"But then, to erect altars to the Madonna!" exclaimed Wilhelm; "to pray
to a being; whom the Bible does not make a saint!--that is rather too
much. And their tricks with burning of incense and ringing of bells!
Yes, indeed, it would give me no little pleasure to cut off the heads of
the Pope and of the whole clerical body! To purchase indulgence!--Those
must, indeed, be curious people who can place thorough faith in such
things! I will never once take off my hat before the Madonna!"

"But that will I do, and in my heart bow myself before her!" answered
Otto, gravely.

"Did I not think so? she has made you a Catholic!"

"No such thing! I am as good a Protestant as you yourself: but
wherefore should we not respect the mother of Christ? With regard to the
ceremonials of Catholicism, indulgence, and all these additions of the
priesthood, I agree with you in wishing to strike off the heads of all
who, in such a manner, degrade God and the human understanding. But in
many respects we are unjust: we so easily forget the first and greatest
commandment, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself!' We are not tolerant.
Among our festivals we have still one for the Three Kings--it is yet
celebrated by the common people; but what have these three kings done?
They knelt before the manger in which Christ lay, and on this account we
honor them. On the contrary, the mother of God has no festival-day; nay,
the multitude even smile at her name! If you will only quietly listen to
my simple argument, we shall soon agree. You will take off your hat and
bow before the Madonna. Only two things are to be considered--either
Christ was entirely human, or He was, as the Bible teaches us, a divine
being. I will now admit the latter. He is God Himself, who in some
inexplicable manner, is born to us of the Virgin Mary. She must
therefore be the purest, the most perfect feminine being, since God
found her worthy to bring into the world the Son, the only one; through
this she becomes as holy as any human being can, and low we must bow
ourselves before the pure, the exalted one. Take it for granted that
Christ was human, like ourselves, otherwise He cannot, according to my
belief, call upon us to imitate Him; neither would it be great, as God,
to meet a corporeal death, from which He could remove each pain. Were He
only a man, born of Mary, we must doubly admire Him; we must bow in the
dust before His mighty spirit, His enlightening and consoling doctrine.
Bu