is denunciation of the political and religious sham and
hypocrisy which he saw masking behind the cloak of imperial religion.

"I have nothing to say, friends," moaned Jose, raising his head;
"nothing that would not still further reveal my own miserable weakness
and the despicable falsity of the Church. If the Church had followed
the Christ, it would have taught me to do likewise; and I should now
call to Lazaro and bid him come forth, instead of shamefully
confessing my impotency and utter lack of spirituality, even while I
pose as an _Alter Christus_."

"You--you will leave a blessing with him before we go, Padre?" queried
the anxious Rosendo, clinging still to the frayed edge of his fathers'
faith.

"My blessing, Rosendo," replied Jose sadly, "would do no good. He lies
there because we have utterly forgotten what the Master came to teach.
He lies there because of our false, undemonstrable, mortal beliefs.
Oh, that the Church, instead of wasting time murmuring futile prayers
over dead bodies, had striven to learn to do the deeds which the
Christ said we should all do if we but kept his commandments!"

"But, Padre, you will say Masses for him?" pursued Rosendo.

"Masses? No, I can not--now. I would not take his or your money to
give to the Church to get his soul out of an imagined purgatory which
the Church long ago invented for the purpose of enriching herself
materially--for, alas! after spiritual riches she has had little
hankering."

"To pay God to get His own children out of the flames, eh?" suggested
Don Jorge. "It is what I have always said, the religion of the Church
is a _religion de dinero_. If there ever was a God, either He is still
laughing Himself sick at our follies--or else He has wept Himself to
death over them! Jesus Christ taught no such stuff!"

"Friend," said Jose solemnly, turning to Don Jorge, "I long since
learned what the whole world must learn some time, that the Church
stands to-day, not as the bride of the Christ, but as the incarnation
of the human mind, as error opposed to Truth. It is the embodiment of
'Who shall be greatest?' It is one of the various phenomena of the
human mentality; and its adherents are the victims of authoritative
falsehood. Its Mass and countless other ceremonies differ in no
essential respect from ancient pagan worship. Of spirituality it has
none. And so it can do none of the works of the Master. Its corrupting
faith is foully materialistic. It has been wei