d secret assassins of every liberty prized by man, the
"merry war" goes on right under our eyes, and we sleep and dream and
blindly assume that "there is no danger."

Read the history of the Crusaders, of the Protestant Reformation and of
the "Holy Inquisition," and if further enlightenment is needed, study the
origin, history, and denouement of all the Avatars of the past, the fate
of Egypt, the cities of the plain, where paganism and a degenerate
priesthood usurped the place of pure and undefiled religion, and literally
wiped from the map of the world the civilizations of the past. _Nemesis_
is written in letters of flame across the starry heavens, as an atonement
for the blood of nations and the degeneracy and diabolism of an ambitious,
cruel, relentless, and unrestrained priesthood. And it is all being
literally repeated to-day without the novelty of a new idea, or method, or
device, or motive. It is _The Reincarnation of the Avatar of Siva, the
Destroyer_.

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[2] At the death of Pope Leo there were 65 Cardinals, 39 of
whom were Italians.

CHAPTER XII

PORTENTS OF THE PRESENT TIME

There is no disguising nor denying the fact that during the past half
century institutional religion in the West has steadily lost its hold upon
the great mass of the people. Creeds and dogmas are denied and
repudiated.

The "higher criticism" represents the reluctant yielding of theologians to
the existing conditions. In order to maintain any hold whatever upon the
people and retain a semblance of the old faith, they have revised and
modified beliefs and interpretations, and relaxed completely the former
demand for the confession of faith and acceptance of the old creeds. Mere
general verbal assent admitting of many mental reservations is now often
deemed sufficient.

In the meantime, the living of the life and the doing of the work demanded
by Jesus have come more and more into demand and general recognition.

The "Emmanuel Movement," now gaining such recognition and making such
rapid progress, is sufficient evidence at this point.

With the Church of Rome no such change is manifest. By keeping its people
in ignorance, by condemning all change or any improvement under the name
of "Modernism," and by insisting upon the dogma of infallibility and blind
obedience, Rome thus far has resisted all change and refused all
compromise.

The change in Protestantism represents the growth of intelligence, the
reco