,satan claimed1 and meet him face to face ,in his own realms of cruelty and night1 ,and try his title there to freedom's dower4 ,it was a faith sublime that thus could nerve ,the ,nazarene to face the death they chose2 ,but patiently he met his fate alone1 ,without complaint1 and scarcely gave a groan1 ,so sure was he that ,freedom he could serve ,and in the end could conquer all his foes4 ,it was not long before the end was reached1 ,so far as earth could end his grand career2 ,his body lifeless hung upon the cross2 ,yet still his deadly foes were at a loss ,how to annul the doctrines he had preached ,lest they forever should torment them here4 ,so they resolved upon a double course-- ,they would pervert what they could not destroy2 ,their earthly agents were induced to choose ,the bloody cross as symbol of their views1 ,which they proclaimed were ,christ's1 and were the source ,of all their power--,his name made a decoy4 ,the banner of the cross they raised aloft1 ,to conquer by this sign of all that's vile2 ,christians they called themselves1 and fiends in glee ,must have rejoiced their bloody course to see1 ,as with brute force1 or threats1 or pleadings soft1 ,they coupled hell's dark doings with its guile4 ,to blind belief they added blinder faith1 ,and relegated reason to the shades2 ,dark superstition ruled the bloody hour1 ,the world bowed down before religion's pow'r1 ,and truthfully the page of history saith ,mankind gave up to riots and to raids4 ,it was a very pandemonium here1 ,a hell on earth1 a night without a star2 ,good manners and good morals passed away1 ,corruption and pollution ruled the day1 ,and ,pity left the earth without a tear1 ,while pallid ,justice trembling stood afar4 ,contending sects and creeds each other tore2 ,a word or syllable gave cause for war1 ,and e'en a single letter made men tear ,each other and profane the decent air ,with angry words1 and drench their hands in gore1 ,performing all that ,heaven must abhor4 ,men lost all reason1 women lost all shame1 ,and gross indecency ruled day and night2 ,fortunes were given to the rotten priests1 ,who rated virtue lower than the beasts2 ,pollution of the maiden or the dame ,alike was holy in the priestly sight4 ,at first1 it was a struggle mild between ,the pagan doctrines and the newer creeds1 ,whose crazy devotees quite often sought ,the crown of martyrdom1 and therefore wrought ,insultingly to taunt and rouse the spleen ,that oft in furious wrath its victim bleeds4 ,but paganism was a placid rill ,beside the roaring torrent of the new ,and wild religion that its ruin sought2 ,and most of all its cruelty was taught ,unto it by the men of bloody will ,who did the work of the infernal crew4 ,when ,satan's agents found no pagan foe1 ,they tore each other with tenfold delight2 ,there was no epithet too harsh to use1 ,there was no instrument of brute abuse ,severe enough to add unto the woe ,of brothers now grown hateful in their sight4 ,such scenes the world had never known before1 ,so fierce did angry passion's billows toss2 ,hell seemed let loose1 and scarce a ,heavenly ray ,shone in the hearts of men to light the way2 ,all virtue gone1 or rotten to the core1 ,o'er all there rose the dark and bloody cross4 ,but brutal passion cannot always rule2 ,reaction comes with renovating sway2 ,the violence that may at first succeed ,quite soon returns to make its victims bleed2 ,coercion is a sharp and treacherous tool-- ,a two-edged sword that cutteth either way4 ,for centuries the nations struggled on1 ,while reason scarcely gave a glimmering ray2 ,the rack1 the faggot1 and anon the sword1 ,each played its part to teach the ,holy ,word2 ,while hated ,science1 pallid1 weary1 wan1 ,amid the hosts of darkness skulked away4 ,not idle was the ,nazarene the while2 ,he marshaled on the other side of life ,the hosts of gentle truth and reason mild1 ,swaying with love the heart of man and child ,to long for freedom and the rights that guile ,had trampled down amid intolerant strife4 ,the work was one of love1 the progress slow1 ,for hell contended every inch of ground1 ,and1 through the church1 assaulted every thing ,that wrought for good1 and cat-like watched to spring ,upon whoever rose to strike a blow ,to break the chains with which men's souls were bound4 ,bearing the cross before them1 hell's dark crowd ,rushed wildly on to crush each rising thought ,that in the freedom-loving soul sought vent ,in deed of daring1 or1 in speech intent ,on firing other minds1 was heard aloud2 ,in fear and hate the hosts of fury wrought4 ,christ poured his consolation in the ear ,of every suffering soul1 and fired the heart ,to meet with resignation calm the fate ,imposed upon it by the powers of hate2 ,and every body slain let loose1 to cheer1 ,a spirit nerved to play a noble part4 ,thus1 one by one1 upon the spirit side1 ,an army gathered that defied defeat2 ,it filled with love of freedom every mind ,of willing mould on earth that it could find1 ,till right of private judgment1 long denied1 ,walked boldly forth from its enforced retreat4 ,then history and science both combined ,to shed their light and make the error plain2 ,and one by one the church was forced to yield ,the subjugated ground which it had sealed ,with blood of martyrs1 till it was confined ,to work by subtle means its ends to gain4 ,now ,knowledge roams at large1 and he who will ,may sup from the eternal founts of truth2 ,as hell recedes1 the church enfeebled grows1 ,and fast approach the last expiring throes2 ,it now may curse and rave1 but dare not kill1 ,and views with anguish ,freedom's lusty youth4 ,the present church is a continuance ,of the abomination that held sway ,when ,christ was on the earth2 the change it made ,was but in form1 not spirit2 it essayed ,to make the world believe that no advance ,could e'er be made for which it did not pray4 ,it fought all progress of the human race1 ,and sought to limit human thought and speech2 ,dead books or living bodies1 each in turn ,it ready stood to torture or to burn2 ,it squid-like tried its slimy arms to place ,on every thing of worth within its reach4 ,its claims were boundless1 and its vicious aim ,would subjugate all things from pole to pole2 ,whate'er of good might triumph in despite ,of all its wiles to crush1 this fiend of night ,set up the claim that the advancement came ,through its kind care and fostering control6 ,and to this day it makes the bold pretense ,that all of human progress has been made ,beneath its banner2 yet it ever warred ,on science as a thing to be abhorred1 ,and still would banish thought and reason hence1 ,and of them seeks to make mankind afraid6 ,it points to the advancement of the world ,as evidence of its benignant power2 ,yet it has sought1 with all its will and might1 ,to keep the children of the earth in night6 ,and this same course it will pursue till hurled ,from power1 and ,truth and ,justice rule the hour4 ,let men no longer be deceived1 for hell ,brought forth the church and fosters it to-day2 ,let them cast off the shackles of the mind1 ,which this same church continues still to bind ,upon them with ,satanic art and spell1 ,and keep1 oh6 keep the children from its sway6 ,thro' ,mammon and the ,church hell rules to-day1 ,and flaunts the cruel cross before our eyes2 ,losing its hold on ,state1 the church demands ,all privileges which our thoughtless hands ,will grant unto its agents1 who would slay ,the ,nazarene again as sacrifice4 ,hell still is tempting men with wealth and power1 ,and finds of ,judases a fearful host2 ,free thought and speech it everywhere assails1 ,religion's sure decay loudly bewails1 ,but while it reads the tokens of the hour1 ,it still persists in threat and empty boast4 ,it mumbles prayers in legislative halls1 ,and in our courts of justice utters oaths2 ,it clutches every thing within its reach1 ,and hangs tenacious as the sucking leech2 ,where'er we go its mocking presence palls1 ,and every thinking mind its workings loathes4 ,its ministers assume superior airs1 ,and claim to compensate all earthly loss2 ,they help to rob the unsuspecting mass1 ,and for their sorrows1 with a cheek of brass1 ,they give them rich rewards of empty prayers1 ,and impudently point unto the cross6 ,as if an instrument of torture could ,be grateful to the sight of suffering man6 ,or he should willingly be crucified ,because good men upon the cross have died6 ,but hell adopts this horrid thing of wood ,and bears the bloody symbol in the van4 ,it is a cruel mockery of all ,that ,christ has taught to an unthinking world-- ,a gross perversion of the living light ,with which he sought to open human sight2 ',tis ,satan's beacon1 leading to enthrall-- ,banner of night1 by ,satan's hosts unfurled4 ,all progress made has been despite the power ,that marshaled all its forces 'neath the cross2 ,the hosts of light1 led on by ,christ1 have fought ,and slowly won the field in spite of aught ,the foe beneath the symbol of the hour ,could treacherously do to bring them loss4 ,and ,christ will overwhelmingly1 at last1 ,defeat the hosts of darkness and of death2 ,for ,truth and ,justice surely will bear sway1 ,to usher in the bright millennial day1 ,and ,satan's hosts from power on earth to cast ,and fill each longing soul with vital breath4 ,but just so long as men will give support ,and countenance unto the wily church1 ,they may expect the fiends of wrong and wrath ,to scatter want and woe along their path1 ,for by such act they gross injustice court ,and will that on its banner victory perch4 ,let all men1 then1 ignore the church and strive ,for ,justice1 ,truth1 and true ,fraternal ,love2 ,let them resolve to be forever free1 ,and walk in reason's light1 so all may see ,they tread the straight and narrow path1 alive ,to good and peace1 as symboled by the dove4 ,thus may a bloodless victory be won1 ,and ,satan's hosts cast out forevermore2 ,the cross of hell from earth will disappear ,before the symbol of a higher sphere2 ,thus may the reign of reason be begun1 ,and earth become to ,heaven an open door4 ,oh6 let the scales fall from the eyes of men1 ,and all the horrors of the cross appear2 ,then ,satan's reign on earth will have an end1 ,and men no more the craven knee will bend2 ,but ,justice1 ,freedom1 ,love1 and ,truth1 will then ,bring in the prophesied millennial year4 ,illustration ,,the ,,crown4 ,symbol of all that's mean and base in man-- ,of pompous pride and cringing cowardice1 ,of titled folly and of plodding slaves1 ,of groaning labor robbed by cunning knaves1 ,of priests and lordlings1 an infernal clan1 ,who live by force1 and fraud1 and artifice4 ,the crown1 associated with the cross1 ,is held up by the church as the reward ,of souls that blindly follow in the lead ,of priests who advocate a stupid creed6 ,a crown of gold1 and nothing else1 for loss ,of common sense1 full payment can accord6 ,no cross1 no crown--self-evidently true1 ,but not in the delusive sense implied2 ,if men beneath the cross would not bow down1 ,no devil1 pope1 or king1 could wear a crown2 ,but they will wear it all the ages through ,that men are willing to be crucified4 ,a crown denotes that some usurper rules1 ,and subjects1 weak and ignorant1 submit2 ,but in a realm where all are equal1 free1 ,no one can rule1 none can submissive be2 ,but hell and tyrants love to torture fools1 ,and only fools will long consent to it4 ,the weak in mind1 abused and plundered here1 ,have silly hopes that they will all be kings1 ,because the sons of ,mammon tell them so2 ,while to the yoke they bow their necks below1 ,they praise a tyrant in another sphere ,who is to crown them over underlings6 ,when hell's dark agents nailed the ,nazarene ,upon the cross they1 mocking1 hailed him king2 ,since then the mockery they have kept up1 ,and all his friends have drank the bitter cup1 ,and worn the crown of thorns1 and felt the keen ,thrust of the spear1 and heard the taunting fling4 ,all seekers after truth1 and right1 and fact1 ,the men of science and the thinkers bold1 ,are friends of ,christ1 and seek to do his work1 ,by letting in the light mid darkness murk1 ,that shrouds the cross and crown2 but every act ,is met by hell's dark minions1 as of old4 ,with faggot and the prison's loathsome cell1 ,they've done their worst to stifle human thought ,and stop research amid the fields of lore1 ,their plea that it is impious to explore ,the realms of ,nature's secrets1 or to tell ,aught to the mass of men by priests not taught4 ,hell to the world holds up a ,god of wrath-- ,omniscient tyrant1 sitting on a throne1 ,wearing a royal diadem of gold1 ,while fawn around and praise him throngs untold ,in numbers1 who by adoration hath ,secured his special favors as their own6 ,all who refuse this homage are cast out ,from ,heaven and happiness forevermore1 ,their souls to burn in torments without end ,or hope that they can ever make amend ,for harboring on earth an honest doubt1 ,and failing their creator to adore6 ,and the offense is in the disbelief1 ,for no good thoughts or deeds can help the soul2 ,nor good intentions1 or most honest aims ,can save it from the everlasting flames2 ,but blind consent alone can banish grief ,from one submissive to the priest's control6 ,this ,god is arbitrary1 full of freaks1 ,damns without reason1 without worth rewards2 ,an upright life with him no favor finds2 ,he fettered sinners with delight unbinds1 ,and sets them free1 but on the upright wreaks ,his vengeance--them his special hate accords6 ,to those who ask for bread he giveth stone1 ,or empty promises he may fulfill ,in realms of future life--sometime1 somewhere1 ,and thus the soul feeds on deceit and air ,as long as flesh hangs to the aching bone-- ,till all is sacrificed that earth can kill4 ,this is no teaching of the ,nazarene2 ,it is a scheme of hell to chain the mind ,and keep mankind subjected to its sway1 ,and to its priests and tools an easy prey-- ,a plot the souls of men to make unclean ,and toward perdition willingly inclined4 ,who cannot see that hell set up this ,god ,for purpose foul1 and crowned him ,king of ,all8-- ,a model of the human lord and king ,who rule below and make their subjects bring ,homage and pelf to buy approving nod1 ,while in their train the meaner creatures crawl4 ,his favorites1 the meanest of mankind1 ,are quite content the people should believe ,that they will win a crown beyond the grave1 ,if they will only be content to slave ,and bow to robber rule1 nor seek to find ,the light which might their faith here undeceive4 ,to make the picture more like earth and real1 ,as kings on earth have rivals to the throne1 ,so ,god must have a rival dark and proud ,who1 like himself1 can never fill a shroud2 ,but1 fiercely overthrown in the ideal1 ,this rival has no mercy to him shown4 ',tis all infernal--a delusive spell ,thrown o'er the minds of men to keep them down2 ,in fear the ,nazarene1 with teachings pure1 ,the mental blindness of the world should cure1 ,and break the hoary reign of brutal hell1 ,it mockingly presented him a crown4 ,true1 'twas a crown of thorns2 but1 mocking still1 ,it gave a spirit crown1 and made him ,son ,and equal of the tyrant it had made1 ,and in fantastic glory had arrayed1 ,to rule the saints submissive to the will ,of those who church and state in secret run4 ,priests granted to him supernatural powers1 ,and then assumed to wield those powers themselves2 ,by treachery1 and trick1 and sophistry1 ,they made the multitude believe that he ,claimed worship for himself in gilded towers ,or churches2 so the mass submits and delves4 ,the world is told that men should bear the cross ,of robbery1 oppression1 want and woe1 ,on earth1 that they a crown above may wear1 ,and ease their souls in everlasting prayer ,unto a ,god who shall repay all loss ,by special gifts to those who bow most low6 ,the church has always taught submission here1 ,not to the laws of being1 but of state2 ,hell calls for stronger governments to rob ,and hold in terror the uprising mob ,which it provokes and seeks to rule thro' fear-- ,a horrid rule of wrong1 and force1 and hate4 ,as ,christ's pure teachings were so true and plain ,that reason must accept them1 to obscure ,their meaning hell and earth conspired ,and made confusion1 while their minions fired ,with mad ambition and the love of gain ,all hearts that ,mammon's bribes could buy or lure4 ,and with success they carried out their scheme1 ,and made the world do homage unto hell2 ,with ,god to threaten vengeance unto all1 ,and ,devil to affright them at their call1 ,with blood of ,god's own ,son--a horrid stream-- ,to wash men's souls1 they have succeeded well6 ,to further aid their scheme1 the ,holy ,ghost ,came down to work with its mysterious spell1 ,and fill with frenzy every heart and brain ,that thoughtlessly would join ,delusion's train1 ,until the fire of zeal was hot to roast ,the sinner here and endlessly in hell6 ,christ taught utmost fulfillment of the law1 ,which special favors could not set aside2 ,his was no kingdom of this world1 no scheme ,of courtiers or of crown2 no idle dream ,of weak and wicked selfishness1 to awe ,the mass and rear a structure based on pride4 ,he founded on the rock of truth and fact1 ,and everlasting principles of good2 ,he bade men love each other and be just ,in all their dealings1 to avoid all lust1 ,and be sincere and true in every act1 ,rememb'ring all are of one ,brotherhood4 ,no lead or following of the blind he taught1 ,nor a self-immolating flag unfurled2 ,his enemies1 with subtlety most keen1 ,by torturing his language make it mean ,the very opposite of what he sought ,to teach unto a blind1 unthinking world4 ,he wanted men to use their reason here1 ,in all things of this world and world to come-- ,to seek for truth1 for truth would make them free1 ,nor bend to any power known the knee2 ,and he abhorred the rule of coward fear1 ,that's born of hell1 and strikes the reason dumb4 ,quickly the ,nazarene refused the bribe ,proffered by ,satan's hand upon the ,mount2 ,he turned indignantly from world and crown1 ,rebuking with a stern and honest frown ,the tempter and his cunning2 but the tribe ,of ,mammon since has grown beyond all count4 ,if all men saw1 like ,christ1 through ,satan's wiles1 ,and promptly gave rebuke to his demand1 ,the crown would crumble and the cross decay1 ,and ,mammon's bribes be counted worthless clay2 ,a world redeemed would roll in ,heaven's smiles1 ,with plenty1 peace and joy on every hand4 ,what shall it profit man the world to gain ,and yield his soul thereby to hell's control8 ,to give is far more blest than to receive-- ,for giving to the needy doth relieve ,the giver of a surplus that would pain1 ,if not bestowed1 by clogging of the soul4 ,we channels of transmission are2 the flow ,of life is measured by what we transmit2 ,if we doth freely give1 in reason's bound1 ,what we receive1 and pass the blessings ,we gather strength and joy as on we go1 ,receiving more1 the more the benefit4 ,when men shall rise above the plane of clowns1 ,and look upon this life with vision clear1 ,with reason seeking for the better way ,that leads to ,justice and to ,freedom's sway1 ,then dupes and priests1 then kings1 and gods1 and crowns1 ,at last1 will from this planet disappear4 ,to worship an imaginary king1 ,makes subjects for the monarchs here on earth2 ,the mind accustomed to submissive moods ,is ready to receive the mental foods ,which priests and parasites may choose to bring-- ,messes of potage for its rights of birth4 ,our ,god is light1 intelligence1 and love-- ,is reason1 freedom1 justice1 and the truth2 ,he does not rule through blind belief in creeds1 ,but fact and judgment--good expressed in deeds ,of brotherly assistance1 and above ,all aims to subjugate the minds of youth4 ,the ,god of orthodoxy doth delight ,in ways of darkness1 superstition1 fear2 ,he bids all men their reason set aside ,and take1 like birds with mouths spread open wide1 ,whatever priests1 those messengers of night1 ,see fit to drop into the gaping ear4 ,he bids us bow to creeds and servile forms1 ,and walk submissive under ,mammon's reign2 ,before him all must bend the cringing knee1 ,and shout his praise in fulsome minstrelsy2 ,his followers no love of freedom warms2 ,he rules them1 all through penalty and pain4 ,with ceremonies1 rites1 and cunning tricks1 ,he seeks to captivate the human will2 ,thus far his agents have1 alas6 too well ,succeeded in their wicked work of hell1 ,which at no subterfuge or falsehood sticks2 ,they fill their mission with ,satanic skill4 ,they claim to represent the ,nazarene ,and teach his doctrines1 while they grossly lie ,in word and deed1 and all his views pervert2 ,he aimed to help the world2 they aim to hurt2 ,his yoke is easy and his path serene1 ,while wearing theirs the soul must surely die4 ,while he would have the world live out the law ,of being as engraved in each true heart1 ,and seen with vision clear by every mind ,that is to justice1 truth and good inclined1 ,they would subdue it1 by a sense of awe1 ,to arbitrary rule and selfish art4 ,when men shall cease to worship wealth and might1 ,and turn their backs on superstition's door2 ,when reason lights her lamp1 and equity ,becomes the portion of the truly free2 ,when ,christ shall reign on earth through love and light1 ,the rule of man and ,mammon will be o'er4 ,then all machinery of ,church and state ,will drop aside as rubbish of the past2 ,then social harmony will take the place ,that human governments so much disgrace2 ,the cruel reign of discord1 born of hate1 ,will be reversed1 and order reign at last4 ,then each will work for all instead of self1 ,as faithful parents for their children toil2 ,all will be educated in the right1 ,all will by birth inherit living light2 ,none will from duty turn for sordid pelf1 ,and none will seek his neighbor to despoil4 ,and there will be abundance everywhere1 ,with want and fear of want forever gone2 ,no more will men indulge in worldly lust2 ,the aims of life will be above the dust2 ,then men the spirit life will seek and share1 ,their souls aglow with rays of ,heaven's dawn4 ,oh6 why has ,christ been so misunderstood8 ,why will not men receive the light and live8 ,the path is straight and plain unto the view1 ,and by the light within each can pursue ,and reap its fruits of everlasting good1 ,which loving hands along the way will give4 ,the growth is slow but sure1 in strict accord ,with laws of our condition and our deeds2 ,no miracles will help us in our task2 ,if we would gain advancement1 we must ask ,through honest work1 and upright thought and word1 ,and not through cross or crown1 beliefs or creeds4 ,dethrone all gods and send them down to hell1 ,banish all worship to the realms of night1 ,give freedom unto human thought and speech1 ,let every soul be its own church and teach ,the truths that from its inmost depths may well ,to aid in lifting up all souls to light4 ,in that bright realm where all is fair and free ,the law is written in each beating heart2 ,there each one does as seems good in his sight1 ,and every one aspires to do the right2 ,but no one there in worship bends the knee1 ,or acts through fear a superstitious part4 ,supreme desire for concord fills each breast1 ,and every word and act with love is blest2 ,no thought of wrong or self can enter there1 ,but each with each and all desires to share2 ,and he that shares his blessing with the rest ,is richer made in joy and sweet content4 ,there are no rulers there--no king to frown2 ,no sacrifices are required or made2 ,a sense of right and justice rules the realm1 ,with love to prompt and reason at the helm2 ,harmonious thoughts and acts all discord drown ,with none to dictate1 none to make afraid4 ,no royal ,god there sits in pomp and state2 ,no jeweled throne of gold can there be seen2 ,no priest nor trembling devotee can raise ,an everlasting song of flatt'ring praise2 ,no cross no crown2 no courtier vain1 elate2 ,no slave with bending knee and cringing mien4 ,no streets all paved with gold doth there appear2 ,no harps of gold cloth twang an endless air2 ,no trumpet-blast1 by saint or angel blown1 ,doth split the ear with its commanding tone2 ,no worshiping of ,god1 or saint1 or seer1 ,no church1 no priest1 no pope1 no king1 no prayer4 ,but all is love and harmony divine1 ,with peace and happiness1 and joy supreme2 ,with endless progress and increasing light1 ,and ever-widening freedom1 while the right ,and truth1 and good1 and justice burn and shine ,in every brain and heart--a sacred gleam4 ,oh6 blest abode1 where each himself must rule ,and none e'er think of ruling others1 while ,the light from higher sources ever beams1 ,in gentle1 life-invigorating streams1 ,upon the soul which1 never out of school1 ,must ever bask in ,wisdom's winning smile4 ,oh6 let it come1 this concord of the blest1 ,and speedily1 upon this earth of ours-- ,that ,mammon's throne may be at once o'erthrown1 ,and all his idols broken--every one2 ,that every soul upon the law may rest1 ,defying all the arts of wicked powers4 ,and it will come1 must come1 or soon or late1 ,and every heart will feel the quickening thrill2 ,the hosts of night around the earth must fly ,to lower depths1 the righteous mount on high2 ,and then will end this reign of selfish will1 ,amid the blaze of the ,harmonial ,day4 ,illustration ,idolatry4 ,idolatry is born of ,ignorance2 ,its sire is ,fear1 and cruel are its bands2 ,cunning and ,greed come forward to advance ,its many claims2 the tyrant understands ,it gives him consequence when he commands1 ,and helps to keep his subjects dull and weak2 ,the priest upholds it with his crafty hands1 ,and by it keeps himself both fat and sleek1 ,with conscience tenfold harder than his brassy cheek4 ,idolatry has human thought defiled1 ,and filled the heart of man with groundless fear2 ,it likens ,god unto the chieftain wild1 ,whose will is absolute and rule austere-- ,who scatters curses with a hand severe ,on all who do not choose to bow and praise1 ,bestowing gifts on those who may appear ,by word or deed1 or both1 his power to raise1 ,regardless of their merits or their wicked ways4 ,the poor idolator expects to gain ,in special favors from the god he owns2 ,he mouths his prayers expecting to obtain ,some kind of blessing through his pleading tones1 ,while bowing low upon his marrow-bones1 ,and has no thought of principle or law2 ,he thinks his very abjectness atones ,for all offenses1 and he stands in awe ,lest he offend the priest who smites him with his jaw4 ,idolatry but feeds the soul on stones1 ,and makes it fear the living and the dead2 ,it worships arbitrary power in bones ,from which all power to harm or bless has fled2 ,it puts a halo round some dead man's head ,and worships him as one whose blood atones ,for all the sins the human race hath bred2 ,it fills the air with hideous wails and groans1 ,with genuflexions that the most abjectness owns4 ,the gods are many which the world adores2 ,they may be stocks and stones1 or creeds and books1 ,or saints or heroes2 there are many scores ,of idols1 both of good and evil looks1 ,to which the idol-serving worldling crooks ,the favor-seeking hinges of the knee2 ,and then audaciously he freely brooks ,disfavor of the many gods1 that he ,may serve at ,mammon's shrine and roll in luxury6 ,the known and unknown gods are set aside ,when ,mammon's glitt'ring chariot rolls along2 ,the churches all adore the pomp and pride ,of ,mammon's blazing cortege2 weak and strong ,join in his train1 unconscious of a wrong1 ,and all the gods are chained unto his car2 ,the ,unknown ,god may get their ,sunday song-- ,on other days he's worshiped from afar6 ,but1 next to ,mammon1 men adore the god of war4 ,or saints1 or books1 or images1 or cross1 ,no matter what the object worshiped be1 ',tis all the same--idolatrous and gross2 ,it may be done in all sincerity1 ,or only done in base hypocrisy1 ,as is the fancy of the worshiper2 ,both classes bend the superstitious knee1 ,hoping their god his favors will confer1 ,howe'er the supplicant in life and tho't may err6 ,there is no efficacy in what's done ,by way of worship2 all is empty show1 ,external form2 in not a single one ,does it inspire a strong desire to go ,the straight and narrow path of duty4 ,no1 ,not e'en the most benighted devotee-- ,the most sincere idolater we know-- ,conforms his daily conduct so that he ,shall realize the prayer of his idolatry4 ,all worship is an inconsistent sham-- ,an echo from the thrones of earthly kings1 ,who have the power to either bless or damn ,their subjects of this world in worldly things2 ,it will be fostered in the church1 which brings ,a living fat for wily ministers1 ,as long as folks will wear their leading-strings2 ,but when the blood of independence stirs ,men's hearts1 they'll cease to bow as idol-worshipers4 ,so long as thoughtless men deceive their souls ,with vague conjectures that a wordy prayer ,their destiny beyond the graveyard moulds1 ,when breathed aloud into the empty air1 ,to some unknown mysterious being there1 ,their conduct will be inconsistent1 mad2 ,reason and common sense will have no share ,in guiding them to action1 and the sad ,results will only to the world's confusion add4 ,how very low and groveling is this1 ,and reeking with the very fumes of hell6 ,as if mankind could win immortal bliss ,by idle words and forms1 in which can dwell ,no kind of virtue1 no exalting spell6 ,let men but reason and they must behold ,that righteous living here alone can tell ,in raising human destiny4 ,the bold ,in thought and action the most rapidly unfold4 ,but some day men will learn that law supreme1 ,unchanging and unerring1 rules us all2 ,that there is neither low nor high extreme ,where special favors unto men may fall1 ,or privilege be granted at the call ,of homage-giving beings who desire ,to gain advantage1 be it great or small2 ,that selfishness can never raise men higher4 ,and only deeds of good can aid those who aspire4 ,throw creeds and books and churches to the winds1 ,save as they furnish food for human thought2 ,shun every subtle manacle that binds ,the human reason--'tis with evil fraught2 ,bow not to books1 nor saviors1 nor aught ,but ,truth and ,justice and the love of ,good2 ,with these alone can be salvation bought2 ,it was for these the ,nazarene once stood-- ,in these must every soul find its redemption food4 ,let men have faith in principle1 and strive ,to live in strict accord with equity2 ,when at the door of truth they always knock1 ,and deal no more in foolish mystery1 ,but trim the lamp of reason so they see ,the right from wrong1 and act the nobler part4 ,then will the human race be truly free2 ,then the millennium will surely start ,with the millennial conditions in the heart4 ',tis not by exaltation of one's self ,the prize of real happiness is won2 ',tis not by hoarding piles of worldly pelf ,that we can win the plaudit of well done2 ',tis not by self abasement we can shun ,the painful consequence of evil ways2 ',tis not by wordy prayer to ,god or ,son ,we can prolong the measure of our days2 ,but living right1 with duty done1 forever pays4 ,then break your idols1 oh6 ye men of might1 ,if ye would number with the truly strong2 ,strike ye for ,justice1 ,freedom and the ,right1 ,if ye would join the ever-happy throng ,that sing in unison redemption's song2 ,fling out the banner of the ,brotherhood1 ,bear it before you as ye march along2 ,plant it where every idol erst has stood1 ,proclaim to all mankind the ,universal ,good4 ,if you would follow ,christ1 or be like ,god1 ,you must1 like them1 be ever doing good2 ,you must arise above the brutal clod2 ,you must stand out1 as ,jesus ,christ once stood1 ,the sturdy friend of ,god's great multitude-- ,that helpless mass of wronged and suffering poor1 ,who now are trampled on by ,mammon's brood2 ,you must hold up to scorn the evil-doer1 ,put down the foul and raise aloft the good and pure4 ,in no belief or unbelief1 nor prayer1 ,can men redemption from their errors find2 ,no worship of the things of earth of air1 ,or heaven or hell1 or of the human mind1 ,can from a single fetter e'er unbind ,one sinning brother4 ,only deeds alone ,done in the love of what is good and kind1 ,can for the smallest human wrong atone2 ,then worship not at all1 but see that good is done4 ,worship is mockery1 but only cheats ,the worshiper1 who fancies he can guide ,the forces of the universe1 and beats ,the air with empty words2 and1 worse beside1 ,it dulls man's intellect and leads him wide ,astray from the true path of duty here2 ,it seeks for ends through setting laws aside1 ,when all must be fulfilled4 ,hence it is clear ,the worshiper1 through prayer seeketh to rule this sphere4 ,no jot nor tittle will the law abate ,till all shall be fulfilled2 nor can man make ,one hair or black or white1 howe'er he prate2 ,nor add unto his stature1 though he take ,no end of thought and prayer1 nor can he shake ,the purpose of any higher power2 ,but if he could1 there would be cause to quake-- ,for all would come to chaos in an hour ,and death and darkness quickly all things would devour4 ,then be ye not idolatrous1 nor bow ,in worship unto things unseen or seen1 ,but bide your lot with clear1 unclouded brow1 ,and child-like trust the powers that e'er have been2 ,they're watching o'er us all with vision keen ,and love unquenchable forevermore2 ,in turn1 they ask our love1 our faith serene1 ,and wait to welcome us1 when earth is o'er1 ,to homes of peace and bliss on ,heaven's eternal shore4 ,illustration3 ,,finis ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book2 otherwise they were not changed4 ,simple typographical errors were corrected4 ,the following discrepancies have not been changed3 ,page #f3 ,so claiming should bow down before the good4 was not indented as were the other last-lines in this section of the book4 ,page #aj1 last line3 ,quite soon returns to make its victims bleed2 included a hand-written change that replaced victims with authors4 ,page #cf3 ,bow not to books1 nor saviors1 nor aught included a hand-written change that inserted to before aught4 ,all of the illustrations are simple tailpieces4